NEW YORK, USA

Dates: 06.10.2022-15.10.2022

RIX-IST

06.10.2022: Third attempt at making it to the good old US of A – the United States of America. This time our destination is the Big Apple – New York City. We’ll leave the West Coast for another time. The flight ticket price to New York was, as they said in The Godfather, “an offer you can’t refuse”. €300 per person for a round trip with Turkish Airlines, which means we’ll be well fed and watered during the long journey, and the included checked baggage is a nice bonus too. In my opinion, the ticket prices were excellent, so I suggested the same deal to my parents – and they agreed. So there will be four of us travelling together.
As always, we arrive at the airport early, so we can take things slowly, calmly, and without any stress. After dropping off our luggage and getting through security, we still have plenty of time to sit down at a café and discuss our upcoming plans. We’re ready to set off on our longest journey so far. And also our first proper trip outside Europe.

IST-JFK

07.10.2022: The first 3-hour flight went by pretty quickly. We all sat together, even though we hadn’t booked any seats in advance. Most importantly, we’ll also be sitting next to each other on the long flight.
The airport is full of life despite the fact that it’s currently 1 AM. All the shops are open, cafés are running. If New York is called the city that never sleeps, then this must be the airport that never sleeps. The long list of flights scheduled during the middle of the night proves exactly that. Unless you look out the window or check the time, you wouldn’t even realise it’s the middle of the night. Shops are open, cafés are busy, and people are rushing back and forth.
We walked around for a while, but now it’s time to find somewhere to get some sleep. I had previously read that the airport has special “Nap Zones” where passengers can take a nap. So that’s our next mission. Information about our flight will be available at 5:30 AM. When you get flight tickets cheaper than usual, you have to accept that you might end up spending a night at the airport. And this is one of those cases.

NEW YORK: STEWART HOTEL

07.10.2022: Even before boarding our flight to the US, the security checks were noticeably stricter, despite the fact that we hadn’t even left the airport and were technically considered “safe”. One guy checks one thing and puts a sticker on your passport, another guy checks something else and adds another sticker, a third guy makes sure both stickers are there, and a fourth one goes through your bag. We had to throw away the bottles of water we’d just bought at the airport. Good thing I hadn’t bought the bottles of wine we were planning to enjoy on the streets of New York.
The flight itself was great. The 10.5 hours went by much faster than expected. Plenty of food and as many drinks as you dared to ask for. They even gave us toothpaste, a toothbrush, a blanket, and slippers to make life a little easier for us tourists. A really good experience with Turkish Airlines. If I had to find something negative, the only thing would be that flying from Riga to Istanbul means heading slightly in the opposite direction from our final destination, New York. But that’s a minor detail.
At JFK Airport, we spent almost an hour waiting in line for the ESTA check, but everything went pretty smoothly. During passport control, it took four attempts before the system finally accepted my dad’s fingerprints. Luckily, the airport officer was a friendly young guy, and we even managed to crack a few jokes with him.
We’re in the USA! Finally!
Viktors, Ērika’s son (a rather distant family connection that’s probably not worth getting into here), who has been living in this part of the world for more than 20 years (not exactly in NYC, but about 100 km away in a town called Milford), picked us up at the airport and drove us to our hotel. The distance wasn’t particularly long, but the drive took almost 2 hours. The Big Apple certainly lived up to the advice we’d heard – avoid driving in the city. Along the way, we could already spot several of our potential sightseeing targets in Manhattan from a distance. In theory, there’s nothing completely different here, but the feeling on the streets is something else entirely. A different pace, different people, and a different mentality. My first impression is that everything is big, really big, or absolutely massive. Can’t wait to see what the next few days will bring.
After checking into the hotel, we discovered that there was only enough bedding for two people and no kettle in the kitchen. On our way to the shop, Madara and I stopped by reception and arranged for them to bring us what was missing. Communicating with the receptionist was a bit of a challenge. She was Asian and spoke English with a rather strong accent, plus she was wearing a face mask and sitting behind a glass screen. But mission accomplished. The hotel is noticeably worn out, but the location is extremely central and the rooms are unusually spacious. In fact, it’s basically a two-room apartment on the 20th floor, right in the heart of Manhattan. Exactly what we need. I have to say, though, that in terms of price, this is by far the most expensive accommodation we’ve ever booked. But I guess that’s New York for you… €2,000 for 4 people for 5 nights.
We grab a little something to eat and catch our breath before it’s already time to head to Madison Square Garden, where we’ll be watching an NBA preseason game between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Excitement!

