Thursday 1 May 2014

New York City: Part 1

Hello there! I'm finally posting again after a long hiatus. I haven't posted much after the winter storm because I got very, very tired of the winter. I was so uninspired to post anything...but finally, a break! I finished school and went to explore Manhattan for four days with three others.
The flight from Toronto Pearson to La Guardia airport is about 1.5 hours. We flew American Eagle and stayed at the New York Skyline Hotel. It wasn't a cheap trip but I rarely go travelling anyways--consider it a graduation trip.

On a sidenote, you may have noticed that I changed my blog name--
the old one was too long and hard to spell. 
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I brought most of my gear with me, which includes the Canon EOS 40D, Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6, kit lens, Canon 50mm f/1.8, and a Joby Gorillapod SLR/zoom. Most pictures were taken with the Sigma 30mm. 
First impression of NYC: it was a massive, organized chaos. Between the chaos were things like this, a flower shop around the corner, a park amidst the concrete jungle, and spring flowers blooming. It was a bizarre combo that somehow fits NYC's personality.  
There was a mirror there so I had to take a selfie.  
Colourful tulips on sale. 
Lovely blossoms line the streets. Toronto needs to have more trees too! 
Times Square during the day. Tourists, tourists everywhere. 
There were lots of people that would offer you bus tours. You can definitely tell who's a local and who's not. To be honest, I didn't expect to see so many tourists this time of year but I"m guessing it's like this all year long in NYC. 
I don't think they sell these in Canada...this was in the Walgreens in Times Square.  
Brother and I. Do we look alike?  
A bulldog statue. 
Note: The composition of this photo is quite poor because I took this from the waist... 
A stranger pointed this rat out to us. It's rare for them to come out in the open during the day--the stranger told us that there was probably something wrong with it. 
I took this quickly while passing by the barbershop...Was hoping for a candid but he totally noticed me.  
We definitely lucked out--it was the perfect time to come to NYC because all the trees and flowers were blossoming. 
 These Citi bikes were everywhere along the city and a lot of people use these. 
$3/minute to ride on this. Expensive but I guess if you're desperate..
The door handle on Lillie's Victorian Bar and Restaurant. I looked in quickly and the interior of this place was awesome. Next time I come to NYC I will definitely eat here!
It started to pour like mad. Thankfully, I had a hooded jacket on me. We bought one umbrella for $5 and tried to haggle it down a bit but the guy didn't budge. 
Bryant Park in the rain. It was a beautiful spot right behind the public library.  
I would lovelovelove to have public table tennis tables in our local parks in Ontario.  
The American Radiator Building. It is so lovely in black and gold. All buildings should be this colour.  
This place is probably buzzing during the sunnier days.  
My friend's mom posing near the flowers.  
The fountain in Bryant Park. 
Can't you tell that I really love this place? I took so many pictures here, sorry. 
William E. Dodge statue. He was one of the "merchant princes" of Wall St before the American Civil War (Source: Wikipedia).  
 The Chrysler building stands out quite a lot. 
 More flowers. I like them. I'm sure you can tell by now. 
Empire State Building at night. We didn't go to the top because we went to the Rockefeller instead. I kind of regret not going up the Empire State Building instead.  
Massive store with pretty good deals, especially for spring jackets. Got a Nautica jacket for 55% off! Besides that, there was a lot of designer stuff that I couldn't afford.  
Taking the taxi back to the hotel because it started to rain real hard. Taxis are EVERYWHERE in New York City. It can get a little pricey but they are definitely convenient for nights like this. 
This is roughly the route we took that day, excluding the places we ate. I will write-up a separate blog post about all the food we ate! If you have any questions about where we went or our accommodations, ask me!

To be continued in Part 2. 

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