Day 3. Chicago – New York: O’Hare International Airport (ORD). John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Yankee Stadium. The Julliard School. Lincoln Center. Pret A Manger. Broadway. [HI New York City Hostel]
My plan of leaving the hotel before 7 am failed. Even though I am practically late when I arrive at the airport less than 2 hours before takeoff, I still waited for 40 minutes before boarding was even allowed.
Flight
The boarding gate was the exact same one as the one of my Seattle flight last month. It was strangely coincidental. As I boarded the small plane, I realised all the overhead compartments are full and there is nowhere to put my luggage. After consulting the crew, she contacted the front desk to have my stuff checked. Then a guy suddenly stood up, and said that he had some things overhead that fit under the seat. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to check my bag. He was also kind enough to get my luggage for me after touchdown.
During the flight, the girl next to me chatted with me for about 30 minutes. I think we graduated from university the same year. We talked a bit about cultural differences as she has visited many places as well, and of course, some aimless small talk. Afterwards, she buried herself in some book that her students were supposed to read and I pulled out my phone to read, too. That was the end of me talking to some stranger on the plane.
The flight was supposed to be 2 hours and 17 minutes, but I believe it was only 1 hour and 45 minutes or so when the cabin door opened. That was shockingly fast.
Ballpark
I am starting to think that I made a wrong decision for not loading a 7-day pass (cannot be used on AirTrain, i.e., the train to and fro John F. Kennedy International Airport) on my MetroCard. The pass is $32, which is about the price of 12 rides, Since my hostel is not at Times Square, I would be taking the subway a lot. Anyway, it is currently too late to add the pass as I do not have more than 12 future rides.
My flight arrived before 1 pm but hostel check-in doesn’t start until 4pm, so I decided to check out Yankee Stadium which I didn’t have time to go last time. It was also my first time in Queens. The commute from the airport took me nearly 2 hours including three legs of train rides ($7.75). I walked around the whole stadium, not really getting any chance of seeing anything other than some posters. It was by far the most secretive ballpark with one of the least interesting appearances. Also, wheeled luggage was not even allowed to enter the team store. I have never had this in any other fields (Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Safeco Field), and so that was unhappily unexpected.
Since I didn’t really know if there were any other nearby attractions, I took the subway back ($2.75) to await check-in after walking around the stadium for 30 minutes. There weren’t a lot of trains and I spent a fair amount of time waiting on the platform, reading novels.
Checking In
The last time I was in New York, I also stayed at HI New York City Hostel ($246 for 4 nights w/o breakfast), as it is the only hostel with good price and easy access to downtown Manhattan. I have to admit it is not the best hostel, but it is okay. Maybe I will try some Brooklyn hostels in the future. There are a few that seems great.
HI New York City Hostel is close to the subway station and is just a ride away from Times Square. However, the bedsheets don’t look as clean as they should be, and for some odd reason, I don’t have a pillow. Perhaps I will ask for one tomorrow.
Music in the Air
Another lost attraction from my last visit is the Julliard School. I took another subway there ($2.75) as I wanted to make it before the store closes. It wasn’t all that interesting because I only managed to go to that store, which sells a lot of music-related products, and catch a glimpse of a few buildings.
The nearby Lincoln Center was way more interesting though. Well, far more beautiful, as I didn’t actually go into any of the halls. The Nutcracker seemed to be playing and there were plenty of people in formal attire rushing to the gate.
Food
It was a little past 5 pm and I had eaten nothing but some baguette since being up at 6 am. I had nearly two hours of free time, so I just walked about. I strolled past Columbus Circle Holiday Market without really visiting many booths and walked to Carnegie Hall. After that, dinner. Or breakfast, or lunch, whatever you’d like to call it.
I spotted Pret A Manger and decided to go healthy. I had a balsamic chicken & avocado sandwich ($7.59 excluding tax) and a berry smoothie ($3.99 excluding tax). Both were pricey but pretty good. I think this was the third time I had something from Pret A Manger. I remember feeling sad that they don’t have shops in Taiwan.
Daniel
I have been looking forward to seeing The Lifespan of a Fact since forever! Of course, the only reason I bought a ticket ($99 excluding fees; $113.75 with fees) for the play was because Daniel Radcliffe is starring. Only running for 3 months, I was lucky enough to be in New York during the time, and I cannot pass this chance of seeing the real, live Daniel!
It was a bit hard to recognise him with his best American accent. There were still words like ‘jumped’ that sounded exactly like him, but otherwise, it was a new Daniel. Still very adorable as usual. I would say the nerdy, nervous, and fast-speaking character suited him. The Lifespan of a Fact is a comedy where 3 parties each holds onto their own beliefs: the editor (Cherry Jones), the fact-checker (Daniel Radcliffe), the essayist (Bobby Cannavale). Though it is on Broadway, it is not a musical. The set design was pretty techy, with sliding blocks and text and e-mail display. Also, there was this reference of the basement which looked just like ‘the cupboard under the stairs.’ Yup, poor Daniel.
The play ended around 8:30 pm, and I went back to my hostel and did laundry. The worst part of travel is doing laundry at expensive machines that cannot even do a good job at spin drying.
Summary
As sleep-deprived as I am by now, sleeping about 2.5 hours last night and 0 hour throughout the day, I would say that I had a wonderful day 3. Daniel made my day, obviously.
Which actor / singer / other celebrity would you like to see in person someday? Or maybe you have already saw the one of your dreams! How did that happen?