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

07.10.2022: From our hotel to what they proudly advertise as the most famous arena in the world – Madison Square Garden – it’s literally less than a 5-minute walk. I didn’t even bother turning on my Garmin to track it. Not worth it.
The arena is huge – with a capacity of just over 20,000 people. Your ticket tells you exactly which entrance to queue at so you can get inside as close to your seat as possible. The doors open an hour before the game. Even though the queue is long, everything moves surprisingly quickly.
I expected a few more activities and NY Knicks merchandise shops, but nothing particularly impressive in that department. We buy ourselves a well-deserved beer for $13 each and head off to find our seats. To be fair, their beers come in some seriously oversized cans. Around 0.8 litres each. So actually, not that expensive after all.
We’re sitting pretty high up and far from the court, but I didn’t really feel like investing more than $80 in a ticket. Even so, the seats are perfectly fine. From up here, you get a much better idea of just how massive the arena is and a great overall view. You can also follow the game perfectly well. And for anything we couldn’t see, the giant screens came to the rescue. At times, it almost feels like basketball itself comes second, because every timeout is filled with some kind of audience competition or entertainment show. Either way, it’s colourful and impressive. The live performance of the national anthem before the game also deserves a special mention. It’s a completely different atmosphere – something you definitely won’t experience at a VEF vs BK Ventspils game. To the delight of the New York crowd, the Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers 131–114. We also got to see some spectacular dunks from Obi Toppin and some seriously fast-paced counterattacks. Definitely something worth ticking off your list when visiting NYC, even if basketball isn’t exactly your passion. The final verdict is that Madara apparently enjoyed it too, and the fact that she fell asleep during the game should simply be ignored. Well, alright, we’ll let it slide this time, considering we basically went straight to the arena after a 10.5-hour intercontinental flight. NBA – checked off the list. Still need to tick off NHL and MLB.

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

08.10.2022: We start the morning with one of New York’s, and possibly even America’s, most iconic skyscrapers – the Empire State Building. The 381-metre-tall building, completed in 1931, is included in our Sightseeing Pass. We’ve booked our entry for 9:15 AM. Upon arrival, the queue of tourists is pretty long, but the crowd management is extremely efficient.
The staff are very friendly and helpful. At times, it almost feels a bit over the top, but overall, they definitely make you feel welcome.
The lower floors are filled with historical exhibits and interactive displays, presenting the building’s construction process in an interesting way, along with the countless movies featuring this New York icon. As a structural engineer, I find this part particularly interesting. The others? So-so.
After exploring the exhibits, we practically fly up in the elevator to the first observation deck on the 80th floor. Our first incredible panoramic views of New York, but definitely not the last. Besides the views, there’s also plenty of interactive information on this floor, but honestly, far too much to read and explore in detail. So we head up to the 86th floor.
There’s a noticeable breeze outside, but that doesn’t slow us down. The weather today is absolutely perfect for enjoying the views from the skyscrapers. We can see all the way to Downtown Manhattan, with the slender One World Trade Center skyscraper standing tall in the middle. And in every other direction, there are more massive skyscrapers than I could possibly count. We can also spot the huge Verrazzano Bridge, which we drove past yesterday, and the Brooklyn Bridge, which we actually crossed! What a way to start the day!

ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER

08.10.2022: After our first stop of the day, we head towards Downtown Manhattan. Along the way, we walk through Union Square Park, where, to our surprise, we’re greeted by squirrels. Quite a few of them, actually, freely running around and minding their own business.
We start craving some coffee. Luckily, we find a place pretty quickly near the Flatiron Building. The famous “iron-shaped building” itself is undergoing renovation and is completely surrounded by scaffolding. Completed in 1902, this 87-metre-tall building was once considered a skyscraper. Nowadays, it mainly attracts attention because of its unusual triangular shape. But it has earned its place in history, as the Flatiron was one of the first skyscrapers to use a steel frame to reach greater heights. Our café has a view of the Empire State Building, which we visited just this morning. The coffee is good and absolutely massive. We’ve been slightly intimidated by stories about the lack of public toilets in the city, so we’re being a bit careful with how much we drink.
Next, our route takes us through Little Italy. It’s lunchtime, and our stomachs are making sure we know it. We walk around the neighbourhood to check out our options. Choosing a place to eat turns out to be harder than expected, but I guess that’s pretty typical. Eventually, a guy standing outside a little Italian restaurant manages to lure us in. Turns out he knows about the Baltic States and Porziņģis. Probably thanks to Porziņģis playing for the Knicks between 2015 and 2019. Although he did associate us with the USSR, but I guess that’s something we have to live with. At least the pizza was delicious. We’ll need those carbohydrates for the rest of the day.
We make our way through Washington Square Park, past the Washington Square Arch, and head towards the 9/11 Memorial. We skip the museum but stop by the memorial itself, where two enormous reflecting pools with waterfalls now stand in the footprints of the former Twin Towers, surrounded by the names of those who lost their lives.
We book tickets for the One World Observatory. Our entry is in an hour and a half, so we need to find somewhere to kill some time. Not far away, on the banks of the Hudson River, we pass through the impressive Brookfield Place shopping complex and find ourselves a nice spot to sit down. Brooklyn Lager turns out to be a good choice. Mum orders a club soda, which she promptly spills as soon as it arrives. Luckily, the waiter lets it slide and brings her another one.
At One World Observatory, the elevator shoots us up to the 102nd floor in less than a minute. The eighth-tallest skyscraper in the world. And the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Its shiny glass façade rises all the way to 541 metres. For an extra €15, we rent an interactive tablet that provides information about New York’s most famous landmarks. The tablet has a German language option, so Dad immediately claims it as his own.
After a day packed with impressions, we stop by Whole Foods to pick up some dinner and take the red No. 1 subway line back towards our hotel. The station smells pretty awful, but in just 10 minutes, and for $2.75 per person, we’re back home.

