Day 13: NYC --> Anchorage

Kefir

Still tastes like a typical yogurt drink.

I woke up early again, so that I could visit the Metropolitan Museum of art as it opened. Taking the subway to the Met wasn’t optimal because of the number of transfers involved and I didn’t want to wait around for the bus. I went with the 20 minute walk through Central park and I brought my hiking bag with me, so I could go straight to the airport afterwards instead of returning to the hostel to get my bag. Good idea right?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wrong.

As soon as I entered the building, security turned me back and I had to get rid of my hiking bag. I was told to visit Guggenheim Museum and I could drop my bag off there. Since the Guggenheim was only a few blocks north, I was in luck, right?

The Guggenheim Museum

I bought a city pass earlier in the week that gave me access to various NY attractions. However, for one of the tickets, I had to choose either the Rockefeller center or the Guggenheim and I chose the top of the rock. In order to drop my bag off, I need to buy an adult Guggenheim ticket for $18.

I snapped.

I had given my fair share to NY tourism this past week and I wasn’t going to give anymore. Looking back, maybe I should’ve paid the 18 bucks, but I can totally understand my mentality at that moment.

I desperately tried convincing/bribing nearby apartment and hotel lobbies to temporarily hold my bag. After being turned away by several places, one guy told me he couldn’t take my bag because of the security risk. Thinking about it, he was right. For all he knew, I was a terrorist and my bag contained a bomb. Dejected, I gave up and headed to the airport.

Random place

Cannoli.

This cannoli tasted better than the other one I had in NY, but still it was smaller and inferior to the two from Boston.

Gray’s Papaya

Two hot dogs and 32 oz papaya drink

Since I got the 32 oz instead of the 14 oz, it pushed the price from 2.45 to 5.50ish. I should of stuck with 14 oz, since in theory for the same price I could’ve gotten 4 hot dogs and 2-14 oz drinks. Still good cheap grub.

NYC departure 4 PM EST

1 hour layoff in Phoenix

Anchorage arrival 12 AM AKST.

What a long day.

Epilogue

Because of the several days of minimal sleep, I was sick for a week afterwards. Since I was sick for 1 week prior to leaving for vacation, I ended up not training for 4 weeks. And now I think I may be headed for additional knee surgery. Swell.

I really needed a vacation from my vacation. This turned out to be 86 games of starcraft 2 crammed into 6 days on R&R about 11 days later.

I discovered this Italian deli in Aanchorage where I had a prosciutto sandwich and cannoli. While the sandwich was good, it made me really appreciate of what I had at Katz’s deli in terms of quantity and taste. The cannoli was alright, but again, not as good as the ones in Boston.

Visiting NYC made me realize how much I miss city life and how much I detest urban sprawl. When I visited Dallas earlier this year, I think I ended up driving 300 - 400 km over only 4 days. I definitely need to live in a place where public transit isn’t a joke.

After my initial enthusiasm waned and especially near the end, this entire post series seemed a bit ostentatious. But damnit, this was literally my first vacation ever. Seriously. I would define vacation as having a minimal duration of 7 days. Coming back to Vancouver doesn't count. Long inane bus rides to Calgary and/or Edmonton don't count either. Hence this was my first.