New York City NYC

Day 1: A very long, exhausting but absolutely impressive day is coming to an end! We started our adventure in New York, of course, at Times Square, which is right next to our hotel, and then met Lady Liberty downtown! After our coffee chat with the famous lady, we continued to the touching 9/11 Memorial, where one's breath is taken away when standing at this place! Then we went up to nearly 500 meters at the One World Observatory, the tallest skyscraper in the city! New York looks the most beautiful from above! Now our feet are tired, as we walked all the way back to our hotel on Broadway! As a grand finale of the first day, we are now having a Pumpkin Beer and of course a Guinness in the pub around the corner before we go to bed! We need to be fit again early tomorrow morning! Good Night New York!!!!!!!

Day 2: Since we were simply too tired yesterday, we will give you a short review of our 2nd day in a city that never ceases to amaze you 🗽🗽🗽 Today, we visited Fifth Avenue with its mega designer stores as well as Chelsea and the Meatpacking District! All by foot, of course, so we quickly had a typical New York bagel and a coffee and started walking! We don't even feel the pain in our legs and feet anymore and have adapted to the pace of the New Yorkers 😅😅😅! After all the mega stores of Louis Vuitton and Co, it's time again for the real New York, and we walk about 8 km to the Chelsea district, passing by the Flatiron Building 🇺🇸😍😍😍 We visit the Highline Park and the Chelsea Market, and continue towards the Meatpacking District, where it's time for two $10 beers, which we definitely deserve after nearly 15 km! Arriving in Greenwich Village, we visit Carrie Bradshaw and her girls in some of the old film locations from the series and enjoy the oversized cupcakes from the famous Magnolia Bakery! Finally, we head Uptown again (this time by subway 😌😌😌) and raid the second UGG store in search of warm feet because as beautiful as the weather is here, there's one thing to say: NEW YORK IS DAMN COLD IN OCTOBER 🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁 onto Day 3 ✌🏻

Day 3: SUMMER IS BACK & I think we are soon New Yorkers 🗽🗽🗽🗽Yesterday we were freezing at 5 degrees, and today it's T-shirt weather at 24 degrees!☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️By now, everything is running smoothly! Get up, bagel and coffee, metro down, and off we go! Today, we walked another 20 km by foot, and our day couldn't have been more diverse 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 First, we took a long ride to Coney Island, the famous pier of New York! Incredible: half an hour by train and you're completely removed from the metropolis, sitting among 100,000 seagulls in the fine sand with the Luna Park in the background! Unfortunately, the old wooden roller coasters and other attractions were closed, but we enjoyed hot dogs and fries from New York's oldest and best hot dog stand right on the beach! Our path led us back to the tip of Brooklyn (by the way, a mega district) to the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge, which we of course crossed on foot in this glorious weather ----> an absolute experience 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 you walk right into the Manhattan skyline and get swallowed up by the skyscrapers again! Now we went Uptown again and headed to the Rockefeller Center since we already got 2 tickets for the sunset yesterday! A breathtaking view over Manhattan and even a little more beautiful than the view from OWTC 😎 a big thanks again to Matthias Vermeulen and Silke Löhrer for the great gift! When we had solid ground under our feet again, we couldn't resist a little shopping spree, and then we went to Chinatown and Little Italy to end the day! A quick bite at the Mexican restaurant and now off to bed 💪✌🏻️🙏🏽

Day 4: Today, we took a tiny break from the big city, but only so we can fully recharge for Day 5! So this morning, we went quite clichéd on the tourist bus to the often-hyped THE MILLS in Jersey Gardens, a fantastic outlet mall in the heart of New Jersey! We quickly bought bus tickets for just $14 for round trips, grabbed breakfast on the go (either while walking or every free moment on escalators), and soon we were on the bus heading towards the legendary label outlets! We had heard a lot of positive things about this outlet, and the fact that there is no sales tax in New Jersey made it even more appealing! After a 30-minute ride, we arrived at the shopping heaven for all shopaholics! As tourists, we got a coupon book with extra discounts, and then we were off! However, after a short time, we realized that this outlet is not much different from the others...... but we were still able to find some really cheap bargains, even though the bags were cutting into our fingers more and more! After 5 hours of shopping frenzy and some sweaty changing room maneuvers, it was time to head back to our beloved Manhattan (of course)....but this time we encountered the rush hour traffic, turning 30 minutes into 60 minutes!! But that didn't bother us much when we saw the skyline waiting for us again, so we used the remaining time to reflect on all the things we experienced, saw, smelled, and tasted in the past few days...... WE ARE IN NEW YORK!!!!!!! We couldn't help but slow down a bit today due to the exhaustion, but we couldn't stand it for long. After our successful shopping spree in Jersey Gardens, we quickly showered and changed at the hotel, and then headed downtown by subway. We received a tip from Sarah, a friend who lived in New York for six months, and today we visited one of the trendiest rooftop bars in the city. After the ID check (drinking is only allowed at 21), we went up to the 20th floor, and what awaited us was magnificent! A stunning view of the Empire State Building and the rest of the city, accompanied by great electronic music, all on the rooftop!!! Even Miro Duv shed a tear... or maybe it was because of his Jalapeno Tequila???? 'Very spicy'.. said the bartender. After a few drinks and great music, we found ourselves back on the ground and took a stroll to stretch our legs, and couldn't resist walking through an American supermarket and grabbing 2 beers for the rest of the evening in our hotel room :) Now we are sitting here, looking forward to our penultimate day tomorrow in our beloved New York City! I can already tell you: we will go even higher and it will be green at the same time! To better describe our experiences for you, today we have captured the most beautiful moments in pictures :) GOOD NIGHT NEW YORK

