Vlog: A Rainy Morning in New York City

Hello everyone! As cabin fever reaches an all-time high during this COVID-19 self-isolation period, there was nothing healthier for me to do than to put together a travel vlog from my recent trip to New York City.

Clique aqui para ler este post em Português.

Oh, the times when we could ride the subway and congregate with abandon! (*laughs but cries at the same time*)

It’s crazy that I’ve traveled around the world, but had not been to NYC until this year. To be completely honest, I was a little afraid to visit, for fear I’d fall in love with it and not want to ever live anywhere else. At the same time, I’d heard so much about how dirty and smelly it was, that I was also trying to keep my expectations low.

Being from a giant city (São Paulo, Brazil, with a metro area population of 20+ million), I knew I’d immediately feel at home there—and I did! I think that’s also the precise reason I didn’t think it was as dirty or smelly as people had warned me, haha. Sure, the subways smell like pee, but have you ever been to any big city in Europe?! European capitals basically all smell like cigarettes and public urination.

Overall, I loved it but didn’t fall desperately in love like I was afraid I would. Perhaps if I’d never been to other big cities that truly took my breath away, like Singapore, Paris, or Tokyo, it would have been different. If I had gone there at 18, having never been anywhere else, I’m sure that would have been absolutely entranced! I would love to go back many times and truly get to know it, of course.

The days prior to this vlog, I was able to meet up with friends and see quite a bit of Manhattan. After dinner with a dear friend from college, I actually walked all the way from the Flatiron to my hotel on 52nd street—that meant I walked by the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, Times Square, and Grand Central Station. It was incredible!

In this vlog, we’ll visit:

• Central Park, including the famous Bethesda Fountain (which I had no idea was already an Instagram icon, haha)
• Devoción Café in Brooklyn
• Brooklyn Bay, for a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline even on a gray, rainy day
• Ess-a-bagel, a New York City institution.

I hope you all enjoy “venturing out” a little bit during this crazy time as well. If you’d like to keep the travel going, check out my Amsterdam vlog. This was my first visit to NYC, and I only had a few hours to explore before heading to the airport. If you have any New York City favorites, I’d love to hear them so I can jot them down for next time!

Stay curious,

Nati