New York City

New York: Part II

Hi! I finally have a few minutes to write a post! Our Airbnb in Manhattan didn’t have wifi even though I mistakenly thought it did when booking it, so I didn’t get to do a post while I was there. Not to mention Jeremy and I fit so much stuff into four days, I probably wouldn’t have had time anyway. And then our house in Iceland had limited wifi, so if we used too much (which we did immediately by accident), it would cut off and the owner of the house would have to re-up it. I feel a little overwhelmed now, since I have so many pictures from Iceland now too (we were there for a few days until Monday morning, it was the most amazing place I’ve ever been), but I want to post about our three days in Manhattan. Basically, it was filled with lots and lots of carbs and walking. We probably averaged 10 miles a day of walking, trying to see as many sights as possible. This is also how we justified eating so many bagels and falafel sandwiches. We ate bagels every day, and I couldn’t get enough. The ones we got in Brooklyn were my favorite:

Image

but Jeremy’s favorite was from Ess-a-bagel:

IMG_3324

 

Speaking of food, since we’re on a pretty strict budget so that we can stay traveling as long as possible, we didn’t really splurge on any nice dinners or anything. Next time we visit NYC, I hope that we can experience some of the amazing restaurants the city has to offer, but in the meantime we thoroughly enjoyed our street food and snacks. We stopped into a place on the Lower East Side to get a knish without even knowing what it was. It was basically a ball of mashed potatoes with veggies inside and dough on the outside. Needless to say, it was tasty.

IMG_3240

A delish knish.

A delish knish.

We wanted to go get some smoked salmon or other treats in here, but the amount of people crammed inside was a little too overwhelming.

We wanted to go get some smoked salmon or other treats in here, but the amount of people crammed inside was a little too overwhelming.

We got some pho in Chinatown one night, and it was inexpensive and delicious:

IMG_3346

IMG_3350

 

Watching people make pasta in Eataly made me really hungry.

Watching people make pasta in Eataly made me really hungry.

Salted peanut and lemon poppyseed donuts from Donut Plant in LES.

Salted peanut and lemon poppyseed donuts from Donut Plant in LES.

 

I made sure my last meal in America was tacos with lots of guacamole (we got them from Brooklyn Tacos in the Essex Market in the LES).

I made sure my last meal in America was tacos with lots of guacamole (we got them from Brooklyn Tacos in the Essex Market in the LES). The one on the right was kale and potato.

Sightseeing 

I’ve been to NYC a good amount of times (I was born there, fun fact), but it was Jeremy’s first time, so we wanted to see some of the main attractions. Like I said, we walked a lot. We much prefer to walk six miles somewhere than take public transportation (if we have no time constraints) so that we can see everything along the way. We walked from the Lower East Side to Central Park because we wanted to see the apartment my parents lived in when they were my age. It was fun to imagine them in it in the 70s, doing all the cool stuff I know they did.

My parents' apartment building in the 70s.

My parents’ apartment building in the 70s.

Of course, we had to take a picture in Times Square (before we promptly got the hell out of there):

IMG_3283

IMG_3328

Flatiron Building.

A cold Central Park.

A cold Central Park.

Jeremy had to pry my face away from this store's window.

Jeremy had to pry my face away from this store’s window.

Coolest Apple store ever.

Coolest Apple store ever.

I love Greenwich Village.

I love Greenwich Village.

Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center.

Me with a very tiny Lady of Liberty behind.

Me with a very tiny Lady Liberty behind.

Empire State Building.

Empire State Building.

We did splurge on a show at the Comedy Cellar, where Louis CK is seen telling jokes in the opening credits of his show. All of the comedians were hilarious, and we didn’t regret spending the money at all.

We had a really good time in NYC overall, despite the freezing weather/wind (I didn’t even have a coat so I had to run into an H&M and buy a jacket), but we looked forward to getting to our cabin in the middle of nowhere in Iceland (the complete opposite of New York City). I can’t wait to share pictures from there!