Day 5: A little later than the previous days, but better late than never! We were simply too tired in the evening, and our energy only lasted for brushing our teeth and sleeping!

But the 5th and unfortunately penultimate day had a lot to offer, and as always, we were surprised every time by simply turning a street corner and seeing New York and its crowds of people in a completely different way!

Today, the world-famous Central Park was at the top of our to-do list, so we woke up early to make the most of our time! So, same routine as every other day: shower, coffee, bagel, and into the city beaters we bought at Footlocker on Times Square! Comfortable shoes are an absolute must in New York because you probably won't walk as much in your entire life as you do here! Despite good footwear from Nike and regular leg fitness sessions, our feet still hurt in the evening! But we gladly accept that because we are rewarded with so much!

Arriving at Central Park (only a 10-minute walk from our hotel, by the way), we first looked for the bike rental station and accidentally ended up at the New York Zoo after 5 minutes! But we finally made it to the right place and hopped on our city bikes for $14 an hour and cycled into the green! But Central Park not only greeted us with greenery, but also with all the colors you can imagine on trees, bushes, or meadows due to the season!! By the way, we already had about 24 degrees in the early morning, so it was time to pack the sweater in our backpacks and enjoy nature in our T-shirts! The tranquility in New York's green lung is unbelievable, you feel like you're in a national park somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Everything is quiet, relaxed, and calm, and you really have to watch out not to run over all the squirrels on the bike paths. Everywhere you see joggers who are probably preparing for the upcoming New York Marathon, and sometimes it's embarrassing when seniors running uphill overtake you on your bike (sometimes we had to dismount, otherwise we would have definitely collapsed into the next bushes)

The bike tour was incredibly fun because after so much city and asphalt, it was simply great to have some nature around us.

After about an hour, we were back and continued our journey on foot! We walked all the way down 59th Street until we finally arrived at the Roosevelt Island tram station. We read in a travel guide that you must take a ride on it, as you have a great view of the city. And the best part: The ride is completely free for Metrocard holders!!! So, here we go: The ride wasn't particularly long, but still a great experience as you drive the first part of the route over the streets! It went higher and higher, and it made us a bit uneasy in the stomach when we were eye to eye with the top of the Queensboro Bridge. But the view was simply amazing, and soon we arrived in Roosevelt Island. But just as quickly, we were back in our beloved Manhattan! On our way back to the hotel, we did some shopping at Niketown and other stores, and even took a quick look at Tiffany's Jewel Temple. We didn't buy anything, unfortunately, we didn't have any rubies with us! Arriving at the hotel, we got ready for the evening because we had a little treat in store! We went to see the Broadway musical Aladdin, a Disney production. After touching the magic lamp, we entered the New Amsterdam Theatre and were overwhelmed by this old but super impressive theater! The musical was one of the best we've ever seen, especially the Genie with his typical American humor, and the truly flying carpet (we still can't explain how the producers managed that) had us amazed! After 2 hours, the magic was over, and with big grins on our faces, we headed to the Hard Rock Café across from the theater. Here, we had burgers and beer to recharge for the night because we still have a lot of sleep ahead of us! We are now looking forward to our last day in the city that never sleeps (we, on the other hand, have slept a lot since we finally got rid of the jetlag after a week) and are curious about what awaits us tomorrow! I can already tell you this much, we saved the icing on the cake for the end!

Day 6/THE GRAND FINALE: Everything eventually comes to an end, including our trip to New York. Today is departure day, and we are already jet-lagged on our couch at home in beautiful old Germany! We're a little sad because the time in New York flew by, and we remember it as a super exciting and beautiful week full of new impressions and experiences! One thing is already clear: it won't be the last time!!! We were instantly captivated by New York from the first minute, and we immediately fell in love with the charm of the city! So, of course, we hope to see each other again soon and look forward to a new adventure!

