Boston & NYC: Hostel living

This was the first time I have ever stayed in the hostel... and the first time I have heard of ones in the USA.  I honestly did not know we had them in the USA. You share space, shower space, and toilets, like a dorm.  So, if you have survived dorm life, you will do fine...

 The first hostel we stayed in was the Friend Street Hostel in downtown Boston... and personally, I enjoyed my stay, granted, it was a hostel.  It was air-conditioned, clean, had wifi, a common area, and about 50.00/per person, per night.

  

The hostel had a cute café next door, which offered hostelers complementary coffee and breakfast.  

It was, however, right next to some bars that got pretty rowdy... and loud. And... one of the nights we were there, there was stabbing right outside... heard the screaming, saw the bloody guy... popo came... all of the above.  Despite that, I would definitely come back.  

The second hostel we stayed in was the Whitehouse Hotel- New York Hostel, and the quality, in comparison, was, well, lacking.  It was a safe/cleaner place to stay.... at around 50.00 per night, per person, but did not have free wifi, was dirtier, not all the rooms had lights, no plugs in the room, and just as noisy.

But... I got to sing West Side Story on a Fire Escape.... so I was happy. 

Boston & NYC: Subways....

I am from California... in Los Angeles we have a very small and short subway system, and in San Francisco, there is the Bart.... but we have nothing in comparison to Boston, and definitely New York. Especially New York. 

Not too bad.

Now to New York- this is a whole other monster.  Crazy packed, and confusing, but the people were surprisingly helpful... On the way to JFK airport, so many people helped me out, it was crazy.  I got on the wrong train, while trying to carry two heavy pieces of luggage, but made it with time to spare.  New Yorkers are fast paced, but know how to help and when it is needed.  Thank you New York :)

And you wonder why people choose to take the subway.... $13 per car, just to enter the Holland Tunnel... 1 mile in a Taxi costs from $15.00-20.00.  A subway train ride costs $2.50.

Not to mention the traffic. 

New York City, NY

New York... I get now why they call it a concrete jungle.  I have never seen so many buildings before, in such a small space.  The lights are always on, like in Vegas, and the city constantly bustling. When we first arrived, we had to make our way from Manhattan to Flushing, Queens, and as we took the train, we watched the sun rise on an enormous city.  The buildings and rooftops go on for miles.... LA is enormous, but you don't feel dwarfed when standing in the middle of it.  In New York you do.  

From the rooftop.

Central Park

Niagara Falls, NY

I was able to see Niagara Falls!  I have always dreamed of seeing them one day, and now I can check it off of my bucketlist :)

Boston, MA & NYC: Cathedrals

I will come back to these and straighten them out. 

In Boston, MA

St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, NY