TIMES SQUARE

08.10.2022: We take a little break back at the hotel, have a quick nap, and whoever feels like it grabs a shower. We still have one more thing planned for today – a little evening walk to Times Square. It’s not far, about 15 minutes from our hotel.
Crazy amounts of people. So many people that there’s barely even room for a fart between the crowds pouring through the square. Plenty of advertisements and bright lights, that’s for sure, but I never really figured out where that “super-duper” moment was supposed to be. I didn’t like it. All I wanted was to get through that endless sea of people as quickly as possible.
The only thing that really caught my attention was an M&M’s advertisement. Quite clever and definitely eye-catching. A giant candy looks straight at you and gives you a wink. Worth mentioning that the M&M’s store might actually be one of the biggest shops open to the public in Times Square.
We walk a little further to the edge of Central Park before heading back home along Sixth Avenue. No point wandering into Central Park in the dark, and we’re also starting to feel pretty exhausted. Time to call it a day.

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

09.10.2022: Our first stop today is the American Museum of Natural History. The same one we’ve seen in the Night at the Museum movies. Actually, we’ve already come across countless places and buildings on this trip that we’d previously only seen in movies and TV shows. It adds an extra layer of excitement to the whole experience. Oh, there’s the building where Spider-Man fought the Green Goblin, there’s Chandler’s office from Friends, and there’s Central Park, where Bruce Willis raced through in a taxi in Die Hard.
For me, the main (and probably only) thing I knew about and really wanted to see in the museum was the dinosaur skeletons. Especially the big T-Rex with its tiny little arms. Each exhibit shows which bones are real and which parts are artificial reconstructions based on scientific assumptions. The size of these creatures is seriously impressive. Some of them were herbivores. Just how many leaves would a monster like that need to eat to survive?
There’s simply no way to explore the entire museum in a reasonable amount of time. It has one underground floor and four floors above ground. And the floors themselves are enormous, so you really need to have a structured plan and know what you want to see. Otherwise, you could easily spend the entire day here. And I’m not quite ready to sacrifice a whole day for that.
We definitely have to visit the Native American exhibits, though. After all, they’re the original inhabitants of this continent. Colourful traditional outfits, feathers sticking out everywhere, painted horses. A fascinating culture that existed long before Europeans came along and started interfering…
Madara’s favourite is definitely the crystals, or the “Hall of Gems”, where you can find diamonds, gold, meteorites, and all kinds of other precious stones, minerals, and even specimens from outer space. You can also buy some of these little rocks in the museum shop for a few thousand dollars each. I tried my luck at an interactive crystal identification and knowledge game – 17 correct answers and 9 wrong ones. Not bad.
We basically rushed through the museum, but it still took us 3 hours. I was rapidly approaching my museum limit, so that’ll be enough for this time.

CENTRAL PARK

09.10.2022: After visiting the museum, we’re getting hungry. We head towards Central Park, where there aren’t exactly many cafés to choose from, but apparently there’s one somewhere in the middle of the park. Google Maps reviews are good, and the prices don’t seem too crazy either – let’s go.
Lunch is on the lighter side, mostly salads, but enough to keep us going. Dad seems to be the winner with his chicken soup and omelette, but nobody leaves hungry. We end up paying around $100 + $20 in tips for this little adventure. Not great, not terrible, considering there are four of us and we’re in Central Park after all.
Since our Sightseeing Pass also includes tickets to the Central Park Zoo, we head inside. It’s small but packed with interesting animals. There’s a tropical house with parrots, bats, and all kinds of other creatures. Interestingly, the animals aren’t kept in cages but are roaming around fairly freely, quite close to visitors.
In the icy penguin area, the little guys are putting on quite a show. Shooting through the water like arrows, jumping in and out, and hopping on and off their assigned rocks. Only the big boss, the King Penguin, stands completely still on his rock, behaving exactly as his royal title demands.
The snow leopard demonstrates its full agility, effortlessly jumping across half of its enclosure to escape the tourists and disappear into its den.
The seals are hilarious, smoothly gliding through the water and only occasionally sticking their little whiskers above the surface.
There’s quite a circus going on near Central Park today. Some kind of parade is taking place along Fifth Avenue. Puerto Ricans, people from the Dominican Republic, and various others. Everyone is dressed up in what looks like their traditional national costumes, proudly making their way down the avenue.
We stop by the famous 24-hour Apple Fifth Avenue store. Glass stairs inside the giant glass cube lead Apple enthusiasts down to a massive underground floor, where huge crowds are busy playing with their next potential toys. Although we have a mission to buy an Apple product for Arnita, for now we’re just sightseeing.
The original plan was to go for a bike ride through Central Park, but today is Sunday, and with the parade going on, the park is absolutely packed with people. Doesn’t seem like cycling would be quite as enjoyable as I’d imagined.
We decide it’s time to go for a beer or two (or “sīņot”, as we call it back home – basically hanging out at a bar and sipping drinks), but our beer hunt isn’t going particularly well. We try the Central Park Tavern, but they have some strange system we can’t quite figure out. Long story short, we can’t get a table. A quick Google Maps investigation while sitting on a park bench suggests we should head towards Columbus Avenue. We try another café, but nobody seems particularly interested in serving us, so we move on. Looks like we’re going without beer today.
Continuing our little streak of bad luck, we arrive at Rockefeller Center only to discover that the queue is ridiculously long. And since we don’t have a ticket reserved for a specific time, we’d basically have to stand in two separate queues. So we’re skipping this one. Neither the energy nor the patience left for that kind of waiting today.
On our way home, we stop by Target to pick up some food and a few beers. Time to test another variety of the local stuff.

