Walking through New York

When I’m thinking about New York I am breathless and I felt the same way when I was there.

This is the land of all the possibilities, the place where they say all dreams can come true. ‘If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere”.

For me the experience with New York was great. I can’t imagine how it would be to live there, and I don’t know if I would like that, but to visit it it’s incredible. I know it sounds funny, but everything really is like in movies there. Almost all the movies that we see on TV are filmed somewhere in NY.

You fell very special when you arrive in a place that you had the opportunity to see it only in movies. I had a very nice feeling. From skyscrapers, yellow cabs, school bus, crowd and Broadway.

All I can say is that I can’t wait to go back. Even though I stayed two weeks, I feel like I didn’t have time to enjoy everything that the Big Apple can offer.

In New York you find everything you ever wished for:  Broadway shows, museums, parks, tourists attractions, and restaurants. It’s hard to choose a starting point for your journey.

I’ll tell how we did it. First, we bought a ‘New York Pass’. You can easily buy it from the internet. There you have a lot of options; you can choose how long you’ll need it, the places that you want to visit and which are included and so on. It’s much faster and cheaper to buy this Pass than to pay the entrance fees separately. Included in this Ticket, there is also the hop-on hop-off bus. That offered to us another perspective of the city and it was easier to move from one attraction to another.

1. First on our ‘Must see list’ was The Statue of Liberty. This was a gift for the American people from France to celebrate 110 years of independence. It was placed in 1886 and represents the greeting for every person that arrives on American land. This is placed on a small island. So you have to take a boat to reach it and the view from the boat is amazing. Of course it’s possible to reach the top and you’ll never regret it because the view is incredible. Also, the view towards the city will leave you breathless.
2. Empire State Building We reached the top of this building during day time. I’ve had the opportunity to observe the city from above, to be more specific from 86 floors high. When you’re looking down from way up there you’ll feel like this city swallows you. This is for sure an unique experience.
3. In the evening we climbed 70 floors. Well… we used an elevator. We reached the Top of the rock în Rockefeller Center. We admired the city in the evening. Full of light, the city that never sleeps. The American people use a lot of tricks to make these exeriences way more interesting.
4. A new chapter: the museums. We were lucky enough to have the entrance to all the museums included in our Pass. So we were walking around the streets and when we found a museum we were just visiting it without being asked to pay the entrance fees. One of the most impressive museums was The Metropolitan museum. There you can admire 5000 years of history and creativity. You have Egypt, Italy, Greece, Asia, the entire world.
5. Next on our list is The Museum of Modern Art. I was very delighted by everything I saw there and I tried to understand the feeling that the artists wanted to transmit through their creations. But the thing that made me the happiest was seeing Constatin Brîncuşi’s creations. In that moment I felt very proud to be Romanian. Honestly, until I saw it with my own eyes, I didn’t know that he had his creation displayed in one of the biggest museums in the world. I went closer to those pieces of art thinking they were very similar with Constantin Brîncuşi’s creations and then when I read the author, I was amazed and happy that they were indeed his.
6. 9/11 Memorial. We had the luck or the bad luck to visit it exactly on 11^th We saw a very beautiful ceremony but extremely sad in the same time. There were the families of all the people that died in this tragedy. They were all in tears and bought flowers, thinking about the ones that they lost. It was impossible not to get sad. The Twin Towers were destroyed by a terrorist attack in 2001. In these towers were people from 90 countries, the tragedy left behind 3000 dead. So very sad.
7. Fortunately on our ticket there was a Broadway tour It wasn’t as I imagined it. I thought we’ll visit the behind scenes of the big plays. Well, it wasn’t like this. We only saw the place from outside but I found out a lot of interesting stuff about the Broadway world. For example, the actors have access to the scene that they will play just a few days before the premiere, until then the rehearsals take place somewhere else. The most important for the Broadway shows is the Tony Awards. It’s like the Oscars but for musicals. The Tony Awards helps increasing the popularity of a theatre show. Also the ticket price increases. If you have the luck to see that show before it wins the Tony award, the price of the ticket can be much smaller. So, if you are lucky you can see the same show with a cheaper ticket. I found out some things about Off- Broadway and off-off Broadway. The theaters with less than 500 places are off Broadway and the theaters with less than 100 places are off-off Broadway.
8. Of course we went to a musical on Broadway. We chose Mamma Mia and it was wonderful. It was a pity that we went to this musical only at the end of our trip, because after I saw it, I would have wanted to go to and see many more. It was so great! If you would like to see a musical on Broadway I advise you to go during the week because the tickets are cheaper. Anyway they are almost always sold out, that’s why it’s good to book in advance. You can also use an app that helps you find the best options in terms of days and prices.
9. Central Park. A green oasis in the middle of It’s a miracle and a joy. I walked in this park for three days and I couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted more. It’s so huge, it’s 4 km length and 800 m width. Once you are walking around the park, you forget all about the crowd, even though the skyscrapers are right in front of you. Everybody is relaxing, they are lying in the grass, having a picnic, jogging or are riding a horse. It‘s wonderful! Central Park is considered one of the most beautiful parks in NY and is one of the most filmed places in the world.
10. Times Square is one of the most important sights in Manhattan. It’s at the intersection of Broadway and 7^th It was named like this in 1906 after the celeb newspaper Times moved in a building built right there. Times Square is an extremely important symbol for New York, full of tourists and always crowded.
11. Wall Street. One of the most famous streets in Manhattan, also grace to the movies. Very crowded because everyone wants to see what they are talking about in ‘Wolf of Wall street’.
12. 5^th Everybody wants to go for a walk on the most elegant and expensive street in the world.
13. Madame Tussauds is an attraction wherever you are. It’s exactly in the middle of Times Square and it offers the perfect experience to introduce you to the New York atmosphere.

Walking around New York we also visited Trump Tower that impressed us with its grandeur, 86 floors, all packed in a golden cover. Little Italy is an area with lots of Italian restaurants and boutiques. China town, everybody knows what we can find there because there is one in almost every big city of the world. We went to the Apple Store which was of course very crowded.

We crossed the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

We ate fast food, Mc Donalds, and pretzels bought from the street. We tried fancy restaurants, coffee shops with a nice view where we ate the best soft cookies in the world, but also raw vegan food, crepes and so on. In terms of food, you can find anything you want in NY.

If we are talking about shopping, stores, big brands, malls this is the right place too. You also have the opportunity to find very good prices if there are sales or if you visit an outlet.

This is for real the land of all the possibilities. If you have a map in your hands you can easily find everything that you are seeking. Also with the subway it’s very easy to move from one side to another. Also, you should be rested, because you have a lot to see. This is a place that invites you to discover it and to feel its vibe.

The skyscrapers make you feel like the sky is the limit and maybe not even that. You can reach however high you want.

That was an experience that I’d like to happen again very soon.

I’ve heard that Christmas in New York is like a dream. Christmas is probably too soon, but you never know. I might surprise myself!