I know. I have been a bad girl. A very bad girl. I totally neglected my duty to take care of this precious little blog for completely silly reasons. I told myself I had no time to write. I‘m too busy. I don't know what to write about. But, to be honest, the main reason why I have not written anything the last couple of months was probably the feeling of senselessness that was creeping up. Nobody reads it anyway. People like to watch 6-seconds-videos and read a handful of words on memes. They do not bother to read a whole article. I did not see why I should spend hours on writing a post when my only three readers were my parents and my roommate. And all this Social Media stuff to gain more readers exhausts the hell out of me. It is a science, did you know?

It took me months to figure out that I actually do not care how many people exactly read what I write. It is the writing process itself, the telling of a story. I guess, that is pretty much it...I love telling stories and that is what I will continue to do. Follow your dreams, yaaay!

To get to my point and yes, I know I have said this before: I am back. And no, this was not an invitation to stop reading.

This summer I have spent ten wonderful weeks traveling around North America. It felt so good to be back in the country that feels like home to me, see my former host family again and visit my favorite places from my year abroad in the States. One of these places is New York City.

It was my fourth time visiting this unique city and it still kept taking my breath away. There is this song "New York's Got A Piece Of My Chest" and, boy, it could not be more accurate. I definitely left part of my heart somewhere in between Brooklyn and Washington Square Park.

My trip this summer confirmed this yet again, but it also made sure that I was reminded of the fact that I hate hate hate Times Square. And people. Gosh, these humongous crowds of people pushing and shoving their way through Times Square and Broadway to be the first to see whatever there is to see. I took my boyfriend there, because I mistakenly was under the impression that it was something he just had to see. I considered it part of the whole New York experience. My dear friends, let me give you one piece of advice: It is not. In fact, nothing is.

I am so tired of lines like "X is an absolute must-see" and "If you haven't seen Y, then you haven't seen this city at all". Lines I am, too, guilty of using and believing in. If there is one thing I have learned and finally understood on this trip, it is, that traveling is not about seeing, but experiencing. Let us be honest here: Most sights kind of suck anyway and hurrying from one sight to the next is just downright stressful. I mean, do you actually miss anything if you have not seen the Statue of Liberty up close? I dare say, no.

Really, there is only one thing that you have to do: Wander around the streets and try all the food you find along the way - you know, soak up local culture and all. That is what we ended up doing and here‘s my selection of the best spots we encountered: 

Address: 239 Park Ave South, btw 19th & 20th St, New York, NY 10003
Lord of the Fries: $5
Best thing on the menu: Bow Wow Wow (Waffle Sandwich with Fries, Hash-Browns, Eggs, Cheese
                                       and Bacon, but I got mine with Avocado instead)


Find them on Facebook (here)

If you seek the perfect American Diner experience, then Big Daddy‘s is the right place for you. Cosy interior design, great music, friendly staff and delicious food - what more could you possibly ask for? They also give their food funny names, which is a definite plus. 

My best friend T and I discovered it in December 2013 during a snowstorm on our way back to our Couchsurfing host and fell in love right away. Since then, I came back every single time I was in the City to introduce it to my travel buddies and Big Daddy‘s has never disappointed. 

Address: 63 W 37th St, New York, NY 10018
Hawaiian Classic: $10,50
Best thing on the menu: Poké Burrito


Find them on Facebook (here)

Traditionally, Poke is a Hawaiian speciality - a raw fish salad served as an appetizer. Luckily for sushi lovers like me, you can now get this treat outside of Hawaii, as well. Please do no get me wrong, I would love to go to Hawaii, but I am miles away from being able to afford the flight. Sooo...Pokéworks in New York it is!

You can enjoy the raw fish in a salad, bowl or burrito. My personal favorite is the burrito as it is basically a giant maki roll. Just let that sink in for a minute. 

Choose one of their signature works or build your own poké and mix and match to your satisfaction. 

Address: 201 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
Pesto knots: 4 for $2,50
Best thing on the menu: all the Pizza!!

Find them on Facebook (here)

Baker‘s Pizza is this tiny little pizza shop with a great atmosphere and checks all over the place. I know I use the expression "heaven on earth" far too often, but I am telling you, that is the only one that comes anywhere near to how their Pizza tastes. And wait until you have tried their Pesto knots! They sell their Pizza in a typical New York manner, by-the-slice, but definitely stand out from the crowd. You want to know how good it tastes? So good I went back three times during my eight days in NYC.

xx Lena

Photos taken in: New York City, USA