My second to the last day in New York came out to be pretty relaxed. I woke up late, I’m not in a rush, I even checked out Sephora and fought with myself if I should buy this eye palette or not. I had Shake Shack for brunch and I know you don’t care, but I just want to mention that it tastes good. 😊

 

 

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is just a few blocks away from Shake Shack and that’s where my first stop is. The first hurdle is the queue. It took me an hour to get in. I used my Central Pass for the admission fee which is supposedly $25. For residents, the amount is up to you. 

The museum was founded on April 13, 1870 with the purpose of maintaining a library of art and of developing the study, knowledge and application to practical life.
From: https://www.metmuseum.org/

 

I went there on a weekday but still the place was packed. Each category is numbered and there are people on some stations for you to throw your questions like “where’s Van Gogh” etc. One man I was able to talk to told me the places I should visit. This is really helpful since my lack of artistic knowledge would get me nowhere. 

 

This reminds me of a One Piece character..

 

 

Halfway in the museum, I met this man who started the conversation with a question about directions like I can answer him without using Google, but I’m not a local so I did search Google Maps. Our conversation went on and on from Philippine Politics to travel experiences. It is such a cliche that in a museum with hundreds of people and thousands of artworks, you can find a friend and not talk about arts.

 

 

 

I expected to have a peaceful afternoon sitting on grass, admiring the sky and probably reading a book, but what happened was far from this. I don’t know why I trusted the map so much I didn’t even bother if it’s the right entrance. It led me to the jogging path.

 

 

I should have expected a sweaty afternoon and brought with me my gym bag because I’m the only tourist out there. Joining them would have made sense for the runners who can’t help look at me with confusion. In any case,. I just did what I had to do. I placed my tripod and got my shots. I knew I’ll need a long walk to be where I had to be so I better take my shots while the sun’s up. 

 

I can’t help but dream of jogging the same path these people are taking. I can’t help thinking that in this city where everywhere is like cramped and noisy, you can still find a place to have that peaceful and quiet surroundings. 

 

A few hours later, I ended up in the middle of nowhere and decided to call it a day. It seems like Central Park is an item to be scratched off later. 

 

Before I went home, I dropped by Times Square to gave it one last check. I was able to do some selfies, like, finally. I had the guts because I know it’s my last chance. I also stopped by a shop, bought some makeup, and chanted and prayed to see Times Square again. That’s a joke. 

 

Well good things surely came to an end, and goodbyes can never be avoided. I boarded the train to Brooklyn with teary eyes. Joke. Well I might as well be, because it might take years for me to come back again. 

 

The long ride led me to a moment of remembering those 5 days. People got off, street performers (should I say train?) finished their stunt and the train reached its last stop. Things came to an end, the train was left empty, and so am I, empty in a way that I finished my trip, that sooner I’ll come back to the old ways. But I’m happy, of course, after all my drama it will still be a happy ending. Even when I found out that I missed my stop and should never have ended up freezing out in the open train station, I’m still grateful. 

 

New York, you know I’ll come back for you right? 😉

 

 

Check out my other posts on this U.S. Travel Series: Soloista in United States