New York. Need I say more.
I was considering just leaving the title and not writing anything. Just because "New York" kind of means "awesome".
If you've been there, you know what I mean.
So I guess you can all asume by now that I was in New York. Yes, I spent last weekend there.
This time, because it's only about a weekend, I'm going to go day by day.
On Thursday, after going to uni and eating dinner we took our lift to Montréal where we went straight to the bus terminal. After seeing how many people there would eventually be waiting for the bus (tickets are sold first come, first get - even though you buy them online) I really want to thank Éric Hirschbeck for the tip about being there early. Then again, if we wouldn't have taken his advice and been there early with a definite seats on the first bus our trip would've been so much easier. Then again, that's not his fault.
You guys know karma right? I believe in karma, I think it's quite basic to live your life according to it. However, Mr. Quenneville-Labelle doesn't seem to agree and thought it was quite funny to make fun of the people still waiting in the terminal when we were already in a full bus.
These people however were, if I'm correct, put on a third bus. At least some of them.
We drive, go through the border to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, like it said on top of the gates (on Canada's side there were only some tiny flags and a duty free..) and keep on driving. No problems..
Until our bus just stops. This is too important to leave out.
Yes yes, after the driver had been ignoring an annoying peeping sound for more than an hour, which obviously should indicate that there's something wrong, the bus had overheated and stops. After cooling down for 15 minutes we continue for 15 minutes-ish and the bus breaks down again.
Now it doesn't work to cool it down and it's 3am in the morning.
We were basically stuck there for 4 hours. 4 hours.
4 hours.
45 minute drive to Albany - which is quite a big city and in stead of getting a new bus from there to pick us up this is what was done (in right order of course)
On sunday we did some touristy sightseeing and went to Central Park. Then we went to a dinner with a couple of Mike's friends and had vegan food.
Now, I must say, my vegan cheeseburger with bacon (thad no animal products in it what so ever) was seriously great.
If someone would have told me it was a regular burger I would've bought it. Kudos to vegans in New York for making awesome vegan food.
After dinner we went and smoked shisha at a really cool cafe - I also had mint tea so it reminded me of Cairo a lot. (I miss Cairo..) - with two of Mike's friends who have an awesome apartment with this view:
Last day we spent shopping before we went to the bus, just a typical Miriam-Fred shopping afternoon - me reluctantly spending money and Fred trying on all kinds of weird things.
HM is getting on the trend of lopapeysur and has decided to make this rip off alpacca wool sweater. I'm shocked.
Stupid HM (I still love them for most other stuff...)
Anyway, I hope this blog didn't bore the eyes out of you - I had a lot of fun in New York and I'll be happy to go again one day.
I wont be doing many "blogging by days" blogs as it's kind of boring.
Anyway, have a good weekend.
I'm going back to bed. Because I'm lazy.
-Miriam
If you've been there, you know what I mean.
So I guess you can all asume by now that I was in New York. Yes, I spent last weekend there.
This time, because it's only about a weekend, I'm going to go day by day.
On Thursday, after going to uni and eating dinner we took our lift to Montréal where we went straight to the bus terminal. After seeing how many people there would eventually be waiting for the bus (tickets are sold first come, first get - even though you buy them online) I really want to thank Éric Hirschbeck for the tip about being there early. Then again, if we wouldn't have taken his advice and been there early with a definite seats on the first bus our trip would've been so much easier. Then again, that's not his fault.
You guys know karma right? I believe in karma, I think it's quite basic to live your life according to it. However, Mr. Quenneville-Labelle doesn't seem to agree and thought it was quite funny to make fun of the people still waiting in the terminal when we were already in a full bus.
These people however were, if I'm correct, put on a third bus. At least some of them.
We drive, go through the border to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, like it said on top of the gates (on Canada's side there were only some tiny flags and a duty free..) and keep on driving. No problems..
Until our bus just stops. This is too important to leave out.
Yes yes, after the driver had been ignoring an annoying peeping sound for more than an hour, which obviously should indicate that there's something wrong, the bus had overheated and stops. After cooling down for 15 minutes we continue for 15 minutes-ish and the bus breaks down again.
Now it doesn't work to cool it down and it's 3am in the morning.
We were basically stuck there for 4 hours. 4 hours.
4 hours.
45 minute drive to Albany - which is quite a big city and in stead of getting a new bus from there to pick us up this is what was done (in right order of course)
 |
| Look at that tired face. That's the face of a person who had a crappy bus experience. |
- Truck brings cooling liquid. Cooling liquid doesn't work.
- We wait for a mechanic.
- Mechanic is not able to fix bus.
- Busdriver announces that another bus is on it's way but it can only take 31 people. Then the bus will be towed with the rest of us.
- We understood it that way, that the towing truck would arrive shortly after the extra bus so we decided to just wait and let other people go - even though as we were sitting in the front we could've just gotten out first and on the extra bus.
- Extra bus leaves with 31 people.
- Bus driver tells us there is 1,5 - 2 hours to the next bus because it's being sent from Montréal (even though Albany was only 45 minutes away).