And So It Begins

Now we’ve gone and done it… we’ve left for our trip! Even though we have technically been traveling for the past week, I knew it wasn’t going to feel real until we actually left for New York (although honestly it still doesn’t really). We got to see some really great friends the past week, and it was so nice to be able to spend time with friends we don’t get to see as often as we’d like (why can’t Georgia and California be a short drive away from each other?). 

Image

My lunch at a restaurant in Athens, Georgia called Home.made. It was delicious. Michael Stipe happened to be sitting at the table next to us too.

Image

I ran on the treadmill at our hotel because the weather was bad in Athens… I am really liking the shirt I got from the San Diego Half Marathon.

On Tuesday, Jeremy and I drove down to Columbus to visit with his parents for a couple days and do a bunch of last minute errands. We ended up being really unhappy with the luggage we purchased at Macy’s before we left (it wouldn’t stand up on its own and they were so incredibly heavy, and the wheels wouldn’t really roll), so we returned them… two days before leaving. We ended up getting some IT Luggage at Marshall’s and we’re really pleased with them so far. I also took out about a quarter of the clothes I brought and left them in Georgia, which I’m really glad I did. It’s so much better to have less stuff to carry. I managed to get a six-mile run in, and it felt SO GOOD. It’s been hard not having a routine and making exercise a priority, but I knew it would be a challenge to keep up running while we’re traveling, so hopefully it’ll become more of a habit soon. Plus it’s been good to give my knee lots of rest.

Image

Pretty trees on my run in Columbus, Georgia.

Jeremy’s parents drove us to Atlanta yesterday (that is insane that it was only yesterday), and we spent the day with one of my best friends, Nicole, walking around her neighborhood and eating delicious food. She took us to the airport this morning incredibly early (after Jeremy and I only got 2-3 hours of sleep), and I’m so grateful for it! 

Image

Nicole’s dog, Townes, insisted on getting in the creek.

Image

Jeremy found a rope swing.

Image

Dinner at Raging Burrito in Decatur.

Image

Here we go!

Image

Me and Nicole at the buttcrack of dawn.

Jeremy and I arrived in NYC at around 10:30 this morning, and we have already had quite the full day. We made it to our Airbnb in Greenpoint, Brooklyn around 11:30 and dropped our luggage off, then went in search of some much needed food. We ended up walking to Williamsburg and getting a vegan falafel sandwich for $3, and it was seriously delicious. After fueling up, we embarked on a loooong walk to Dumbo (“down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass”), and saw some really nice views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and Manhattan. We then walked to midpoint of the Brooklyn Bridge and then turned around. We debated taking a cab or subway back, but we wanted to explore all the different areas we would pass through, so we ended up walking back. All in all, we walked around ten miles today (in not very supportive shoes). Needless to say, we are exhausted, especially after so little sleep, so we’re resting in the apartment for another hour, when we’re meeting our friend from Athens for dinner. It’s supposed to snow on Tuesday (we were not prepared for this and don’t have coats, it’s Spring damn it), and I need to find some kind of jacket tomorrow to wear. It looks like it’ll be snowing a lot in Iceland when we’re there next week too. Whoops.

Here are some pictures I took today on our excursion:

Image

Jeremy in Greenpoint.

Image

Somewhere in Williamsburg.

Image

The $3 falafel sandwich that saved our lives.

Image

 

Image

Image

Nice view of the Manhattan Bridge from Dumbo.

Image

Another view.

Image

The Brooklyn Bridge sure is pretty.

Image

Cheesin’ on the Bridge.

Tomorrow, our first order of business is trying to find the best bagels in Brooklyn (I’ve only been talking about NYC bagels to Jeremy for five years, no big deal), then hopefully walking to Prospect Park, if our legs will allow it. We have to move our stuff to our Airbnb on the Lower East Side in Manhattan tomorrow around noon, and I can’t wait to start exploring that whole area. 

Hope everyone has been having a great week and weekend, and if there’s anything you think we should do or eat while we’re here, please tell me!!