STATUE OF LIBERTY

10.10.2022: This morning we get up and take the subway to Castle Clinton, the departure point for ferries running from Manhattan to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The ferry ride is included in our Sightseeing Pass, so there’s nothing extra to pay. Security checks before boarding are just as strict as at the airport. The only difference is that you’re allowed to bring water. But once again, the huge crowds are handled very efficiently, and within 15 minutes we’re already in line for the next ferry.
We find ourselves a spot in the middle of the ferry’s third deck, where we should get great views of both the Manhattan skyline behind us and Lady Liberty ahead. We’ve really been lucky with the weather. Just a few light clouds in the sky, adding a nice touch to the photos without blocking the views. For a brief moment, we get an absolutely spectacular view as the ferry passes behind the island, with the skyscrapers of New York’s Financial District rising behind the statue. Impressive!
The island itself isn’t particularly big. Our pass doesn’t include access inside the statue, but honestly, I don’t think that’s exactly a “must-see” anyway. Besides, you need to book tickets for the interior several months in advance because of the extremely limited space and narrow staircases. We walk a full lap around the island, stopping for photos practically every other step. Both with the statue and the Manhattan skyline in the background.
At the other end of the island, there’s also the Statue of Liberty Museum, which you can visit free of charge. It tells the story of the statue’s construction and history. We have a look at the pictures, but there’s far too much reading material to properly dive into everything. One particularly interesting exhibit is the original torch, which was permanently damaged by 1984 and eventually replaced.
Before heading back to the city, we pick up a few souvenirs and eventually decide to have lunch right here on the island. A simple, reasonably priced cafeteria where fried chicken fillets, French fries, and drinks for four people cost us around $50. Pretty decent, actually.
The next part of today’s plan was to take a Hop-on Hop-off bus from Battery Park to Brooklyn (also included in our Sightseeing Pass), but for the life of me, I can’t find the boarding point or any information suggesting that such a bus even runs from here. Eventually, a local girl (whom I initially wanted to brush off because I assumed she was about to sell us some tour or souvenirs) suggested taking the subway to Brooklyn instead. Much faster, and the station is just around the corner.

BROOKLYN

10.10.2022: As soon as we get off the subway, we head straight to the Apple Store on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. We’re on a mission for Arnita. The goal is to get our hands on the latest iPhone. It’s about a 10-minute walk, and we’re there. Just like the other Apple Stores we’ve visited, this one is packed with people. An employee quickly offers to help, and we start figuring out what exactly I (or rather, Arnita) want. Turns out they only have two iPhone 14 Pros with 1TB of storage left, and while I was buying one, someone else already snapped up the other. Neither was in the colour we wanted, but we’ll have to take what we can get. The guy told us there’s basically no chance of getting the 512GB version without pre-ordering, as it’s currently the most popular model. At least we managed to “hunt down” one Apple!
We continue our Brooklyn adventure with a not particularly successful attempt at shopping. Wrong shops, wrong products, and definitely wrong prices for the few things we did find.
Next, we head towards the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Along the way, we walk through an ordinary residential neighbourhood in Brooklyn, where there are noticeably fewer tourists. People are already getting ready for Halloween. Front doors are decorated with pumpkins, little skeletons, spiders, and pretty much anything else their imagination can come up with.
Once we reach the promenade, we’re greeted by a magnificent panorama of Manhattan, with the Financial District skyscrapers standing in all their glory and, of course, One World Trade Center towering above them all! We take a short break at Pier 3 before heading off to hunt down what is basically our main destination in Brooklyn – Harriet’s Rooftop Bar. We almost messed this one up and didn’t get inside at all. The doors under the bar’s sign were locked. Turns out we had to enter through the hotel entrance, which we only managed to figure out on our second attempt. Very glad we didn’t give up after the first try!
From up here, you get a spectacular view of the Brooklyn Bridge in all its glory and, of course, the already-mentioned Manhattan Financial District skyline. Through the bridge cables, you can also spot Midtown Manhattan, with the tops of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and Edge peeking through. We order some drinks. Madara goes for an Aperol Spritz – an Aperol Spritz is an Aperol Spritz, after all. Dad and I enjoy an authentic Brooklyn Lager right here in Brooklyn, while Mum plays it safe with a Coke. We spend about 30–40 minutes sitting back, sipping our drinks, and soaking in the magnificent views of the Big Apple. The weather is also on our side, allowing us to relax on the outdoor terrace without any rush. If there’s such a thing as a breathtaking view, this is definitely one of them.
After sipping our expensive drinks with a rather generous “view surcharge”, we set off on foot across the Brooklyn Bridge back towards Manhattan. The walk turns out to be slightly stressful, as the drinks we’d just enjoyed are now desperately looking for a way out. Nevertheless, it’s an incredibly scenic walk.
We finally find a toilet near the “fish skeleton”, also known as the Westfield World Trade Center shopping mall, in a little beer garden bar. We sit down for a short break and, of course, a much-needed toilet stop. The views here are excellent too. We don’t stay for long, though, and soon continue our journey. Next stop – the world’s financial centre, Wall Street.

