Another big chapter of my world trip was about to start: The Americas!
After a total of 2.5 years in Asia and 2 years in Europe & Africa, it was finally time to explore North & South America. My initial rough plan at the beginning was to travel from Mexico to Peru by land, but many things changed in the meantime. I have found a 150 Euro flight to New York City from Berlin and that was the perfect way for me to set food in North America. Then later on I wanted to step into Mexico from California and start the overland trip from then on. It was the cheapest way and gave me the opportunity to see some cities in the U.S. on my way.
But the continent wasn't the biggest change - after 2 years with the best possible travel mate by my side, I went back to the roots: Solo Traveling. Alicja got very tired of traveling and moved back to Warsaw to start a settled life there. Insane actually to think that someone really managed to live that lifestyle with me for 2 years. Maybe one day I will be able to escape that loop of exploring the world and start a comfortable, settled life as well. Lusia, thank you so much for that amazing wild time together ❤️
So there I arrived in New York City, using the subway at 3 am in the morning to commute to Manhattan Uptown. Honestly, the U.S. was never high on my list and did not expect I would visit them in the next 10 years but obviously, I was very excited to explore some of the iconic cities. I ended up staying 7 days in New York City and 7 days in California - a tiny introduction into a country with endless places to see. I couchsurfed the entire 14 nights and had the perfect opportunity to live with Americans of all ages (21-65), professions (nurse, brain scientist, Reiki master,..) and cultural backgrounds (Mexican, Chinese, American,..). It was the very best way to learn a lot about the country and get a good feeling of it within a very short time.
I stayed with 3 different people in Manhattan and loved to explore New York City from different districts. The city is just incredible, probably the most iconic city in the world. It's a global center for fashion, finance, art, media, entertainment and so much more. Visiting highlights such as the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, Times Square, Central Park or Empire State Building is amazing but even better are random walks around Manhattan and sensing the differences after every few blocks. The language, culture and behavior of people around you can change completely just after a 30-minute walk. From Little Dominican Republic to Chinatown to Harlem, it is just impossible not to find something interesting within a few minutes. I have the feeling I can write 10 blog posts about New York just after 7 days there - it's just an amazing city. There is so much to see, try, do & explore that one could easily spend a few months there for visiting purposes. Needless to say, I think that no world trip would be complete without visiting the Big Apple.
After 7 days I took a flight from Newark in New Jersey to San Francisco in California. The prices in California & New York were really shocking, especially for basic goods in supermarkets or meals in low-budget restaurants. By the way: I seriously managed to visit 7 of the most expensive cities in the world within 2023: Dubai, Tel Aviv, Zürich, Helsinki, New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. That wasn't planned but somehow you can even manage to travel to those places on a budget (with a lot of limitations though).
San Francisco is such a great city. The atmosphere in the center of the Bay Area is really awesome. Strolling around The Mission, Fisherman's Wharf, the happening streets of Chinatown or along the parks of the Golden Gate Bridge is really a unique experience. It comes with a lot of problems as well (I have never seen that many homeless people in my life before), but there is no way that you won't enjoy exploring this city.
Los Angeles was a different story though.. My only highlight there was my Mexican host Tania and her family. I found the main sights really boring & dull (Hollywood, Venice Beach) and the atmosphere in the city somehow unfriendly. The metro was the worst I have ever seen in any city in the world (full of homeless and drug users, I used it 4 times and got harassed on every ride) and many people were afraid of strangers & minding their own business (which does not surprise me after seeing what type of creatures are wandering the streets there to be fair). I had an emergency where I urgently needed to call someone and I had to ask 31 people until finally, someone let me use their phone or wifi :D
Tania, thanks for still giving me the best time possible and all the information about Mexico!
My last stop in the U.S., San Diego, was great! It had an ideal climate, super interesting sights and great vibes around the city. Trendy Hillcrest was a super interesting district to explore and I was more than lucky to meet Meagan who showed me around in her car the entire day. Watching the sunset at the cliffs out of the city was beautiful, and so was Balboa Park! In general, it's much more enjoyable than LA.
The time I spent in the USA was really short and gave me just an insight into 4 famous cities. I met amazing people and learned a lot about glorious 'Merica. I got confirmed about some stereotypes/expectations I had and was wrong with others. Many aspects I really dislike in Europe (i.e. main focus on money & career, commercial lifestyle & superficiality) are much stronger in the U.S.. Next time I would for sure focus more on the National Parks and bring plenty of time to explore nature and less famous states of the country. It was a great gateway to enter the Americas and I was more than ready to explore the Latin part of it!
I am very grateful to all of you who had me as a guest and let me be part of your life for a short time! It was the best way to learn and get a feeling of the country within a short time. Thanks for your amazing hospitality!
4 Highlights:
- Wandering the streets of San Francisco and absorbing the amazing atmosphere
- Having an intense world trip within Manhattan, New York
- Exploring San Diego & enjoying Mexican cuisine there
- Getting an insight into everyday life from many Americans with different lifestyles
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| Visited places in USA |
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| 150 USD flight from Berlin to JFK |
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| Jamaica train station in Queens at 2 am |
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| Always served with pride |
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| My first couch in Hudson Heights, Uptown Manhattan |
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| Food Trucks in front of Central Park |
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| View from Central Park |
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| George Washington Bridge from Hudson Heights |
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| On Brooklyn Bridge with Sameer, who I stayed with in Mumbai in 2022 |
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| With Prajakta, Sameer and Shirley |
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| Wall Street |
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| Iconic Skyline of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park |
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| People stand 30 minutes in line to take a photo with this Bull |
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| Ground Zero |
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| One World Trade Center |
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| Crossing Brooklyn Bridge by foot |
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| When going to Starbucks becomes a local experience |
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| Augie and Zuma! |
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| Ferry to Staten Island |
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| One of the most famous sites in the world |
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| Zuma crashing my couch while staying with Melissa |
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| Staying with Sherry in Manhattan |
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| Newark Airport |
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| Mark's apartment in San Francisco with model Kaya |
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| The Mission, San Francisco |
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| Dolores Park |
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| The iconic streets of San Francisco |
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| Fishermans Wharf |
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| Okay amazing |
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| Chinatown San Francisco |
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| A Citibank in a temple |
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| Chinese uncles playing cards |
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| Alcatraz island in the background |
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| Alcatraz |
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| San Francisco at night |
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| Golden Gate Bridge |
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| Quite a spot for a BBQ |
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| An average person in the metros of Los Angeles after getting tired of throwing cereals at me |
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| Staying with Tania and her family in Los Angeles |
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| Anubis and Arctic, the secret highlights of Los Angeles |
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| A less-lethal option for self-defense (over 7,000 4,5 star reviews!) |
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| Streets of Hollywood in Los Angeles |
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| Walk of Fame |
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| Hollywood summarized in one picture |
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| Urban Market in San Diego |
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| Mexican food, the most budget-friendly way to survive |
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| Steve's apartment in San Diego |
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| Hillcrest, San Diego |
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| Beautiful Balboa Park in San Diego |
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| Sunset Cliffs, San Diego |
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| Enjoying the Sunset with Meagan |
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| Some of the best Halloween Decorations in San Diego |
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| No Tijuana for me this time |
