My first holiday in more than 2 years! Went all out - all the way to the opposite side of the earth. Honestly it was a trip that has been planned for forever because two of my closest friends live there, and I was going to head there in April 2020 with another friend. Obviously, the trip couldn't go through (luckily I hadn't booked tickets then), but decided to head there while I could before more circumstances (external or personal) prevent it again, and before they head back to Singapore haha. Since I could stay with them during my trip, I managed to save a lot on hotel fees. Hotels in US are EXORBITANT.
Day 1
Took the SQ direct flight from Singapore to Newark, which was more than 18h - the longest flight in the world. The tickets were about $2.5k SGD, but I had a student's discount (because I happen to be doing grad studies hoho, and also had a lot of miles), so I ended up paying about $1.5k. Honestly, I relished the time to just relax, eat and sleep. Also, the seat next to me was empty so I had some extra space which was great, although the seat dividers in premium economy class can't be lifted.
I arrived around 630am, customs didn't take that long and I managed to book an uber so I arrived at my friend's place at 815am, much to her surprise lol. My friend had to work, so I headed out to explore on my own. First stop was T-mobile nearby. I got the 50 bucks plan (+$10 for the sim card) which has unlimited everything (data, calls, SMSes) for a month, though it was probably excessive and I could have done with the cheaper data-only plans or 10gb plan, especially since I was only there for barely more than week.
Wanted to try Russ and Daughters which is THE lox bagel place, so I took
the subway from where I was (Tribeca) to the outlet. Got slightly lost
because the subway system is pretty complicated, but managed to arrive
there. So how the system works is that you go in for a ticket number,
and then wait outside until the number is flashed on the screen inside,
then you go in to place your order and they will make the bagel in front
of you. The wait time was super long to go in (I think more than 30
min), but the lox bagel was indeed really good. The salmon used is
really high quality. Worth it imo, especially if you're going to try ONE
bagel place in NYC.
Then decided to walk through Times Square while heading towards MoMA. Recognised the steps shown in Glee!
Took forever to decide on a place to eat haha, but finally headed to Becco and met my other friend there! Great time catching up and was heading back to see Times Sq at night but caught the protests of Roe v Wade instead lol. Luckily, my friends knew how to navigate the underground system so we could avoid the crowd and take the subway back.
Day 2
An extremely long but productive shopping and eating day. Headed to Blue Bottle to try the coffee because I've seen it being mentioned so many times. My friend said their coffee is horrible, and honestly I have to agree it wasn't very good haha.
We met up at Chinatown cos I kept telling them I was curious haha.We had dimsum at this food court looking place, then walked around Chinatown and a really tiny Little Italy.
Then headed to Scarr's to get pizzas. NY pizzas are apparently a thing and my friend recommended this. There were already people waiting before they opened so they were definitely famous.
Next stop, walked to Soho to do some shopping.
Also stopped by Levain bakery to try og Levain cookies which were reallyyyy good but sinful.
Went to Dominique Ansel but it was around 3pm by then so they had ran out of cronuts, but we got kouign amann and cookie shot glasses.
And then, headed to a very pretty Magnolia Bakery to get banana pudding. Wayyyy too much food, but we were not done!
Walked through Meatpacking District to Chelsea Market to eat more! Tried the lobster roll and tacos.
Finally, finished the seemingly 5000km trek with a walk on the High Line where we had a nice view of the sunset.
Day 3
A day at Brooklyn! My friends said that I had to try the ferry, so from my friend's place in Tribeca, we took the subway up to midtown where we took a short detour to take pics with the Empire State Building (and saw many people with Pride stuff headed for the Pride march).
Took the East River from East 34th to DUMBO and the ferry ride was an experience haha. It was speeding and our hair was everywhere, but great views and very fun.
Our first stop at Brooklyn was Prospect Park to head to Smorgasburg market. My friend brought a picnic blanket so we could huddle under a tree and relax with food. We got crayfish mac and cheese, empanadas, some vegan chicken and super refreshing drinks.
After spending way too long resting (because it was hot), we headed to some place to buy shoes because my footwear were poorly equipped for the insane amount of walking we did lol. Managed to get a pair, which aren't quite like walking on clouds but at least better than my existing footwear.
Next, headed back to DUMBO to walk along the river and eat at Time Out market. Cool, air-conditioned place with a variety of foods. Really nice views outside too.
