So now, I'm officially back home. School is starting, as I'm writing this. It's the first day of school, and now, I have the time to look back on the trip. The trip as a whole, was awesome and fantastic. It could not have turned out any better. I was not excited to go on the trip, but after the first or second day, I had so much fun.
New York City was definitely an experience that I needed, with all the stress going on back home. It was my "Great Escape" from the realities of life. It was that chance to just explore and have a care free time. I got to see sights that I have only seen on television or movies. I got to do all the touristy things, and like I say, it was my first real legitimate vacation in awhile. My last real vacation was about 3 summers ago, the summer of 2006, when I took my Europe trip.
This trip was just as fun, or in some ways, more fun, because nothing was planned out. Everything I did was on a day to day basis, including embarking on the 12 hour tour, running to all the museums, strolling through Central Park, eating in the middle of Rockefeller Center, and finding my way to Port Authority. Everything was minute by minute! I loved it
The best part that put the cherry on the ice cream sundae was the fact that on Thursday, I got to see Dustin in Ithaca. I got to explore the town in the bus and car, passing the hills of Ithaca and the gorgeous campus of Cornell. I got to see a few waterfalls as we passed through the hillsides. Then, I got to play a game of poker, games of Smash Brothers, and watched Food Network! Then, we left for Niagara, met up with Taler and Devin, and shared a moment together, which was seeing the Falls for the first time.
I could not have asked for a better time. I feel like our friendships are only growing more and more day to day, and I hope that there will be more opportunities int he near future to visit each other and travel together. The weekend was just almost magical, because upon my leaving from Mississippi, I wondered if I would every see these people again, the people we worked hard next to. And, we did, so it has all been really great.
My next plan of action if going to Michigan. Hopefully sometime soon, and maybe in the winter! We'll have to see what works and does not work, but I hope that within the next year, we at least see each other once or twice. I miss you (Taler, Dustin, and Devin)! You made my vacation away from California so fun and so great! Biloxi <3 Forever among the Biloxi Buddies!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Journal Entry 4: Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport - Delta Airlines - Gate A2 - Atlanta, Georgia
So, as I arrived into Atlanta last night, I walked into my gate while talking to Taler on the phone. I sat down and then loud announcements came on, so I could not talk or hear Taler. But, what is important is that the announcement was just talking about how the flight was full, and volunteers were needed to stay back one night and take a plane the next day, today, at 11:10AM. So, I went up to the station and volunteered myself. I felt that another $400 Delta Dollars along with two meal vouchers and a free night at the Crowne Plaza was awesome.
After I changed stuff, I went out to the shuttle stops and made my way to the hotel. The hotel, upon walking into the entrance way, was very, very nice. I checked in within minutes and got my keys into my room, 211. I inserted my card key, and I was welcomed to a room of luxury. I had two beds, and the entire room to myself, something I would never do! But, it was even better, because it was all free. The room was immaculate! There were 5 pillows per bed, and I had to choose which bed to sleep in!
Well, my luck on this trip has been high since the very beginning. It's funny how originally I was not excited to even go on this trip, and now Delta is paying me to be on this trip. However, this trip turned out great. So, I talked to William last night, then facebooked and gmailed. I called Break Away and left a message. Talked to Andrew, Taler, and Dustin, then went to sleep.
I woke up and cleaned up before checking out. Then, the shuttle arrived right when I exited the front door. We got to the Delta terminal within minutes, and I went to get my tickets, but had to use the desk because of my changing of tickets. Then, went through security and got a great breakfast. I always forget to get sweet tea when I'm in the South, so I remembered to order one for breakfast. Sweet Tea is so good.
Anyway, my gate changed once, so now I'm at my gate, waiting for my flight to board. I bought the Heroes book called Saving Charlie. It's apparently a National Bestseller, which I believe because so many people love the show, including me. Anyway, that is it for my trip so far.
After I changed stuff, I went out to the shuttle stops and made my way to the hotel. The hotel, upon walking into the entrance way, was very, very nice. I checked in within minutes and got my keys into my room, 211. I inserted my card key, and I was welcomed to a room of luxury. I had two beds, and the entire room to myself, something I would never do! But, it was even better, because it was all free. The room was immaculate! There were 5 pillows per bed, and I had to choose which bed to sleep in!
Well, my luck on this trip has been high since the very beginning. It's funny how originally I was not excited to even go on this trip, and now Delta is paying me to be on this trip. However, this trip turned out great. So, I talked to William last night, then facebooked and gmailed. I called Break Away and left a message. Talked to Andrew, Taler, and Dustin, then went to sleep.
