Stepping foot on New York City for the first time can be an oddly familiar experience. The hustle and bustle on the streets, the iconic yellow taxis, skyscrapers, giant advertisements, and popular attractions has been a part of numerous movies, TV shows, and music videos, which make seeing them in reality feel like entering a cinematic world.
After a 31-hour long journey, I arrived in New York City with a few things in mind including discovering the way to get to Manhattan, trying out American breakfast, hailing a cab for the iconic ride, visiting Times Square, and getting to my hotel at some point after that.
While there was a lot of excitement, there was one significant problem: I had no idea how complicated the task of getting to New York City would be.
The journey to New York City started with the realization that I had not arrived there just yet. What happened instead is that I landed at Newark Airport, located in New Jersey, so the next task was to find the way to Manhattan.
I had many options of getting there that included taxis and trains. However, wanting to feel like a part of the local life
This proved to be more confusing than I had anticipated.
The airport signposts led me to the public transport area, but I still faced difficulties in finding the right level and elevator. After spending more time trying to decipher the signs than I had thought, I finally found the AirTrain.
The whole process was meant to be quite straightforward: I will take the airport train to the relevant station and switch trains going to New York’s Penn Station.
In theory, that was the plan.
Taking the Train from Newark Airport to Manhattan
AirTrain was just a connecto between the airport terminals and the railway station. Once there, I had to change trains.
I bought a one-way ticket to New York’s Penn Station for $17 via my phone Very shortly after it was a matter of figuring out which train goes to Manhattan.
It so happened that there were several trains shown on the screens and some destinations were looking quite confusing. At one moment, I even asked people travelling with me if this train will take us to New York’s Station.
One individual affirmed it. Another discussion raised doubts about the accuracy of my train selection.
At that moment, I couldn’t do much as far as switching to a different train was concerned; I had to rely on luck.
Still, the trip unfolded favorably after this twist.
The train itself was quite cool. It had comfy seats, and the interior was modern and spacious. That said, the windows left a lot to be desired as they were dirty and murky; I couldn’t get enough of the outside views.
After spending thirty-one hours aboard the train, it was nice to sit back in the moving train headed to Manhattan.
At long last, I reached my destination.
The train finally went under the Hudson River.
This was the very moment of approaching Manhattan.
Thirty minutes after leaving the airport, I arrived at Penn Station. It was an underground station and was bigger than I had expected, which turned out to be another challenge.
Eventually, I made it outside.
And it happened.
I was on the streets of Manhattan for the first time.
It was a sunny day, and soon after stepping onto the ground in Manhattan, I noticed food carts.
It was one of those strange moments when everything seemed somewhat unreal. After years of watching movies and TV shows set in the Big Apple, I found myself in the middle of this amazing city.
The Empire State Building Makes the Experience Even Better
The first major landmark I saw was the Empire State Building, which once again proved that being there in person is much better than seeing it in movies.
The Empire State Building is one of those unforgettable landmarks that cannot be missed while thinking of New York City, let alone for people who dreamed of coming to see it since they were little kids.
Movies like Home Alone 2 built the image of New York City in my mind for many years and TV series like How I Met Your Mother helped to strengthen the link to New York, while hip-hop artists from New York added even more depth to the cultural image of the city.
So, all those things suddenly became more real.
Having arrived in Manhattan, the next thing I thought of was food.
I came upon the American diner on Google Maps and thought I should get something distinctly American.
The menu offered me a variety of options, including eggs, bacon, sausage, bagels, waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers and more.
I ordered a bagel with cream cheese, as I had heard bagels are especially eaten in New York.
I also ordered chicken and waffles.
The quantity surprised me from the very beginning.
The food I received was much more than I had anticipated, and the chicken pieces were even bigger than I thought.
As for the bagel, it was excellent. It was fluffy on the inside and and есть more than good.
The chicken proved to be juicy and tasty.
As for the waffle, it was sweet and soft and generally speaking good. However, the combination of the sweet waffle and chicken was something I was not used to.
Realizing Tipping Culture in the U.S.
The experience at breakfast made me aware of one of the major differences I sensed during my first day in America – that of tipping.
Being from Germany, where tipping is mainly voluntary, I found the system in America hard to grasp.
In the restaurant, it was indicated that tipping around 18% of the check amount is considered normal, while bigger percentages are also acceptable.
This raised some questions for me.
For instance, how could it be that the tip should increase significantly with the increase of the relation of the bill, even though the job done by the employee remains the same?
Also, I thought about how I used to see the tips promotion for the services where I did mainly everything myself – for instance, at some shops with self-service.
However, as I was in the U.S., I decided to comply with the local practice and tip generously.
Yet, I wished to learn more about the culture.
