navigating nyc

I have been to New York City once in my life. I was 14 years old, on a missions trip with my church, serving the homeless. I remember loving my time there and have wanted to visit again ever since. Little did I know I would end up with a job that had me living in New York part time. The day I found my crashpad, my friends and I decided that we needed to celebrate by exploring the city! It was definitely an adventure being that all of us had only been to NYC once. We headed towards the nearest subway and hopped on the E train hoping to get to our destination.

First, we made a stop in Times Square. None of us planned to spend a whole lot of money so it was mostly sightseeing. The girls ate at Bubba Gump and afterwards, we walked around for a while just enjoying being in the city. 

We decided that we would head to Canal St. next but on our way noticed a DC Cupcakes! Unfortunately, it wasn't a full store like the one in SoHo, it was just a cafe, but the girls said it was still fantastic!

Afterwards, we continued on our way to Canal St. and Chinatown. Upon arriving, I found myself desperately needing my own sweet treat...and alas...an espresso bar with macaroons!! It took me a while to decide which one to get but finally settled on peanut butter. It didn't disappoint. 

Canal St. was, well, dirty and crowded and draining. We were already tired from a long day of crashpad hunting and city exploring so I think we just didn't have enough energy to fully enjoy it. Despite the exhaustion, it was still fun being there and experiencing the culture differences.

As we were leaving, my friend Alex pointed out the Freedom Tower still under construction. I snapped a quick picture as we made our way back to the subway. 14 stops later we were at Jamaica Station and took the Airtran to JFK, then the shuttle back to our hotel.

Overall, it was a great day although long and exhausting. I love the city and can't wait to really explore it soon with my roomie-extraordinaire, Kelly! 

Until next time...

*Please excuse the terrible quality photos. My camera battery died at the beginning of the day and I had to use my phone to snap these pics.