NEW YOOORRKKKKK

I think this city can be summed up in three letters... W O W.! This city has a wow - factor in many different aspects.
After a very relaxing flight with only 15 people in my compartment of the airplane,  this city is very very very busy and gigantic! A little overwelming also.
But you better get used to it very quick, because if you don't walk fast enough on the side walk you will get looked at and yelled at, if you don't cross the street fast enough you will get run over by a famous yellow taxi, or if you don't start walking when the light is almost green you will get pushed to walk.

And to be honest I joined the crowd faster than I thought I would when I walked on times square my first night here. After 1 day you are the one walking in front of the crowd when crossing the street, you are not scared of the caps almost hitting you when you cross and you get on the subway the very last minute when doors are already closing.

6 years ago on my very last blog of my exchange year I said the similarities of movies stopped with groups of geeks, cheerleaders and football players and the red lockers in the hallway of high school. But this city has a lot more similarities with movies, or the movies with this city... :p
The young woman  carrying the yoga matt to work on the early subway, the yellow taxi's, the sirens on the street constantly,  the rush on times square, the impatient cars on the street, the NYPD  traffic controllers with their high - pitched whistle.
And even though there were so many similarities I walked the streets being surprised and impressed every single minute. Walking the street I felt so little between all those enormous buildings. The funny thing was, you think the buildings on times square are high when you stand there, but once I was up on top of the Rockefeller  center times square was miniature compared to all the other surrounding buildings. Amazing and bizar at the same time.

I think I have seen most of the highlights of the city and a lot of streets in between, me as dutch person thought it was nice and fun to walk from place to place instead of taking the subway for just one stop.. well the first day was great, second day got a little harder and the third I couldn't move my feet anymore without feeling the soreness in my legs and I had one more day to go. But who cares, I have finally seen freaking New York!! :D :D

Most impressive place was 9/11 memorial, ground zero, it's weird to think that years ago I came home from school and the news showed two big buildings collapsing and right now I was standing right on that spot in the middle of Manhattan memorising hundreds of people. A lot of the them were also first responders,  I never realised so many of them had died as well.
And then there is central park,  a little piece of quietness In the middle of the city. Lots of sport fields, lots of bikers and runners but also lots of street artists. I can't imagine how alive this place must be when it's warm and nice weather in the summer.

New York is some city and has a lot to offer. Pretty places, big places, old places and new places, but one of the similarities with movies I missed was the nice and spontaneous people. They are here,  but not as many as chicago, where I  had random conversations with people while waiting at the stoplight or I'm the subway. But even when u asked for help some of them would look very irritated at you. Maybe it was the cold weather, we will see in about 2 months how I experience it then.

Completely satisfied and worn out I go on to my next stop: home away from home. To all the friends and family <3 not for just 2 weeks this time,  but for one whole month!! :)

P.s. pictures will follow. Here is a sneak peak video :)