around usa with happy travel
19 DAYS TRAVELLING AROUND THE STATES
01.10.16
The first day of October. The day we have been waiting for and we are finally flying to New York, the capital of fashion, sex and gossip. To the city, from which begins our long-awaited tour and our honeymoon. October 1, 2016 – our longest day in our life – as long as 32 hours:) They waited so long, worked so much and, of course, did not have time to prepare much.
Our honeymoon began with the fact that my husband came home drunk around midnight. There is certainly an excuse for this, he got a new job, which we both are madly happy about. And so, on Friday, he and his colleagues had a farewell party. Now imagine sitting on a train for which we have no tickets, since we missed our own, we are going to Gatwick. Andrew toils, he finds no place for himself, poor poor thing. “The planned beer by tradition at the airport is probably canceled” – I understand and start writing this story.
It was our first time crossing the Ocean. We flew with Norweign Air уto Scandinavia before, therefore, the choice of airline was not in doubt based on the principle of price = quality. The flight went very well: we fed 2 times, I even drank some wine 🙂 We watched movies and cartoons, slept and even walked on the plane. The plane is comfortable enough for a long flight. For such a price it’s just wonderful. Passport control passed without unnecessary questions or any delays. A customs officer with the last name Borisovic was very helpful and welcoming. Questions that he asked: 1. “Do you guys travel together, are you married? “And 2.” When do you fly back? “. They made fingerprints and let us into the country.
Kira and Yura were a little late, so we had to look for a place where to wait for them. JFK Airport did not make particularly pleasant impressions: basically all fast food establishments and there is no choice. The attendants are mostly Mexicans and African Americans, some do not even understand English. The level of service is poor. They waited about an hour and now, Kira came for us. As we thought, the guys were very simple and friendly. They travel with 2 dogs of Chile (white) and Utah (black), who met us with their short bark and then fell asleep. So they met every traveler.
Night NYS turned out to be fabulously beautiful: illuminated and majestic giant buildings, large-scale iron cars, bridges and people, people, people. The dizzying heights of New York and the power of the metropolis slightly squeezed my lungs and at some point it became difficult for me to breathe, but my admiration and joy overwhelmed the feeling of anxiety.
The most vivid impression on the roads in NYS is all honking and it feels like not only in the case, but also without it. Pedestrians calmly cross the road to a red light, which is not new for us (typically in London). Drivers are quite patient with such intruders, and this is exactly what surprised me. There are a lot of police on the streets, they’re everywhere, which on the one hand seems to be reassuring, but on the other, scary.
Arrival: We had our room booked at The Tuscany on 39th Street right in the middl of Manhattan. Our room was at the highest level, and the geographical location is simply impeccable! 
It was a nice surprise. We were extremely tired when we arrived. Due to the change of time zones, our day lasted 32 hours, which certainly affected our physical activity. * It was at this point in my story, without completing the description of our first day in the States, that we had an accident on the way to Illinois, which I will discuss below, but for now, I’m returning to NYC. And so we just flew in and slept sweetly in a chic room. The next day we woke up fresh. We went to the local Pret for breakfast and went to meet with the rest of the travelers at Starbucks.
This was the first meeting with all the travelers. With one of the travelers, Ruslan, a conversation immediately ensued. Already, I can say that we have found a spirit mate. With the other guys, grinding took a little longer. Age separation occurred instantly.
Older couples separated, and my guys and I formed our “The Gang” by the end of the day – as we called a separate group in the chat WhatsApp, which is constantly used for communication on the road. Less words, more photos.
——————————– Brooklyn Bridge——————————–
———————— Yankees Shop —————————-
Both days in NYC were quite productive. On the 3rd day of arrival (on the 3rd day) in the morning, Andrei and I ran to the main office of the company for which I work, met my American colleagues. To be honest, the office at Park Ave did not impress me. I like our London one more. Then we went to Times Square, where we met with other travelers. You have to visit the square! Words and photos do not feel the true spirit of Times Square. Despite the fact that the place is absolutely tourist, it really impressed me.
An incredible amount of billboards, shops, food services and Mexicans in costumes inviting tourists to take photos with them. Our ranks increased by one person – Margarita joined us. Her flight was canceled and she arrived a day later, and we all met with her just in Times Square.
That day we went up to the Rocafeller’s Tower observation deck and now I can already say that you can skip the platform and save about $ 30 if the ticket price is not included in your tour and if you are heading to Chicago.
A tour ticket was included on our tour, so we were fortunate enough to get impressions in both NYS and Chicago. Although, if you didn’t visit Rocafeller’s, there would be nothing to compare. Well, and, listening to my opinion, keep in mind that I am afraid of heights, so observation platforms at a height of 70 floors and above are not my favorite places to stay. On this day, we admired the hotel in which we rented Odin House 2 and visited Central Park. We didn’t stay in Central Park for long, as we rushed to our hotel to get dressed before dinner with my colleagues.
At the exit from Central Park, Krishna-grandfather came up and began to put bracelets on our wrists and give us brochures. We, as naive, took the gift and wanted to continue the path, but it wasn’t there. Uncle began to demand a donation, and a certain amount needs to be donated. Asked for $ 10.
I wanted to give the bracelet back, but he allowed to leave both for $ 5. Less than 5 minutes later a black gang approached us on the street and shoved CDs into our hands and asked us to listen to the music of the young artist for promotion. The artists themselves and we know what it is. “Why not listen, but not post it on social networks.” It was not there. The gang began to demand $ 20 per disc. I immediately changed my mind about opening a wallet, said that my husband had the money and went up to him. He had already given one black man $ 20 just to get rid of it, while others looked into his wallet even for booty. When we refused to give more, we received in response – “Do you have more! We will give change. ” Over arrogance! We refused to give more money and then the evil black guys grabbed the second disc from my hands and, with displeased faces, left us. We had a terrible feeling, we hated ourselves, because we were so naive. The mood was spoiled until we met with my work colleagues. The girls took us to a Dominican restaurant.
The atmosphere was very homey, and the kitchen is just great! For the first time in my life I tried fried wild bananas and cassava. In this institution I also tried the best sangria in my life. Sangria was incredibly tasty! The table was full of food: my husband and I probably ate 1/3 of everything ordered. Well, what about without shots. Tequila shots in glasses hit me. It seemed that this was not a shot at all, but a glass of wine, but I must admit both times went with a bang! I have no idea what the bill was – one of my colleagues paid for everything, not even allowing me to reach for my wallet. It was very welcoming and pleasant. With me dastarkhan in London;) It’s time to say goodbye. The girls put us on the subway and explained how to get back to the office, which is a 3-minute walk from the hotel. We took a ride on the NY subway and arrived at the Grand Central Terminal. Fortunately there was a card from the office with me. Although the hotel is nearby, my bladder demanded release. 10 times lost, but the toilet finally found and joyful left 120 Park Ave.
This adventure did not end there. After tequila, I was already having fun and, of course, I wanted to continue. My husband was very tired and decided to stay in his room to sleep, although he did not really succeed. Some members of our “The Gang” were still in the city and we agreed to meet not far from the hotel. We sat perfectly in 2 bars, talked with the local flavor and returned to the hotels in 3. My husband already met us, took a walk.