WALL STREET

11.10.2022: The entrance to the “fish skeleton” shopping mall is right next to the bar we just visited. From the inside, it’s impressive, of course. An oval-shaped building with tall, curved vertical columns on both sides that cross at the top. Between them is a glass façade, through which you can see the already frequently mentioned Manhattan skyscrapers.
We take a lap around the shopping mall, make another visit to the toilets (because you never know when the next opportunity might come), and head towards the main street of the Financial District – Wall Street.
By now, it’s already dark, and the streets have taken on a completely different atmosphere. Office and apartment lights are starting to flicker across the glass façades. After a leisurely 15–20-minute walk, we arrive at the main façade of the New York Stock Exchange. While trying to fit the whole building into a photo, I almost step in a pile of poop on the street. There’s a statue of some little girl staring at the Stock Exchange. Wonder what that’s supposed to mean? I’ll have to Google it later!
Since we’re on Wall Street, we also have to visit the famous bull with its lucky golden balls. Poor bull has queues of tourists at both ends. During a brief gap between visitors, I manage to take pictures of the bronze animal from both the front and the back, and of course, give one of its balls a little rub for good luck. Mission accomplished, we can move on. There’s not really much to do here as a tourist, but it’s one of those places you just have to tick off the list.
We’ve done more than enough walking today, so we’ll take the subway back home. This time, we actually manage to find the right station without much trouble. We also stop by Whole Foods to pick up some dinner. Tonight, we’ll be trying a beer from the Bronx (one of New York City’s boroughs). And it’s even an Oktoberfest edition.
After dinner, we’ve had a little time to relax. It’s just before 8 PM, which means there’s still a chance to check out the nearby Macy’s department store. Have to admit, though, our first attempt isn’t particularly successful. The store has 9 floors and takes up an entire city block. Absolutely massive. We have no idea where to go or what to look for. Let alone how to find something specific if we actually wanted to buy it. That’s enough for today. Let’s head home and have ourselves a Bronx Lager.

HUDSON YARDS

11.10.2022: Time to get up and get moving. The morning starts as usual with some oatmeal, “čupiņ-cafe” (yet another one of our local expressions. Basically, ground coffee with hot water poured directly over it in a cup – you put a little pile of coffee in your mug and add hot water. That’s “čupiņ coffee”), instant soup, and some local treats.
We start the day in one of New York’s newest and most modern neighbourhoods – Hudson Yards. Our first stop looks like a giant pine cone, but it’s actually called the Vessel. A freely accessible attraction (although temporarily closed at the moment), where you can climb quite high up the stairs and enjoy views across the Hudson River towards New Jersey and the Manhattan skyline. As we later found out, the structure is currently closed because several suicides have taken place here. You can climb to at least the height of a 5–6-storey building, and the only thing stopping you from heading straight down under the acceleration of gravity is a simple handrail… Apparently, there were several people who decided to take that option. So, for us, the Vessel will have to be admired from below.
After our previous failure at Rockefeller Center, I wanted to book a specific time slot for the Edge observation deck this morning, but apparently that’s not possible. Still, I have a feeling there shouldn’t be much of a queue here. The skyscraper is new (opened only in 2020), and it doesn’t have that musty smell of history, so I figured the Asian pensioner tour groups would probably give this one a miss. While waiting for Edge to open, we grab an enormous bucket of coffee nearby. Seriously, the cup is massive. One would probably be enough for all four of us. Fuel for the journey ahead, so to speak. We’ll be coming back here again in the evening.

HIGH LINE, WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK

11.10.2022: Our journey continues towards the hipster neighbourhood of Chelsea along the even more hipster High Line. It’s a walking path built on an old elevated railway line, stretching from Hudson Yards all the way to Chelsea Market, roughly at the height of a third floor above the streets of New York. This gives us some interesting and unusual perspectives of the city.
I’d previously read some interesting reviews about Chelsea Market, where apparently you can buy all kinds of delicious treats, but unfortunately, it’s currently closed. It opens in an hour and a half, and I don’t think we’ll be waiting that long just for some sweets.
Walking through the Chelsea and SoHo neighbourhoods, we eventually reach another opportunity to tick something off the sightseeing list – the Friends apartment building, where some of the characters from the famous TV series supposedly lived. Of course, it’s only the exterior that was used in the show, as most of the actual filming took place in studios in Los Angeles. Still, pretty cool to see.
Our stomachs are starting to complain about being rather empty, so we begin looking around for somewhere to grab a bite. We settle on pizza. Hard to go wrong with that. For $20 each, we get a large slice of either Margherita or Funghi pizza. We head over to nearby Washington Square Park to enjoy our lunch. We’ve already walked through here once before. A nice park, right at the beginning of Fifth Avenue.
Next, we’ll follow Fifth Avenue towards the New York Public Library. Along the way, we stop by the Hoka shoe store once again, but still leave empty-handed.
Our second pit stop is near the Flatiron Building, where we sit down for some gelato. Apparently, I didn’t look particularly trustworthy, because the lady insisted that I pay by card and before she even scooped the ice cream. At least the gelato is delicious. Lemon for me, pistachio for Mum, strawberry for Madara, and the classic choice for Dad – chocolate.

