New Haven, Jersey City and New York

After arriving in New Haven on Monday, we had a cozy evening there.

On Tuesday morning, we went on a Yale College Tour. It was very interesting, partly because we had a very good guide who had studied at Yale, but also because it is an extremely large and beautiful campus that stretches more or less throughout the city. Afterwards, we went home and watched the UEFA Champions League game. In the evening, according to our landlady, we went to eat the best pizza in the USA. It was at the Modern Apizza restaurant. (It was really good, so if ever in New Haven go and try it!)

On Wednesday, it was already time for us to leave again. We took the train from New Haven to Jersey City via the New York Grand Central Terminal. Once there, we watched the Champions League again. After that, we didn't do much else.

On Thursday, we walked to Liberty Park to see the park and especially the skyline of New York City. It is best seen from there. In the evening, we watched a movie together.

On Friday, we set off again, this time to Manhattan. We dropped off our luggage at the hostel and then took the subway into the city. We went to Times Square for the first time. Then we walked to Rockefeller Center, where we bought our New York City Pass. With this pass, we explored the most important sights of the city in the following days. In the evening, we went to the Museum of Modern Arts. It is free on Fridays, which is great, but it also attracts a lot of people... However, there were also many beautiful and interesting works. After that, we had dinner in the city and then went back to our hostel.

On Saturday, we started our first day in New York. We took the subway to 4th Street and walked from there through SoHo, Tribeca and the Financial District to Ground Zero. SoHo and Tribeca are both very nice, trendy neighborhoods, with many restaurants, hotels, and shops. The Financial District, on the other hand, has skyscrapers and bustling banks, as well as the New York Stock Exchange Market. When we arrived at Ground Zero, we first visited the 9/11 Memorial. Then we went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which is highly recommended as it authentically represents all the events surrounding September 11, 2001. After visiting this museum, we also visited Trinity Church. Then we walked to the Staten Island Ferry and took it. From there, we had a very nice view of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and Ellis Island. After returning from there, we had dinner in Chinatown and then returned to our hostel.

On Sunday morning, we first went to the natural history museum and visited it. It had some very nice exhibits, but overall it was superficial and overcrowded. Then we went to the city and took a Circle Line Tour. We took a ferry around Manhattan and learned a lot about the city. It is highly recommended. After this tour, it was time for us to go to Rockefeller Center. From there, you have the best view of New York that you can have. (Yes, it is better than the view from the Empire State Building.) Then we ended the evening at Times Square and then returned to our hostel.

On Monday, we went to the second most important art museum in the city. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It displays old art, so we didn't like it as much. Then we went back to the city and went to the Empire State Building to enjoy the view from there. After this beautiful view, we visited the High Line Park, the Chelsea Market, and Greenwich Village. The High Line Park is an old railway line that has been turned into a park. The Chelsea Market is a very nice market hall, and Greenwich is a thriving district in the west of the city.

On Tuesday, we rode bikes through Central Park and along the Hudson River. This allowed us to breathe fresh air and enjoy nature a little bit. Then we walked to the HBO Store. There, we could see merchandise from some of our favorite series like Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. Then we went home again and watched the Champions League.

On Wednesday, we decided to take the subway to Brooklyn. There, we first visited the neighborhood of Williamsburg. It is very nice and refreshingly alternative. We walked past a cinema and immediately felt like watching a movie, which we did. Then we went back to our hostel and in the evening, we went to the Hard Rock Café for dinner.

Today, in the morning, we checked out of the hostel and went to the bus station. There, we took our bus to Philadelphia. After a two-hour drive, we arrived there. Then we checked into our Airbnb and had a cozy evening with a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich.

That's it for now. See you soon!

Rémy and Fabian