First-Time Traveler: Hunting for pizza on the last days in New York






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Leading up to this trip, New York was like a fairy tale. The
city, in my head, was constructed by word-of-mouth tales — rumors of sites,
sounds, lifestyle and, oh, yes, even the large subway rats was a part of the
imagination.

 

For my travel buddy, I believe his idea of the city was
built around hot dogs and pizzas.


To satisfy his love for these foods, we
squeezed in many searches to find the illustrious street dogs and New
York-style pizzas for our last two days. It made me laugh every time we were at
a site and he would turn to me to ask, “Are you hungry?” This just meant he
was.


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First-Time Traveler: Crossing over to fast-paced New York

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As a Californian frequently visiting family in Wichita, Kan., I’m always fascinated by how laid back the lifestyle is there. You can park at a green light for several minutes and no one will honk. Everyone takes their time in going about their day. No one’s in a rush to do anything.

As a Californian, it would drive me crazy. I needed to get things done quickly because I was always in a rush to get somewhere. So you can imagine I had to learn patience every time I visited.
I used to think California was fast-paced, but how wrong I was. New York blows the Golden State out of the water. Everyone is always in a rush, honking is frequent and it’s very overwhelming, especially for us tourists. My travel buddy says it best, “It’s fast-paced and the most complicated place I’ve ever been.”


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First-Time Traveler: Travel without breaking the bank

I’ve been counting down the days when I will finally step foot in Boston, where my small adventure begins. I have a little more than 18 hours before I board my flight from Los Angeles International Airport.

From the start, my travel buddy and I have been on a mission to save as
much as possible. We’ve been searching the Internet for hours on end to
find the best prices to travel.

Lucky
for us, people don’t really like traveling to the East Coast during the
winter, especially if there are looming threats of winter storms.
However, from reading several travel guides, most tourists are willing
to brave harsh weather when it’s major holiday traveling (ie. Christmas and New Year’s). It seems that Valentine’s Day isn’t as big a hit.
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First-Time Traveler: Any suggestions for Boston, NYC, Philly and D.C.?

I’ve always had the adventure bug. As early as I can remember, I was the daring one among my siblings who was quick to venture away from mom’s side to explore my surroundings. I loved observing, experiencing firsts and just plain going. Needless to say, I got lost a lot.

And although I love travel, my wallet and I have never seen eye-to-eye. I guess you could say I love the idea more than my passport or “Places I’ve Been” map can show for.

Lucky for me, I’ve built up a little time and money to take a quick trip somewhere. So, I’ve decided to visit the East Coast — Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., more specifically. These are all places I’ve longed to experience in the United States.

A travel buddy and I will be there from Feb. 11 to 20. We are starting in Boston (one day), making our way down to New York City (four days), then Philadelphia (one day) and finishing in Washington, D.C. (two days).

Any seasoned travelers have any suggestions or tips?