Highlighting the highlights

I am so sorry for skipping my post last week. I had a good reason, though, we wanted to go to a light festival (like the one in Berlin), but it was cancelled. Apparently they weren't prepared for so many people, and they had to cancel. Sucks, but we made something out of it, and we went to Brooklyn Bridge Park to watch the skyline and drank something at Starbucks. It was fun in the end, but we had expected a little more. Now, let's talk about some recent developments. First and foremost, my excellent use of commas. Yes, our teacher introduced us to the wonderful world of commas. Woohoo! Secondly, I am leaving here next Saturday (if I could use emojis, this sentence would end with the "scream" emoji. You know what I mean). This means that I started thinking about what I still want to do before I leave. I went to the Museum of Natural History last Sunday, so I can cross that of my list. Which reminds me, I'm going to make a list of the things you HAVE to do when you're in NY.

1. Get lost in Brooklyn

Brooklyn is one of those perfect places where you can get lost without it being a problem. As long as you keep your wits about you, you should be fine. But why would you want to get lost? Easy, because Brooklyn is incredibly beautiful. I loved the houses and all the non-pretentious hipsters (yes, I know that's like a empathetic sociopath, but still). The best neighbourhood is probably Williamsburg. So if you find yourself in NYC, go there! Enjoy the graffiti, the people and everything else Brooklyn has to offer.

2. Visit the Statue of liberty

It might sound like a cliche, but this is a must see. However, do not go there with any expectations. You will only be impressed by her beauty, if you don't expect her to be some gigantic statue that you can see from space. Don't forget to get off the boat and walk around Liberty and Ellis Island, or you will definitely miss out. Oh, and turn around to take a look at the skyline.

3. Explore Times Square and Broadway

Although most people visit Times when they are in New York, they often don't really explore the streets surrounding the square. Those streets are packed with cool restaurants, like Hard Rock Café and a horror themed restaurant. Plus, one of the streets near Times Square is Broadway. You should actually scan the back doors of the theaters around 5 or 10:30 in the evening, because you might come across a Broadway star, e.g Neil Patrick Harris (A.K.A Barney from "How I Met Your Mother"). Alexandra and I are think we saw Bradley Cooper on Sunday, but he walked really fast and was wearing a hat, so we're not sure. 

4. Go on top of the Rock

"O MY GOD, We've gotta go to the top of the Empire State Building!" Wrong. You see there is one small problem with going to the top of the Empire State Building, and that is that you can't actually SEE the building, because you're on top of it. If you want to take some great pictures from a higher vantage point, it's best to go to Rockefeller Centre, and take your pictures there. You can see the entire New York skyline including the Crystler Building and the Empire State Building. Plus, if you go around Christmas, you can see the Christmas tree and the ice skating rink.

5. Go ice skating in Central Park

There are different skating rinks in Central Park, and it doesn't matter to which one you go. Just go there, because A) Central Park and B) It's cheaper than most other rinks. You can go by night or by day, and both will result in great pictures of the Manhattan skyline. Just be sure to bring warm clothes, because even when it's not that cold out, you'll freeze once you're on the ice. 

6. Pay a visit to the Museum of Natural History

I am not a museum person. (I spent most of my time in the Rijkmuseum and the Louvre sitting on a bench). I did like this museum, however. Maybe it's because of all the dinosaurs, I mean come on, they're awesome. If you want to visit, you should go by subway (take the S or the 7 from Grand Central and after that take the A or C uptown to the museum), because there is a different entrance for the people that come by subway, and there's a much shorter line. If you have a student ID, bring it, because you will get a discount. There's an other advantage to coming in through the subway, because you will enter the museum at the lowest level. That way you can walk around on the lowest floor, and slowly work your way up to the highest one. The museum has a very clever lay-out, so if you use my method, you can see everything in about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Of course, you'll need more time, when you pay for the bonus exhibits.The museum is very nice and it's amusing to see some of the "characters" from Night at the Museum. 

7. Go to Brooklyn Bridge Park and walk across the bridge

The view is amazing, and the experience of walking from one side of the river to the other is just awesome. You should definitely go here at night, and bring a camera with flash, gloves and preferably a cup of coffee. It's possible to bike across the bridge as well, but I am not sure if they let you rent bikes after dark. 

8. Celebrate Thanksgiving like a real American

If you do happen to find yourself at New York over Thanksgiving, you should definitely celebrate it. Although, I don't think that you'll find an American willing to take you home for Thanksgiving (except if you're a pretty girl), so you should try to find a restaurant that's open at Thanksgiving. You could check if they have a special Thanksgiving diner, or just ask if they have typical dishes. Not a lot of restaurants are open on this holiday, so it's probably best to make a reservation. Since Thanksgiving is a family holiday, you could also try to cook something with your own family. In case you're wondering, I'm celebrating Thanksgiving at an American family's home. I am the lucky bastard that gets the "full" experience.

I have done all the things listed above, or I am planning on doing it, so there's really no excuse not to follow my advise. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you guys that I graduated! I even got a certificate, because I have a 100% attendance. 

Yours truly,

"You got gum-gum for me dum-dum?"

Just chillin' with Teddy Roosevelt