For the last day in New York, we saved the absolute icing on the cake, as we mentioned yesterday! I don't need to describe our morning routine today, so let's get started! We went to the southernmost tip of Manhattan to the Whitehall subway station, which took about 25 minutes by subway during the morning rush hour! We turned at the South Ferry towards Staten Island and left all the (by now almost annoying tourist traps) behind us, and it became increasingly louder in our ears! We stood in front of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, and our pulse slowly increased as we saw one helicopter after another taking off into the sky. We booked our helicopter ride across Manhattan earlier and could easily go to the check-in counter! The waiting area was quite crowded, and people were divided into small groups! After a short safety instruction via video message, everyone was given a life jacket around their waist, and then we quickly stepped on the scale (we didn't look since all the fast food would have spoiled the mood), so the fuel consumption of the helicopter could be calculated. We waited another ten minutes, and then our group of five was escorted outside to take off. We quickly took a few photos and videos, which we were actually not allowed to do, and then we could board! I had the absolute top spot in front next to the charming pilot in the cockpit and was a bit confused about all the buttons, switches, and levers. I was a bit afraid of accidentally touching something and being responsible for a moderate helicopter accident, but in that case, we still had our life jackets, which would have surely helped us at an altitude of 500 m. But the pilot was relaxed, and so I became calmer too!

After a few checks, we were already in the air, and it was an absolute highlight to fly in such a helicopter in the first place, but what awaited us after the first sharp left turn surpassed everything from the past week! We narrowly flew past the perfectly styled head of Lady Liberty, and in our excitement, I quickly forgot to capture everything on camera, but we did another round around the lovely lady, and this time we started filming!!! We were all connected via headsets and could talk to each other throughout the entire flight, but no one said a word because when we approached Manhattan and looked at this beautiful skyline from a bird's eye view, everyone in the helicopter was speechless. The pilot immediately noticed our silent enthusiasm and suddenly Alicia Keys' Empire State of Mine started playing in the live version through our noise-canceling Bose headphones! Usually quite cheesy, but it fit perfectly in this moment! We zoomed past the One World Trade Center and were almost blinded by the reflecting windows of the Empire State Building. We saw all the beautiful places of the past 5 days again in fast-forward, and all the beautiful experiences and memories came back! I think everyone, this time even Miro, shed a tiny tear!!! It was a completely amazing experience and super exciting at the same time! Anyone who ever travels to New York should definitely not miss out on this perhaps not quite cheap experience, it is definitely worth it! You won't forget something like this so quickly! When the hard New York asphalt had us back, we thought we'd end our trip the way we started it and walked up Broadway again! Nevertheless, we kept noticing small details that we hadn't known or seen before, so it never got boring! Especially now, one week before Halloween, we noticed how crazy Americans are about this holiday. There were carved pumpkins everywhere, or cobwebs with skulls and witches adorned the shop windows! Every small supermarket had a diverse selection of cool costumes for young and old, and the kids were going crazy. Thanks to the latest Apple technology, we had covered a total of 107.78 km on our fitness tracker, and our feet had a few blisters. We enjoyed the last autumn sunrays of New York, briefly visited the Public Library, and slowly made our way in flight-ready attire towards JFK Airport via subway!

Take one last deep breath and inhale the New York breeze, and then we were in the air-conditioned Terminal 8. After check-in, we quickly went through security check, and then off to the plane! The plane was full, but this time we were incredibly lucky and got a complete row of four seats to ourselves! Perfect for a red-eye flight when you can lie down to sleep because somehow it never works to sleep sitting up! Just before the plane's doors closed, and we were on our way to the runway, I recognized a familiar face in the crowd, three rows in front of us! In front of us sat none other than Ivy Quainoo, the winner of the first season of The Voice of Germany. What a coincidence!!!! We went to one of her concerts three years ago, and we always liked her music! In a short chat with her, we learned that she now lives in New York and had to travel to Germany for a performance! Upon arrival in Düsseldorf, we quickly took a proof photo because everyone can tell stories!!!!!!!!!!

Now we're sitting at home, in little Wesel am Rhein! What we definitely came to appreciate is a smoothly running faucet and our own bed, but we take a lot home from our trip! It's nice to see how people from all over the world can live together in such a small space and respect and tolerate each other! This city was so open and honest towards us, so real and diverse, so vibrant and frightening at the same time, simply magnificent. We have been missing New York since the first second and will probably remember it for a very long time.

In this spirit: One hand in the air for the big city!!!!!!

Miro, it was wonderful!!!!!!!