New York City Solo Adventure

 After much deliberation, I decided to book a flight to New York about a month out. The latest I have ever booked a trip! Because of Covid, I wanted to wait as last minute as possible. I did not want the rules to change at the last minute and lose my flight money. I had a fair number of days off in December and debated whether or not to go to South America, Europe, or even North Africa. It turned out New York was a great choice as I would have had to quarantine a few days coming back to Canada from somewhere other than Canada or USA. I also felt New York was the right choice as they seemed quite strict with masking and vaccine regulations, and had testing all over the city. Which I would need in order to return to Canada. A couple weeks before my trip, Omicron emerged. I was nervous I would have to cancel, but luckily I managed to squeeze my short adventure in before things started shutting down again…

The weather in Nova Scotia was looking so good. In the plus’s for most of November and for the first bit in December. Then the night before my 0630 flight we got hit with a snowstorm. Got to love that Nova Scotia weather.

Since my family and I decided we did not want anyone driving in bad weather, I stayed at the Quality Inn across from the airport. My parents drove me up and we had a nice dinner at Big Stop before saying our goodbyes. The only room for the cheapest available was the two queens, so I had two queen beds to myself (one for me, one for my stuff). I finished my night off in the hotel watching the latest episode of Hawkeye (which takes place in New York during Christmas time) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Both are very appropriate for my upcoming trip. I even watched a few episodes of the anime Banana Fish which also takes place in New York. 

Day 1 (Dec 9)

So, my 0630 flight was completely canceled. My new flight was not scheduled to leave until 1255. Which meant my 1030 flight from Toronto was pushed back as well (bummer). This is why I did not plan anything for this day despite the fact I was supposed to be in New York by 1200. You can’t trust Canadian weather this time of year.

I woke up at 0600 anyway, got a shower, had a bagel from the continental breakfast and watched another episode of Banana Fish. I took the 0945 shuttle to the airport. Check in went very smoothly. I had done most of it online, showing my proof of vaccination and my recent covid test. I was so happy to be back at Stanfield. It has been way too long! Nearly two years since I last stepped foot at YHZ. It looked lovely with all the Christmas decorations. I especially enjoyed the giant teddy bears wearing masks. 

Continuing my bad luck, my 1255 flight did not take off until 1330. Meaning I would most likely miss my 1600 flight in Toronto. The new flights only gave me an hour and a half layover in Toronto. I had originally planned to give myself two and a half hours because I know how chaotic Toronto can be if you have to switch terminals. 

So as you can imagine, I did not have a very good flight to Toronto. I was stressed the whole time staring at my watch repeatedly. I was so worried about missing my flight, I didn’t even worry about catching Covid on the plane! I am the type of person who would rather have a 8 hour layover and know I won't miss a flight, then have a short layover even if it decreases the total travel time. 

Once I landed I saw an update from Delta saying my flight was on time to leave at 1700. I realized they must have bumped me to the flight an hour later. Not ideal as I would get to New York another hour later, but at least I would not be rushed in the airport. Though of course, now that I had extra time everything went smoothly and I was through the US customs by 1600. Perhaps I could have made my 1600 flight. Oh well, I will make it to New York eventually. Another stress was if they would accept my covid test. I knew the US accepted antigen tests, but I still was worried that wasn’t good enough. So, I can’t speak for rapid antigen tests but as of Dec 9th, rapid PCR tests will get you into the States (it will just cost you $150 to do it).

The Delta flight at 1700 went without an issue. Finally something went on time for me! I arrived to LaGuardia at 1830.  I only brought carry on so my next goal was to track down a metrocard booth to grab my 7 day unlimited pass. My mom was hesitant with the metro, namely the subway, but I assured her it was the best way to travel New York and I have watched many videos on it and know how to stay safe. I tracked down a metrocard just after the visitor help area. The 7 day unlimited was $33, well worth it if I use it enough. As soon as I went outside the Q70 bus pulled up. I had watched a few videos on how to get to Manhattan so I knew my route very well! So on the bus at 1845, I got off at Roosevelt Avenue Station and hopped on the E route Subway heading towards the Trade Center by 1900. I got off at 42nd street and the building I got off in was the most confusing of the journey. Took me forever to figure out how to get outside again! I still made it to my hotel: Yotel NYC by 1930. So around an hour from the airport to the hotel in midtown Manhattan. Not bad. I checked into my hotel. I was on the 18th floor! I don’t even think Halifax has a building that high and the Yotel has 27 floors. Since I just got to New York, I would rather explore the city during the daylight first before doing too much at night. So I elected to eat at the restaurant inside my hotel on floor four. I had a Italiano Flatbread which was pretty good and is the start to my goal of not eating at any chain restaurants for this trip!

