November 19, 2015
Thursday evening after a long day at the office, my sister and I made our way to New York City. We departed from Ottawa approximately around 4pm (the worst time possible - RUSH HOUR), hit Montreal around 6:30pm (also not a great time), and then arrived in New York City around 2am Friday morning (New York City never sleeps, therefore, there is never a good time). Despite crazy traffic though, we very much enjoyed our drive, chatting, singing (perhaps louder than necessary) and many laughs shared.
November 20, 2015
When we arrive Friday morning, we hit the sack quickly, pretty exhausted from our drive. We stayed with my friend's parents, and let me tell you, although I had never met them personally, I've never slept so sound in a strangers home! When we woke up, we were introduced to Frankie! An Italian man with a New York accent (sounds just like Rocky), has a beautiful sense of humor, a heart of gold and the man can cook. During our entire trip he made sure to keep us fed, entertained and with a smile upon our faces.
Our first day of exploring would be very limited, we were tired, but I was also focusing on my competition which would take place Saturday morning.
November 21, 2015
I woke nice and early competition morning, prepared for my day ahead and began playing scenarios in my mind while the others got ready. I looked up some videos on my opponent to get some ideas since I was riding this one solo (my teammates and coach unfortunately could not come). Beatrice kindly offered to come with us to ensure we did not get lost, as the house was about 1.5 hours from the venue where I was competing.
We arrived in Harlem, New York with much time to spare, which allowed me to get comfortable with my surrounding. The venue was beautiful, but man was it hot and muggy in there. It wasn't a good day for me competition wise, some bad calls were made, my opponents strategy was questionable, but at the end of the day... never leave it up to the judges to decide! I've had a great competition season and although this competition was quickly over for me, it was still a wonderful experience, and after all I was in New York.
We returned home, Frankie had prepared us a fantastic seafood dinner, and slowly we started to get sleepy. It was not long before we found ourselves once again in bed.
November 22, 2015
We began our journey a little later than anticipated but we hit New York
City with much enthusiasm. Beatrice came with us, and boy was I ever
happy she did. New York City isn't complicated, but it's so large it
takes some time to get to know your surrounding, how they work and where
the heck you are.
Walking through the city passing so many familiar places which I had before only seen in movies, was a very cool experience. Scenes from movies such as King Kong, Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, Ghostbusters, Homealone, Spiderman and so many more were all racing through my mind.
New York City is definitely one of those places that has a lot of character. Everything from the flashing billboards, to the insanely large M&M store, to the yellow taxi's the flood the city streets, contributes to what make New York City so fascinating. I am not usually one who enjoys visiting large cities, for they are nothing but a sea of buildings, composed of over populated areas, but New York City was interesting, engaging and actually a lot of fun. It was exactly what I had expected, and was nothing short of wonderful.
We made our way to the 9/11 memorial, and this was truly something beautiful to see. To stand in a spot that shook not only the nation but they entire world evoked a certain sentiment that I cannot explain. Around the fountain glow the names of all those who lost their lives that day, and again the emotion it evoked made chills run down my spine. There are still many of the remains from 9/11 that have been placed in a museum and some areas that are still under construction. A cute but particular church that stood still during 9/11 stands next to the museum and is also something very unique too see.
Below is a mural we found as we continued through the region, it was dedicated to all fireman who lost their lives that day, again, this photo does not do it justice. The entire area surrounding the memorial is the financial sector. The city goes from bright flashy billboards to a more traditional serious tone down-town Ottawa feel.
We marched our way back to the bright lights and what is the first thing we see?
Illuminated, red, massive Christmas ornaments decorating the corner, trees covered in a cluster of bright white lights, a large banner that screams Merry Christmas surrounded by angels playing trumpets... It was the Canadian Constitute. It looks much more decorative than the rest of the city streets in regards to Christmas and I must say... In Canada they are all about being politically correct by saying Happy Holidays, but outside of our country we most definitely scream "Merry Christmas" and we aren't afraid too either. I found it somewhat comical but enjoyed the sight.
We continued our walk and made our way to a beautiful church. The amount of people inside was amazing. We took some nice photos, took in the atmosphere, but also used this opportunity to warm up :)
Police in America and maybe just Police in general, often get presented to the world as rude, power tripping monsters who are corrupt. In New York City every corner you turn you see a team of Police officers. Perhaps they are used to tourist, but they are super friendly, helpful and well... drop dead gorgeous (as if the uniform wasn't enough haha)! The one officer saw me smiling from a mile away, so he offered to take a group picture with me :)
We finished off our day with a beautiful dinner in the heart of Little Italy. I personally was a little nervous, as last time I had an Italian dinner in Italy, Rome... I ended up in the hospital and almost died. So I stuck to some calamari! Once we finished dinner we headed to Beatrices favorite desert place... Ferrara's!
I personally am not a huge desert fan, but if you are this is definitely somewhere you want to visit. They have everything you can possibly think of in an array of different flavors. Make sure if you get something from here though, that you stay and eat at the restaurant as it really does add to the experience. Prepare yourself though... It's a popular place because it's good, so the lines are LONG!
We walked about 31K in total, so fair enough to say that once we were stuffed we made our way home and the only thing we wanted by this point was a comfy bed to enter a wonderful slumber!
November 22, 2015
We started off our day with a wonderful breakfast... lots and lots of BACON! Once full we made our way to the train station to once again hit the city! I had my first Krispy Kreme doughnut and I believe I have found true love ladies and gentleman! I don't think I will ever be able to eat a Tim Horton's doughnut again after tasting those. While waiting in the train station we also got to witness a young man get down on one knee Broadway style! He proposed to her by singing a Disney song in front of the entire train station (he had an amazing voice). It was absolutely beautiful and as you can imagine, she said yes :)
The minute we came up from the subway stereotypical New York City things started happening. This one photo in particular reminded me of the homeless man in Homealone who would stay in the park and feed the pigeons. It however, also made me think of the classic Disney movie Sleeping Beauty. He sang to the animals and they followed him down the road. Birds, swirls, and a few others embraces him. Pretty cool to see!
The harbor which surrounds the city is pretty spectacular and filled with so many old looking ships you would see back in the day. They had giant pillars which outlined the harbor walls while the city sat in the background.
Below are some photos I managed to capture while on the Ferry - Enjoy!
The subway system is exactly like it is seen in the movies, filthy, overcrowded and somewhat confusing if you are a tourist. However, when it comes to New York City do yourselves all a favor and take the Train and Subway. You'll get there much faster, it will save you money and you won't have to drive in crazy New York traffic.
The city street is also abundant of exceptional artist selling painting, caricatures, drawing or photographs. Many little street merchants also flood the streets with creative souvenir options.
We stood on the Brooklyn bridge in the freezing cold (I bough mitts and a scarf) but the site was absolutely worth it. We traveled across numerous areas which had spectacular photo opportunities and jaw-dropping city-scapes.
We took hundreds of photos and then made our way back to the house early to enjoy one last dinner with Frankie, and the family!
November 23, 2015
In the am we woke and immediately prepared our things to leave. Frankie and Beatrice packed us with so much food, you'd swear we were going on a 1 month road trip! We were sad to say good-bye to the family, although our stay was short and our acquaintance has only occurred a few days ago, they already felt like family. Although I was sad, I was somewhat eager to return home to my calm city of Ottawa with a reason sized population and lowered activity and commotion. I am returning home once again with my mind filled with beautiful memories and lovely sights! I've extended my family/connections into the U.S.A. and my view of the world has been expanded a little wider.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story and photos!
- San
