There was little time to see the Big Apple but a lot on the to-do list. We arrived Wednesday evening to our hostel (New York Loft Hostel) in Brooklyn and decided to rest up for the following day. We bought a 7-day unlimited metro pass ($29 ea.) -- despite the fact we would only be there for 4 days -- because it was a far better deal than buying daily tickets. We were lucky enough to stumble in on a free BBQ at the hostel. We sat and ate hot dogs, grilled veggies and burgers (well, Steve ate a burger) and chatted with the other travelers. We ended up sitting at a table with 4 German guys, a Dutch girl and a Polish guy who looked like a meat-eating beast but ended up being the only vegetarian among us. Everyone was nice and we did the "hostel chat" that includes: where are you from? what are you doing? how long are you staying? what have you seen here already? Among other questions. Everyone had a good time making fun of the American (me) but in good humor. Typical. After the talk dwindled we called it a night. The dorm was pretty awesome for having about 16 beds in it. No bunks. Large layout. Privacy barriers between every two beds. Awesome. The matresses were decent and we got a good sleep for once.

The next day we got up early, enjoyed the free and abundant breakfast of Eggo Waffles, toast, fruit and tea and jumped on the metro uptown to Manhattan. Among the sites of the day were The NY Public Library, 5th Avenue, Central Park, The High Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) and Grand Central Station. I had a phone interview with the company I know have a job with but found it very challenging to find a quiet cafe in the city. What was I thinking? Quiet? New York? Stupid. Luckily my interviewer was easy going and we just got through the necessary dialogue.

Steve had fun after buying a new fancy lens for his camera and took a ton of wonderful pictures. He is really a good photographer. After a long day on our feet we retired to the hostel. We wanted to get some food downtown and then wander through Times Square later so we napped and freshened up before hitting the underground again. We resurfaced in Clinton for dinner at Empanada Mama. This tiny space was full of different characters and smells. It was fun to people-watch as we waited for our baked empanadas. After dinner we walked to Times Square. Following a thorough exlploration of the M&M Factory we sat on the red stairs just taking in the colors and massive advertisements.

On our second day the menu included: Staten Island Ferry to see The Statue of Liberty (the free way), Canal St., Chinatown, Wall Street, Williamsburg and the VICE Magazine headquarters, the East River Ferry to Brooklyn Bridge and finally Coney Island.

We learned -- after rejecting the three miles-long line for the $11 ferry to the Statue of Liberty -- that the Staten Island ferry gets you very close to the big green lady during its round-trip commuter path that goes nearly all day. And it's free. We chose this and got some good pictures, thanks to Steve's new lens. I took a nap on the ride back from the island in preparation for Canal St. I was immediately bombarded by little Asian ladies sneakily offering me the world in designer handbags. Unfortunately for them I don't like designer handbags but I was in search of a new tote. I knew what I wanted and sped through the shops until I found the one! I also bought a cocktail ring (a relatively new obsession) before we moved on to Chinatown. It was smelly, dirty and unpleasant. We found a little Malaysian restaurant for lunch that depicted the different dishes by photo and name on a television screen. I kept my neck craned to watch until something appetizing came up.

Wall Street was uneventful but a sad, small group remained of the Occupy Movement and despite the groups puny size, there were still enough police officers to outnumber them.

We crossed back over to Brooklyn and after a brief break at the hostel, we went to meet with the translations director for VICE Magazine. Steve has worked with VICE as a direct client for about a year and had never met Xavier, the director with whom Steve always communicated. He gave us a tour of the headquarters and it reminded me very much of a creative advertising agency. Afterward he directed us to the East River Ferry as a fun way to get to the Brooklyn Bridge. We paid about $4 each to take the very fast ferry two stops to Dumbo. It was a quaint park with a carousel and a large lawn where dogs were not allowed. Yes. I sprawled out for a bit with no fear and Steve snapped some photos of the city. We wandered a bit in the area and got a little lost looking for the subway to Coney Island. It was colder than expected and I felt like an ice cube. But, I think my suffering was well worth it because Steve got probably the best photos of the trip there. The eerieness of the place despite the running rides and screaming children was palpable. It wreaks of oddities. Steve witnessed an older woman peeing on a wall and later we watched as a little black boy sat alone on a kiddie train ride, balling his eyes out while his mother stood by chatting with some girlfriends. I wanted to have a corn dog or classic Coney Island dog but believe it or not, no luck. We came so close but were told the next dogs wouldn't be ready for 15 mintues. I decided it wasn't worth the wait.

We ate at the hostel that night, another free BBQ. The next day was Steve's flight to Germany but not until the afternoon so we spent the morning at H&M and Uniqlo. Steve told me to stock up in the States where the prices are better!

He left for Berlin in the afternoon and I spent the entire rest of the day on the computer dealing with last-minute odds and ends. The next day was my flight and after a serious hunt for postage stamps (9 stores before I found one that had some) and a trip to the laundromat, I was packed and headed to the metro with my luggage. I was dreading the packed overseas flight on AirBerlin but it wasn't too bad. The bad part was the 8-hour layover in Düsseldorf! But, I survived by napping a lot and walking around the small section in which I was allowed. The next flight was only an hour to the destination: BERLIN!