So here goes my first blog post! Yay! After a long delay caused by the document preparations to obrain a US work visa and after about 4 send-off parties, I finally made it to the other side yesterday at 15:30 local time.
I flew out of Brussels with Continental Airlines and landed in Newark airport. Before my trip I was researching the reviews and feedback of other people that flew with Continental from Europe to the US and all seemed to be raving about how amazing Continental is and how at the same time their tickets are super affordable. Though it is true that their tickets are some of the cheapest on the market, they are by far not my favorite choice now... the seats were narrow, the plane was old, entertainment sucked and the screens were so outdated that I was really disappointed after a nice Delta flight that I had earlier this year.
We also had a considerable delay of about 4 hours, most of which we spent on the place while still being on the tarmac. To be fair, the delay was not at all related to Continental, there seemed to be some sort of a technical systems issues in Ireland & Scotland and all of the European transatlantic flights were severely delayed.
Anyhow, after a long wait and a bumpy ride, we finally landed in Newark!
I was shocked by how warm is was! 20° C in October and people walking around in flip-flops and shorts. I was prepared for cold winds and gloomy weather :-) This was definitely a nice surprise. Happy and a bit tired I got to my temporary apartment by taxi and did not rest till I unpacked both my suitcases and made myself feel at home... :-)
The two doormen downstairs were really helpful and provided me with info on the area and also a heap of menus for Japanese sushi delivery! yay
The apartment I'm staying in is really beautiful and is located in the lower Manhattan area, close to the Financial district. It will be nice to stay here for the 1st month but I definitely need to find myself something further north! I'm really not a a downtown girl... :-D
Here is a peak at the place:
This morning I woke up early, trying to get used to my new time schedule of getting up at 6.30AM to be at work at 8.30 at the latest. Ahhh.... I already see how I will miss Brussels and my work days that started at 9:30-10.00AM....!
I decided to walk around the neighborhood and went to the Whole Foods Market and Bed, Bath and Beyond. All of these place deliver, which is really great, cause I did not want to walk around with the groceries I picked up. Though some of the stuff is really expensive at WFM, they have a very good selection of products and they also have my favorite Greek yoghurt!!! I got myself about a half a kilo of it and a jar of honey :-)) It is crazy, however, what price tags there are on olive oil bottles. The one below is the cheapest I found:
*I guess I got really spoiled by Greece that I am surprised at such prices*
As I was walking I took some photos of the area where I am currently staying:
*No, I do not stay under a bridge...*
Unfortunately, there are soooo many construction works going on in the Financial district and the surroundings that it is impossible to get anywhere without taking 15 detours... the pictures below are what "ground zero" looks like:
And this is the inside of World Financial Center, which used to stand right next to the Two Towers:
There are some restaurants and shops in this center and a loooooooot of tourists :-)
Just around the corner I saw a cute little park and this lady with two adorable yorkies - made me miss my little baby Hermes
I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people jog, walk, cycle at the bank of Hudson river. Also here you can really see the difference between Europe and the US in terms of pet friendliness - there were so many adorable doggies around! I even managed to take a pic of a cute little squirrel :-)
from here you can see the statue of Liberty and admire some of the gorgeous office buildings:
...all the while enjoying the quietness and tranquility of fishing :-)
there were a lot of Chinese gentlemen fishing actually, which made me wonder if this is what they take home or whether Hudson fish is what they serve in their restaurants?...
After walking around for about 2-3 hours I found a nice spot to have an italian ice-cream and then headed back home to rest a bit. Wonder what I will do later... manicure in a parlor next door? a haircut? another walk to Wall street? or a movie on a very comfy couch?
Tomorrow is my first work day in NY, so I might as well spend my evening deciding what to wear! haha
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Wow, everything sounds exciting, I am glad you finally reached NY.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your first day.
Regards,
Olivier
Thank you, dear! I finally figured out how to read comments on this thing :-D
ReplyDeleteI'm a loyal blog follower who is unhappy with the timeliness of service ! I am still waiting for the pictures of your new apartment; won't be able to go to bed before that, aaaaaaaaah !
ReplyDeleteOlivier