June 2014 was the first time I arrived at JFK Airport, New York, after more than 20 hours of flight (Kuala Lumpur - Kuwait - London - Thank-God-Finally-It's-New York). Trust me, it felt endless, added up by the hectic security check that gave me the feeling of being stripped. Well anyway, I was glad that finally I made my way to the shuttle stop.
The feeling of exhaustion and jet-lag had instantly replaced by over-flowing excitement. I couldn't wait to explore. Although I had to fulfil my responsibility to work in Allentown, which was two-to-three-hour-drive from New York (I will blog about it later on), before I could really go on 30 days of adventure. Well, just a correction, actually the whole work and travel experience in the States was a memorable adventure for me.
I came back to New York for five days with my friend Jessie, in September after our employment ended. Another friend from Hong Kong joined us later on. We stayed in Brooklyn B&B which was only one block away from Flushing av. Subway station, such a great location in spite of its dull neighbourhood at night. We rented a private room. It was small, but clean and cozy. We were provided with a tiny kitchen and two bathrooms. One of the bathrooms was located just right beside our room. And yes, free wi-fi!
Each person had to pay approximately USD 80 (included the taxes) per night. It was quite reasonable, considering the rate for every lodging was quite high in a huge city like New York. Unlike in Allentown, everything was so expensive in this metropolitan city. Unfortunately, I did not take any picture of the B&B (because I never thought that I would write about it) and I could not find it on the internet, so it probably did not exist anymore, or the owner had probably changed its name to something else. If anyone happens to know, feel free to comment below.
Okay. Let's move on. So, these are the highlights of our trip in New York City:
1. Lunch at Shake Shack
The burger that would make you regret for not trying, they said. The most famous one in NYC. My personal opinion? The first bite was pretty much a mouthgasm. The buns were soft and smooth and the beef was juicy and tender. How about the cheese? Boom! Blended perfectly, such a pleasure on the tastebud.
It's photogenic and mouth-watering.
I was not a fan of burgers actually, but I'd changed my mind since the time I tasted this (also Five Guys and In-n-out burgers - will blog about these soon). So I guess, it's really worth a try!
By the way, you can find Shake Shack outlets in most of the crowded areas in NYC. There is one store nearby Battery Park, you can take away your meal and eat it at the park (since it's ALWAYS crowded and it's hard to find a seat). Apart from that, here is the address of the one that we dined in:
691 8th Avenue
(8th Avenue & 44th Street)
Opening hours: 11AM - 12AM / 7 days a week
2. Stroll along Brooklyn Bridge
An afternoon walk along the bridge was probably not the best idea to do in summer, because NYC (I guess all cities in US) has terrible humidity (compared to the one we have in our home country). So it's understandable if we felt like BURNT, although it's approaching fall season and most people said it would be kinda chill up there.
Alright, some people might be wondering how we got to the bridge at the first place, considering that we're also first-timer. I might not be good at this either, but I was lucky my travel buddy knew how to use Google Maps well. Really well, I mean. She knew which stop we should have gotten off. She even knew the EXACT time of train departure. No kidding, but you can actually check it through the application. Yes, you have at least an access to internet. Otherwise, you can ask around. The locals were really friendly!
This is how you use Google Maps:
Type in your destination. There will be choices of transportation. Click on the train / bus icon, and TA-DA! Everything is there (info: from Manhattan, take the 4,5,6 trains to Brooklyn/City Hall stop or J, Z trains to Chamber St. Stop).
Beautiful Manhattan Skyline can be seen from the bridge (Panoramic mode)
You may cycle on the bridge as well
Thanks Jessie for the great picture (really love this one!)
Collection of Love Locks can be seen along the bridge. I heard they had been removed in 2015.
It is recommended to drop by Brooklyn Bridge Park which located not far from the bridge itself. It used to be a port that was transformed into a beautiful park with Brooklyn Bridge and incredible Manhattan skyline as background.
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Awesome Manhattan Skyline
Sit down and enjoy the view (if I was not so poor that time, I would probably buy some ice cream)
The clearest sky that I've ever seen. Look at this breath-taking view!
