What do you do when you find yourself in New York for just a few hours?
We arrived to a pull out bed at our friend Steve’s house at 10:30pm after a long flight from Anchorage, Alaska (and a delay) starting at 4am. I look down at my phone and groan.
“It is only 6:30 in Anchorage. This will be an interesting night.”
What a silly concept that you can be jet lagged in your own country.
We ran down to a random little bar for a quick beer and grabbed a slice of that good ol’ New York pizza. While I thought it would be a difficult night, we fell asleep instantly.
The next morning was all business. We finally rolled out of bed at almost 11am, grabbed brunch, and were all business.
What can you do in New York in only 4 hours? We had a flight to catch at 8:40 at JFK and wanted to be on the train heading out by 4:30.
Well, I can tell you what we did.
Made our way up the Highline. The architectural genius of this old-railroad-turned-park is not only a creative use of space but the amount of people sunbathing and enjoying their lunch in the middle of the city was promising. How freaking cool is this?
We enjoyed a bit of street art. It is everywhere and lots of it is actually GOOD. I love when communities foster creativity. It was just so fantastic.
We scurried off the park in search for a bathroom. It appears as though there are no public bathrooms in NYC. My bad for assuming that they would be like back home. Hell, there were even restaurants without bathrooms installed. WTF?! Keep this in mind when trekking around for a while. Expect to grab something to eat from a restaurant nearby. Travelers beware. I know how sensitive our stomachs can be.
We made our way to Times Square. Shaun and I made the same realization when we hit this colorful and overwhelming location. We prefer Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan to Times Square and feel a little sheepish admitting that. I think we had built up this moment in our heads for so long that when we finally arrived it failed to deliver. Colors, bright billboards, performers – I found myself thinking I was at Disneyland. While it is all great and all I feel like underneath you know it is fake.
Holy crap it appears as though I’m a Chicago girl and I’m convinced Shaun will be a Chicago guy.
We aren’t completely writing off the Big Apple. I know it is more than just Times Square. We’ll be back in November and I’m sure I’ll be humming “Autumn in New York” as we leisurely stroll through Central Park.
I’m giving you another chance NYC. Don’t mess this one up.
***Pardon the iPhone pics as we did this very on the fly.***
Don’t give up on NYC yet! I loathe Times Square and I actually didn’t like New York the first few times I went but now I love it! A lot of what makes New York really great is the local experience away from the big tourist attractions. I’m sure once you see that you’ll have a different opinion.
Of course, I say this as someone who has never been to Chicago….
Hey Erica! It looks like you all did the exact same thing I did the other weekend in NYC! Hehe I walked the High Line and then walked to Time Square one morning before meeting a friend for lunch in Soho. I also thought Time Square was a bit dissapointing. Hadn’t been to it since I was a teenagers, it seemed smaller and with all the street characters, a bit like Hollywood or Disney Land. But I did love being in Chelsea with the High Line park and all the street art.
I know just what you mean about Times Square seeming fake. When I first traveled to NYC, I was a starry-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights 17-year-old who felt goosebumps on my arms when I stepped into the crazed madness of the square.
Now, it’s just loud, dirty, and so “plastic” – and fake. With that said, however, DO NOT GIVE UP ON NEW YORK. I’m glad you’re not. The city isn’t called a concrete jungle for nothing, and there are so very many corners of it to explore – once you get into the Bohemian, artsy, “cool” parts of town, with the almost Parisian vibes, I think you and Shaun will love it. Give it more time, definitely. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, though – looking forward to more European stories!
Oh I love that experience.
I miss New York so much and I am planning a vacation maybe by next year.
Anyway, thank you for sharing that experience Erica.
The High Line is pretty amazing. There’s an abandoned rail track in Chicago that people keep wanting them to turn into a park, but so far no luck. People sneak up there to walk their dogs, but technically it’s illegal. How silly!
I’m not giving up! We will spend a few days there when we get back home. I guess I expected more from the whole touristy experience.
That is a serious hike before a lunch meeting! I hope the weather was much better for you than it was for us. It was HOT! It does make me feel a bit better than I’m not the only one that was “meh” about the whole situation.
haha! You’re not the only one screaming to not give it up. We’re not. Shaun loves big cities and as long as he still wants to be here, I’ll give it a shot. We will be there a bit longer next time (and are staying down the street from Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment) and I’m hoping to dig a little deeper. The 4 hour tour we did wasn’t enough.
No problem! I’m glad we will be able to go back and explore a little more so expect more pictures.
OOH. I think that would make me love Chicago even more.
Good. 🙂 At the risk of adding to the onslaught, I just had to give my two cents. haha. Though you’re probably sitting there going “WE KNOW, CALM DOWN.” Because I would. 😉
I just think people have passion for their city. Rightly so!