After that meal I enjoyed the superb water pressure of the shower and got ready for bed. I plan on an early start the next day!

Day 2 (Dec 10)

I started the day just before 0800. I decided to walk the highline on my way to the Harry Potter store. The highline was a really nice walk along an old railroad track that goes through the city about 2.3k. Near the beginning I passed Hudson Yards where I stopped for a moment to admire the lights and the Vessel (which was closed while I was there). I passed some really neat buildings and some lovely street art. According to the website online, you are supposed to wear a mask along the trail, but not everyone did. I mean we were outside and it was not too busy during the morning. I still elected to wear a mask regardless. At the end of the trail I was very close to the Little Island. This was a really cool little park that looks like it's an island on top of cement pedestals. I walked around and explored before it was time to head towards the Harry Potter Store. My path took me right through the Meatpacking District which was an absolute pleasure to walk through. It was really neat to walk along cobblestone streets in the middle of New York City. As an added bonus, there were also holiday decorations of snowmen, snowflakes, and a little tunnel of lights and mirrors.

I was still a little early for my VR experience so I decided to walk around the Flatiron area. That is where I came across the Flatiron building itself (aka: the Daily Bugle from Spider-Man!). Unfortunately they were fixing it up so it had some construction like contraptions on it. Still neat to see nonetheless. Madison Square Park was also nearby, so I walked around there taking in the sites and the Christmas Tree they had set up.

Then it was time for my VR: Chaos at Hogwarts! They tell you to show up 30 minutes early to ensure you have time to get the equipment on and go over how it works. This is also a great way to ensure you get access to the store as they do a virtual queue. At the door you show your confirmation and are then instructed to meet by the elder wand (which is part of the railing right in front of the griffin). You are then met by another staff member that takes you up stairs to where the VR experience is. They have it set up similarly to King’s Cross Station. I believe the only way to see this part of the store is to do this VR. I was joined by three other people and we were led to a room to get our feet sensors, hand sensors, backpack,and head gear in order. It is a locked room so your valuables are safe to place in the storage under your seat. We also got to choose an avatar and our house (mine being Slytherin). The experience itself was really amazing. I have done the PS VR from home but have never done anything where you actually walk around and interact with props. I do not want to say too much and ruin the experience, but as expected from the Kings Cross area, you do start at Kings Cross where you are greeted by Dobby, and adventure ensues from there. Another key thing is that we are instructed not to use magic by “swish and flick” (that's the British way), no, in New York you “bend and snap” your arm in order to cast spells. 

After that I was free to explore and shop. There are so many cool things to see and so many things I wanted to buy! I managed to limit my purchases to a Slytherin Quidditch sweater, a “F” Weasley jumper, and a Harry Potter New York mug. 

I ended my store experience with a cup of Butterbeer and a  Sorting Hat cookie. They had a shelf off to the side where you could take your mask off to eat and drink. Then afterwards a washstation to clean out your souvenir Butterbeer cup.

My next stop was South of the Flatiron district: Union Square market. There were so many neat shops selling Christmas ornaments, local artists, jewelers, various food items, and much much more. 

I also took the time to stop by the nearby Barnes and Nobles. This was the first time I had ever been in one and this particular one was incredible. Four floors of books. I could have spent hours there if I did not have other places to visit.

Following the book trend, I hit up the Strand Bookstore next. I read this is one the biggest and well known independent bookstores in New York. There were so many books! Outside they had carts full of used books for sale ranging from $1-$5. I could see myself booking a trip to New York just to book shop and bring a suitcase just for books! As this trip I only had carry on, I had to limit my purchases.

While my Butterbear and cookie were holding me over fairly well, I figured I should eat something a bit more filling. A youtuber I have enjoyed recommended Papaya Dog for hotdogs. It was close by so I decided to head there. Along the way I got to walk through Washington Square Park. A small part of Infinity War was filmed here!

Across from Papaya Dog, I sat at the Golden Swan Garden to eat my hot dog. I am sure it would have looked better in the Spring or Summer, but not a bad place to sit and enjoy a quick meal.

