My Time In D.C. And New York Part II: New York, New York

It is a beautiful city that we have to call its name twice. The image of New York has been staying inside my mind through movies or shows like “Manhattan” by Woody Allen; “Taxi Driver” by Martin Scorsese, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Blake Edwards, “Sex and the City,” “Friends,” “The Devil Wears Prada” by David Frankel. If talking about New York, a million words will not be enough, and one word is redundant. The spirit and the lifestyle of New York welcome so many ambitious people and say goodbye to people who cannot understand New York. Even though New York is small in acreage, it is significant in what’s inside the city. New York is a place that focuses on three things—fashion, Finance, and Diversity.

I went to New York unexpectedly, which means I didn’t plan. After the night in D.C., I decided to go to New York for one day and move on to Philadelphia. But my friend told me that I had to spend two days in New York to explore every important place in this city. So I made up my plan. I booked a bus from Flixbus to New York and a cheap hotel inside New York which only cost me $160 per night. I must say I felt relief after finding that hidden gem. The hotel is called St. Mark. If you want to find a cheap hotel inside the city close to Time Square, about 20 minutes, St. Mark will be your best choice. It took me nearly four hours to get from D.C. to New York. The smoke hazard was the only thing that pissed me off the most on the first day in New York. As you know, a wildfire was happening in Canada, and smoke was covering the sky of New York because of the wind. The sky was full of yellow colors, and the air was filled with smoke. I tried my best to take as many shots as possible of where I went to. But I cannot escape the yellow sky. However, I will tell you later that things were improving at night. The bus stopped at a location in Chinatown. I saw the map to see if I needed to book a cab to get there, but it only took me 15 minutes to walk to the hotel. So I walked. When I was walking on the streets of New York, I could see everything—the actual New York. Arriving at the hotel, I checked in and changed my clothes. I didn’t want to waste my time to rest. I looked at the map, which I grabbed at the hotel lobby. Oh my God, there were so many places in the city that I had to go to, but I would not have enough time to visit them all. I circled specific places that were the best places to visit in New York. And just like that, my trip to New York began.

The first place I went to was the Washington Square Park. It is a small park, but so many activities are made possible by young people. I can tell because New York University is near there. The park is the perfect place to exercise every morning if you live near Soho. I came to Monica and Rachel’s apartment from Friends. I love Friends that each year I rewatch it. It was just a building that I came and looked at. It was exactly like the one in Friends. It made me happy because, for so many years of rewatching Friends, I could be here in front of the one where it began. There were so many tourists there when I came. They must be big fans of the show. Another place I went to, which was also in my favorite TV show, was Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment. Can you believe that Monica and Rachel’s and Carrie Bradshaw’s apartments are not far away? It is only 6 minutes walk. It was so convenient for me. Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment is inside a neighborhood. Like Monica and Rachel’s apartment, people were gathering to take pictures of her apartment too. It was amazing. That was where Carrie was sitting by the window and writing her column, where Carrie welcomed her men, where Carrie and her friends hanged out, and where Carrie put on her best clothes and shoes every day.

I realized that walking is the best way to move to New York. On every street, you can see people walking very fast. They are the hustle and bustle through each street. Driving cars in New York probably is a mission impossible. The road is too small. Sometimes some roads only have one line. How the hell can they move? I can see that New York drivers are the best drivers in the country. They have to drive carefully to get to their destination on such a small road like that, not to mention rush hour when people get out of the street. There are so many things in New York that I felt like I was Dorothy when she came to Oz. First, Starbucks. There is a Starbucks store where they both sell coffee and alcohol. I was like, WTF? On one side, they make regular coffee that we drink every day. On the other side, they have a bar for alcohol. It is not a regular bar like we always go. It is a coffee with alcohol which is made specially by the barista. Second, smoking. When I was walking on the street, I could see people smoking. They were holding a cigarette between their fingers or in their mouth. Stranger than fiction, they can smoke MJ on the street too. I saw it with my own eyes. I know it is unhealthy, but I always find people attractive and intelligent when smoking. I never see anyone who can smoke freely on the street like that in California. When I got back to the hotel, my clothes smelled smoky. Fourth, lost in New York. Now, I’d like to recommend this, but if you don’t feel comfortable with this recommendation, you won’t need to do so. When coming to New York, getting on the Metro is the thing I always want to try. The subway is the best choice for New Yorkers in New York. But my main problem was finding the right track to the right place. It was a challenge for me. I got the subway map in my hands, but I had no idea which station I was heading to. Then, I got lost. But I was thankful that I got lost in New York because I can go to many exciting places one way or another. Those are the four things I loved the most in New York for two days.

For the first time in my life, I had never walked a lot like when I was in New York. After the Metro, I had to walk to the places. Everything was so gorgeous and gigantic. The Empire State Building, Madison Square Park, The Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal (this is where I could see how a terminal can be so artistic like that), Rockefeller Center, Radio Music Hall, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It’s incredible because I saw all those places in films but never had a chance to go there. And when I could be there, all I could do was absorb their beauty and uniqueness. At about 7 p.m., I returned to the hotel to shower and prepare for the night. Oh, one thing I forgot to tell you. The weather in New York is the best. Not too hot. It makes you comfortable even when you are walking on the street. I had dinner at Joe’s Pizza. You may ask why I came to New York for pizza. I don’t know. While walking on the street, I saw Joe’s Pizza with a long line of people. I thought it must be a good pizza restaurant. So it took me about half an hour to get a slice of pizza at Joe’s Pizza. And it was worth the wait. I’m telling you. It is the best pizza that I have ever had.

To end the day, Time Square is my final destination. I saved for the night because Time Square is the best when the night came. All the lights and the glamor of New York city are at Time Square. This is where millions of people come on New Year’s Eve to watch the crystal ball being dropped. It is so beautiful. Millions of lights are on that I feel like I could stay there all night to watch everything. And I did. I spent two hours there until 11:00 p.m. just watching with a hotdog and a cup of Coke in my hands. I was attracted by New York by night. I walked to the hotel. There are many bars on one street. You can see that each time you pass a bar, another bar will be in front of you. You can escape. It is a sign, though. I got in a bar, had two cocktails, and ended my night.

A day in New York with me is like that. I want to come back to this place again. There were so many other amazing things that I had not tried yet. But I had no choice. I only had two days in New York. The next day, I went to Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. That will be the next post.