- Yay.
- Arrive in NY at noon in stead of 7 am.
Just FYI the bus drive back home was really nice and comfortable. I guess it's not always like that. But you know, that's what happens when you make fun of the people who missed the bus. Karma Fred, karma. Keep it in mind next time.
We spent the first day having really good italian food and doing some shopping up to the point where I was so tired and grumpy I wanted to lay down on the floor and scream for candy.
I didn't but we went home and had a nap. I was totally dead for 2 hours.
Then we had some drinks and went out for dinner at an awesome Mexican place called Papacitos. Yumm.
Then we went to a club where we had been told that we were on the guest list, but when we got there we weren't. We decided to wait for the guy who said he put us on the list and stood for quite a while behind some steel fence like sheep. After a while a guy approaches us and says "You have been waiting here for a while now, right? Dont you want to go in?" and we explained the situation to him and I kind of assumed that he'd be like yeah piss off now or something..
Then we went to a club where we had been told that we were on the guest list, but when we got there we weren't. We decided to wait for the guy who said he put us on the list and stood for quite a while behind some steel fence like sheep. After a while a guy approaches us and says "You have been waiting here for a while now, right? Dont you want to go in?" and we explained the situation to him and I kind of assumed that he'd be like yeah piss off now or something..
 |
| YAY we got in! |
I was wrong.
"Hi my name is Gerard, I'm the manager of this place. Now you are on my guest list."
Why he put us on his list, I dont know but boy I was happy. No entrance fee for us that night - sweet mother of Jesus.
You know, being Icelandic I really hate having to pay to get into places.. it should be free. Free I tell you!
Club was fine, weirdly there were half naked chicks everywhere dancing on tables. Kind of like strippers. This place was weird. But hey, the music was good and we got to see Digitalism for free. Now, I dont know that band much but it's one of Fred's favorites so it was really cool.
After a lovely long first day and a good night at the club we leave.
We've been out for like 5 minutes when we meet one of Mike's friends and we start chatting.
Then out of the blue we see a guy get hit by a taxi.
Yes, these things dont only happen in movies.
I can still here the bumping sound in my head. Gah. It was crazy.
Guy jaywalked, or basically jay-ran across the street when he shouldn't have and the taxi tried to break but hit him. He did some sort of flip and hit the window. It was crazy. I'll never forget it. Obviously I didn't go running to look, a lot of people went to call 911 but some sick idiots took photos. For what, uploading them on facebook? Seriously... fucked up world.
Anyway Mike told us that the guy who was hit was also on the phone, so he was at least conscious. I have to say I'm impressed by how quickly the ambulances arrived. Let's just hope that he's alright and wont randomly cross streets when he's drunk..
Enough of that, I dont want you all to think this was some nightmare trip.
On saturday I had an amazing burger with avocado on it. I think I could eat avocado with everything.
Enough of that, I dont want you all to think this was some nightmare trip.
On saturday I had an amazing burger with avocado on it. I think I could eat avocado with everything.
We went to see Wall Street and World Trade Center - which was cool. These high buildings seemed so unreal to me. Like you know, they weren't man made.. like really high, narrow mountains.. I guess that's the Icelander in me. Everything is nature. I remember I thought that too when I saw the pyramids in 2011: "Oh, a yellow, pyramide shaped mountain.. it's not that big.. - oh wait. It's man made and 5000+ years old. That is awesome!"
That evening we went out with Jeff, Chris and Stephen that stayed at Backpackers last summer. It was really great seeing them again and it will definitely not be the last time! Really liked the bars they took us to, saw a ska band - I've never listened much to ska before (or well, maybe I have without knowing it was labled as ska) but I really liked it.
 |
| We sure had fun enough to put some thumbs up! |
On sunday we did some touristy sightseeing and went to Central Park. Then we went to a dinner with a couple of Mike's friends and had vegan food.
Now, I must say, my vegan cheeseburger with bacon (thad no animal products in it what so ever) was seriously great.
If someone would have told me it was a regular burger I would've bought it. Kudos to vegans in New York for making awesome vegan food.
After dinner we went and smoked shisha at a really cool cafe - I also had mint tea so it reminded me of Cairo a lot. (I miss Cairo..) - with two of Mike's friends who have an awesome apartment with this view:
 |
| Unreal. They live on the 17th floor, this is taken from the roof on 32nd floor. |
Last day we spent shopping before we went to the bus, just a typical Miriam-Fred shopping afternoon - me reluctantly spending money and Fred trying on all kinds of weird things.
 |
| HM stealing Icelandic sweater patterns |
HM is getting on the trend of lopapeysur and has decided to make this rip off alpacca wool sweater. I'm shocked.
Stupid HM (I still love them for most other stuff...)
Anyway, I hope this blog didn't bore the eyes out of you - I had a lot of fun in New York and I'll be happy to go again one day.
I wont be doing many "blogging by days" blogs as it's kind of boring.
Anyway, have a good weekend.
I'm going back to bed. Because I'm lazy.
-Miriam
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