My next plan was to head towards Pier 35 where I heard there were some swings you could sit on and have a nice view of the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge. Before that I stopped by the Housing Works Bookstore. This time I came across a book I could not resist. They had a copy of the Two Towers illustrated by Alan Lee! This was a version I had never seen before and was bigger than your average hardback and was printed on glossy paper. Some of the proceeds at this store also goes towards helping the homeless so it was a worthy buy. 

Then onwards to the waterfront. At some point between the bookstore and Pier 35 I feel like I left the tourist areas. Less people and less touristy looking people. I was nearly halfway there at this point so I thought I might as well keep going. I told myself to walk like I knew where I was going and walk with purpose. 

I was happy to see the swings at Pier 35 to take a break from all the walking I had done so far. And it was a really nice view. I took this time to look at my map and decide where to head next. I was so close to the Financial District at this point that it made a worthy candidate. So, next stop: Wall Street.

The buildings in the Financial District were all so tall! Very different from my tiny city of Halifax. I walked by the New York Stock Exchange and saw the infamous “Fearless Girl” facing down the Stock Exchange. It is neat to see the building of the epicenter that helps my money make money. My US stocks often do really well, so I suppose I should thank the New York Stock Exchange? Nearby they had this really ugly building: “Trump Tower”.  I did not take a photo but I couldn't help but think “why is there this giant pile of crap in the middle of New York City?” On to more cheerful things, the New York Stock Exchange also had their own Christmas Tree. 

Walking by the Wall Street Bull is all I did. There was a huge line up to get a photo with it. I did not require a photo with a metal bull that bad. 

I then paid my respects at the 9/11 memorial pools. They were a lot bigger than I had expected. Which makes sense that they are so big as they are the size of the actual base of the twin towers. I had watched a video that pleaded with tourists not to be disrespectful at this location. It is disgusting that it even needs to be said. There were tourists taking selfies, I even saw one girl take a photo of herself hugging her boyfriend trying to look all solemn. There are so many other places to have your photo taken, the memorial pools are not the place for it. Give your respects and be respectful.

On to a brighter topic. My journey brought me along the west side of Manhattan where I found a piece of the Berlin wall and eventually to the Irish Hunger Memorial. Both of these are places I found in a hidden gems video of NYC. It was really neat to walk through the Irish memorial with real grass from Ireland amongst the skyscrapers of New York. Like a true hidden gem, both were virtually vacant of tourists. 

Nearby I spotted a coffee shop called “The Laughing Man”. I thought to myself “wait, that’s Hugh Jackman's company!”.  I made a mental note to return for breakfast one day before I went home!

Another hidden gem that I thought would be really cool to see, is the windowless building on Thomas street, known for its brutalist architecture. It is kind of eerie to see a building with no windows. It would have been neat to return at night to see this dark void amongst the other brightly lit buildings but I did not have the time.

At this point I had walked nearly 40 thousand steps. I was about to look for a subway route home but noticed the Ghostbuster fire hall was not too far away. At this point what is an extra kilometer or two? This time of year proved to be a great time to visit, as the fire hall was done up with Christmas garland and lights. Again, another fairly vacant place to take photos!

Now, I took the subway back to my hotel to rest up before Hamilton!

My initial plan was to eat at Ichiran Ramen in Times Square. I severely underestimated how busy Times Square would be. It took a while to get to the restaurant, with all the people and all the lights I had to stop at. There was a line up outside to get in. I am always paranoid of being late and sadly decided against ramen that night. I walked around heading in the direction of the Richard Rodgers Theater on the lookout for a quick bite to eat. I had so many pizza places on my list of potential places to grab a New York slice, and where do I go? A random place a few minutes up the road from Hamilton called A Slice of New York. For a place I did no research on, the pizza was actually quite good. I had the classic margarita pizza slice. Lucky for me they also had a plug to charge my phone as I was running extremely low on battery. 

I took my time with my slice and pepsi, wasting time before it was time to head to the show. And now; Hamilton time! I had not watched the Disney + version, so the songs would be all brand new to me. Outside when it was almost time to go in they started checking for vaccination status. If you were double vaxxed (like you are supposed to be) they stamped your hand. That way, at the doors I only needed to show my ticket. Because of Covid you could only order food at the beginning and someone would bring it to your seat before the start of the show. My seat was quite good for being a “partial view”. I was in a box off to the right side. I had a great view of everything except for the upper platform on the right side. Worth the cheaper ticket price for sure! 

