New York City. The one and only...
The American voyage – Part I, New York
Once upon a time, many moons ago, two very pale young Norwegians decided a proper holiday was due. They set out to venture and see one of the wonders of the world: the United States of America. The Final Frontier. Fast food heaven. The home country to the biggest movie stars in the world. All of that and then some. The decision to go there was made quickly as both of said Norwegians had long dreamed and yearned of going there. In fact, the discussion can be summed up with these two lines:
"-So, how about we go to the US in [year]?"
"-Hell yeah, let's do this thing."
However, there was an obstacle in the way: One of them had to undertake and complete a big project before they could as much as order the trip. So the whole thing started with excitement and continued with a mix of both excitement and anxiety as the prospect of the trip itself was still kind of unreal and the feeling of impatience that arises when you have to wait for something to happen. In fact, the booking of the tickets and other practical arrangements would have to wait almost two years! At the end of the excruciating wait, however, was the trip. What better way to stay motivated throughout work and studies than have a real juicy and fat carrot waiting for you at the finish line? Turns out waiting for a good thing is...well worth the wait.
Eventually, the day had come. Summer arrived and a more detailed plan could take form and tickets could be booked. Everything was in order. Basic questions like "Which cities should we visit?" and "What car should we rent?" were discussed (several times) and with every decision made there was always a fear of missing out on something important or risk spending too little time in some places. We wanted a certain degree of freedom, which means we only booked certain things in advance. Some parts of the trip would be decided later on. This actually turned out to work pretty well. After stressing about everything from where to spend the first nights and remembering to fill out the necessary paperwork, a solid plan started taking shape. Of course, with tickets and hotel rooms booked, the eagerness of the two Norwegians escalated. The last weeks prior to the trip put our sanity to the test, indeed. And if one happened to be present at Copenhagen airport on the 1st of July, one would have caught a glimpse of two very impatient, very nervous and very excited young men waiting for their flight to New York. Little did they know of what was ahead of them at the other side of the Atlantic.
Arriving in NYC ("Gotham City") was surreal. Now, we set foot on American soil in the late evening (of course our flight was behind schedule because of technical problems!) and got through the dreaded border control without any problems, save for some mild nervousness in the form of stuttering and sweaty hands. At this point, the first thing on the agenda was getting a cab to Manhattan where our hotel was situated. One of the first things we experienced while waiting for the cab was how hot and humid NYC is. It was like walking around in a giant sauna. And we all know how enjoyable it is to walk around in a sauna dressed in clothes and with heavy bags in one's hands. Luckily, the Gods had pity on us and we didn't have to wait too long before a yellow cab manifested itself in front of us. Now, our eyelids were getting heavy and our minds were getting tired as it was around 5 AM or so our time. Sitting in the cab, I recall staring out the window as the taxi cruised toward Manhattan. Tall skyscrapers, huge billboards and traffic lit up the surroundings. I truly felt like we were headed toward Gotham City itself. It was probably just a question of time before the Bat-Signal could be spotted over Manhattan.
Grand Central Terminal.
Our hotel was located close to Grand Central Terminal, which proved to be an excellent location. Besides an embarrassing episode during our first ten minutes at the hotel (we didn't manage to open the door to our room and had to fetch the piccolo to assist us...), the rest of our stay was great. Starting our trip in NYC was a good decision overall. It's not called the capital of the world for no reason. Famous landmarks like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the American Museum of Natural History, Broadway etc. can all be found here. Needless to say, it's not a place where you get easily bored. Another big plus is the fact that you can see a lot of the sights just by walking around. Mind, you should have good shoes and decent stamina to do this. We spent hours just walking, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. On the other hand, I didn't even have good walking shoes and I survived! However, there's so much to see so it rarely felt like a hassle. Plus, you can always do a couple of pit stops at a café or a pub and enjoy a cold beer, a coffee or a smoothie. Furthermore, there's always the option of using the subway, which we did occasionally.
Having a couple of days
in NYC is by no means enough to explore the whole city. Unless you have
supernatural powers or are willing to go without sleep for longer
periods of time. We realized early on that we had to skip some
things. Unfortunately, we did not get to visit Coney Island nor did we
find the time to see a Broadway show. The latter should probably be
booked well in advance in order to ensure you get a ticket to your
chosen show. Still, there were several places we got to admire. Some of
the highlights include Times Square (beautiful, especially in the
evening when the neon signs light up the place), Intrepid museum (you will
probably enjoy it even more if you are into military history), Central
Park and Madam Tussaud's. That being said, I felt the city and the
atmosphere itself was worth going there for. You are exposed to so many sights just discovering the city. For us, it felt like a sensory overload of sorts, with the atmosphere and surroundings being so different from what we are used to. NYC is a place hard to forget.
Central Park. Almost makes you forget you're in a metropolis.
Being from Europe means there are several things to learn about American culture. Of course much of this can be learned by reading guides, but it can still take some time getting used to. It is, of course, common to tip the staff at hotels, restaurants and yes, even the crazy cab drivers. Yes, even if they seem to have little respect for your life and an aversion to adhering to the speed limits. Taxes are also added when you come to the counter, which was a novel experience in itself. That being said, we felt that the customer service in most places seemed to be better than we're used to at home. People actually smile and ask you how you are doing. It's no doubt phony to some extent, but does it matter? It felt nice and made tipping itself feel less...unwarranted. One thing I didn't care for, however, was the pushy beggars and guides that lurked in certain places. Saying "No thanks" didn't always suffice, but of course it's a lot better than shouting "Beat it!".
The culinary side of the trip deserves to be mentioned, too. You might associate the US with burgers, fries, pizza and other such treats and you wouldn't be wrong. There are plenty of restaurants serving all of that and more. You can also find more exotic food from all corners of the world in NYC. Now, I don't know if the food we were served was sprayed with some magic powder or if it was us being exhausted after walking around the city for hours, but I can't recall us ever being disappointed with the food we ate. And let it be said; I have never had better burgers than the ones I tried in the US. De-li-cious. And no, I'm not talking about McDonald's and their so-called "burgers". Thanks to an app (surprised?), we managed to track down recommended establishments and they didn't disappoint. Never hurts to read what other people say about the place before you decide to go there and splash your cheddar, right?
Speaking of, I feel this is a suitable time to come with my personal endorsements. The places? 5 Napkin Burger @ Broadway if you are into burgers. On the other hand, if you are into Mexican food, you have to stop by El Rio Grande @ Murray Hill. You're welcome. No, I'm not getting paid for doing this!
Now let's give our arteries a proper challenge!
Regardless of New York's magic and appeal, our adventure in the States had merely started. After spending some days in NYC, another place was calling for us. A little city by the name of Los Angeles, situated just on the opposite coast. Leaving NYC was difficult knowing there was still much to see there, but we also knew new wonders were awaiting us on the west coast.
Was LA worth the trip, you ask? Did we spot any celebrities? Stay tuned for part II and you'll know soon enough, you curious little devil, you.
