Today was quite a busy day! The plan was to visit New York City, one last time before I leave the USA, and then to drive to Washington D.C.. After eating breakfast at Katarina’s house and finishing my laundry, Katarina, Michael, Nikos, and I drove to New York City. We were going to visit the High Line. The reason being that many of my friends have visited it, and I wanted to as well! As we drove to New York City, Michael suggested that we visit Kean University, that is where Katarina’s mom Connie works!
Kean University is only twenty minutes away from New York City – it was going to be a quick pit stop. Before we arrived, Katarina told me that Kean is three times the size of Bryn Mawr! So many universities in the USA are so large, compared to UIC Barcelona! It was great to visit another American university. Kean University is known as a state school, which means that it is a public, not private, university and receives money from the state that it is in. Unlike Bryn Mawr College, which is a private university, meaning it receives money from alumnae or private donors.
Kean University has very large buildings that are close together, much like UIC Barcelona, but they are spread out over a large plot of land. I was again in shock over how large this university was! After snapping a couple of photos, the four of us decided to continue our journey to NYC.
Once we parked the car in Jersey City, we took the PATH subway train to 14th street. Before we visited the High Line, we were going to eat lunch at a place called Chelsea Market. I had never heard of it, so I was intrigued to see what was in store for me. I found out that “Chelsea Market has become in just fifteen years one of the greatest indoor food halls of the world” (Chelsea Market Website, About Chelsea Market).
I thought it was cool how this newly renovated space has been transformed into a restaurant and shopping hub! It originally was a trading post and factory. They had so many different types of cuisines – from Japanese, Indian, Danish, and even Mexican! It was great to see a diverse range of food options. When Katarina and her family come to Chelsea Market, they usually eat at a restaurant called “Los Tacos”, which is a Mexican Restaurant. It tasted very authentic, but too spicy for me. Katarina and I ordered pollo asado tacos, Nikos and Michael ordered carne asada tacos. Unfortunately, Katarina and I couldn’t finish all of the food we ordered – it was too much for us to finish!
Once we finished walking through the rest of the market, we headed to the High Line. Fortunately it was a 2-minute walk away. I was in shock over how these old train tracks had been transformed into a giant walk-way and arboretum! It was even better than I imagined. Unfortunately, we came on a very hot and humid day, which hindered us to walk the entire High Line. In order to help cool ourselves down, we bought some paletas from a "La Newyorkina" cart. I love the paletas from this shop! Katarina bought a coconut paleta and I bought a pink lime paleta.
The High Line is also a beautiful location to take photos at - we took full advantage of this! After snapping a few photos, Katarina, Nikos, and I walked for a bit along the High Line. Michael wanted to relax in the shade - who could blame him! As we walked, the temperature started to get hotter, so we decided that it would be best to walk back to sit in the shade with Michael. As we relaxed in the shade, we remembered that we had to go home and start packing for our two day trip in Washington D.C.!
As we walked back to the subway, I wanted to stop into a store to buy some ice cold water - it was so hot! We decided to stop into a restaurant called "J's Pizza". Katarina's favorite food is pizza and she just had to order a slice to try it! She ordered a slice of pepperoni and she absolutely loved it. Once we finished, we continued to walk to the subway. As we were walking, Katarina spotted someone that she had seen on television! His name was Ted Allen and he is the host of a popular American cooking show called "Chopped"! She was starstruck and was too nervous to approach him. She regrets that she didn't get a chance to talk to him. Who knows who you might see in NYC!
Once we got to the subway, we hopped onto the PATH train to go back to Jersey City. Once we arrived at our stop, we got off and went to the car. It was so nice to be in an air-conditioned environment, especially after being in the humidity. I don't know how so many people on the East Coast survive this humidity! Katarina and I were exhausted and took naps in the car - we have been constantly on our feet and traveling! When we arrived back to her house, we quickly packed our suitcases for our trip to Washington D.C..
Before we took off, her family and I ate some food. We were going to be driving for 3 1/2 - 4 hours! On the roadtrip, we talked a bit about the differences between Spain and the United States, our families, and slang terms in Spanish. We also listened to upbeat music to keep us all awake! We did take one pit stop to get gas and use the restroom. While we were at the convenience store, Katarina and her family bought some snacks. Katarina bought a popular American snack called "Goldfish" - they are baked cheese crackers that are shaped like fish. She suggested that I try one, since I have never eaten it before. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!
After driving for four hours, we finally arrived at our hotel. We are staying at a hotel in Arlington, Virginia - it is very close to Washington D.C.. I am very tired but excited to explore Washington D.C. with Katarina and her family tomorrow!