The show was spectacular and I loved every second of it. I can see why some people have the Hmailton album as their top listened to on Spotify. I planned on watching the original cast on Disney + at home to see how it compared to the one I saw. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I preferred my Alexander Hamilton to the original! 

After the show I walked back to my hotel to rest up after walking 31 kilometers. 

Day 3 (Dec 11)

Today I decided to take the subway down to the Laughing Man coffee shop for breakfast. I noticed on the map that there were two separate stores both of which were open. I wanted to visit the one along the waterfront as I would have a nice view. Unfortunately it appeared that google was wrong. The store was closed. So I ended up walking back to the other one on Duane Street. I ordered myself a hot chocolate with oat milk and an everything bagel with butter. Both were very delicious, especially the hot chocolate. I was tempted to purchase a mug as a souvenir but I had already bought a harry potter mug and with my limited baggage I didn't want to risk having too much. 

My next stop was Little Italy where I knew they had the Christmas in New York store. Little Italy was done up with Christmas decorations on nearly all the buildings. It would have been nice to see it all lit up at night. The Christmas store was very large and had so many ornaments. I picked out some for my grandparents. 

I then took the subway back towards the Flatiron district. I had noticed the previous night that my Weasley jumper still had the security tag on it! I returned to the Harry Potter Store and the staff there were fantastic. They brought me right to the back counter when I explained my scenario and showed my receipt, then had my tag removed all lickity-split.

With my security tag removed I was free to move on to new sites. I started walking towards the Empire State Building. It was a foggy day so I could not see the top of it. I had initially considered the Statue of Liberty today but worried I would not be able to see it due to the fog. I walked though Koreatown looking out for the K-pop store. I knew I didn't have much room for things to buy but thought it would still be neat to walk around. I ended up walking down the wrong side of the street and by the time I reached the end I realized I was really close to Macy’s. So I thought, might as well visit Macy’s since I am so close. The store was looking very festive and there were some people for Salvation Army singing and playing Empire State of Mind with jingle bells outside the front door. Inside on the second floor I found the spot where you could send a letter to Santa. It said that every letter equaled one dollar donated to a charity so I sent off a quick letter. I could not see anything that said where Santaland was, so I had to google it. Google told me it was on the 8th floor. Which is crazy. I could not believe there were eight floors in this store. Their claim of being the World’s Biggest Store is no joke! I made it to the top and noted that you needed a reservation online. I should have suspected this. So sadly no Santaland for me. The journey was not a waste as I got to take a ride on Macy’s famous wooden escalators.

I returned to Koreatown to visit the K-pop store. They had so many K-pop albums. I would have loved to have bought some Big Bang, BTS, EXO, or SHINee. If I had spotted an old DBSK album I most likely would have instantly bought it as they are my favourite. I then had a Christmas donut from Mochi Donut which was really good. A lot lighter than your typical donut. I also purchased a dagona candy from Squid Game.

Since it was past lunch time I stopped at the food court in Koreatown: Food Gallery 32. They had so many options. I decided on some tonkotsu ramen. They gave me a buzzer that would go off when my food was ready (similar to the foodtruck place in Burnside, if you are from NS). When my ramen was ready I took it upstairs to sit. They had the wall painted like the room in Squid Game and even had two mannequins dressed as the Squid Game soldier guys. 

Now filled up on ramen I walked to the Morgan Library and museum. The architecture inside was really quite remarkable. In one of the rooms they had some ancient artifacts that were fascinating to look at. The library itself was beautiful. So many books! I did see some Charles Dickens.

It was nearly time for my Guggenheim visit. I had bought the pay as you wish ticket a couple days before I left for New York. I still had some time so I stopped at the Levain bakery. I had read that they had the best cookies in New York. There was a bit of a line but it went quickly. I got myself a chocolate chip and an oatmeal chocolate chip. They had just come out of the oven and were really, really good. I did not get to try any other bakeries in New York, but I would think these cookies would be difficult to top. Would definitely recommend it to family and friends visiting New York!

