I’m finally home from a very spontaneous six days of touring through the East Coast–Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York. Thanks to extended family and some amazing friends I’ve made over the years, it’s a trip that I make a very strong effort to plan and fulfill each year. Every trip has been filled with different adventures mixed in with a few familiar places and faces too. Let’s start this photo recap with New York…

{ MegaBus from Philadelphia to New York – $8 }

My trip actually started off with a quick drop off at Philly. Funny story– this trip was strictly to see Philadelphia and help my brother hunt for a new place to live but… a two-hour bus ride to get to New York was definitely enough of an excuse to escape to the city for a couple days.  I tried out MegaBus for the first time this year, partly for the experience, but mostly to save on money: two-hour one way ride to NY with free wi-fi was only $8!  So my experience?  The bus arrived an hour late, to the stop located in a not-so-pretty part of Philly, causing us to hit some traffic into NY and being over an hour behind schedule.  People watching and interesting conversations with my seat-mate fortunately distracted me from all of the inconveniences though.  But as for my return trip back to Philly, I opted to pay $50 for an hour commute via Amtrak.  So the saying goes, you get what you pay for.  (I’m not ruling out the bus forever though!)

{ Brooklyn Bridge }

First NY stop was Brooklyn. My girlfriend Lisa took me around DUMBO/Brooklyn Bridge Park for a late lunch, melted ice cream, disgusting humid weather, but with the added bonus of breathtaking sights of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.

{ The romantic results of trying to snap photos of the Manhattan skyline while driving through New Jersey }

Lisa and I took a quick drive by through New Jersey, to check out her place and the most amazing views of the city (hands down). Thanks to a sudden thunderstorm, we got stuck in Jersey for a couple hours. But once the storm cleared out, we hopped right on the ferry to Manhattan.

The next day was sunny and extra humid. I spent the day roaming around, taking in all of the street noises and great heights, people watching, checking in on a few shops and thriftiques, and–with special thanks to my friend T–eating my way through the city.  (I ate so much, I decided that a separate post dedicated to food is definitely necessary.)

{ 230 Fifth - Rooftop lounge with amazing 360 views of Manhattan… and great strawberry mojitos! }

{ Freedom Towers in the Making }

My last day in New York was spent visiting the 9/11 Memorial, and I can’t think of a more perfect way to end another memorable trip. This memorial is definitely a must-see in New York– pictures and words can’t define how serenely beautiful this place is.

{ One out of two of the Memorial’s reflecting twin pools– currently the largest manmade waterfalls in America }

{ The Memorial pools are outlined with panels that are engraved with names of all of the victims that died on 9/11. }

It’s been such a crazy, non-stop and eventful last few days of hopping cities and spur-of-the-moment adventures. I have to thank you all for sticking it out with me! Soon enough, things will get back to normal around here.

Special thanks to all of the wonderful comments and messages, I will get back to you all real soon!

Until the next adventure!

xo,

k.spanish