3. New York Public Library (NYPL)
This place is a heaven for book lovers. What would you do in NYPL, many had asked. First reason was its impressive architecture. The building has been developed in 19th century. Ancient enough to make me curious about what's inside. It was also known as the forth largest library in the world. The second and third reasons were because I am a bookworm and movie freak. Have seen NYPL being featured in many movies and I certainly wanted to witness it in reality.
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| New York Public Library (NYPL) |
The description of the building and the photographs along the corridor
Other interesting fact: There is a store in NYPL sells various interesting items (postcards, unique greeting cards, books, photographs and so on) that you probably will not find anywhere else.
4. Evening Broadway Show
Here it is. While points no. 1 to 3 were appetizers, no. 4 is definitely the main course--described the whole reason of me being in NYC. I'd been dreaming to watch Broadway Shows for so long. Being able to accomplish it felt pretty much like the greatest blessing on Earth.
Some people do not think that it's on "must-go" list due to its fantastic price. It depends on the show actually, but trashy performance wouldn't even be shortlisted to be shown. It's broadway, buddy. Let me tell you, the performance, the entire show was the whole package. It was outstanding.
I was hoping to watch "Phantom of Opera" at first, but considering that Jessie had already watched it and she's extremely excited about "If/Then", so I decided to give it a shot. We booked our tickets online (Yes PLEASE do so because it will be hard to get it on the same day of the performance and less choices for seats).
The whole show brought me to entire new world. When the music played, I was completely drawn, stunned and speechless. It had very unique plot. Feel free to google the synopsis since I am not going to write it here. This post is gonna be a novelette if I do so. Oh yea, I would rate it 4.5 / 5 stars for the performance of 2 hours and 35 minutes.
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| So excited to watch my very first Broadway show |
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| She was the best actress! |
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| The stage. The setting kept changing during the show. |
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| Audiences were provided with Playbill Booklet |
Just to give you an idea, you can actually meet the starring actors and actresses at the backstage. There is a door that connected directly to the main road. Guess what, I met Idina! One-hour-wait that resulted in great satisfaction. I received her autograph on my playbill booklet. I was beyond happy.
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| Idina Menzel, an amazing woman, friendly and low profile. A real superstar. |
PS : If you're gonna watch the show in the evening, it's better to dress up a bit.
5. Meeting Lady Liberty
Liberty statue is the icon of NYC, most people believed. It was a gift from the French to American in 1886 as a sign of freedom and a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad. The statue is of a robed female figure, representing Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law).
How to get there?
It really was a challenge for us. We went to wrong directions for several times until we finally found some salesmen nearby who offered us "help".
So, you have to buy a ferry ticket if you want to visit Liberty Island/Ellis Island. It is highly RECOMMENDED to buy the tickets online, especially if it's during high season. No kidding about the line. So anyway, if you have to buy the tickets at the counter, you can head to Battery Park, which is the also the departure point.
It is best to avoid the salesmen. My apology if I offend anyone with this post, but if you want to travel cheaply and efficiently, DON'T buy any package from the salesmen. Due to my lack of knowledge, I bought a package included ferry ticket to Staten Island (which then I found out from some friends that I could even ride it for FREE) and also bus pass around New York for USD 55 (I know, that's why I told you DON'T buy it).
Staten Island is a best way to enjoy New York Harbour view and Liberty Statue from a distance. The ferry actually stopped nearby Ellis Island, but we did not get to go down and climb up to the crown because it's basically not including in the package. Therefore, I would love to suggest you to buy a ticket directly to Ellis Island instead which only costs around USD 20. You can also get down and take selfies with Lady Liberty.
Yes, I did get NYC bus pass for a day, but it's completely useless. We ended up waiting too long for the bus to arrive and we were stuck in jam for almost two hours on our way to Empire State Building. Well, that's actually another story (will blog about it soon). In summary, the lovely package that I purchased previously made me feel like a fool.
Nonetheless, the disappointment was not so hard to swallow since I managed to take some great pictures from the ferry.
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| New York City View from the ferry in panoramic mode |
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| The closest we could get to the statue |
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| This picture was taken by Jessie in the most zoomed-in version |
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| Brooklyn Bridge looked beautiful from the ferry |
There are so many things to write about New York City. "This city has its magic charm," said Jessie. If you like this post and you find it helpful, please follow me to keep you updated. The second post about NYC is coming soon. Thank you for reading.
-To Be Continued-
ASA
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