There was a long line up by the time I arrived at the Guggenheim as to be expected for the free/pay as you wish day. Once the doors opened I was in within five to ten minutes. You of course needed to be vaccinated.  The museum itself is like an art piece. Its design looks almost like a parking garage from the outside. On the inside it spirals up in a ramp all the way to the top. As you go up the ramp there are the occasional rooms off to the side with more art exhibits. It was really amazing to see art by the likes of Picasso and Van Gogh. Though some of my favourite pieces were by a Russian painter: Vasily Kandinsky. I just really loved his more abstract and colourful art. One in particular that I enjoyed reminded me a lot of a diagram of a cell. At the gift shop I purchased my dad a tie with inspiration from Kaninsky’s art. 

It was now close to 2000. As the museum was on 5th avenue, I thought I would take this opportunity to walk 5th avenue and see some Christmas decorations. Little did I know, but I would have to walk 30-45 minutes down 5th avenue and past Central Park before I actually made it to the stores on 5th avenue with the decorations. Oh well, not like I already walked 20 kilometers. There was a fountain lit up blue just past Central Park that had little penguins and polar bears that I thought was cute. Nearby to this I also spotted a Covid testing van. I got my first test done. The process was quite simple. Scan the QR code, filled in my info, showed it to the person, and got my swab done. Results to be emailed within a day or two.

Now, blinking the tears out of my eyes from the swab, I continued on looking for holiday decorations. The show windows looked incredible though not all as holiday-like as I had expected. Still really pretty to look at. I walked by the Rockefeller tree. It is good I am going skating there at 0700 in the morning because the area around it was packed! I did not even bother trying to see it at this time. I did manage to get a good view of the Saks Fifth Avenue light show. It was really incredible. Probably the best free holiday thing I did in New York. Radio City Music Hall was also packed shoulder to shoulder with people. No chance of trying to get a good photo of it like in Home Alone 2. The plus side to traveling solo in New York, especially in extremely crowded areas, is that I was able to pick out small spaces between people and slip right by. I didn’t have time to walk at a snail's pace and would weave in and out between the crowds. I also feel like this may have helped me avoid Covid. On top of wearing a mask, I was never close to anyone for more than a few seconds despite the shoulder to shoulder conditions. At home my brother joked I was “too fast for Covid”.

Slowly making my way back to the hotel turned out to be a good idea. It had just started to sprinkle. I had worn my rain boots expecting this to be a rainy day and it did not rain once all day. Which is great, it just sucked that I wore my boots all day for nothing with the amount of walking I did. Another 24 kilometers down. I can’t believe I actually brought some workout clothes thinking I might feel like going to my hotel's gym at some point. 

Day 4 (Dec 12)

So, I kind of decided at the last minute last night after getting back to my hotel  that I would do the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building today. So that is what was on the schedule for today. I took the subway down to Battery Park to await the boat that would take me to Liberty Island. As far as I know the only way to get there is through Statue Cruises. They made us go through some sort of airport like security. The guy ushering us was quite comical. He kept saying “push up, push up, no line, no line”. As there were so many people waiting to go to Liberty Island he wanted everyone to maximize space as much as possible and disregard typical single lines and gather in a lineless mass. I was on the earliest departure for 0900. I made sure to get a good seat at the top of the boat outside. Which led to great views but it was really cold. Even with a hat and mittens I was shivering. Very different from yesterday when midway through the day I started carrying my jacket and was fine wearing just my plaid shirt. It was worth it though. I got some really nice views of the New York cityline and of New Jersey as well. A bird ended up photobombing one of my photos.  

It was really cool to see the Statue of Liberty. It is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. I had to do some touristy things. Which I suppose is what today was for, as the Empire State Building was next. I quickly discovered as I was walking around Liberty Island that I made a miscalculation with my timing. When I was booking I thought the whole trip was an hour. Which is not how boats work. The ferries go at set times all day and you get to pick whichever time works for you. I could have spent as much time as I wanted on Liberty Island and then on Ellis Island as well, but due to my miscalculation I had scheduled the Empire State Building for 1115. Which meant I needed to skip the museum on Liberty Island and skip Ellis Island completely if I wanted to make it in time. I left Liberty Island at 0950 and then bypassed Ellis Island to make it back to Battery Park by 1020. I then sped walked back to the subway station to take the subway towards the Empire State Building.

