After two and a half days in New York City, my flight from La Guardia to San Juan would leave at around 8 PM. I would have until around 4 PM to explore the rest of Manhattan. The weather forecast said it would rain at around midday, so I decided to go to Greenwich in the morning, Central Park and later to the American Museum of Natural History.
Greenwich
Greenwich is known for its buildings and streets, where many films and series have been made. I did not have much time so I went straight to the “Friends” building and the main character’s apartment. This part of the city feels peaceful and the houses seem so cozy. It made me wish I had an apartment there.
Later, I walked to Washington Square, a nice open and green space great for a laid-back Sunday. The weather was still nice and I stayed for a while watching locals enjoying the morning. After eating an apple, I walked to the station and took the subway to Central Park.
Mid Central Park
This time my main goal was to see the Belvedere Castle. However, I got lost and didn’t reach the place on time. Instead, I went to the pond where people play with mini boats. I was reminded of the movie Stewart Little the whole time. I took another break to regain the energy needed to walk around the museum. It was a beautiful view so I asked a person to take a photo of me and, while I feel I look like a Sim animation, I love it nonetheless. After seeing the Alice in Wonderland statue and getting lost -once again- I finally arrived at around 12:30 PM to the museum.
American Museum of Natural History
Just like the forecast said, it began sprinkling as I stood in line to enter the museum. I presume that, because of the weather, plenty of tourists changed their outdoor plans to an indoors visit. Despite the museum being super crowded, it didn’t took long before I was in. However, I used the trick of buying the ticket online and show it at the “mobile tickets” line, which was much shorter. I know, I paid full price when apparently, it’s a donation-based entrance. I didn’t want to be delayed on the line nor having to deal with awkward looks when I said I wanted to go in for free (which was the plan).
Once in and with only two hours -I wandered around for a bit before heading to what interested me the most: the dinosaurs’ exhibition. I needed to live my Jurassic Park fantasy. The museum has the first T-Rex head bones ever found and all the museum rooms are well lit, with plenty of information. I wanted to read everything but you can easily spend there two hours. I did visited all the rooms and then moved on to other exhibitions about the Earth, climate change, evolution and flora.
I had a meal at the museum’s café, then went to Starbucks and back to my hostel to wait for my airport shuttle. My vacations were over and -while I had the greatest time- I was exhausted and in need of a rest.
My thoughts on New York City
The city is iconic, hectic, and full of people. While the city's vibe is something I wanted to experience, I expected it to be less expensive. I know, I know. It's my fault because my expectations were too high and I've been to other big, crowded cities. I feel like my mistake was to constantly compare it to Barcelona or Munich. The NYC subway could be improved a lot. I wonder how New Yorkers feel when they pay such high taxes and get that type of public transport in return. I'm sure that that's the reason why taking a cab is so popular. Nonetheless, I used public transport all the time with my 1-week transportation pass, and it did the job while also being well-priced. So there's that and I feel like all tourists should go through that experience. If you're in the most popular city in the world, you should try to blend in to truly grasp the city's essence.
The landmarks are impressive, my favorite was the Central Station. The view from the Empire State is remarkable but well, the fame and history of the building are reflected on the entrance ticket price. I only had time for one museum so I am super glad I chose the Natural History Museum. I've been to the one in London -which is free and amazing- but the dinosaurs exposition in New York is very hard to beat. Worth the entrance money. The food is alright and there's variety for all tastes and budgets. My favorite thing about New York City? Naturally, Central Park. Its beauty makes up for the hectic vibe of the city. It's a beautiful space and I wish I had a similar park nearby. I did enjoy my time in the Great Apple and would like to go back during Christmas time, when the city gets so beautifully decorated. While my favorite cities are still Barcelona, Munich, Florence, and Montréal, I do want to go back to New York City and see the places and things I missed.
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This is the last part of my trip diary of New York City. Parts 1 and 2 are:
One day and a half in Manhattan
One day in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn
