It has finally happened, I've been to New York! Only took me 26 years to get there. And it only took me 2 months to get around to write a blogpost about it. Yaaaay!

Despite the fact that I have been mistaken to be American dozens of times in the past years due to my accent, my visit to New York this September was actually my very first time in the U.S.A. (One of the most memorable mistakings was when an old Dutch street musician guy started screaming 'GO HOME YANKEE!' at me a few months back...)

Aaaanyway, in the 10 days that I spent over there on that side of the Atlantic Ocean, I took a good look and came up with a list of things I really loved about the place and a lot of stuff that seemed really weird from a European point of view. Apparently writing lists like this is kind of my thing, I've done it before about the Netherlands and in connection with my thesis, so I am keeping up the successful format!

Things I loved about New York

People are sooo friendly.

People are so damn friendly, it's almost creepy.

You cannot get from A to B without engaging in random conversations with strangers.

This was literally one of the first things that hit me after having landed. I just arrived to the City from the airport, trying to enter the subway, but my luggage doesn't fit through the turnstile. I am in panic, trying insane yoga movements, bending in all directions, trying to push myself through along with my own suitcase, to no avail. A man who passes through the turnstile next to me, notices my struggle and without hesitation turns to me and starts helping. He is basically asking me to start lifting my bag so that he can take it and put it down on the other side. At this point, as a good Eastern European, I panic even more, thinking:

'Oh my god, why is he so nice, I'm sure he's trying to rob me, and why am I helping him, he is too nice I would feel bad to say no, oh my god, I'm the lamest tourist ever, getting my bag stolen in the first hour of being here... OH MY GOD MY SUITCASE IS IN HIS HANDS AND I'M ON THE OTHER SIDE HE'S SO GONNA RUN AWAY WITH IT - OH MY GOD.... oh wait, he is still there, he actually just put my suitcase down and is waiting for me, and he is handing to me, he is smiling, says 'Good luck' and goes on to his own business. OH MY GOD A RANDOM STRANGER WAS JUST GENUINELY NICE TO ME WHILE HE COULD HAVE JUST ROBBED ME. WHAT IS UP WITH THIS PLACE.'

I have experienced several of these encounters in and around the subways - seems like a good place for people to connect. Like this other time when I just got off the subway and was running towards the Museum of Natural History to meet my sister. It was slightly raining, so I wam running around like a crazy tourist, trying to find the quickest way to the entrance - when suddenly a big rastafari black guy grabs my hand and pulls me under his umbrella to protect me from the rain, asking if he can accompany me with his umbrella. I was so surprised - and again, of course scared in the first moment, that I wasn't sure what to say, but eventually he helped me find the entrance, saved me from the rain and wished me a nice day. I was baffled.

What do people in New York take/smoke/inhale/eat that makes them be constantly and so effortlessly nice to strangers? I have no idea, but I loved every moment of it.

Skyscrapers!

I simply LOVED the skyscrapers. They are tall, stunning and amazing. Purely awesome. Love the big city vibe of it. No more words needed, let's have the pictures talk instead:

One dollar pizza

Cheap and delish! After Amsterdam's tiny pizza slices that can cost 4 euro, shoving greasy yet tasty, decently sized pizza slices in my face for 1 dollar felt like the best deal ever.

Central Park

I always thought Central Park is just a huge block of a flat field with grass and a few trees, and maybe a lake. Whereas actually it is super hilly and much more forest-like than I have imagined. A real piece of nature!

Brooklyn

I had no idea that Brooklyn is THE place to be. I actually thought it's a more shady area where I will just get lost.. And yet, the apartment I stayed in along with my sister and some other Hungarians was in a super quiet and friendly area. Felt almost a bit like Amsterdam to be honest. And apparently the majority of good nightlife is also in Brooklyn - NOT in Manhattan. Good lesson there! Went out looking for a party in Manhattan and ended up taking a cab back to Brooklyn to catch some good event. Last but not least, that area is not full of tourist crowds. After having stayed 2 days at Times Square I was really really craving to go back to Brooklyn.

Things that are weird about New York

(at least for me)

Subway Frenzy

New York is famous for it's subway system - it carries god knows how many millions of people each month. That is why it's specifically shocking that they have no indication whatsoever on when the last subway left and when the next would come. No signs. No announcements. Waiting on the platform of the NYC subway is the essence of inertia and uncertainty.

If only one of the biggest subway networks in the world could have some kind of a magical system that could share travel information and updates with passengers.. If only there was a way.. Maybe some digital boards and signs.. like in EVERY OTHER NORMAL CITY THAT HAS SUBWAYS. 

That being said, in this sense the subway network SUCKS. You can spend hours there, or minutes - all up to the mysterious ways of the Subway God.

On the other hand, this might be the cause of not only the blooming art-sphere here in the underground, where there's always an audience, but also could be the reason for people being so friendly and connecting whilst traveling. It might be the way how New Yorkers meditate - being friendly might be just a way of coping with the stress of not being able to count on getting anywhere on time anyway, so you  might as well just make the most out of your time.

Strange customs

Smoking

So apparently the U.S., or at least New York, managed to actually make smoking 'not cool'. It's basically banned from any normal place where Europeans would love to just pop a cigarette: indoor bars, outdoor bars (!) and public parks (!!!!). Apparently, smoking in the U.S., or at least in New York, is really not cool, and smokers live a dangerous and risky life off the beaten track, where they have to avoid any socially acceptable public spaces. Well done America! I envy you for this, as I grew up in an environment where it was super easy to get cigarettes as minors, and was also 'super cool' to smoke as a teenager - and I'm more than sure that my hometown, Budapest, is not the only European city where all the cool kids at school smoke. 