I woke up and cleaned up before checking out. Then, the shuttle arrived right when I exited the front door. We got to the Delta terminal within minutes, and I went to get my tickets, but had to use the desk because of my changing of tickets. Then, went through security and got a great breakfast. I always forget to get sweet tea when I'm in the South, so I remembered to order one for breakfast. Sweet Tea is so good.
Anyway, my gate changed once, so now I'm at my gate, waiting for my flight to board. I bought the Heroes book called Saving Charlie. It's apparently a National Bestseller, which I believe because so many people love the show, including me. Anyway, that is it for my trip so far.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Journal Entry 3: Buffalo Niagra International Aiport - AirTran Gate 14 - Buffalo, New York
The weekend, and my entire vacation, is officially at an end. Let's recount what i did after leaving New York City. Well, the next day, my mom and I split ways after checking out. She took a shuttle to JFK. I took the subway to Port Authority. I felt like I was going to get lost in the station, namely because the ticket boot for the Shortline was on the 2nd floor, and the boarding area was on the 3rd floor. After I got to the third floor, I didn't know which bus was going to Ithaca, so I asked. Then I finally boarded after putting my bag under the bus.
The bus ride was long. We took the Lincoln Tunnel and eventually exited New York, I believe, into New Jersey, and maybe one point into Pennsylvania. We made stops, and I was confused, not knowing if I ever had to change buses or not. I was in and out of sleep, and the ride was cold and long. The air conditioning was turned on way too high for my taste. Good thing I had my new "New York" sweater over me as a blanket. However, it did not help me much.
Eventually, we did get into Ithaca. However, there was much traffic, so we passed by all the Cornell stops first. Cornell University is gorgeous to say the last. Ithaca itself is hilly as can be with trees and waterfalls for as far as the eye can see. The town is beautiful, and the views off of the hills are sweeping and amazing. Anyway, we ended up at the downtown terminal. First thing I needed to do was go the bathroom. So, I enter the bathroom and it is very tiny and small, dark, and smelly. There's a condom dispenser, you know, just in case. Anyway, I waited for about 5 minutes and then Dustin appears at the doorway.
Then, I met his friend Larissa and we are off to Wegman's for some dinner. The food, like always, is great. All food is good to me! After some brief dinner and talking, we headed to Ithaca College, as the two needed to take a quiz at their Center for Health Sciences Computer Lab. I just stayed on the computer next to them for about an hour. After that, we headed to the Circle Apartments, where I wrote my last journal entry, and where Dustin lives on campus.
After we came in, we left again to play Texas Hold Em with his friends. Again, I was scared out of my mind to play with all these people, but Dustin said he wanted me to play and he'd buy me in. So, $5 dollars, so long, or so I thought. After about 2-3 hours, it ended up that I got second place, and Dustin won. Amazing right? I literally learned how to play 2 Tuesdays ago! Anyway, then we left there and back to Dustin's place. We watched Food Network and talked until his roommate Jorge wanted to play some Smash Brothers. Then, his roommate Dave (I think) wanted to play too, so we played for awhile more, until we got so sleepy we had to stop.
Anyway, the next morning, woke up and got ready to leave and Dustin came back from class. Then, we were on the road again to Niagra Falls, New York! The drive was about 3:30 hours long. We ended up stopping for food and ate some great Fudrucker's. Then, I picked up some Day Quil for the drive and for later, along with some shampoo.
After some time, we arrived in Niagra, but we could not check into the apartment. Taler was picking up Devin at the Buffalo Airport. So then, we just ended up driving around. We drove near the post office, then we were going to see the "Welcome Center" which ended up being right where we were and also empty. Then, we ended up at the Niagra Aquarium, where we stopped so that I could go to the restroom. The lady inside almost did not let me use the restroom, but I guess she was nice, so she let me. Then, I saw the sea lions being fed. Then, we just drove back to the hostel and waited until 4pm to check in.
We both felt kind of weird by the hostel. The lady at the front seemed sort of off to us, and the building was and old Georgian style home. It's what you'd see in some old horror movie with strange characters and wierd crazy people. Anyway, it was not like that. We eventually got into the room and sat around and waited for the arrival of Taler and Devin. We finally heard them walking up the stairs and I had a smile on my face, waiting to see them for months!
I did not remember Taler's voice at all! Anyway, we all said hello again, and then we decided to walk to eat, but since everyone was so indecisive, we ended up walking more than we should have. We finally decided on Just Pizza for some subs or pizza. From there, We were then off to the falls, this time by car, and to see the illumination. We walked around, took lots of pictures, and took some pictures that we call "incriminating" pictures. Anyway, we walk around and saw the beauty that is Niagara Falls. We mostly saw the American Falls, until we walked more to see the Horseshoe Falls as well! Taler and Dustin decided to roll down a hill, and then we joined them in laying on the wet grass to take a picture.
