I start my new adventure in New York City. This city was my home off and on for over 20 years and is still one of my favorite places in the world. There is truly no place like it. It may not currently be my home, but it always makes me feel like I’m at home. As someone that doesn’t like to stay in one place for too long, New York is one place I can stay put. There’s always something new to see and places to go. And even though I lived there for so long, I’m still discovering. So I was thrilled to be starting here once again.
*Since I am going to be focusing on a specific city each week, the personal blogs will be by city. Also, I don’t have to write a long-winded weekly recap since I was in three cities in one week.
Day One Of My New York Adventure
The first day of my adventure in New York starts in Jersey. I land in Newark and hop on the train. Since I also want to be informative I’m going to add some tips while I write this. The cheapest way to get into the city is by public transit. I know a lot of people who are first-time visitors are scared of public transport, but it saves you a crap ton of money. New York Simply has broken down all the ways to get into the city so check them out.
My first day is pretty uneventful. I head to Brooklyn where I will be staying my first night to grab the keys from my friend’s husband. We chat for a bit, but he has to get back to work and I am antsy to explore my old stomping grounds. I am also starving. So before I start exploring I find my favorite $1 pizza place. I will be making a video about how to save money in New York this weekend, but this is one way. There are $1 pizza places all over the city. Actually, now it’s $1.50 most places, but it’s still a good price for a slice. Is it the greatest pizza? No. But it’s pizza, you can’t really mess up pizza. And man did I miss it.
From there I spent a few hours walking around my old neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, walked through my own personal hell known as Times Square, ending in my personal heaven Central Park. I spent about two hours just taking it in and almost immediately went to my favorite place, the Conservatory Water. A must-see when visiting NYC. You probably will remember it from the movie Stuart Little if you ever saw it.
I was exhausted from traveling and walking around so much. My steps doubled in a day just being here less than 12 hours. But, the best way to see New York is by walking. So after the park, I headed back to my friend’s house, had some dinner, and caught up with my friend whom I’ve known since I first moved here. It was an early, but much-needed night.
Day 2 Of My New York Adventure
I really only had one full day in New York. So I headed out early and since my friend lived so close to Prospect Park, I decided to check it out. I have been a few times for events, but never really explored, so it was a nice new experience. Of course, everyone that visits New York usually heads to Central Park, but I have to say Prospect Park is definitely a place people should put on their list.
After walking around for a while I hopped on the train and headed to the place I have been dreaming of since I booked my flight to New York. Ollie’s! Ollie’s is a New York staple and also the first restaurant I ever ate at when I moved to NYC. The first main dish I ever tried was chicken and broccoli and it is also the only main dish I have ever had there. For 12.00 you can get a lunch special that comes with soup and main. And it is amazing. This is my go-to spot whenever I’m in New York. Please go here. I don’t want it to ever close.
From there it was more of the same. I had a chance to meet up with a couple of friends, sat in a coffee shop and worked on a show I’m writing. It was just my time to enjoy the day. I missed New York and wanted to take it all in. And for my evening I got the extreme pleasure of seeing the Broadway show Parade.
Parade The Musical
This has been one of my favorite musical scores since I first heard it. I never got the chance to see the original production of Parade on stage, but I did get to watch the taped performance at the Lincoln Center Library. This production of Parade is a limited run so if you’re in New York this summer go see it. If it ends up touring and coming to your city, you will want to check it out.
If you haven’t heard of it, the show is based on a true story about a Jewish man living in the South who is accused of murdering one of the child workers at his factory. His wife then pursues to set him free. There’s more to it than that, but I don’t want to give anything away.
It was absolutely amazing. The music, the acting, the direction, the lighting, the everything. I couldn’t have asked for a better night. Ben Platt was brilliant and Micaela Diamond was perfection. They played off each other so well, and their voices blended beautifully. I was in tears at the end. It’s musical theater gold. A great way to end the second night of my New York adventure.
My Final Day In New York And Shucked
I had a late-night flight to Paris for my final day, and I wanted to see another show. My morning was just more of the same. Next week I will write up a New York itinerary. But, I did want to quickly tell you about the musical Shucked. I had no idea what it was about going in, but I knew someone in the show and decided to support him.
I was not disappointed. The night before the show was really heavy, but this show had me laughing out loud. It’s a pretty simple plot about a girl who is trying to save the corn crops that are dying. She meets a “bad man” who says he can help, but he really wants some precious stones that you can only find in their city. There’s a lot more to it, but that’s a two-line synopsis.
This show is FUNNY. It’s super cheesy but in all the right ways. Lots of corn jokes and slapstick humor. This kind of show is usually not my thing, but I really enjoyed it. The cast is amazing, the music is great, and the script is really clever. And it is tied up with a very sweet message in the end. I also highly recommend seeing this one. I’m predicting it will go on tour. So if you can’t see it here, see it if it comes to your city.
The Worst Travel Experience I Have Ever Had
So from the show, I picked up my bag and headed to the airport. And had probably the worst travel experience so far. I feel very lucky to have traveled as much as I have. There have been good travel days and bad ones. I’ve missed flights, been delayed, had weather issues, and so much more. It comes with the territory when you travel a lot. But my flight to Paris with Norse Atlantic might of been the worst.
Everything was going fine. Got through security, got my sandwich before heading out because I didn’t pay for a meal on the flight, and got on the plane. Then we sit on the tarmac for 2 hours because there is a technical problem. That’s fine. keep us safe. But they keep telling us a half hour. And another half hour. Until they announce the flight is canceled. It’s annoying, but it happens.
We disembark the plain and then stand around for two hours with not ONE word from the airline. No one said what we should do next. Just 200 people standing around at two in the morning with nowhere to go and also nowhere to eat since everything was closed in that part of the airport. Not how I planned to spend my last night on my New York adventure. THEN at 4 am, they tell us to get back on the plane.
Look I’m glad they fixed the problem, but people left. So finally at 5 am, we can take off. Our plane was supposed to leave at midnight. It’s a seven-hour flight. When the food cart came around I asked for a sandwich. They don’t have any. So I asked for water. They charged me. And it goes on, but I’m going to leave it at that. Now, my flight was cheap. But it’s true. You get what you pay for.
As I said, these things happen. It wasn’t about the technical problems. Or the fact that we had to wait. It was the lack of communication and preparation for this situation. Telling us the flight was canceled, so people started searching for alternate routes and accommodations. The whole thing could have been much smoother if someone just came out and said ANYTHING to us. But nothing. And yes. I was really pissed about having to buy water on a flight delayed five hours. It may have been a cheap flight, but you have to pick up the slack somewhere. Anyways, I got to Paris and I will never fly this airline again. I don’t care how cheap it is.
That’s All Folks
Well, that’s it. I hope you enjoyed my little adventure. So next week I will be writing all about New York. Where to stay, fun things to do, where to eat, fun facts…I’ll be working all weekend, and I’m excited to bring it to you. And if you missed my last blog post about where I’ve been and what’s to come click the link HERE. Happy Adventuring.
Dorian Chalmers
So happy you are on the road again. And I will never travel North Atlantic. Looking forward to all your adventures.
Mary
What a great description of your NYC travels! I’m looking forward to reading more. I think you may have forgotten to mention the hotdog 😂😜
Johnny
I’m doing a post about spending a day in NYC for under $30 a day, hotdogs will be mentioned;-)