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Published: August 6th 2011
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Well, finally!!!! I made it to New York City after five years of finally having money to travel. When I booked my flight to come home to Kentucky, I had a 22 hour layover in NYC so I extended it to four days knowing that 22 hours is a just a teaser and four days is at least a small bite. And a bit it was! I have a new favorite city in the world and it is fondly referred to as The Big Apple.
I arrived on a Friday afternoon and took a taxi to my home for four days in Brooklyn. When I was looking for accommodation, I discovered a website which will forever change the way I travel. It is called www.airbnb.com and this is where people all over the world list their 'room for rent.' Most of these people have an extra room in their house/apartment/villa and they rent it out to holiday makers for a very reasonable price. Some people allow use of the kitchen, some have a private bath, but they are all great deals. I rented a room in Brooklyn from a Taiwanese gal who came to NY to be a musician. I
paid $36 a night. It was a total steal. She gave me directions via email and I told the taxi exactly where to go.
I put my bag down, brushed my teeth, and headed straight for the AT&T store nearby to get a SIM card for my phone, and then I headed straight for Times Square using the subway. The NY subway has some challenges, but it is incredibly efficient and fast. I bought a 7 day subway card for $29, which is better than paying $2.50 per ride even though I'd only use it four days. I knew I would go everywhere on the subway or bus. Times Square was just a 30 minute ride away on the metro and I was greeted with bright lights, crowds of people, and rain. I didn't care. It was so exciting to finally see this place that I've seen on TV so many times. There were advertisements everywhere, tourists everywhere, restaurants, souvenir shops, clothing stores, hot dog stands, all touristy. But I didn't care. It also has energy and I loved it. I went to Planet Hollywood first to pick up my New York Pass (Google it, not worth it in
my opinion) and then I was free. I had my SIM card, my metro card, and my NY Pass. I was ready to go.
I walked around Times Square, got a hot dog, got a big ice coffee at Europa Cafe for about $3, and I just kept walking. I took pictures, I looked at the buildings, the advertisments. I looked at everything but a map. NY is on a fantastic grid system and once you figure out north, south, east, and a west, you've got it made. I wandered over to the Empire State Building and thought about going up, but it was cloudy and I decided to wait. And I was starting to get tired. Really, really tired. So I headed back to Brooklyn on the L train, took a much needed shower, and went to bed. I fell asleep to the bass of someone's ridiculously loud music just outside my window. Hope that's not a problem every night. It wasn't tonight because I was so tired I fell right to sleep.
Tomorrow - Museum Mile!
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