After that, we headed to Denny's for some late night dessert and loads of games of Flash! We all could not really eat all our dessert, but it was good. We all compared our IDs, and at the end of the night, I realized I lost mine! Anyway, we left there and back to the hostel we went. We decided to go into the side room to play cards. But, we could not enter the main room without the motion detector sensing us and yelling "YOU ARE TRESPASSING"! Anyway, we played war, speed, stupid pick up games (Oh Taler!), and Black Jack. Eventually, we all headed upstairs and went to bed.
The next day, we knew we would have a long day. We decided to get some breakfast at Tim Horton's. From there, we parked at the aquarium and got our Niagara Discovery Passes for $30. we decided to do the Maid of the Mist boat tour first. The boat ride was awesome and majestic to say the least. The mist hitting your face and your blue poncho made for a one of a kind experience. From there, we took many pictures on the observation deck. Then, we decided to watch the Niagara Falls film in the theater. Then, we walked back to the Aquarium to check that out. The aquarium will never be at the same standard to the Birch Aquarium!
Anyway, we ended up driving to the Cave of the Winds, because the stupid trolley system is messed up, and too many people try to get on it. Anyway, we ended up driving there, and bypassed the horrendous line. Then we suited up in our ponchos and put on our souvenir sandals (I broke one of mine, but fixed it in haste). We waited in line and took the elevator down. Then, we waited in the long lines and boardwalks to go near the falls. You could just feel the mist from afar, but you do not "feel the falls" until you board the "Hurricane Deck", which almost touches one of the falls. The mist and wind blows the water around until it comes pounding down on you! We did it once, but then had to go back, but this time, with Taler's instructions, to NOT wear ponchos. It was the greatest idea ever, as we received many stares and had so much fun getting soaked together. We had so many group hugs under those falls, Niagara Falls will never be the same as it was with the 4 of us there.
Anyway, we left there, dripping wet! We boarded the elevator, trying not to get everyone else soaked. Then, we drove home and showered or changed our clothes. Then, we headed out for a nice dinner north of Niagara in a town called Lewiston, NY (I believe).
We ate at the Brickyard, which was a great BBQ place. However, we all got full of our drinks or our appetizer stuff that we all shared. So, we only tasted our food before taking it home. It was such a great place, and I will highly recommend people going there, since the food is so tasty. I will have to write a Yelp entry on that place. Anyway, we drove back, but stopped at the falls again to take one final look before our weekend together was over.
After that, we went to the Denny's to check for my ID, but the waitress/hostess seemed very angry about something, especially that she was working alone and stuff. Anyway, she seemed bitchy and everyone seemed like they did not know what was going on. Everything about it seemed so sketchy, so we finally left back to the hostel. We all went to our beds, and just, practically knocked out.
This morning, Taler left at about 8:00AM. It was sad to see her leave, since leaving each other is not fun at all. We all gave her long hugs goodbye for now, until next time we meet again.
We all checked out and then headed to Tim Horton's. Then, we drove around the Niagara area, but it was very sketchy looking, so we headed towards Buffalo, which was also very sketchy, Basically no businesses last in that town apparently, as we saw "For Lease" and "For Rent" signs everywhere. Then, we towards Downtown, and then Dustin ended up driving to an imaginary outlet mall, another mall that was not really a mall, and drove through a marathon thing that was about to begin. I blame it on Tom Tom, the navigation system, who should know this stuff! That was quite the morning adventure. After that, we just drove to the airport.
From there, we parked, and we all checked in eventually. Then, Dustin said his goodbye as he is now driving home to Ithaca. We gave him long hugs and we went through security. Then, I'm not with Devin at AirTran Gate 14. I'm waiting here, so I don't have to wait alone, as well as the fact that I'm about 5 hours early to my flight/boarding. Anyway, that is all that there is to recount for the trip through New York. I will write a final reflection upon my stay here in New York and everything when I get back to Los Angeles or San Diego!
The bus ride was long. We took the Lincoln Tunnel and eventually exited New York, I believe, into New Jersey, and maybe one point into Pennsylvania. We made stops, and I was confused, not knowing if I ever had to change buses or not. I was in and out of sleep, and the ride was cold and long. The air conditioning was turned on way too high for my taste. Good thing I had my new "New York" sweater over me as a blanket. However, it did not help me much.
Eventually, we did get into Ithaca. However, there was much traffic, so we passed by all the Cornell stops first. Cornell University is gorgeous to say the last. Ithaca itself is hilly as can be with trees and waterfalls for as far as the eye can see. The town is beautiful, and the views off of the hills are sweeping and amazing. Anyway, we ended up at the downtown terminal. First thing I needed to do was go the bathroom. So, I enter the bathroom and it is very tiny and small, dark, and smelly. There's a condom dispenser, you know, just in case. Anyway, I waited for about 5 minutes and then Dustin appears at the doorway.
