Two Italians in America

I can’t believe that we are really in New York, the Big Apple, the theater of so many: stories, movies, novels, songs.
America populates our imagination as we grow: Ghostbusters, Iron Man, Friends, Jhon Wick.
We know her deep down even though we’ve never seen her, or at least that’s what I thought before I really knew her.

The journey

We leave Milan at 8:30 am; Matteo nice quiet, after all he has already made a long journey, but I well … that’s a whole other story!
I get on the plane (of American Airlines) and I can’t help but be amazed at how big it is; me, the one used to Rayanair tuna cans.

I spent the three hours waiting at the airport hoping that on the plane there were mini-screens with movies, I would have been lost without them then, fingers crossed!
Before leaving, I smoke my last cigarette on Italian soil; I read that in America there are several restrictions on smoking in public places so I don’t know when I will be able to recast one.

The first biggest mistake of this trip!
The closet for those suicidal beasts that we are is impregnated with the rotten smell of the ash of the butts and I get a crazy nausea, human rights are missing in that cubicle.

Anyway, we slept like three hours in total the night before so we spend time dozing off until they finally let us board.

And guess what? Things don’t always go wrong in life, I have the magic screen!
Not only that, there is also a pillow and a cover; but the screen remains the most beautiful thing ever.
The journey is a mess, I immediately plan to make a mega-feast of movies and fail at the first attempt managing to see 80% of the Lion King … I can’t stay awake!
The plane is half empty and we could put ourselves in a row all to ourselves so we have a lot of space, I slept big.

I would say that for 370€ each, round trip, we had a royal service!

9 hours flight after… customs

Let’s see the American soil!
I’m on another continent!
America!!!! (imagine hearing it from the actor of “The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean”)

The process of checks to enter begins, they line us up waiting to be questioned by the police who take our fingerprints, make us a nice souvenir photo and above all not being married they put us in two different rows, but coincidentally in the end we ended up together.
But is it?
What genes these Americans, if we are a couple we will have the money and everything else divided?
Well.

To enter America you need the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) that you can do here.
What is it for?
Simply to let you in without having to do the VISA (the visa) that requires longer and more expensive procedures. Only citizens of some countries, fortunately including Italy, can visit America in this way.
Remember to fill out the request at least a week before departure because it takes a few days to get approval.
The ESTA is valid for 2 years and thus allows you to make multiple trips without having to make a new request each time.
Remember, however, that you can not stay in the country for more than 90 days (not bad, if you want to stay longer you just have to leave the country and return, there are no time limitations between consecutive trips).
The cost is 25€.

Let’s get back to us…
When they ask us for food we tell them that we have a lot, we knew that eating is expensive so we prepared ourselves with a rich supply of various munchers to be able to survive everything.
Short arm mode always ON!
Obviously they send us to the food control, we are accompanied by a tender miniature Jackie Chan who leaves us in the hands of a huge policeman, of the two I do not know who puts me in awe anymore.
One thing we understood from the hilarious control, that they want to instill terror but if you know that you have not done anything wrong the thing becomes almost comical.
One conclusion I have come to is that in the end Americans are terrified of chicken: in all its forms; in powder, its eggs, freeze-dried egg white, in short… woe to you if you bring chicken to America.
Everything else is okay, we only threw two freeze-dried soups.

Finally we are on American soil!

We take our luggage and go out, the exit is something narrow and tiny, it almost looks like an Italian train station a bit in disuse.
Let us take stock of the situation; first, we need the internet.
Honestly I’m quite agitated so I can not follow the intense speech on the American sim that Matteo has with the South American lady who sells them, I only understand that Trump has it to death with the Chinese (and this is not new) and that for this reason all Chinese phone owners must suffer, their phones will never take on American soil, God bless America!
In the end we kick them out deaf and get the internet, with the connectivity of ten years ago but better than nothing.
So hotel management, nice story hahaha, no dai it was simple:

• Step 1: Meet an American
• Step 2: Ask him where the Air train stop is to get to Manhattan
• Step 3: He takes you there
• Step 4: End of search

Indeed, after taking us to the area he leaves us in the hands of an airport employee who explains how to make the famous Metrocard and which line to take.
Airtrain, then line A and via… towards the heart of the world.
After an hour we arrive at the metro change, take the yellow and arrive exactly below the hotel.

The Metrocard is the subway card, essential for any tourist since even just moving from one neighborhood to another in Manhattan means doing a thousand thousand kilometers.
Here you will find the official website of the MTA metro company.
There are many sites that offer the Metrocard together with the Go Pass (card that allows you to enter a number of museums and attractions in the city), I preferred to do them separately to be sure you have the physical card of the metro (for the Go Pass just print it out).
Unfortunately there are only two useful options for a tourist: 7 days of rides or 30 days.
What does this mean?
That those who, like us, stay in the city for two weeks must do two for 7 days.
The cost is $ 33 for the 7-day one and $ 127 for the 30-day one, as you can see there is no advantage in doing the longer one.

Arrival at the hotel

We are on Canal Street, a huge and busy six-lane street, but from our small room on the eighth floor the buzz of cars is almost lulling.
Even here I do not remember why, payment problems, we hunt for other unbudgeted money, mannaggia.
The idea I had of my first day in America was a little different from how it actually went; I imagined myself at the Brooklyn Bridge to see a wonderful sunset … instead I ended up exhausted on the bed and with a tender: “I rest only an hour” I was out.
Goodbye, see you tomorrow hahaha.
We really slept until the next day, but between the jet lag and the tiredness of the day we could not assert our will over sleep.

Do you want to know if we arrive alive on the second day? Click here!