New York City! - little Jennie, big skyscrapers!

Hello, hello, hello!

If you haven't been following my Instagram diligently, now is your chance to read about my New York adventure!

Currently, I am sitting in Central Park, next to a small waterfall, listening to the sound of the water and feeling sad that my 6 days went by so quickly!

But... let's go back to the beginning!

I landed in Newark, New Jersey after an 8-hour direct flight (yes!). After only 30 minutes at immigration, I went to the information desk to get advice on how to get to Harlem, where our Airbnb was. For those who don't know New York or have never been here, Newark is the airport in New Jersey, which is located outside of New York. New Jersey and New York are connected by bridges, etc. However, Harlem (where our Airbnb was) is very far north on the New York Peninsula, so a long journey was expected. After talking to the lady at the desk for 30 minutes, I had 3 options... I could pay $17 for the AirTrain to New York, take the express bus for $13, or transfer multiple times and pay $5 for local buses and trains. Those who know me as a penny-pincher know which option I chose...

I took the 62 bus line, which took me to Penn Station in New Jersey for free - the driver just waved me through. From there, I took a train for $2.75 to New York and took the subway across the city.

Getting around in New York is super easy, even for me, Blondie. If you go from left to right on the map, all the streets go up and have 'Avenue' at the end, for example (1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue...). From bottom to top, the streets also go up but have 'street' at the end (e.g. 1st Street, 2nd Street...), so it's pretty simple.

When I arrived at the Airbnb, I just quickly dropped off my things and then walked through the streets of Harlem. To be honest, it's definitely not as dangerous as it used to be... but also not really nice. I bought some food and went back to the Airbnb where I was waiting for my dear friend Jana.

We ate and chatted together, made plans for the next day, and waited for her boyfriend Nico. He arrived at the Airbnb at midnight and now our travel group was complete.

We had decided to get a tourist pass, which was available from various providers. Ours was a 4-day pass that allowed us to experience all the attractions (over 250 in total). You will see how much this pass was worth, because I definitely wanted to experience as much as possible. We paid a total of about $250 for the pass.

The start of our city trip began with a must-have breakfast at IHOP!

Then we started with a walking tour to get into the New York vibe. We visited the trendy 'SoHo' (South Houston), experienced an Italian street festival in 'Little Italy', and gained exciting insights into Chinatown. Of course, the neighborhoods are all similar, just like in Melbourne or any other big city, but it was still beautiful. (Normally, we would have had to pay $35 for this tour without the pass)

(SoHo)

(Little Italy)

(Chinatown)

The tourist program continued with a trip to the Brooklyn Bridge. Here, I truly realized that I - little Jennie - was actually standing on THE Brooklyn Bridge and couldn't stop squealing with joy.

After taking 7 million photos, we arrived at Ground Zero... and of course... it's been years, now there are the memorials and the museum, beautiful green spaces, and the sun reflecting in the fountains... but we all didn't feel entirely comfortable there...

Originally, we wanted to take a boat tour to Liberty Island, but the tour was canceled, so we decided to visit the 9/11 Museum instead (normally $26 admission).

We lost track of time in the museum, spending almost 3 hours there, and what can I say... it's crazy to stand so close to it all, the feelings are mixed, at times it's hard to swallow or you have tears in your eyes... to see it all processed afterwards, next to grieving people who find refuge there every day, and then those stupid, stupid tourists who don't think and take pictures with a crushed fire truck as if it were just another item on their sightseeing list... it's anger, sadness, shock... even admiration for the strength of this country, everything that pulls you down there, below the surface, at the former layouts of the World Trade Centers. It was so captivating that we consciously decided to end the day with a visit to Times Square, all lit up.

Times Square is loud, dirty, and full of people - but that's part of it! Even I, with the attention span of a squirrel, was completely overwhelmed there. You don't know where to look first! It's bright and glittery and flashing, music is playing from every store, the shops try to outdo each other, and there is a huge wild but somehow beautiful chaos.

But if you look away from the screens and onto the streets, unfortunately, you also see 5 million Batmans, Supermans, Minnie Mouses, and even Elsas standing around almost like an army around the tourists. Unfortunately, some of them had something to drink, stumbled over their own feet, could only barely keep themselves upright... and behind them? All the homeless people sitting on the street, hoping for the tourists to give them some money... Yes... I would say Times Square has 2 sides.

The next day started with another walking tour, this time we explored Chelsea, the High Line Park, and the Meatpacking District with a tour guide (normally $35).