Then, I met his friend Larissa and we are off to Wegman's for some dinner. The food, like always, is great. All food is good to me! After some brief dinner and talking, we headed to Ithaca College, as the two needed to take a quiz at their Center for Health Sciences Computer Lab. I just stayed on the computer next to them for about an hour. After that, we headed to the Circle Apartments, where I wrote my last journal entry, and where Dustin lives on campus.
After we came in, we left again to play Texas Hold Em with his friends. Again, I was scared out of my mind to play with all these people, but Dustin said he wanted me to play and he'd buy me in. So, $5 dollars, so long, or so I thought. After about 2-3 hours, it ended up that I got second place, and Dustin won. Amazing right? I literally learned how to play 2 Tuesdays ago! Anyway, then we left there and back to Dustin's place. We watched Food Network and talked until his roommate Jorge wanted to play some Smash Brothers. Then, his roommate Dave (I think) wanted to play too, so we played for awhile more, until we got so sleepy we had to stop.
Anyway, the next morning, woke up and got ready to leave and Dustin came back from class. Then, we were on the road again to Niagra Falls, New York! The drive was about 3:30 hours long. We ended up stopping for food and ate some great Fudrucker's. Then, I picked up some Day Quil for the drive and for later, along with some shampoo.
After some time, we arrived in Niagra, but we could not check into the apartment. Taler was picking up Devin at the Buffalo Airport. So then, we just ended up driving around. We drove near the post office, then we were going to see the "Welcome Center" which ended up being right where we were and also empty. Then, we ended up at the Niagra Aquarium, where we stopped so that I could go to the restroom. The lady inside almost did not let me use the restroom, but I guess she was nice, so she let me. Then, I saw the sea lions being fed. Then, we just drove back to the hostel and waited until 4pm to check in.
We both felt kind of weird by the hostel. The lady at the front seemed sort of off to us, and the building was and old Georgian style home. It's what you'd see in some old horror movie with strange characters and wierd crazy people. Anyway, it was not like that. We eventually got into the room and sat around and waited for the arrival of Taler and Devin. We finally heard them walking up the stairs and I had a smile on my face, waiting to see them for months!
I did not remember Taler's voice at all! Anyway, we all said hello again, and then we decided to walk to eat, but since everyone was so indecisive, we ended up walking more than we should have. We finally decided on Just Pizza for some subs or pizza. From there, We were then off to the falls, this time by car, and to see the illumination. We walked around, took lots of pictures, and took some pictures that we call "incriminating" pictures. Anyway, we walk around and saw the beauty that is Niagara Falls. We mostly saw the American Falls, until we walked more to see the Horseshoe Falls as well! Taler and Dustin decided to roll down a hill, and then we joined them in laying on the wet grass to take a picture.
After that, we headed to Denny's for some late night dessert and loads of games of Flash! We all could not really eat all our dessert, but it was good. We all compared our IDs, and at the end of the night, I realized I lost mine! Anyway, we left there and back to the hostel we went. We decided to go into the side room to play cards. But, we could not enter the main room without the motion detector sensing us and yelling "YOU ARE TRESPASSING"! Anyway, we played war, speed, stupid pick up games (Oh Taler!), and Black Jack. Eventually, we all headed upstairs and went to bed.
The next day, we knew we would have a long day. We decided to get some breakfast at Tim Horton's. From there, we parked at the aquarium and got our Niagara Discovery Passes for $30. we decided to do the Maid of the Mist boat tour first. The boat ride was awesome and majestic to say the least. The mist hitting your face and your blue poncho made for a one of a kind experience. From there, we took many pictures on the observation deck. Then, we decided to watch the Niagara Falls film in the theater. Then, we walked back to the Aquarium to check that out. The aquarium will never be at the same standard to the Birch Aquarium!
Anyway, we ended up driving to the Cave of the Winds, because the stupid trolley system is messed up, and too many people try to get on it. Anyway, we ended up driving there, and bypassed the horrendous line. Then we suited up in our ponchos and put on our souvenir sandals (I broke one of mine, but fixed it in haste). We waited in line and took the elevator down. Then, we waited in the long lines and boardwalks to go near the falls. You could just feel the mist from afar, but you do not "feel the falls" until you board the "Hurricane Deck", which almost touches one of the falls. The mist and wind blows the water around until it comes pounding down on you! We did it once, but then had to go back, but this time, with Taler's instructions, to NOT wear ponchos. It was the greatest idea ever, as we received many stares and had so much fun getting soaked together. We had so many group hugs under those falls, Niagara Falls will never be the same as it was with the 4 of us there.
