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I was very sad to say goodbye to Boston and Melissa! It's now hit me that I'm spending the next 25 days travelling by myself and not with the people I've known for the past 9 weeks! It's nice to know that when my trek starts on Friday it will be with a group but for now I'm in New York fending for myself!
After I got off the bus I made my way to the subway. With it being colder and raining when I left Boston I had a hoodie on. Huge mistake. I forgot just how hot and sticky the subway is! Thankfully it wasn't too busy and I had no changes so it was an easy enough journey if you ignore that I was carrying a 19kg rucksack on my back. The hostel was really easy to find when I got off the subway and I soon checked in. I spoke to home, met some of the people in my room and then headed out to explore and find something to eat. I started to walk through Central Park. It's much bigger than I remember and I thought I'd walked a lot more of it than I had. I found a typical American diner to have a quick dinner in before heading back to the hostel for an early night! My back needed a rest!
On Wednesday I got up and got the subway to south ferry where I saw the Statue of Liberty from across the water, went to battery park, wandered around south street seaport before grabbing a New York hotdog and sitting down to eat in a park in front of the city hall, yellow cab drivers were protesting about uber taxis taking over. After lunch I walked halfway across the Brooklyn bridge (and back again so technically the full way once!) and had a strange sense of dejavu from a very long time ago of my family and I walking across! I tried to take a selfie in the same place my sister and I had a photo (reluctantly from her!). I then walked through tribeca and down through china town (won't be doing that again!) and on Broadway street, past all the shops and onto Washington square. Last time I was there it was all set up with a film crew waiting to film l am Legend so it looked a little different this time and a lot busier since its summer and not autumn! It was fun to people watch! I had a quick wander around East Village, Greenwich Village and West Village, grabbing dinner along the way before getting the subway back to my hostel. After 14 miles of walking I'm ready to properly sit down, especially since I now have a small blister on the bottom of my foot! 34 miles in 3 days (travelling days not included) - I better lose weight with this!!
On Thursday I made my way up Central Park starting where I left off from Tuesday afternoon. I walked all over it - around the huge lake named after Jacqueline Onassis, around the lake by the famous boathouse and saw everyone boating on it, by the small lake where Stuart little is filmed and little ships were floating all on it, round through the forest, up to see (although I didn't go in) Central Park zoo. Seeing so many cute dogs around the park makes me miss my nutter of a dog, Doris! I went very briefly on the upper east side and saw the met. Took a selfie on the steps of it and felt like I was eating lunch with Serena and Blair from gossip girl. I then walked up 5th avenue - wishing I could spend all the money I don't have down there! I walked up to Times Square again and it looked very different from when I first arrived as it was packed, very different from when I saw it the day after I arrived in America at 6am! I had lunch at bubba gumps shrimp house, named after and has lots of memorabilia from forest gump! Naturally I had shrimp my first bit of seafood/fish I have had since leaving home! I walked up to grand central station feeling like I was in Madagascar and past the Empire State Building. Literally past it. I had to walk back on myself as I realised I had been standing right underneath it the whole time when I was looking for it! I then walked down to head back through Central Park again, picking up a waffle with Nutella as a treat on my way back. It turns out that the Empire State Building to 103rd street which is near where I'm staying is actually a very long way to walk (another 14 miles done today!)!!
Today is my last day. I had to check out of the hostel by 11am so had a lazy morning to make sure I had everything ready. After a traumatic journey on the subway with my very heavy bag, I got the air train to JFK and then a taxi to the hotel for the starting point for my trip.
Though I'm now travelling by myself it's still not quite hit me that I'm 3,500 miles away from home, in a completely different country and have been here for 10 weeks but I suppose that can't be a bad thing! I'm currently at the hotel ready to start my 3 week trek around america! First stop is Philadelphia and Washington DC!
- comments
Ann spary Wow. Well done Sophie. I hope your trek has started ok. Have fun. Xxx
Lynne Embley Wow I am catching up on your blogs - all sounds so exciting. Lots of walking, you will be like a stick insect when you get back!! x x