Hello Upper-East-Siders

Arriving in Manhattan, we were greeted with an apartment in the middle of Nolita, just a 10-minute walk from SoHo. So, we were right in the heart of Manhattan's hotspot.

The new neighborhood was incomparable to the old. Here, everything was nearby (supermarket, church, shopping district, trendy stores, small restaurants, etc.). And that's exactly what we explored on our first day, on foot. We also visited the Chelsea Market and the New York High Line, a disused railway track transformed into a park. In the evening, we went to a bar and later to a club with Cheryl, the owner of the apartment, whom we had already met for the Empire State Building visit, and her crazy friend Jacky. This was possible because both of them knew the bar and club owner. And so, we spent an unforgettable evening, just like in a movie. With free Prosecco and free entrance. We danced all night, even though we were all underage in the USA.

Furthermore, we were invited again for the next evening, to celebrate Kathrin's birthday. This time, without Cheryl and Jacky. The next day, we had some shopping planned and in the evening, we went back to the club. We were warmly welcomed again and once more, we didn't have to pay for the entrance or drinks. The doorman just let us in, so the second evening was perfect as well. When we made our way back, satisfied and tired, we were actually approached on the street and invited to another club. And there, too, we didn't have to pay for anything. And that, even though it was a modern hip hop club where everyone was super stylish (and we were slightly underdressed).

The next morning, Kathrin had a magnificent pancake breakfast and we spent most of the sunny day in Central Park. We had Asian food in the evening and then went back to a free open-air concert. We spent the rainy Monday mainly planning the rest of our trip. The next day, we met up with a friend from Diez again and explored SoHo together. In the afternoon, the actual birthday present awaited all of us: painting our own white sneakers with an artist. At the end of the evening, we treated ourselves to a piece of super delicious and sweet 'Crack Pie'.

The next few days went by in a relaxed manner. Life in New York became more and more routine. We explored the Brooklyn Bridge again on foot and visited Bryant Park.

On our last day, we planned our further travels again and then took the night bus towards Canada...

Just before we boarded the bus, our Vampire Diaries dreams came true and we met Paul Wesley, an actor from the series, in a kiosk.

Overall, we really liked New York. Of course, everything is very crowded, very loud, and very fast, but it's also just the pulsating life. We are all glad that we had so much time here and could thoroughly explore the city. We look forward to our next adventures.