Anyway, we left there, dripping wet! We boarded the elevator, trying not to get everyone else soaked. Then, we drove home and showered or changed our clothes. Then, we headed out for a nice dinner north of Niagara in a town called Lewiston, NY (I believe).
We ate at the Brickyard, which was a great BBQ place. However, we all got full of our drinks or our appetizer stuff that we all shared. So, we only tasted our food before taking it home. It was such a great place, and I will highly recommend people going there, since the food is so tasty. I will have to write a Yelp entry on that place. Anyway, we drove back, but stopped at the falls again to take one final look before our weekend together was over.
After that, we went to the Denny's to check for my ID, but the waitress/hostess seemed very angry about something, especially that she was working alone and stuff. Anyway, she seemed bitchy and everyone seemed like they did not know what was going on. Everything about it seemed so sketchy, so we finally left back to the hostel. We all went to our beds, and just, practically knocked out.
This morning, Taler left at about 8:00AM. It was sad to see her leave, since leaving each other is not fun at all. We all gave her long hugs goodbye for now, until next time we meet again.
We all checked out and then headed to Tim Horton's. Then, we drove around the Niagara area, but it was very sketchy looking, so we headed towards Buffalo, which was also very sketchy, Basically no businesses last in that town apparently, as we saw "For Lease" and "For Rent" signs everywhere. Then, we towards Downtown, and then Dustin ended up driving to an imaginary outlet mall, another mall that was not really a mall, and drove through a marathon thing that was about to begin. I blame it on Tom Tom, the navigation system, who should know this stuff! That was quite the morning adventure. After that, we just drove to the airport.
From there, we parked, and we all checked in eventually. Then, Dustin said his goodbye as he is now driving home to Ithaca. We gave him long hugs and we went through security. Then, I'm not with Devin at AirTran Gate 14. I'm waiting here, so I don't have to wait alone, as well as the fact that I'm about 5 hours early to my flight/boarding. Anyway, that is all that there is to recount for the trip through New York. I will write a final reflection upon my stay here in New York and everything when I get back to Los Angeles or San Diego!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Journal Entry 2: Circle Apartments (Dustin's Place) - Ithaca, New York
Well, this is part two, since now I'm here in Ithaca, I decided to separate my recollection of New York City into two parts. Anyway, second day, I woke up so tired, but ready to see more things. Today, we planned to do a Historic Harlem Tour at 10AM.
The Harlem Tour was great, as we saw the history, as well as the misconceptions and myths about Harlem. Not all of it is ghetto, where you have to dodge bullets. There are many nice things about it. Another interesting thing we saw was the public housing projects. Our tour guide, Ed, said that unlike Chicago, New York puts time, money, and energy into maintaining the buildings, and puts in a system of higher income means higher rent, until its so high you rather just move out. I do not even know if this system really works, but whatever. When we were standing in front of these homes, there was a fire truck that pulled up. One of the firemen hit a car with his tool things because it was parked in the hydrant zone. Crazy and chaotic, but cool to see things in action.
On this trip, Sam and Katriu came along. We ended up deciding we all wanted to go to museums together. However, the order of things got mixed up, so then Katriu split from us. Sam, my mom, and I strolled through Central Park to go to the Guggenheim Museum. Sam decided that it was not for him, and wanted to go to the Natural History Museum insted. So, I went alone with my audio tour. There were works by Picasso and Bourgeous. The spiral building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright!
Anyway, I left there and then made my way into the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). It was so big. It reminded me o the Louvre, but obviously smaller in scale. I basically tried to see as much as I could without getting too tired, but making sure I had time to do more after this museum. I saw works by Picasso, Monet, Diego Rivera. I saw Egyptian Art and tombs, and a whole mess of statues and stuff. I was in total awe of how great this museum was. I exited eventually, to find my mom watching a singing act on the street. I also got a hot dog from a stand. Yum!
Then, we walked through Central Park a different way towards the Castle they have in the middle. I ended up going to the American Natural History Museum and strolled past so many things before closing. Then, my mom and I took a subway to the Empire State Building. Here, I got my audio tour and many pictures of everything. On the top before exiting, I saw Katriu out of the many many people! We made our way down and split ways again. My mom and I went to the Rockefeller Center to take pictures and have dinner at the Rock Rink Cafe. We met the waitress, who is from Buffalo, and gave me tips about Buffalo and Niagra. We had a BBQ Special Meal, that was $32 bucks a plate, so then we ended up spending about $120+. Anyway, we left there and went back to the hotel, again, for a much needed night of sleep!