Headed to take the iconic pic of Manhattan bridge through these 2 buildings.
Finally, walked the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan and back to my friend's place in Tribeca.
And stopped for really good ice cream at Van Leeuwen! But omg, so expensive. I think it was more than 6usd for a scoop.
Day 4
It was forecasted to rain so it was destined to be a sad day haha, especially since I had already booked my Statue of Liberty cruise tickets.
Dropped by Dunkin Donuts for breakfast (it seems to be a very American thing), then headed to the Statue Cruises terminal around 9 plus. Luckily, the weather was gloomy but still ok at that time. Landed on Liberty Island first to take many many pictures of/with the statue (with some absolutely horrible photographers). I got the pedestal ticket so I managed to go up the pedestal to get closer to the statue, though they don't allow visits up to the crown anymore, unfortunately. Also visited the museum to understand more about the significance of the statue.
Next, took the ferry to Ellis Island to learn about immigration to US. I thought it was really interesting!
Then took the ferry back to battery park and went around in circles trying to find the charging bull haha. Googlemaps failed me!
Walked down Wall St to the 9/11 memorial.
Unfortunately, it started to pour and I hadn't bought a ticket so I couldn't take shelter in the museum. Then I overheard one of the staff saying they'd run out of tickets so I cut my losses and went into Oculus. Did some window shopping, then went to Sweetgreen for my lunner since it was already 4pm. It was not bad!
Met up with my friend to walk around the area, do some shopping, and make the move from friend #1's place at Tribeca to friend #2's place at Upper East side.
Day 5
My Amtrak train from NYC to Philadelphia was at 717am, so I had to wake up super duper early to take the subway to Myonihan Train Hall. Bought some breakfast from Birch coffee at the station. Wow, I was pleasantly surprised by the Amtrak trains - super comfy, lots of space and charging points!
Reached Philly at 8+ and I utilised the storage services to store one of my backpacks for $10 (since I had an Amtrak ticket. $20 without an Amtrak ticket).
Took the train from the station into the city. First stop was the Liberty Bell which was...very underwhelming. I was expecting it to be out in the open so I was very disappointed that it was kept in a glass building?
Opposite that was the Independence Hall area. Unfortunately, I forgot to reserve tickets, but at least there were other tours/areas to visit in the same compound.
Was on the way to the pier area when I chanced upon the Museum of American Revolution and decided to head in. Great decision because I thought it was a really fantastic museum. 2 levels, multiple theatres with shows, and interesting exhibits. Doing my usual bit of learning and education on vacations haha.
Then continued on my journey to the pier to take some pics.
Followed by a walk to Elfreth Alley which is a very pretty cobblestone alley.
Took the subway to the City Hall area where the LOVE sculpture is!
Headed to Reading Terminal Market next and settled on some all day breakfast food because everything else looked too much. Even then, this farmer's platter was too much and I barely managed to finish half the food. I'm sorry, but no wonder the obesity rates in US are so high! The portions are wayyy too big.
Decided to go to the shopping district, headed into a Primark, and had the strangest cashier encounter. The dude took my $20 note (for a 3.50 item), processed everything, closed the till, gave me 16 bucks and said he didn't have 50 cents change to give me as there's a national coin shortage. So I replied that I can give him 50 cents and he can give me a one dollar bill but he said the transaction was already processed. What a scam haha. Anyway I couldn't be bothered to fight him so I just left and headed back to the very pretty train station.
Also realised that the US trains are extremely not punctual unlike the European trains. My train was delayed by like 15min, and got even more delayed during the journey, to the point where it was the time I was supposed to reach DC but we just arrived in Baltimore. Finally reached DC at like 830pm, took the subway to Foggy Bottom and checked in to Melrose Georgetown Hotel for 2 nights. Very pretty hotel and I had a large bedroom with a king sized bed, though they didn't have bedroom slippers, and there's no kettle in the room. They have a hydration station with fruit-infused water downstairs which was a hassle.
Day 6
The day I walked the entire National Mall in DC.
Started the morning at Founding Farmer's quite near my hotel. Had pancakes and iced chocolate which the bartender had to specially make cos they only have hot choc. Was yummy! Especially since I was starving as my last meal was the meal I had at Reading's in Philadelphia at 3pm the previous day.
