The first thing I saw as soon as I stepped on the streets. I later found out that the cube can actually rotate if it's pushed hard enough!
Making my way into new territory...
A quick look down St. Marks Place.
St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church, across the street from the hostel.
Inside the hostel: my dorm room (1st photo), the ensuite bathroom (2nd and 3rd photo), and the staircase between all the floors (last photo). The great thing about this hostel was that it kept much of the original building style, so minus the dorm room feeling, I got a chance to experience what it was like to live in a typical Manhattan residence: narrow winding stairwell, tiny hallways, an even tinier bathroom, and yet an even tinier shower!
After getting settled in for a bit and realizing I was no longer staying at the Rockefeller Center Hotel (hahaha), I set out again, deciding to pay a visit to Chinatown.
Just seconds down the street from the hostel McSorley's Old Ale House, rated one of NY's top 5 historic bars, visited by many famous people including Abraham Lincoln, and disputed to have opened between 1854 - 1862. Since I didn't go out at night to save money, I never went inside the bar.
The first thing I saw after stepping out from the subway, and McD's with Chinese translation of the name! I don't even remember seeing a McD's in Shanghai, HK, or Macau with a Chinese translation in the title!
Some views around Chinatown. Just because it's Chinatown doesn't mean American franchises aren't allowed right?
Chinatown even has it's own unique tourist info stand!
Christmas in Chinatown?!
Walking through the heart of Chinatown. There was no doubt I was in a Chinatown as soon as I saw all the typical souvenir shops, jewellery stores, mini markets, and restaurants. In fact, I decided to get some bubble tea!
The traffic sign says it all - it was ridiculously bone-chilling windy. So it should be no surprise I was one of the few out on the streets that night...
...and the only one out at the Manhattan Bridge arch at the Manhattan-side entrance. I love how the photo turned out.
And I love how this one turned out even more.
It was really hard getting photos this sharp; I was shooting hand-held at 1/3 seconds! Adding the fact it was very windy, causing my hands to move and causing me to shiver, and it's pretty obvious it took me a while to get these shots, which meant I was out in the cold even longer haha!
There was a Popeyes Chicken just across the street (with the title translated to Chinese too!), where I decided to stop in for some much needed warmth and dinner. I still can't get over the fact how much cheaper fast food is in the US compared to here.
Some more shots as I headed back through Chinatown to get to the subway. When I passed by the street with the big "Merry Christmas" sign hanging over the road again that I had passed earlier, I suddenly decided to make a detour and explore further down the road.
It turned out that it instantly transitioned into Little Italy!
Some views as I made my way deeper into Little Italy - there was definitely a very strong Little Italy vibe, thanks to the many, many Italian restaurants and cafes. I really liked all the Christmas decorations - it felt like Christmas all over again! It's no doubt the Italians love Christmas, and judging by all the decorations hanging over the streets, the probably put up the "Merry Christmas" sign too.
When I passed by this shop and saw the 2 large ice cream cones hanging from the entrance, I knew I had to pop in to at least take a peek and get out of the cold for even a few seconds (plus it was one of the few places that looked like it was still open).
Boy was I glad I decided to go in: look at all the Italian goodies!
It's a shame they were all so expensive! So all I got was a single hand-dipped chocolate cannoli ($2.50 just for one!). I never had a cannoli before but always wanted to try one, so while there was more than enough items to choose from, I thought this would be a good pick. And I was right - it was sooo good! Well worth the money; the cream was sweet, creamy, yet fluffy, and the pastry dough was soft but crunchy at the same time and the chocolate added a very nice touch.
The ice cream cones are clearer at this angle.
I would've loved to try out this cafe if it had been open.
I didn't expect to see the Empire State Building from here.
More views of Little Italy as I headed back to the subway.
Don't ask me why, but somehow I ended up back in Times Square! It's like something was drawing me there - I couldn't escape the bright lights hahaha.
The very cool looking red stairs making up the roof of the TKTS booth in Times Square.
This is what happens when you get someone else to take a night photo of yourself: a very blurry photo. Can you even make out that I'm spreading my arms out?
360 degree view of Times Square from atop the red stairs. It was nice to see American Eagle Outfitters was still wishing everyone a "Happy New Year."
And this is what it looks like when you set up a photo of yourself by yourself: a clear, sharp photo!
There were a bunch of red tables and chairs set up in front of the stairs...I don't know why. But they made for a perfect opportunity to take long exposure photos of Times Square at different angles.
I think this photo says it all.
Since I didn't visit the m&m store earlier, I decided now would be a good time, especially since I was getting sick of the cold air. Look at all the colourful combinations!
Every single colour you could think of, they had in m&m's! There were so many colours I had never seen before on an m&m...it's almost ridiculous just how many m&m's there were stored here. And then the endless colour combinations available; a lot of the colours were probably unique to just the store...if only I had the money hahaha! They had colour combinations for each country too, including Canada (2nd photo) - of course that was an easy red and white, and they threw in light grey as well?!
Endless m&m merchandise. Considering how much less variety of candy is available under the m&m family, it was surprising to see how much bigger this store was compared to the Hershey's store next door.
I'm not sure I'd completely agree, but I could see their point haha.
Finally exhausted from a long day of walking all over the city, I decided to call it a night and headed back to the hostel for my first night's rest there. Another great thing I discovered about its location: even though it was still in Manhattan and there were plenty of restaurants nearby, the street was very quiet, perfect to get some good sleep. I sure missed the spacious and comfy non-bunk bed and the clean, private bathroom, but you pay for what you get. Unfortunately, I didn't have the most considerate roommates; a few came in late at night and kept talking loudly and making a lot of commotion despite others obviously trying to sleep, there were 2 snorers, and one guy constantly stank of B.O. even after he showered! So I didn't get the best sleep; I actually woke up a few times during the night. Ah well, it was only a place to sleep right?
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