M&M’S, MACY’S

11.10.2022: Fifth Avenue is a long one, but walking in this direction is actually quite enjoyable, as the Empire State Building is constantly towering in front of us. American flags are hanging along the street here and there, making the whole scene look pretty much like a postcard from America. The impressive colonnade of the New York Public Library is currently decorated with Spider-Man. Looks like some kind of campaign to encourage children to read. The slogan on the library wall – “Knowledge is Freedom” – together with the Spider-Man animation certainly suggests so. Without thinking twice, we head inside. Another security check, but this one goes quickly. The building is, of course, enormous (like pretty much everything in America), but what I really wanted to see was the famous main reading room that has appeared in so many movies. Unfortunately, we could only peek inside through a small opening, as the room is reserved for people who actually intend to read or study. Fair enough, I guess. How are you supposed to concentrate on reading when hordes of tourists come pouring in, blinding everyone with their camera flashes and selfies?
Next, we’re heading back to Times Square to see what it looks like in daylight. This time, we have a mission – the M&M’s Store. There are slightly fewer people during the day, but it’s still packed. All kinds of Spider-Men, Hulks, Thors, and who knows what else have also appeared on the streets. If you want, you can take a photo with one of them for the bargain price of just $20. What a “fantastic” deal!
The three-storey candy store, however, is genuinely impressive. M&M’s in every imaginable colour. If you’re willing to stand in a little queue (and probably pay extra for it), you can even create your own personalised candies. In the end, I get myself some colourful themed socks, and we also pick up a rather iconic souvenir. M&M’s candies straight from Times Square, white ones with the letters NY on one side and the classic M on the other. And to make it even better, they’re packed inside a large transparent apple. Very New York! By the time we leave this colourful store, we’ve managed to spend $113.
Since we’ve already started shopping, we might as well keep going. Next stop – our second attempt at conquering Macy’s. Judging by Madara’s purchases, I’d say this time was quite successful. An MK handbag and wallet, plus a Ralph Lauren coat. I guess we just have to stick to the idea that it’s not about how much you spend, but how much you save. Mum also scores something from Tommy Hilfiger. Meanwhile, Dad and I patiently wear out the sofas in the waiting area.
Before heading back out onto the streets, we need to stop by the hotel to drop off our shopping bags and grab a little something to eat.

EDGE

11.10.2022: Dad insists that it’s finally time to have a proper American burger. Let’s make it happen! Our original choice, Mustang Harry’s, is completely packed. That’s when I realise one small detail – there’s a New York Rangers game tonight, which means there’s basically zero chance of getting a table anywhere near Madison Square Garden in the two hours leading up to the game. So we continue towards Hudson Yards. According to Google Maps and the reviews there, a nearby place called Death Ave (quite a tempting name) serves good burgers without charging an absolute fortune. We order some locally brewed beers, mushroom burgers for Madara and me, and Swiss cheese burgers for my parents. The portions are pretty massive, but we manage to finish everything. Very tasty, of course, although you can find equally good burgers back in Riga. Dinner for the four of us comes to around $190.
Before heading up to Edge itself, we make another stop at the “leftover room” (our newly invented expression, literally translated from “restroom”).
Just as predicted, we get inside without any queue at all. Of course, there’s another reasonably strict security check first. Mum and Dad practically walk through the metal detector together, and it seems like Dad’s backpack sets it off, but for some reason, it’s Mum’s bag that gets searched. The fact that we apparently sound (or look?) Russian is pretty much confirmed when the security guard finishes checking her bag and says “vsyo khorosho” (all good) in Russian. Mum didn’t believe me earlier when I said we probably sound Russian to Americans, as very few Latvians manage to completely get rid of our rather stiff and distinctive English pronunciation.
Once again, there are some interesting interactive videos displayed along the walls and inside the elevators before we finally reach the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere.
It’s not that the panoramic views we’ve seen before weren’t beautiful, but Manhattan at night is something else entirely. Thousands of little lights are flickering and sparkling everywhere you look. The Empire State Building is illuminated in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, a striking reminder of the ongoing war. The Downtown skyline is also clearly visible in the distance. Absolutely impressive.
The glass floor of the observation deck is a bit so-so, though. It’s dirty, and the lights shining from below create quite a lot of reflections. This particular feature might actually be more impressive in daylight. But that’s a minor detail.
We queue up to take some photos at the very tip of Edge. The entire platform is surrounded by angled glass panels, creating the feeling that you’re literally standing right on the edge.
Before heading back down, we sit for a while on the steps right next to the edge of the platform. Turns out they’re heated, so tourists don’t get cold bottoms. Nice touch! We don’t really feel like rushing away just yet. Better to soak in these views for a little longer, as we probably won’t get another chance to experience something like this anytime soon.
I originally wanted to buy a T-shirt featuring the Hudson Yards skyline, but while browsing the souvenir shop, I noticed that a large-format book about skyscrapers, filled with beautiful, high-quality photographs, costs only $2 more… The book wins!
On our way home, we stop by Whole Foods to pick up a selection of New York beers to try and possibly bring home as souvenirs. Tonight’s tasting menu features a New York Pilsner and a Five Boroughs Lager.
Alongside our beer tasting, we also need to pack our bags, as tomorrow we’re heading to Milford to visit Viktors (a distant relative on Dad’s side). Although, to be fair, there’s not much packing involved for me. Whenever I take out a clean shirt, I simply throw the dirty one back into the bag. So technically, most of my belongings haven’t even left the suitcase.
I have to admit, there’s a slight feeling that we could probably spend another day exploring the city instead. But considering how far we’ve travelled to get here, and the fact that our relative lives only another two hours away, it would be pretty silly not to pay him a visit. At least we’ll get to see what a typical American suburban town looks like.

UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS

12.10.2022: After collecting our bags, a guy from the hotel offers to hail us a taxi on the street. I agree, and he manages to get one almost immediately.
The taxi driver is some Arab-looking guy with the entire front of his car cluttered with stuff. I’m sitting in the front on top of some newspapers, with the driver’s backpack squeezed in by my feet. The centre console is full of random junk. Luckily, we don’t have far to go, so it’s not that big of a deal.
For $20 ($17 + $3 tip), he takes us to Grand Central Terminal, which would have taken roughly the same amount of time on foot. Still, dragging our large suitcases across several city blocks wouldn’t exactly have been much fun.
We get our bearings and figure out what to do next. At the information desk under the famous clock, we get directions to a place where we can leave our luggage while we explore the city. So off we go. It takes us about 15 minutes to find the place. We have to walk about three blocks before eventually leaving our bags in some random apartment.
Now we can head towards the United Nations Headquarters. On the way there, we’re getting pretty hungry, but nothing particularly promising catches our eye.
Mum takes some photos by the flags and the UN emblem. Unfortunately, the Latvian flag is tangled up in the branches of a tree, so there’s no chance of getting a decent photo with that one.
From this side, there’s also a great view of the Chrysler Building. The shiny eagles on the corners of the building look like they’ve recently been polished. Maybe they’re getting ready for the observation deck that’s apparently planned to open there soon.
Not far from Grand Central, we stop for lunch at a Korean restaurant. Rice with chicken in various sauces. Delicious, but spicy – Brooklyn Lager comes to the rescue. $67 for three portions shared between four people, and we still can’t finish everything.
Time to collect our bags. Along the way, Madara needs to find some sweets to bring back for her colleagues at work. No luck this time, so we’ll leave that mission for our last day in Milford.
We end up paying a ridiculous amount for luggage storage. Four bags for three hours – $75! But there’s not much we can do about it now. To be fair, I didn’t actually ask how much it would cost beforehand, so perhaps we got charged the special tourist rate.

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL

12.10.2022: Our first and most important mission is to buy train tickets (preferably the correct ones) to Milford. Buying tickets from the machine turns out to be pretty straightforward. Four tickets from Grand Central Terminal to Milford cost us $84. Not great, not terrible, considering the journey takes just under 2 hours. There’s some random guy hanging around the ticket machines, acting extremely helpful, but most likely hoping for a tip after showing people which buttons to press.
We quickly find our train, but the lady working on board tells us there’s a faster train to Milford. Apparently, it’ll arrive 20 minutes earlier. We’re not exactly in a rush, but this train is very crowded, while the other one should be much emptier. Since we have large suitcases, that could be a nice bonus. We’ve got time, so off we go looking for it. We find track 111 pretty quickly. I double-check with a local that we’re getting on the right train – we are. Now we wait for departure. Sitting in the comfortable seats, some pretty serious “pecking” begins (another one of our local expressions for falling asleep in a chair. You know when your head starts dropping forward as you doze off, and you suddenly jerk awake? From the outside, it looks a bit like a bird pecking at something! 🙂

MILFORD, CONNECTICUT

13.10.2022: After about an hour and a half on the train, we arrive at our destination. Although I pretty much sleep through the entire journey. Viktors picks us up at the station. After a 5-minute drive, we’re home – Gulf Street, Milford. A two-storey house with a garage on a typical American residential street, just like the ones we’ve seen countless times in movies and TV shows.
For dinner, we order three pizzas. Simple, but almost impossible to go wrong with.
Over dinner, we chat about the places we’ve visited and the things we’ve done, while enjoying a few drinks along the way. The next morning, we take a walk down to Milford Harbor. We also visit the town centre to pick up the last few edible and drinkable souvenirs to bring home. Then it’s time to get ready for the long journey back.
We still have lunch at home. Yesterday’s leftover pizza together with Viktors’ homemade mushroom soup. We also get to taste a local New Haven beer. Pretty good, actually.
Time to head to the airport. The drive could take 1.5 hours, or it could take 4, so we need to leave early. Traffic in and around New York is anything but predictable. In the end, the journey takes just over 2 hours. Along the way, we even manage to spot the giant Unisphere globe in Queens from a distance – the location of the big final battle in the movie Men in Black.

