New York? New York... New York!!!

Empire State Building

A few weeks ago, when we were unsupervised and had splashing fun in the pool, Lisa came up with an idea to drive to New York to pick up her mother from the JFK. Road trip to New York sounded as an exiting experience, and with no hesitation and sealed  by our husbands' approval we set the departure date: July 9th. 

On the road...

Smokey Mountains, TN

Virginia

Here and there along the road...

...the view was breathtaking.

Early Monday morning we headed East on I-40, driving through Arkansas, Tennessee, where we made an overnight stop in the beautiful Smokey Mountains, next day I-81 took us through magnificent Virginia, a little  bit of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and... Hello, New York!

Approaching NY

Twelve years ago I lived in NY for some time before I headed to the Pacific Northwest, and I haven't been to NY since. Well, except a few connection flights from Europe, which I couldn't avoid... So going back I was wandering what feelings will I have once there again? Will I enjoy it? Or will emotions from the past hunt me? But the moment the city line showed on the horizon, my heart was filled with joy. 

Crossing the Hudson river

Tuesday evening we arrived to the hotel Pennsylvania (conveniently located across the Penn Station and Madison Square Garden in Midtown), where we waited  in line to be checked in for about one hour. After we dropped our bags in the room, we headed to a nearby bar for a quick dinner and a glass of beer.  Before returning to the hotel, we walked several blocks on 7th Avenue, immersing ourselves into the big city's lights and life. Needless to say that upon our return to the hotel, we dropped asleep the moment we reached our pillows. 

A few words about the Hotel Pennsylvania. It doesn't have a great reviews for a reason: it is old and needs some repair to be done, especially in the bathroom. My friend Lisa, who booked this hotel, wanted to change it the very next day. But when we found out how conveniently it is located, and giving the fact that it was clean, she changed her mind and we stayed in it. In the end, we didn't come to NY to stay in the hotel, and as long as the room is clean, that's all that matters. Internet in the hotel is available only in the business center in the lobby, which was pretty crowded, so we decided not to bother. Charges for Internet use are hourly or by day.

Time Square, NY

While in NY, we did some tourist stuff, like climbing six flights of stairs of Empire State Building and window shopping on Fifth Avenue. 

Famous Macy's 

We also went off the tourist's path and visited some interesting places, so come back to find out. :)


See you,
Marina