I made it to the Empire State Building by 1100 and saw a huge line up (I quickly learned that just about everything has huge line ups in New York). Thankfully, an employee went down the line looking for people with tickets for 1130 or earlier. I think it is great that they did that. There could have been people with tickets for 1200 in front of me. I went through security for the second time that day. Then I had a photo op which I knew before seeing the photo later that it would be a terrible photo. My eyes were half closed. Probably was super expensive anyway. Before getting to the observatory there is a museum aspect to the ESB. They had some neat animations of how it may have looked when the ESB was being built. They showed miniature versions of the ESB in different states of its completion. I decided to skip the photo op with the King Kong hands. I did not have anyone with me to take my photo. I mean, I suppose I could have asked someone, but I don’t like doing that unless someone asks me first. Any photos I have of myself not taken by me on this trip, are because someone asked me to take a photo of them first! Anyways, skipping King Kong got me going quicker. They also had a hallway to walk through with pictures at the ESB with all the celebrities that had visited over the years. I saw one of BTS! Then a room playing videos of various scenes that feature the ESB. They really want you to know that you are in the World's Most Famous Building. The first elevator takes you up to the 80th floor. The ceiling of the elevator has an animation that looks like the building is being built as the elevator goes up. The 80th floor has some nice views but only through a window. The next elevator would take you to the 86th floor. An employee said that there were stairs for anyone who didn't want to wait for the elevator. Why not? I took the stairs. I was not expecting this, but there were a few drawings on the brick of the stairwells that I otherwise would have missed if I had not taken the stairs. 

The views from the top were spectacular. Seeing the city from above is amazing. Despite being surrounded by so many people it was quite peaceful. I could have spent an hour up there, but you know, so many things to do, limited time. 

Before leaving the Empire State Building I bought my parents a Christmas ornament and was on my way. Next in my plans was to walk around Central Park. At this time however, I was getting hungry. I saw that I was close to Bryant Park Holiday Market and decided to walk around and try to find a stall with some food. I ended up finding a stall that sold Belgian waffles. I got a Smores one and decided to eat along the way as I was running short on daylight. The waffle was huge and tasted delicious. Not easy to eat and walk, but I managed.

Central Park was beautiful and enormous. I only scratched the surface despite walking around two hours or so. Some of the highlights were the Alice in Wonderland Statue, Cleopatra’s Needle, and seeing the contrast of wooded areas with skyscrapers. I also went to the spot where Loki and Thor went back to Asgard in the Avengers and took a photo standing where they stood! Throughout the park there were also people playing instruments, and art sellers. I bought a few magnets from one guy who used the fallen wood from the park trees to paint on.

Once it started to get darker I headed back towards my hotel. I still had some time before my hockey game so I decided to explore the New York Public Library. The architecture was beautiful. I loved exploring this library, though there are actually not that many books at this particular branch. Some of the hallways made me feel like I was walking through Hogwarts. The main reading room was closed to the public unless you arrived for the free tour. I missed the times for today, but decided I would return the next day for the 1030 tour. 

Back at the hotel I decided to rest up for my game. It was only a 10-15 minute walk to Madison Square Gardens which was one of my deciding factors on the hotel I picked. Traveling alone I wanted to be close to the hockey game and Broadway for when they got over later at night. The Garden was lit up very lovely  with the Rangers colours. Inside they again asked for vaccination status and I went through metal detectors. I had not eaten yet so I picked up a hotdog and water. My seat was actually really great. I was nearly perfectly centered and while I was in the upper bowl, I was only a few rows up. I know they said if you were fully vaccinated you were not required to wear a mask but I thought that was stupid and wore my mask the whole game once I finished my hotdog. Luckily I only had someone sitting to my left. The funny thing is with the two seats to my right I had originally wanted the middle one so that I would have empty seats to both sides but the ticket website would not let me leave two one person seats empty. Then no one bought them anyways! The Madison Square Garden had some really cool light and music productions before every period. I was not expecting the ones before the second and third, but they did. The second period one was my favorite. Sadly the Rangers lost 1-0 to Nashville. The game was nonetheless exciting. This was only my second live NHL game. I also found it amusing that they announced at the beginning “welcome to the world's most famous arena” and that they had a cam that showed famous people at the game. The two at this game were people I didn't know. 

After the game I had planned to take the subway back to cut off a couple minutes and for less walking on the streets at night. Tonight proved to be my first and thankfully only subway error. I followed the signs for my subway and thought I was going through the correct swipe gate but quickly realized I had taken a wrong turn. I went back out and found the correct gate but the swipe thing would not let me swipe my card again so soon. I get why they do it like this, so a family doesn't use just one, but I wish it could tell I swiped at a different gate. Oh, well, this is again why I chose my hotel. I just walked the 10-15 minutes back to my hotel. 