This tour was really great, we walked through the Chelsea Food Market and learned about what had happened here before. In short? In the olden days, the meat was delivered by boats over the Hudson River, which were then processed and stored as meat blocks in the factories of the Meatpacking District. Everyone used to go there to pick up their meat, but since the distances were often long and the trains on the street often ran over civilians, the city simply built the train tracks above ground, several meters above the streets. However, some time later, refrigerators became modern and transportation became easier, so the heavy, large trains no longer came into the city and had to transport tons of meat. As is often the case, train service was discontinued, nature reclaimed its space, and the tracks became overgrown... some time later, it became an official and public park. Tada! - the High Line Park was born!

The tour guide gave us a tip for a hotel where the rooftop bar was also open to the public, and for the first time, we enjoyed a beautiful view of the city.

Before we went to the Empire State Building to top off our view of the skyline! (Normally $44 admission)

Up there, you really feel like you're close to the sky, and it was there that I realized once again... I was in New York!

Finally, we visited Grand Central Station, in short... it's pretty big, but not something you absolutely had to see or that impressed me... the 99 cent pizza slices on the corner in front of the station impressed me more! Dinner was secured, so we continued...

In our pass, the Color Factory was included (normally $38 admission). Now we were naturally wondering what that was, and we didn't get much wiser from Instagram either... but we found out - it was an interactive color museum! And just like that, we became little kids again... dancing colorful balloons, eating colorful macaroons, glowing dance floors, free ice cream, and... last but not least, a giant ball pit! If that wasn't the perfect end to the day!

On day 3, I explored everything on my own for the first time and booked a bike tour through Central Park (price $45).

And if I can summarize it briefly: Central Park is magical, like a small zoo, a national park, a resting place in one! And the fact is - 2 hours of biking is not enough to see the entire park, there is something beautiful to see at every corner, birds are chirping, something rustles in the bushes, and the water is babbling. Definitely the right place to escape space, time, and especially the hustle and bustle of the big city.

After that, I took a Rockefeller tour (tour price $27 + observatory $39). Did you know that Rockefeller Center is not just one building, but a complex of 19 buildings that are all interconnected?

After the tour, I was able to skip the line and enter through the VIP entrance to truly... truly have the best view of New York. The Empire State Building was impressive... but there were only glass windows separating you from the city and the height... it was even quieter up there... You couldn't hear or see anything from the wild city, just the motionless skyline, the wind whistling through your ears, and maybe in the distance, you could see a boat on the Hudson River... nothing else. A dreamy view, a calming silence, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Afterwards, I met up with Nico and Jana again and we went back to the Airbnb.

Day 4 started with our long-awaited boat tour to the Statue of Liberty! Our ferry (Miss Liberty - price $18) started on time and made its way across the water to the Statue of Liberty. This time, we did the full tourist program with audio tour and everything, just to make sure we fully appreciated the statue. Did you know that the builder of the Eiffel Tower designed and built the basic structure of the statue and that the skin of Lady Liberty is as thick as 2 pennies??

In scorching heat, we returned to the mainland, skipped the other 2 mini islands (Ellis & Governors Island), and went to the American Museum of Natural History - and for those who are still paying attention - yes, Night at the Museum was filmed here! (Admission without the pass $23) For me, the dinosaur section was a must-see, and luckily, my little nephew was still awake, so I could show him the giant dinosaur skeletons via video call!

Afterwards, I took a break alone at Panda Express (finally had Orange Chicken again) and strolled along the Riverside Park during sunset. It was a magical moment that I enjoyed to the fullest!

But it got even more magical, because we ended the day with a night sail on the Hudson River on an old sailboat. (Regular price $45)

We each enjoyed a glass of wine, cuddled on the boat together, and enjoyed the glittering city, the reflection on the water, the silence, the vastness, the darkness... and I realized here... every word is true, New York is wonderful, New York is magical in its own way, it enchants you, and I know I quickly leave my heart somewhere, but New York has captured my heart in a special way, without much effort... just honest and real, as I had hoped.

If you have paid attention and calculated, you know that I would have had to pay $375 in total for admission fees and tours. Thanks to the New York Pass, I saved $125, so if that's not a win!

I am enchanted, from the friendly guy in the subway who was eating his pizza and asked his seatmates if they wanted a slice... to the squirrels running up and down the trees, the old grandpas playing classical jazz in the metro station... to the friendly police officer who asked me to watch the bikes. All the contrasts of the city, the dark and the light, the noise and the hustle and bustle compared to the tranquility of Central Park. Wild and tame at the same time, the city where anything seems possible... where you feel small and at the same time, simply amazing.

Dear New York, I have fallen in love... and I will come back. I promise.

With love,

yours Jennie