Day 1 – New York City – June 19
We woke up entirely too early and caught an Uber for our 5:40 am Southwest NYC flight out of Hobby. We are only taking one backpack each (Elizabeth 40 liters and Ryan 65 liters), so fitting it all in has been a challenge. Everything was going smoothly until our driver’s worrisome comment that he needed some music to stay awake; we didn’t ask how long he’d been up. Checking our bags and going through security was a breeze (sad TSA precheck can’t follow us abroad) and we walked onto the plane to get second row seats. After a delayed takeoff due to mechanical paperwork issues, a screaming banshee of a child one row behind us, and in-flight drink services were delayed for an hour due to turbulence, we happily used our free drink tickets to kick off our adventure with mimosas and tea with Baileys.
We landed in LaGuardia around 10:00, collected our backpacks and took the bus to the subway, grabbing the F train towards Brooklyn. An Uber cost $45 and is a 30 minute journey while the subway cost $2.50, but took us an hour and a half. Unfortunately, to spend a year abroad we have to say farewell to some luxury. Ryan met a friendly filmmaker from Houston on the C line – she is apparently paying over $3,000 in rent for a one-bedroom apartment! After dropping our bags in the sketchiest Airbnb we’ve been to yet, and praying they’d still be there when we got back, we walked back to the train station to grab our first meal of the day in SoHo. Japanese curry at Go! Go! Curry! We got Katsu Pork, just as flavorful as the stuff we ate in Tokyo. We then walked through Washington Square and Union Square Parks on our way to a bar for a couple of overpriced cocktails in the East Village – even during happy hour! We had planned on walking towards the NYSE and 9/11 Memorial, but a thunderstorm rolled through and derailed our plans. We settled on Neapolitan pizza at Ribalta, a Michelin reviewed restaurant, then still had space for hot chocolate (one Belgian and one chocolate peanut butter flavored) from Max Brenner. A couple of drinks in and already over budget for the day, we decided to call it an early night and catch up on sleep for our long flight to Iceland the next evening. Oh and our stuff was still there when we returned!
The next morning we rolled out of bed around 9:00 and packed our rucks (over 25 lbs each, we might as well be Army Rangers) and set out on the hunt for bagels. We really put our backs to the test and walked 1.5 miles through Brooklyn to a shop called Bunch O’ Bagels in Crown Heights. We were the only non-Jewish people in there, other than the staff. It’s right in the middle of a Hasidic Jewish community and we got two bagels (one sesame toasted with butter and a poppyseed with avocado and vegetables.) They were delicious and it was interesting to see a glimpse of the traditional Jewish clothing and culture. Next it was back on the subway to the World Trade Center Memorial. We walked around the new One World Trade Center and saw the pool/fountain memorial from the fallen tower. We walked along Broadway passing the New York Stock Exchange and the famous raging bull statue. The statue was so crowded with people you could only see the top of its back sticking out of the crowd. We continued down Broadway to Battery Park and enjoyed a few hours there resting on the benches, reading, and looking out at Lady Liberty. At this point the packs felt at least 50 lbs. a piece and we were are already plotting which things we could abandon in Iceland.
With a little grumble in Elizabeth’s tummy we headed back into the city to find some pizza. We stopped at a pizzeria called Justino’s on Pearl Street. We enjoyed two large, greasy slices of pepperoni pizza and it gave us the strength to carry on. We then decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It took a while to find the pedestrian entrance and once we were on it, it was packed with tourists from all over. Ryan reluctantly took a few photos with the bridge and city behind us. The bridge is roughly 1.2 miles long. We were exiting on the Brooklyn side when an intense thunderstorm rolled in. We were within seconds of making it to the train station without getting soaked, luckily our bags dry fast. At this point it was around 4:00 pm and time to head to JFK. The subway took around an hour to deliver us to the airport. We spent the next few hours relaxing and waiting for our 8:55 departure to Reykjavik, Iceland. Adios U.S. of A., see you in one year!
Things we’ve learned from NYC:
- You cannot be unfashionable.
- Everyone wears earbuds in the subway – everyone.
- The signs between train cars that say “Do Not Enter” and the turnstile emergency exits are mere suggestions to New Yorkers.
- Our backpacks are too heavy.
Ryan and Elizabeth Goss 