Day 5 (Dec 13)

Today marked my final full day in New York and I planned to make the most of it. First up for today was my skating at Rockefeller tree. I booked the earliest time for two reasons; it was cheaper, and I’d be on the ice with theoretically the least amount of people possible for the day. I left my hotel just after six to make it for my 0700 time slot. It was really nice to walk the busy streets with hardly any people. I had to walk through Times Square to get to the Rockefeller Center and for the most part had it all to myself. A stark difference from prime time in the evening. I took a few more pictures of some iconic places such as the Radio City Music Hall. The previous day I could not get a decent picture due to all the people but this time around I got a clear humanless photo.

Now onto the skating. For your time you receive a sticker. They let on a new group every 10 minutes so the sticker will indicate when times up. I had an hour to skate. I had also pre booked a skate rental. Unlike at the Emera Oval in Halifax where the rental is free, I had to pay. The skates provided were unlike any I have seen. They had no laces. Just slip on with clips that reminded me of the clips on a snowboard. Once my skates were on I was one of the first ones on the ice. I took some photos of the tree while I had the chance with no people and went on with my skating. I had not skated in over a year so it took a couple loops until I was comfortable. There were a few people who looked as if they had put on skates for the first time in their lives. I suspected that they just wanted a picture in front of the iconic tree as they hugged the boards to get around to it. Within 30-40 minutes it got increasingly difficult to skate. The number of people had drastically increased. I could not skate as freely as in the beginning. I am very glad I booked the earliest time. Any later than 0730 and I could hardly call it skating as I was practically walking with skates behind all the people. I left at 0750 seeing as I could no longer skate like I wanted. 

I debated for a while whether or not I would attempt to get tickets to Jimmy Fallon. The library where I planned to go was not open yet anyways so I decided to wait for the stand by tickets. I was there an hour early for the 0900 opening. Inside the Rockefeller Center I waited just outside the NBC store. There were already twelvish people when I arrived. I ended up with ticket number 13. This did not mean I got in. I would have to return to the NBC store at 1500. If 13 people did not show up from ticket holders I would get in. I thought 13 gave me a fairly decent chance and decided I would go back later.

It was still a bit early so I thought I would take this time to visit the iconic Grand Central Terminal (I feel like everything in this city is iconic/famous; worlds biggest store, world’s most famous arena, world’s most famous building, etc). The building was much grander than I had anticipated. The pictures do not do it justice. I had difficulty getting a photo of the building outside because it was that vast. The cool thing about the outside was that I managed to get a photo with three Marvel related buildings; the Grand Central Station from the battle of New York, the Metlife building which is Avengers Tower in the MCU, and the Chrysler building where Thor calls the lightning. The inside was really cool. My timing was fairly decent. After 0900, so I missed the initial morning rush hour. The ceiling was beautifully painted with the zodiac constellations. Down stairs they had a food court where I grabbed a breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg, and cheese. I ended up taking my sandwich to go and walked the short few minutes to the library to eat outside before it opened. Along the walk I noted that there were plaques in the sidewalk with quotes from books. I thought this was really neat, a hidden gem that none of my research had mentioned. I suppose not everyone would think that a sidewalk with book quotes would be all that interesting but I thought it was really cool. I just had to make sure I didn’t bump into anyone while I stopped to read some of them!

Since I had visited the library yesterday I did not explore as much. At a desk outside the reading room I was able to obtain a sticker stating I was participating in the tour. The tour was just a quick 10-15 minutes but it allowed me inside an area otherwise off limits to those not studying or doing research. The architecture inside was incredible and is definitely worth seeing. 

After leaving the library it was time for me to jump on a subway to Brooklyn. I walked around for an hour or so in Brooklyn. Saw some nice street art, walked along the waterfront, took a photo in the iconic Manhattan bridge spot. I saw a video recommending Jaques Torres for hot chocolate. I got the chocolate peppermint one which was very delicious. It was almost too sweet. While there were many other places I may have wanted to see, I was running out of time. I still wanted to attempt to get on Jimmy Fallon. With my hot chocolate in hand I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to get to Manhattan. Then took the subway back towards Times Square.