The Harlem Tour was great, as we saw the history, as well as the misconceptions and myths about Harlem. Not all of it is ghetto, where you have to dodge bullets. There are many nice things about it. Another interesting thing we saw was the public housing projects. Our tour guide, Ed, said that unlike Chicago, New York puts time, money, and energy into maintaining the buildings, and puts in a system of higher income means higher rent, until its so high you rather just move out. I do not even know if this system really works, but whatever. When we were standing in front of these homes, there was a fire truck that pulled up. One of the firemen hit a car with his tool things because it was parked in the hydrant zone. Crazy and chaotic, but cool to see things in action.
On this trip, Sam and Katriu came along. We ended up deciding we all wanted to go to museums together. However, the order of things got mixed up, so then Katriu split from us. Sam, my mom, and I strolled through Central Park to go to the Guggenheim Museum. Sam decided that it was not for him, and wanted to go to the Natural History Museum insted. So, I went alone with my audio tour. There were works by Picasso and Bourgeous. The spiral building was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright!
Anyway, I left there and then made my way into the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met). It was so big. It reminded me o the Louvre, but obviously smaller in scale. I basically tried to see as much as I could without getting too tired, but making sure I had time to do more after this museum. I saw works by Picasso, Monet, Diego Rivera. I saw Egyptian Art and tombs, and a whole mess of statues and stuff. I was in total awe of how great this museum was. I exited eventually, to find my mom watching a singing act on the street. I also got a hot dog from a stand. Yum!
Then, we walked through Central Park a different way towards the Castle they have in the middle. I ended up going to the American Natural History Museum and strolled past so many things before closing. Then, my mom and I took a subway to the Empire State Building. Here, I got my audio tour and many pictures of everything. On the top before exiting, I saw Katriu out of the many many people! We made our way down and split ways again. My mom and I went to the Rockefeller Center to take pictures and have dinner at the Rock Rink Cafe. We met the waitress, who is from Buffalo, and gave me tips about Buffalo and Niagra. We had a BBQ Special Meal, that was $32 bucks a plate, so then we ended up spending about $120+. Anyway, we left there and went back to the hotel, again, for a much needed night of sleep!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Journal Entry 1: Port Authority Bus Terminal - New York, New York
I love New York! That's what I can simply state about my feelings and thoughts about my first experience in New York. My trip all started with a little inspiration from everyone in Biloxi, Mississippi at the Alternative Breaks Citizenship Schools (ABCs). When I got back, I randomly purchased my round trip ticket from LAX to JFK, then from BUF to LAX, of course, with stops in Atlanta both ways. Either way I thought about it, I knew that I had purchased my tickets, and I would embark on my first journey to New York. However, I booked it all alone. I did not know if anyone would come with me. However, I would not let that stop me from going.
Jen, Cindy, and/or Mark were thinking about coming, but all backed out. I did get a little scared at first, but I knew I would still have a great time, since I would book a room at Hostelling International New York (HI New York).
I few months past and the night of September 15th arrived. Cindy took me to the aiport and off I went. I arrived in Atlanta and found my mom waiting (she ended up coming with me, but only until Thursday). Anyway, our plane boarded, but then I had a "Seat Request" on the Delta flight. After about 45 minutes, my mom volunteered to get off the plan on a later flight in about 4 hours, with a $400 incentive for later use, a first class ticket on the later flight, and breakfast and lunch meal vouchers ($7 each). I also got this, so I'm really happy!
Flying first class was great. They serve you a drink as soon as you sit. You also are given food, usually not dont on domestic flights. All the movies and games are free as well. That is why people pay so much for first class. I also do not want to forget to mention the awesome reclining chairs and more than enough leg room you get in first class!
Anyway, we eventually got ourselves to JFK. We immediately left the airport and boarded the AirTrain high above the terminals. We got lost a few times, as the staff told us the wrong train to get on, as well as us missing exits. We even went all the way to the Jamaica exit, and if you know New York's AirTrain route, that is far off from where we were suppose to go. Eventually, we found the Howard Beach Subway entrance and we took that into downtown, then uptown to our stop at 103rd and Amsterdam, where HI New York is located. We of course, had to go into a WalGreens to purchase some stuff.
The hostel was pretty full of people. The line was not that long, but the front desk staff seemed to work really slow to make it a slow process. Anyway, just looking around, I thought this was just crazy with all these international people walking to and fro. Eventually, I got my keys and I went into my room. No one was there at first, but I made sure to get a lock from the gift shop and then locked up my stuff. This time, one of my roomates from England was here. My mom and I explored the hostel a little, and then we went across the street to get some fruits, and because my mom craved it, cup of noodles!
