NEW YORK CITY: Winding Down in the Big Apple

Nothing says “Welcome to New York” like a man crouching down and vomiting into a plastic bag on the subway during a pandemic! Yet another sign that I made the right choice in ending my trip a little early.

If y’all remember, my original Great USA Rail Adventure plan included traveling to Niagara Falls after New York City. After arriving in Chicago and feeling the wear and tear of almost two full weeks on the road, I decided to cut Niagara–and the last three days– from my trip. I’ll visit Niagara Falls again sometime…preferably when there’s no ongoing pandemic.

Despite being under the weather most of my time in the Big Apple, I enjoyed meeting up with my agent face-to-face and doing some sightseeing before heading back home to North Carolina.

The Lake Shore Limited

To get to NYC, I spent 20 hours on the Lake Shore Limited. It was more like a commuter train–small with smaller seat space, crappy leg rests, only two bathrooms that got gnarly really quick, and no sightseer car–and completely packed. I MUCH preferred riding on the cross-country trains to this one. I had a seatmate who took the window, and I couldn’t get as many pictures and videos as I would have liked.

At first, our train was attached to another one that was going to Boston. I didn’t understand how the connected trains were going to two different places until we got to Albany but during an almost two-hour stop, mechanics separated the trains.

As far as scenery goes, toward the end of the ride, it was really idyllic–what springs to mind when I hear “WASP” or “summering in Martha’s Vineyard.” Sailboats (so many sailboats) and speedboats on the lake. Little, tiny houses and buildings on rocks and islands in the middle of the lake. Big houses perched in the hills among verdant trees. As we neared NYC, we traveled along the Hudson River which I thought was pretty cool.

What I Did in NYC

When I got into New York’s Moynihan Train Hall on a Saturday evening, I was already frustrated from being on a gross, packed train and exhausted with very swollen legs and feet. None of that helped matters as I tried to figure out the NYC subway system. Once I finally made it to my hostel on the Upper West Side, I barely had energy for anything but stumbling across the street for fried Chinese appetizers.

Sunday was an awesome day because I met my agent in person for the first time! We started out at Columbus Circle then walked through Times Square. I briefly visited Times Square about 20 years ago, and it was just as over-stimulating then as it is now with the hordes of people (even during a pandemic) and all the electronic screens flashing ads. That being said, a lot of places were still closed, and there were tons of makeshift restaurant spaces out on the street like in other cities.

Amy and I had old people dinner (eating pretty early), talked shop, and visited Bryant Park where we got dessert at Wafels & Dinges [see Notable Eats]. I told her now that we’ve met in person, we’ve signaled to the Universe we’re ready–we’ve BEEN ready–for my manuscript to be acquired. Hopefully the next time Amy and I meet there’s a book deal in place!

The next day, everything hurt and I felt like I was dying. After hobbling to Paris Baguette [see Notable Eats], I spent the rest of Monday at the hostel where I revised my manuscript and watched Netflix. I wanted to be in top form for Tuesday’s activities: seeing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island!

And that’s just what I did. It was about a 45-minute subway ride down to Battery Park to hop on one of the Statue of Liberty ferries. I’ve also got to confess that I was a lot more excited about seeing the Staten Island Ferry than I should have been. Damn you, Jersey Shore!

After seeing the Statue of Liberty in countless movies and TV shows, it was awesome to see the landmark up close. I actually purchased a ticket that allowed me to climb the 195 steps to the top of the pedestal; it’s the same price as a regular ticket, but you have to reserve a time due to limited capacity. I would have loved to go all the way up into the crown, unfortunately, access to it has been closed due to COVID. Anyway, I definitely got my exercise in while climbing Lady Liberty (dirty double entendre intended). My thighs were BURNING. Thank goodness it was much easier going down.

After spending a couple hours exploring in/around Lady Liberty and the Statue of Liberty Museum, I hopped on the ferry to Ellis Island. Though my ancestors didn’t come to America this way, *cough*, I’ve always been fascinated by the place. There are tons of exhibits packed with information in the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. The ones I found most intriguing were: Treasures from Home–items carried from home countries, donated by immigrants’ family; restorations of a dormitory room (people slept in triple-tiered bunk beds) and the hearing room (where legal hearings were held); and Through America’s Gate–step-by-step descriptions of what immigrants went through after arriving at Ellis Island.

If you get the chance to visit the Museum of Immigration, please do! I thought about only visiting the Statue of Liberty and bypassing this place but I’m so glad I didn’t.

Where I Stayed: HI New York City Hostel

Since I stayed in New York for four nights, I opted for inexpensive lodging at a hostel on the Upper West Side. This hostel was pretty fancy with a small cafe (closed because of COVID), theater room, enormous kitchen, and nice patio, but I wish the beds were curtained. I purchased a year-long membership to Hostelling International USA for $18. I’m hoping this pandemic gets its act together so I can take advantage of it and use it at hostels all around the country on my school breaks. Thanks to COVID (and requesting a bunk in a girls-only room), the hostel only had a fraction of its guests and I had an entire dorm room to myself for three out of my four nights.

Notable Eats

One thing I absolutely love about New York City is the huge variety of cuisines all in a block radius. There were Malaysian, Korean, Halal, and Sicilian restaurants (just to name a few) within a two-minute walk from my hostel. That doesn’t even include chain restaurants.

In addition to the eats below, I made sure to have some quintessential New York pizza and bagels!

• Paris Baguette – ALL the pastries: We all know I can be a little basic–and if you didn’t before, now you do. If you’re familiar with K-dramas, you know about Paris Baguette, which despite its name, was founded in South Korea. It gave me Yamazaki Bakery vibes with its low prices and huge variety of pastries. I visited twice and got 3-4 pastries each time but forgot to grab a photo. 🙁 I heard they were trying to bring one to Raleigh but we’ll see what happens.
• Wafels & Dinges – Wafel of Massive Deliciousness a.k.a WMD: One of the most decadent desserts I’ve ever had. This was a wafel topped with strawberries, bananas, and Belgian chocolate fudge drizzle over whipped cream. *Chef’s kiss.*

Overall Thoughts

New York City was just like the movies: people sitting on stoops, kids hustling on the subway selling fruit snacks or trying to secure money for a basketball uniform, everyone generally being very aloof. I’m sad to say I didn’t see any bodega cats. 🙁

I’d love to return to see a show on Broadway, but I think I’ve had my fill of the Big Apple for now.

Songs Added to the Playlist

Check out these NYC-themed additions to the Great USA Rail Adventure playlist!

• “Welcome to New York” – Taylor Swift: The obvious choice. I can totally see a bright-eyed new arrival listening to this before the city chews them up and spits them out.
• “Brooklyn” – Fickle Friends: Perfect for walking down the blocks around my hostel…even though it wasn’t in Brooklyn. One of my favorite songs!
• “New York” – Wooster: I love this smooth, jazzy, smoky song. I’d love to listen to it while sitting at rooftop bar at nighttime.
• “Empire State of Mind” – Jay-Z: Another obvious choice. This is the perfect song for sitting on the subway and avoiding contact with everyone.

---

Check back next Tuesday for my final post about my Great USA Rail Adventure! I’ll be sharing some reflections from my time on the tracks.