JFK–IST

14.10.2022: It’s 70 miles from Milford to JFK Airport. In the morning, Google Maps was showing a driving time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, but basically every time I checked again after 20–30 minutes, the estimated time kept increasing. By the time we left, it was already 1 hour and 53 minutes, but in the end, the journey took us around 2 hours and 30 minutes.
At the airport, we get through all the security checks rather aggressively, but very efficiently. Our flight is delayed by about an hour, so there’s still some time left for a café stop. Arturs (an older waiter at the airport bar) quickly takes care of us, serving Boston Lager and coffee according to everyone’s preferences. He’s probably around 65–70 years old, but everything he does is extremely organised and precise. Absolutely nothing to complain about. The Boston Lager is pretty tasty too. While waiting for the final minutes before boarding, we have another chat about everything we’ve experienced.
All in all, we managed to do about 95% of everything we had planned. The Americans welcomed us in a very friendly and open way. Of course, it’s pretty obvious that for many of them, the friendliness was somewhat fake and simply part of their job, but it still makes you feel like a welcome guest. From the immigration officer stamping your passport to the guy who says “Hello sir, have a nice day!” every single time you enter or leave an elevator. A practically meaningless phrase, but still a nice touch.
New York is a big city, with big buildings, big cars, and surprisingly – not-so-big people. I guess the dynamic everyday lifestyle and all that fast-paced walking along the avenues don’t leave much room for people to “inflate” (gain excess weight), as seems to happen elsewhere in the US. We’ve seen and experienced a lot, but there are still plenty of things left to explore. At the same time, I have to admit that we’ve packed so many impressions into these few days that I’m not even sure we were still capable of properly taking in any more excitement from visiting another major attraction. Although part of me would have liked to spend one more day in the Big Apple, I have to admit that visiting our relatives in Milford and getting a glimpse of a classic American small town (40,000 inhabitants 🤪) was also a pretty interesting experience.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

14.10.2022: Our luggage is checked all the way through to Riga, so we can safely leave the airport without worrying about having to go through the whole baggage check-in process again. Since we have a 20-hour layover in Istanbul on our way back, it’s pretty obvious that we’d like to get out of the airport and explore a little. For passengers with long layovers, Turkish Airlines offers either a tour of Istanbul or a hotel for the night. The so-called Hotel Desk, where you need to register for either option, turns out to be surprisingly difficult to find in such a massive airport.
We don’t qualify for the hotel, but even if we did, we’d have to choose between the hotel and the tour. Since a proper bed isn’t on the cards for us, the choice is easy – let’s head into the city!
It takes us almost 1.5 hours to reach the city centre. We’ve managed to get caught in Istanbul’s traffic jams. We get off the bus a little earlier than planned because apparently walking will be faster at this point. We make our way through the Old Book Bazaar and eventually arrive at the massive Grand Bazaar, where every Turkish merchant seems to be selling just about anything you can imagine. Our guide takes us into a sweets shop, where we get to taste some traditional Turkish delights and, of course, have the opportunity to buy a few. 540 lira per kilogram. We end up buying 1.1 kg of sweet treats. I have a feeling it would be worth spending a bit more time here, wandering around and bargaining with the locals over some fake designer goods. Sounds like fun. Next time!
Next, we head towards the Blue Mosque. Unfortunately, our guide has to explain everything while standing next to some information posters, as the mosque is undergoing major renovation works. Looks like this attraction will also have to wait until our next visit.
Not far away, there are three obelisks in a square where the ancient Hippodrome once stood. Over the centuries, the ground level of the square has risen by approximately 2.5 metres due to accumulated historical layers. The original ground level can now only be seen near the base of one of the obelisks.
As it turns out, the tour also includes a free dinner at a restaurant called Tamara in the Old Town. We can choose between chicken fillet or a lamb and beef kebab. My parents play it safe and go for chicken. Madara and I, being in Turkey, obviously choose kebab. Both turn out to be good choices. The portions are huge, and I can’t even finish mine. And that’s after already having some pea soup before the main course.
On the bus ride back to the airport, I sleep the whole way. At the airport, we only have another 9 hours to kill before our flight, and then we’re finally heading home. We somehow survive the night on the airport’s cushioned benches. Managed to get around 4–5 hours of sleep.
In the morning, we have to walk across almost the entire airport. We slept in Terminal A, but our flight departs from gate F2. It’s almost a 20-minute walk. At least the morning walk helps us wake up a little.

IST–RIX

15.10.2022: During this trip, we spent a total of 25 hours in the air and 53 hours travelling. Flying from Riga to New York via Istanbul means covering almost 10,000 km one way. We also averaged around 25,000 steps per day. So I think it’s fair to say this was a pretty active holiday. Although the flight tickets were an excellent deal in my opinion, all that waiting around at airports really takes its toll.
We’ve conquered 3 out of the 4 skyscrapers we originally planned to visit. All the other attractions on our list were successfully ticked off as well. Overall, I have to say that the whole experience felt completely different from the European countries we’ve visited before. A totally different mentality, everything is massive, and life moves at an incredible pace (at least in New York). I definitely wouldn’t want to live in Manhattan, but I would just as definitely love to come back again.
Financially, the whole adventure wasn’t nearly as extreme as I’d initially expected. The final damage: €1,550 per person, including absolutely everything.
And just a few days later, my fingers are already itching to start searching for another cheap flight deal… 🙂 Still need to make it to San Francisco!

Total costs:
Transport expenses (airfare, public transport, etc.): ~1,500 EUR
Accommodation and living expenses (hotel, meals, etc.): ~2,800 EUR
Entertainment (admission fees, souvenirs, etc.): ~1,950 EUR
Total: ~6,300 EUR
Cost per person per day: 157 EUR