We got back to the hostel and after eating the fruits and food, I headed to my room for an early night of sleep. I ended up meeting some more of my roomates. Two of them, one named Kyle, and the other named Tim were there. I forget which is which, I but I think Kyle is the one from Canada and Tim is from England. They brought in some alcohol, not knowing that it was not allowed, but either way, they used the air conditioning unit to open the bottles. I told them that I can drink beer, but I still took one anyway and only drank from the top down to the neck, which if you know Corona bottles, is not that much at all. Then, my other roommate, Eric, came. He was from France. I got to talk to him the most, mostly because he locked himself out of his locker, so I helped him to get help, although they said we had to wait until the morning. We just talked about the English language, since Eric was still trying his best to learn English at the age of 31. He said that it is a lot different learning it in school than speaking it during conversation. Well, I thought his English was fine. My French however, is at zero.
Anyway, we all ended up knocking out and then waking up pretty early. My mom called me so early to wake up, but I was so tired. Anyway, I helped Eric to get someone to cut open the lock. Then, I went to the cafe for a breakfast bagel, then waited in the Lobby to embark on Jerry's tour. Jerry's Tour. Wow. I went into this thinking it would be 5-6 hours max. Boy was I wrong. The tour was actually a 12 hour tour. Again, the tour was 12 hours. I'm not lying. We basically did almost everything and saw all the sights you would want to see. I'm going to try my best to recount the main things we did in some sort of list. My memory is already failing me about the long order of things.
First off, we took the subway past downtown into Brooklyn. We walked around a bit and stopped to get food at a buffet place. We walked the streets, saw the nice houses, and then walked down Brooklyn Heights Promenade for lunch. We got a great view of Manhattan, particularly downtown. In the distance, you could see Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and also Staten Island. After this, we strolled through a park that is dedicated to those who lost their lives in WWII, then walked up to the Brooklyn Bridge and made our long crossing back into Manhattan. From there, we could see the four waterfalls that are set up as art.
Then, we walked straight into Downtown and passed the City Hall area. Eventually, we walked towards Ground Zero, and of course, passed by the memorial site and the fire station. It is estimated that the buildings will take 15-20 years to build. Then, we went down Wall Street. Then, we walked to Battery Park and boarded a ferry to Staten Island, with lovely views of the Statue of Liberty, as well as the entire skyscrapping Manhattan. Then, once we got onto Staten Island, we headed back to Manhattan. When we arrived, we took another longer stroll through Battery Park, which is a great looking park. Then, we saw the Lincoln Tunnel and then made our way to Greenwich Village, where we saw hippies, the LGBT community, and people dressed in leather. We passed the Pommes Freets or whatever place that Andrew told me to go to, but we had no time to stop. Then, we walk more and more until we got to our restaurant, the Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant.
Here, we had a lovely meal! We had appetizers, main courses, and desert. The price was $11 each, including tax and tip! We had so much leftover. Eventually, we made our way to China Town, then to Little Italy to the festival for the Feast of (Okay, I forgot the name!). Anyway, we walked through that. Then, we went to Union Square park and saw all the NYU students just hanging out. Then, we went to the Flat Iron District. Then, we saw the Empire State Building from a distance (I think it was 8th Ave). Then, we took the subway to Times Square and stood in awe of all the lights, sounds, and people. Then, we went up the Marriott Hotel using the many, many high speed elevators. It reminded us of some futuristic thing. The elevators were awesome! Then, we left here and made our way back to the hostel, where much needed sleep waited us all.
From this tour alone, we met lots of people. We met Sam from Canada, Nathan from San Francisco, Maggie from Taiwan, Juliane from Brazil, Camila from Brazil, Andrew from Australia, Eugenie from France, Katriu from Germany, and Jerry from New York City. This was such a fun group of people, and made the tour interesting. Well, that is all for my first day!
Jen, Cindy, and/or Mark were thinking about coming, but all backed out. I did get a little scared at first, but I knew I would still have a great time, since I would book a room at Hostelling International New York (HI New York).
I few months past and the night of September 15th arrived. Cindy took me to the aiport and off I went. I arrived in Atlanta and found my mom waiting (she ended up coming with me, but only until Thursday). Anyway, our plane boarded, but then I had a "Seat Request" on the Delta flight. After about 45 minutes, my mom volunteered to get off the plan on a later flight in about 4 hours, with a $400 incentive for later use, a first class ticket on the later flight, and breakfast and lunch meal vouchers ($7 each). I also got this, so I'm really happy!
Flying first class was great. They serve you a drink as soon as you sit. You also are given food, usually not dont on domestic flights. All the movies and games are free as well. That is why people pay so much for first class. I also do not want to forget to mention the awesome reclining chairs and more than enough leg room you get in first class!