Took the metro to Capitol South and headed to the Supreme Court - which was not open to visitors and had protestors outside lol!
Also saw that Capitol tours restarted (they were still closed when I planned my trip a month earlier), and luckily, I managed to reserve a slot on the spot. But beware - there's airport level security and no drinks are allowed. The tour starts with a show at the theatre, followed by a walk around some key exhibits led by a tour guide.
After the tour, I hurried on to the National Gallery of Art where I spent about 2h. I think my eyes were glazing over though.
Next stop was the Natural History Museum. Wayyyy too many kids, and honestly I've been to the London one so I wasn't too impressed by this. I liked the section on outbreaks though.
And then National Portrait Gallery, specifically to see the American Presidents gallery!
The next few stops were the White House, then the Washington Monument, which was indeed very pretty.
Lastly, the WWII memorial pools and Lincoln Memorial.
And thus I literally walked from one end of the National Mall to the other. Crazy tiring, would not recommend haha. Just that I literally only had a day to complete everything.
Headed to CIRCA at Foggy Bottom to have a nice dinner to reward myself for the productive day. Yumms.
Headed to Georgetown in the morning! Walked from my hotel to the waterfront area which is very pretty, and the place I wanted to go for breakfast, Farmers Fishers Bakery, was conveniently just there. Hilariously, it turned out to be the same chain as Founding Farmers which I visited the previous day. But it was ok since they have an extensive menu so I got the Eggs Ben this time with a side salad.
Then headed to the shopping area to buy the famous Georgetown cupcakes and do some rapid shopping. Georgetown is definitely my favourite place out of the places I visited cos its so idyllic and pretty, service was generally good, and it felt safe.
Headed back to the hotel to check out, then took the metro back to union station for the Amtrak back to NYC. I also liked DC's metro stations which are nice and modern compared to NYC. When I emerged from the Myonihan station at NYC, I really had sensory overload. So crowded and noisy!
Hurried to my friend's place to drop my stuff off, then headed to Rockefeller Center at 630pm for my 545pm slot lol, since the Amtrak was late and I took sometime to get from Myonihan to Upper East. Then wasted more time getting lost cos the entrance is a tiny hole at the side of the building, and not opposite the roller skating rink haha. Anyway, they let me in even though I didn't have a sunset ticket. Took the elevators up, and I happened to ask a korean lady to help me take photos and I commented that she's korean and then we started talking for close to three hours haha. We got a good spot in front of the Empire State so she could take a time lapse from day to sunset to night :O Also met another Singaporean there who had been working in Cali for 9 years! So I made my ticket super worth it and headed back at almost 10pm.
Day 8
Last full day! Took the bus to Hutch and Waldo for a very nice brunch.
Then headed for a walk in Central Park, saw a tiny castle-looking thing, and The Lake, a tiny Alice in Wonderland sculpture and some other attractions. It was so hot so we stopped for snow cones and I made a mess haha.
Got dropped off at the Met while my friend went to work, where I spent close to 4h. Partly because I kept stopping to sit lol. There was a queue to enter the fashion anthology exhibit so I decided to be strategic and view the exhibits upstairs, then take one of the side staircases down into the exhibit, and it surprisingly worked hoho. The Met is HUGE so you really gotta be strategic. I was kind of sick of European paintings and sculptures, so I went for the Egyptian exhibits, then the Asian exhibits upstairs (with a Chinese garden in the museum haha!), and then the American fashion ones, and lastly the Contemporary/Modern art ones.
Headed to Macy's for one last round of shopping, where I stupidly took the train uptown instead of downtown lol. Quite some difficulty making my purchases because there was no one at the counter (!!), but eventually we managed to get someone to help.
Decided to go to this spanish tapas place for our final dinner. Great food but not so great service haha.
Talked for hours until 11 plus before heading back to my friend's
place to do some packing as my flight home was as 10am the next day so I
had to wake up early to catch a cab (Lyft from my friend's place in
Upper East side to Newark cost me close to US$70!) to Newark airport for
my 19h flight.
And that's the end of my first trip to the States! Really thankful to my friends for hosting me and being my tour guides, though honestly, NYC is not a place I would wanna stay in because it's too busy. Also really enjoyed my short expedition out of NYC, particularly DC. Will definitely wanna explore other areas in US next time!