Making a Journey by the Famous New-York Yellow Taxi
Right after breakfast, I decided to go to Times Square.
I could have walked to this place, but there was one experience on my list
The yellow taxi is one of the most well-known symbols of the city, especially for those who have been watching American films since childhood.
I got into a cab and told the driver to take me to Times Square.
The cab driver was from Pakistan, and we had a good discussion as a result. As I visited Karachi and Lahore in the past, I was reminded of their generous hospitality.
The taxi ride felt exactly as if I were watching it on the screen.
There was a traffic jam, so many yellow taxis, and buildings all around us.
Besides, the driver told me that passengers can just stop a yellow taxi by raising their hand when the light on the roof is on.
New York is a World City
It was one of the first things I noticed during the first day in New York that it was a very international city.
I heard many languages throughout the day.
The workers in the diner were speaking Spanish, the taxi driver was from Pakistan, and while walking in Manhattan I encountered tourists from different countries.
New York seems to unite people from many locations.
The multi-national vibe was apparent at Times Square since tourists seemed to be present in all local places worldwide.
Unfortunate News Alerts Near Times Square
The moment I finally reached Times Square was spoiled by an unexpected alert coming from my phone.
When I arrived near the famous spot, my phone beeped to inform me about the ongoing situation in Times Square.
The clip showed three injuries, though there were no reports of death.
The reason for my discomfort was that I was standing near Times Square when I received the alarming notification.
Nevertheless, police officers were patrolling the streets of Times Square, and the area was full of tourists.
Despite the unpleasant news, I still managed to concentrate and continue my exploration.
Reaching Times Square for the First Time
The immense digital screens emitting advertisements, throngs of people, entertainers, vendors, and activity everywhere made the whole space almost feel unreal!
Having seen Times Square in so many films and YouTube videos, being there is something that is hard to describe.
It was truly like being in a film.
When comparing it to Hollywood Boulevard, which I have visited previously, Times Square felt more chaotic, with more people, more action and, it seemed like, more events happening in the surroundings.
The enormous displays made the whole place feel something completely out of this world.
Meeting the Naked Cowboy
While discovering Times Square I managed to get acquainted with the Naked Cowboy.
He became one of the prominent symbols of the area and is available in many media forms.
This encounter added yet another unexpected touch to the strange experience.
Moreover, I was amazed by a number of performers, dancers, people selling photographs and artists.
All the weariness of the long trip seemed to vanish as if by magic.
I could hardly believe that I was in New York, and this gave me an unexpected dose of energy.
Dominican Republic Hotel Room Costs $500 Per Night
I went on a tour of Times Square before heading to my hotel.
This time around, I pampered myself with a luxurious accommodation for the first time in New York.
My room was priced at almost 500 dollars a night.
Upon initial examination, the hotel room looked smaller than it appeared in the pictures on the booking site.
It had a nice big bed, a small wardrobe section, and bathroom facilities, including either a bathtub or shower.
Though the room was comfy, I understood the reasons for the high price tag as soon I opened the curtains.
The outlook was breathtaking.
Observing Times Square From the Hotel at Night
Times Square’s grandeur is magnified in the night.
Watching all the illuminated billboards from my hotel room turned the view into a bright carnival of screens and adverts.
It was precisely the kind of New York that I expected at the moment of my arrival.
Having spent thirty-one hours on the way, wasting a lot of time on airport transfers, eating a sizable American breakfast, taking a taxi ride to the hotel, and roaming Manhattan, it was a successful completion of my first New York Day.
Does New York City Live Up to Its Reputation?
Prior to my arrival, I was slightly anxious about New York failing to meet my expectations.
Often, places become so well-known due to films and advertisements that it is impossible for reality to match expectations.
However, during my first visit to New York, I felt entirely different.
In fact, many things that made me want to visit New York since I was a child were present in New York, like yellow taxis, Empire State Building, ads, Times Square, street food, skyscrapers, and people from around the world.
The city was quite crowded and noisy.
Yet it should be noted that such features contributed to its attractiveness.
For someone visiting New York City for the very first time, it could be an emotional experience full of disappointments, worries, and being costly, but it can also guarantee one of those moments in travels when one feels that reality resembles the pictures that inspired that trip.
So standing at Times Square for the first time was definitely one of such moments.
The first day in New York was a combination of confusion, tiredness, excitement, dining, unexpected meetings, and striking places.
The way from Newark Airport to Manhattan turned out to be much more complex than expected, as it happened after 31 hours of travelling. The American inn brought the new food culture, while the tipping system raised a lot of questions.
The yellow taxi offered the typical New York experience, while Times Square provided the long-awaited film scene.
After having dreamt of going to New York City for so many years, it surprised me to realize that the city no longer appeared to be fantasy.
This was the first time I am seeing New York for real and not from a screen.
