new york, new york

Ahhhh New York! It was a seven-hour flight, thunderstorms were forecast, and I'd gotten up super early to make sure I allowed enough time for customs. But I made it. Mel and Bryan had warned me to allow a lot of time as customs for the US is done in Dublin, before you board the plane. They can also be quite funny about young people as they suspect everyone and anyone might be trying to stay there. They also warned me not to mention Couchsurfing as apparently that never goes down to well. They assume that anyone surfing is broke and can't afford to go there. So as a backup I booked two nights accommodation at a hostel and then cancelled it, but printed out the confirmation, just so I had an address to put on all the forms and information to show if asked. I also printed out all my Canadian details (visa, train to Toronto, flight to Vancouver) incase they wanted me to prove that I really was going there because I didn't have an exit flight from the US. In the end it was a breeze. I filled in the form and made it through with plenty of time. The flight ended up being held up a bit because of the delay though customs, so I'm glad I went early.

Seven hours later I touched down at JFK. In all my travels I've never felt particularly nervous about being in a new city, but for some reason I was here. Perhaps because it is SOOO big, and perhaps because I watch too many New York-based crime shows. I found the subway to Brooklyn without any hassle and then caught a taxi to my hosts place. I'm staying with Kathryn and Vanessa, a couple from California who moved to New York about a month ago. They have four dogs (although one was hit by a car last night and is at the vet) who are absolutely gorgeous. It wasn't raining when I arrived so I decided to head out to explore Prospect Park, the main park in Brooklyn. It was great to see so many people using it. There were exercise and yoga classes happening, people flying their kites, walking their dogs, having picnics, flying frisbees etc. It was a great sight. I heard thunder in the distance so started to make my way back. I was only a block away when the rain started so that wasn't too bad at all.

Kathryn and Vanessa are vegetarians and I was craving sushi so they recommended a vegetarian sushi place (perfect) in the city. We caught the subway in (I'm slowly getting the hang of it) and found the restaurant. New York at night was exactly how I'd pictured it. Lots of lights and an army of yellow taxis shooting down the street.