Anyway, we eventually got ourselves to JFK. We immediately left the airport and boarded the AirTrain high above the terminals. We got lost a few times, as the staff told us the wrong train to get on, as well as us missing exits. We even went all the way to the Jamaica exit, and if you know New York's AirTrain route, that is far off from where we were suppose to go. Eventually, we found the Howard Beach Subway entrance and we took that into downtown, then uptown to our stop at 103rd and Amsterdam, where HI New York is located. We of course, had to go into a WalGreens to purchase some stuff.
The hostel was pretty full of people. The line was not that long, but the front desk staff seemed to work really slow to make it a slow process. Anyway, just looking around, I thought this was just crazy with all these international people walking to and fro. Eventually, I got my keys and I went into my room. No one was there at first, but I made sure to get a lock from the gift shop and then locked up my stuff. This time, one of my roomates from England was here. My mom and I explored the hostel a little, and then we went across the street to get some fruits, and because my mom craved it, cup of noodles!
We got back to the hostel and after eating the fruits and food, I headed to my room for an early night of sleep. I ended up meeting some more of my roomates. Two of them, one named Kyle, and the other named Tim were there. I forget which is which, I but I think Kyle is the one from Canada and Tim is from England. They brought in some alcohol, not knowing that it was not allowed, but either way, they used the air conditioning unit to open the bottles. I told them that I can drink beer, but I still took one anyway and only drank from the top down to the neck, which if you know Corona bottles, is not that much at all. Then, my other roommate, Eric, came. He was from France. I got to talk to him the most, mostly because he locked himself out of his locker, so I helped him to get help, although they said we had to wait until the morning. We just talked about the English language, since Eric was still trying his best to learn English at the age of 31. He said that it is a lot different learning it in school than speaking it during conversation. Well, I thought his English was fine. My French however, is at zero.
Anyway, we all ended up knocking out and then waking up pretty early. My mom called me so early to wake up, but I was so tired. Anyway, I helped Eric to get someone to cut open the lock. Then, I went to the cafe for a breakfast bagel, then waited in the Lobby to embark on Jerry's tour. Jerry's Tour. Wow. I went into this thinking it would be 5-6 hours max. Boy was I wrong. The tour was actually a 12 hour tour. Again, the tour was 12 hours. I'm not lying. We basically did almost everything and saw all the sights you would want to see. I'm going to try my best to recount the main things we did in some sort of list. My memory is already failing me about the long order of things.
First off, we took the subway past downtown into Brooklyn. We walked around a bit and stopped to get food at a buffet place. We walked the streets, saw the nice houses, and then walked down Brooklyn Heights Promenade for lunch. We got a great view of Manhattan, particularly downtown. In the distance, you could see Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and also Staten Island. After this, we strolled through a park that is dedicated to those who lost their lives in WWII, then walked up to the Brooklyn Bridge and made our long crossing back into Manhattan. From there, we could see the four waterfalls that are set up as art.
Then, we walked straight into Downtown and passed the City Hall area. Eventually, we walked towards Ground Zero, and of course, passed by the memorial site and the fire station. It is estimated that the buildings will take 15-20 years to build. Then, we went down Wall Street. Then, we walked to Battery Park and boarded a ferry to Staten Island, with lovely views of the Statue of Liberty, as well as the entire skyscrapping Manhattan. Then, once we got onto Staten Island, we headed back to Manhattan. When we arrived, we took another longer stroll through Battery Park, which is a great looking park. Then, we saw the Lincoln Tunnel and then made our way to Greenwich Village, where we saw hippies, the LGBT community, and people dressed in leather. We passed the Pommes Freets or whatever place that Andrew told me to go to, but we had no time to stop. Then, we walk more and more until we got to our restaurant, the Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant.
Here, we had a lovely meal! We had appetizers, main courses, and desert. The price was $11 each, including tax and tip! We had so much leftover. Eventually, we made our way to China Town, then to Little Italy to the festival for the Feast of (Okay, I forgot the name!). Anyway, we walked through that. Then, we went to Union Square park and saw all the NYU students just hanging out. Then, we went to the Flat Iron District. Then, we saw the Empire State Building from a distance (I think it was 8th Ave). Then, we took the subway to Times Square and stood in awe of all the lights, sounds, and people. Then, we went up the Marriott Hotel using the many, many high speed elevators. It reminded us of some futuristic thing. The elevators were awesome! Then, we left here and made our way back to the hostel, where much needed sleep waited us all.
From this tour alone, we met lots of people. We met Sam from Canada, Nathan from San Francisco, Maggie from Taiwan, Juliane from Brazil, Camila from Brazil, Andrew from Australia, Eugenie from France, Katriu from Germany, and Jerry from New York City. This was such a fun group of people, and made the tour interesting. Well, that is all for my first day!
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