Chillin in the Hood

Our last night in New York City had to be memorable so we decided to do some touristy things (even though it's the most unbearable thing for me) since for most of my friends this was their first venture into the Big Apple.

We waited in line for almost an hour to board the ferry to visit Miss Liberty. We didn't end up getting off at the island to really explore since it was really busy. Instead we got off at Ellis Island, a place that I never knew existed until watching Hitch.
Ellis Island is a historical landmark because it was the point which all immigrants had to pass through before arriving in New York City. The island consists of one big building which the immigrants would go in to register themselves; it's now preserved as an immigration museum reflecting on the emergence of multiculturalism in NYC. It was definitely educational but not as entertaining as one would like.

We had enough time left to make a short stop to the infamous Canal Street to get some quick shopping done. We split into groups for efficiency. Avalon and I knew exactly what we were looking for so it made it much easier to get our job done. I ended up getting a nice pair of aviator-type sunglasses for 5 bucks before heading to a store to check out some knock off bags. As soon as we entered the guy at the counter took us into a back room and began to ask us how much. We were confused; we were the customers, don't we ask the questions?
Apparently on Canal Street the secret to getting good deals is to bargain, a skill that I have never quite been able to conquer. Fortunately for me I did end up with a good deal for a Coach wallet and bag.
Avalon didn't find what she was looking for so we kept walking until a boy came up to us in his broken English and began the usual chatter of "Versace, LV, Guess.. what you want?". We nodded and headed behind him, not really knowing where he was taking us but we knew this was the thing to do in this part of town; you just nod when the names are thrown at you not be alarmed when you are taken into unknown corners. Luckily I wasn't alone so for Avalon and I, this was an interesting adventure.
We were finally taken to a white van parked in the middle of a random busy street. The windows were tinted and because I had already heard stories of shady purchases inside vans I wasn't too worried. The door opened from the inside and Avalon and I were called inside. The van was a mobile showcase of bags! There was a bench for us to sit on while we examined the products and Avalon scored a good deal. Then the lady in the van called someone (probably the boy who was waiting around the corner to make sure there was no one watching this illegal sale), said a few words in Chinese and then told us it was clear to get out.

It was the strangest purchase ever but quite exciting as well. We felt that we had finally had the 'real' New York experience.

After heading back to Brooklyn we wanted to celebrate our last night in New York so we dressed up and went in search of a club. We were told that Bedlam was where there was some cool, hip bars and clubs so attempted to catch a cab since the subways closed at 1am (we lost track of the time since 5 girls getting ready in a tiny apartment is pretty hectic). Unfortunately for us none of the cabs would stop (they were all empty), and the one that did claimed that they did not know where Bedlam was, but we knew he was lying since Bedlam is a well known area in Brooklyn but we just didn't know why.
We didn't expect Brooklyn to be so dead on a Sunday, wasn't this New York city?!

Finally we gave up and decided to hit the salsa club which was a 5 minute walk from where we were staying. As soon as we walked in we felt that now we were really in Brooklyn; the club was filled with only Puerto Ricans. The bouncer was very friendly and knew right away from our accents we were Canadian and took it upon himself to protect us for the rest of the night. The live music was incredible and the Puerto Rican boys took turns dancing (or trying to teach us how to dance salsa) with all of us.
Finally as the night ended we were warned not to leave the club alone because we will be followed. This was quite appalling for us but the bouncers insisted to walk us home even though it was barely 5 minutes and so we let them. As we walked home we realized that they were not exaggerating; they showed us a van that did follow us and waited around the corner so we took a longer route home, totally blown away by how unsafe Brooklyn really is.
I guess sometimes movies don't lie.

We woke up realizing we had to leave today. It was a short trip but an eventful one. After grabbing some fresh tacos, we hit the road for an 8.5 hour drive home.
I can't really say I love New York, but there is lots to see and I might have to return one day. And this time, I will know to be more cautious.

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