I returned to my hotel first to drop off my bag then made my way to the NBC store. At 1500 they placed me in a line based on my number; thirteen. I overheard some people say their numbers were in the 50’s and even the 80’s. I was shocked they even showed up. I thought “there is no way they are getting in”. I almost debated not showing up with number thirteen. A worker went over the spiel, saying that there would be airport-like security amongst other things. At 1700 we got the verdict: six stand by’s would get in. So… that sucked. I knew it was a gamble and that I could wait all that time and not get in. I just had such a good feeling, and I thought thirteen was a decent number. Oh well, can’t win them all. Now, I had to find something else to do while I waited for my Top of the Rock ticket for 1920. So I walked around a bit, visited the Nintendo Store. Which is awesome. So many cool things I wish I had the space in my bags to buy. They also had life size figures of Mario, Pokemon Pearl/Diamond characters, Bowser, Luigi, and Link!

I had not eaten since my hot chocolate in Brooklyn so I finally managed to eat at Ichiran Ramen. Since the restaurant is set up in individual booths, I got it a bit quicker since I was by myself. A table on the end opened up so I got in almost right away. They only had tonkotsu ramen but on the sheet you could customize it and then give it to the server. In the booth there was a screen that pulled down and even when up you can only see the server from chest down. It was like an introverts dream restaurant. The whole idea is that you are devoid of distractions so you can fully appreciate the taste of the ramen. The service was very quick and I did not wait long to receive my food. The ramen was very delicious. My favourite meal of the trip. Maybe it’s good I didn’t get here on day one or else I may have eaten here every day!

I still had time after eating so I decided to check out the Kinokiniya bookstore. Which may have been a mistake. So many things I wanted to buy! It makes me sad knowing there is nothing close to this store in Nova Scotia. I went looking for volume 34 of Hunter X Hunter but they did not have it. It must be in high demand because I can’t find it anywhere. I thought for sure this store would have it. They had so much manga and in both English and Japanese. And so much anime merch; from apparel to figures. I ended up purchasing an acrylic stand Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen and got a bonus postcard of Kugisaki.

With a new purchase in hand I started making my way back towards the Rockefeller Center. I was walking by an I love NY store and thought I’d stop in. I needed a bigger carry on for my new purchases and I wanted to get my brother a souvenir. I bought him an “I love NY” shirt and a New York bag for myself. 

I then decided to return to the Uniqlo store with plans to buy the Giyu shirt I had been eyeing up on their website. I had it in my hand but this store was just so giant, it was like a maze. I could not for the life of me find the check out. Then one of the escalators skips the middle floor altogether. I went up and down so many times I was tiring myself out. Then on the third floor I noticed that the store goes back even further and off to the left. I had no idea the store was this large! By the time I had found the cash, the line up looked long, and I did not have much time before my time at Top of the Rock. I conceded defeat and returned the shirt to the rack and made my way to Rockefeller (I ended up buying the shirt online!). 

There was no line up for Top of the Rock so I got in right away. There seemed to be three levels. Each one takes you to higher and higher views of the city. And what a view it was. Seeing the city at night with all the lights is truly spectacular. I would almost say I prefer the night views to the daytime. One of the notable plus’s to Rockfeller is that it has the best views of the Empire State Building. This is how I ended my final day in New York and what a way to finish. It was a bit chillier then I would have liked but the views were worth it. 

Day 6 (Dec 14)

As I had an early afternoon flight I did not have much time to fit in any more sightseeing. I took the reverse route back to the LGA airport and after going through security, bought myself a croissant and chocolate shake for breakfast. Then homeward bound from there…

Overall I had a fantastic time exploring the city of New York. I did manage to do a lot, but there is so much I had on my list that I did not get to do either. New York is a city you could visit every year and never see it all. New York also marked my most ambitious solo adventure thus far. It is an intimidating city but is certainly doable solo. I did ensure I was always aware of my surroundings, but I always felt fairly safe. Or at least I never felt more unsafe than I would have in my own home city anyways. I had done a fair bit of research on ways to stay safe and areas to avoid before visiting. I also felt quite safe Covid wise. I wore a mask the entire time, even outside walking. Despite my family saying I would look silly and no one else would be wearing a mask, there were quite a few people wearing masks outside as well. All the restaurants required vaccination and all stores required masks. The only odd thing I came across was the fact that double vaxxed people at the hockey game did not need a mask. I still wore one since you can still get covid if double vaxxed! New York was amazing for testing. I saw a testing van at almost every street corner in mid Manhattan. I got myself PCR tested three times with no cost to me, and I received a result via email within a day that served as valid proof to get on my return flight to Canada. I will miss New York and would love to return one day!