Signs and rules

Every now and then I would bump into these signs and habits that would perplex me. Everytime I saw 'No parking anytime', I thought it was strange. It might just be that my brain is wired differently but I always had to think what this means. I would say 'No parking ever' or simply 'No parking'. Hm. No parking anytime. No parking anytime. Still sounds weird.

Or the other time when I was at a party and there was a flyer saying that I am not allowed to use my phone on the dancefloor. No texting, no facebooking, no picture taking. Dance floor is for DANCING only. I was shocked at first, but I have to say, it's one of the best strict rules ever. Screw all those anti-social boring people who keep checking their messages and keep talking to people somewhere far away instead of engaging with the people and the music around them. 

Throwaway everything

Everything seems to be wrapped in plastic. Everything can be thrown away. Anything you purchase is for one time use. E-ve-ry-thing. Breakfast was served with PLASTIC plates, cups and cutlery in the 3 star hotel I stayed in in Downtown Manhattan. WTF.

Money money money

Credit cards

Issues with money and payments were haunting me throughout my whole trip. Started with the creepy moment of trying to buy a subway ticket with my credit card (as my Dutch debit card was not accepted) and I WAS NOT ASKED FOR MY PIN. WTF. From that moment on I was slightly paranoid. I in general never really use my credit card (unless inevitable, on some webstes), so I felt totally uncomfortable about the whole thing. How much money is on it? How do I know how much is left? I don't like the whole concept.

Weird cash

Anyway, to ease my worries, I got myself some cash. It was all fine until I started getting back change. So there is this country, one of the leading economies in the world, and they produce money that is absolutely impossible to differentiate and use. They print 1 dollar onto a bill - an amount for which not even Hungary prints a bill. One U.S. dollar is currently the equivalent of 245 HUF, and the smallest bill we have is 500 HUF, so 2 USD. It might just be me, but for me, that's a really weird scale. And it only gets worse: after the dollar, the next one seems to be the quarter. I've heard they have half dollar coins, but I have not seen one throughout my whole stay. And then there are smaller amounts too, and if you think they are gonna have the amount printed on the them in numbers, you are wrong. The amount is written in tiiiiiny letters around the edge - no chances to read it if you are not a local. And if at this point you think you could guess by the shape, size or the weight which one is which, well think again, because none of these measures are linear with their worth. It was hopeless for me to get a hold on this, so I ended up just pouring the contents of my purse onto the counter, and asking the shopkeepers and bartenders to help themselves.

Tipping

The other related topic that kept freaking me out was the mandatory tipping. One dollar PER DRINK. I basically had to pay the (one-dollar-pizza-)dinner of every bartender I got a drink from. Very, very strange system. I am not a huge fan of tipping in any circumstance, although I do tip when I think the service deserves it, but as an obligation, per item.. Weird. Not to mention, when you're not paying with cash, but say, a credit card. I was about to pay for my dinner in a restaurant when I was first faced with this challenge, and well, it took several minutes for the waiter to make me understand, that yes, he will first take the money from my card, then hand me back my card and then I have to give in writing (!) the tip amount, and then he'll just charge that on the digital imprint of my card because he still has it on the system. And I am supposed to keep the paper receipt with my written tip on it, so that if they charge something else, I can complaing. What a messed up terrible system.

Famous tourist attractions

New York is famous for many things, like for example for its skyline. In fact, it's so famous, that once you actually see it in real life, it's like you've seen it already. It's almost like it's not that big of a deal - even though it is! It's amazing! But, it just looks so familiar, that it's almost scary. I have consumed so much American media content, have seen so many images of the city, that some of the bigger sights were actually confusing. While on my helicopter tour around Manhattan, I actually felt like I was just watching the trailer of a movie.

Similar experience in connection with the Statue of Liberty. It was amazing to see it, finally in real life - could hardly believe that I was there. Yet, I was actually disappointed about some features of it: I thought it was bigger. I thought you could go up to the crown... etc. And my sincere apologies, but I never realized how ugly the lady actually looks from close-up (sorry!).

So, these are more or less the main points of my experience in New York. It was awesome. I will definitely go back - to visit for sure, but maybe even to stay for a while.. We'll see :)

Big thanks to the pretty photos of me to my photographer sister!

Last, but not least, an encore - I would like to close with the story of my last few moments at Newark airport before getting on the airplane. I keep complaining how small Amsterdam is, which was partially the reason for me to be so excited about going to a Big City. Well, apparently it's not just Amsterdam, but the World that's kinda small. While I was sitting there, waiting for boarding, contemplating the details of my trip, I started browsing Facebook. I saw a post from Flea, bassist of my all-time favorite band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which was titled 'my trip to New York'. Apparently, he had just been to New York the day before. Ok, so the bassist of my favorite American band happened to be in New York the same time as me, big shocker. But then I saw his other post, and it turns out he performed the night before in the little alternative and awesome club where I was thinking to go to together with a friend - but then the night took a different turn and we didn't go. Unfortunately. I was really really really really bummed out, as it is on my bucket list to meet these guys (I've seen them live at huge venues but that's not the same). Chances are, you are not going to run into one of the members of your favorite band upon first visit of their country, right? And even though I did NOT end up running into him, I had to turn the story around in order to stop being bummed out and start thinking this way: what are the chances of ALMOST bumping into him?? Also super super unlikely, and yet it happened. Apparently, the world is not that big after all... Thus, it's not impossible that it will happen again. Maybe even without the almost. I will need to go back to find out :)