Car accident on our way to JFK

Meille sattui pieni kämmi, kun oltiin lähdössä lentokentälle taksilla. Sitä olettaisi, että taksilla pääsee nopeasti paikasta A paikkaan B, mutta sekään ei valitettavasti ole aina mahdollista.

We had a bit of misfortune with us when we were going to the airport by taxi. One would presume that it's quick to get from A to B by taxi, but unfortunately that's not the case always.

Oltiin lähetty hienommalla mini limusiinitaksilla kohti lentokenttää. Hämärässä, bassoa jytäävässä, loisteputkin koristellussa taksissa oli kiva istua, mutta valitettavasti se hauskuus loppui lyhyeen. Kuului jäätävä tömähdys ja me kaikki pompahdimme ylös penkeistämme. Kovaa kyytiä kaahannut kuski törmäsi edessä olevaan autoon.

We had left with a nice mini limousine taxi towards the airport. A dim, bass blasting, led lighted taxi sounds fun and it certainly was, until something happened. We heard a loud thump and raised off our seats. The speeding driver had just bumped into the car in front of us. 

No tässä oli jotain hyvääkin: pääsin käyttämään espanjan kielen taitoja hyväksi. Yritin parhaani mukaan salakuunnella poliisin ja kuskin puhetta ja sen mitä siitä selvää sain, niin kuski menetti ajolupansa, sai sakot eikä saanut jatkaa työpäiväänsä enää.

But every cloud has its silver lining: I got to take advantage of my Spanish skills. I did my best to eavesdrop the policeman and driver's conversation. All I understood was that the driver lost his license, got a fee and had to stop his work for the day.

Meille ei onneksi käynyt mitään, joten säikähdyksellä selvittiin. Oli kuitenkin kiire lentokentälle ja jouduimme odottamaan uutta taksia jokunen tovi. Luojan kiitos meillä oli tarpeeksi aikaa, vaikka jonkin asteinen kiire JFK:lle oli.

Nothing bad happened to us, so it was luckily only a little scare. We were still in a hurry to the airport and had to wait for a new taxi for quite some time. Thank god we had enough time, even though we had to rush to JFK.

Tarinan opetus - tai no, pikemminkin vaan simppeli muistutus helposti ylenkatsotusta jutusta: varaa aikaa lentokentälle liikkumiseen. Myös sen taksin kanssa!

The lesson to be learnt - or actually just a reminder of an easily overlooked thing: have enough time to get to the airport. Even with a taxi! 

Harlem, I won't be coming back

Jäi melko epätervetullut olo Harlemin vierailusta. Sehän on pitkään ollut tummaihoisten asuinaluetta, mutta minun on vaikea kuvitella, että vielä 2010-luvulla tietyssä kaupunginosassa vallitsee sellainen ilmapiiri kuin siellä oli. Tuntui että meitä tuijoteltiin hirveästi kaduilla, vaikka me vain käveltiin ja oltiin suuntaamassa Harlemin museoon (joka kylläkin oli harmiksemme kiinni)

I was left with an unwelcome feeling of our visit to Harlem. It has always been the dark-skinned people's neighbourhood, but I find hard to digest that there's still such an atmosphere in the 21st century. It felt as if we were getting weird looks, even though we only walked on the streets and were heading to the Harlem museum (which happened to be close, unfortunately)



Vika niitti oli se, kun joku katukauppias yritti myydä meillä jotain, en muista mitä ja suuttui siitä, kun nätisti sanoimme englanniksi "ei kiitos" Siitähän helvetti irtosi. Hänen sanojensa mukaan me "v***n rasistiset rikkaat valkoiset turistit" ollaan juuri tollasia ja pilataan kaikki. En tiedä, oliko hän oikeasti kypsynyt valkoisiin ihmisiin - jotka ei tietääkseni ole lähiaikoina rotusortoa harjoittanut - vai yrittikö hän vain provosoida. Joka tapauksessa tuli sellainen olo, että nyt äkkiä pois tästä paikasta. Mulle ei oo koskaan tullut ahdistava olo mun ihonvärin takia. Olin ajattelut, että sellaiseen tulisin törmäämään ehkä Afrikassa tai eri puolilla Aasiaa, mutta en Amerikassa, jossa kaikkien pitäisi olla samanvertaisia ja kylpeä vapaudessa.

The last straw was a street vendor who tried to sell us some thingamajig and got cross with us when we politely answered "no thanks". That's when all hell broke loose. According to his words, we "f***ing racist white tourists" are just like that and make all matters worse. I'm not sure whether he had had enough of white tourists - who haven't been doing racial discrimination for quite some time - or was he only trying to provoke. Anyhow, I felt like escaping straight away. I've never felt uneasy because of my skin colour and I thought that maybe some day I would, but in Africa or different parts of Asia. But not in America, the land of freedom and so on.

No mutta, sen jälkeen matka jatkui Columbus-yliopistolle ja Hudson-joen rannalle, jotka olivat molemmat todella kaunista seutua. Sääkin suosi meitä tuona aamuna!

But then we continued to see Columbus university and Hudson river including its vicinity, all of which were beautiful areas. The weather also favoured us that morning!

Joskus täytyy myös jakaa näitä ei-niin-kivoja kokemuksia matkailusta. Ehkäpä ensi kerralla vähän iloisempaa postausta sitten! Ootteko te joskus kokeneet olevanne epätervetulleita johonkin paikkaan?

Sometimes you just gotta share these not-so-nice travel stories as well. Perhaps we'll talk about something happier next time! Have you ever felt unwelcome in some place?

9 Snapshots from New York

Heippa! Halusin vielä jakaa nämä otokset ennen Budapestin postauksia. New Yorkista riittäisi vielä vaikka kuinka paljon kerrottavaa ja vinkattavaa, mutta jätetään se sikseen vähäksi aikaa. Budapestin matkatunnelmia ja -vinkkejä voi tosin jo huomenna 15.4. lukea Savon Sanomista! Jippii:-) Oli ihanaa päästä kirjoittamaan etenkin matkajuttua, vaikka muidenkin artikkelien kirjoittaminen on ollut oikein antoisaa.

Hey everyone! I wanted to share these snaps before starting my Budapest posts. I could still write about New York quite a lot, but let's just leave it for a while. You can, however, already read about Budapest vibes and travel tips in tomorrow's (15.4.) Savon Sanomat! Yaay:-) It was so nice to write an article on traveling, even though writing other articles has been also very rewarding.



 1  Ei pysäköintiä maanantaisin. Jäi vähän epäselväksi, miksi näillä oli erikseen tällaisia lappuja:-D
       No parking on mondays. I didn't really get why they had these notes :-D oh well 



 2  Paras.aamupala.ikinä♥ Kulhosta löytyy siis maustamatonta jogurttia, lämmitettyä granolaa, kuivattuja karpaloita, suklaatäytteisiä muroja ja tuoreita hedelmiä. Tällä jaksoi hyvin iltapäivään asti! Ikävä muuten noita valmiiksi pilkottuja hedelmiä ja marjoja, joita myytiin kätevissä muotimukeissa.

The.best.breakfast.ever♥ The bowl holds natural yoghurt, microwaved granola, dried cranberries, chocolate filled cereals and fresh fruits. This kept me full until afternoon! By the way, I really miss those ready-chopped fruits and berries which were sold in handy plastic cups.


 3  Tämä taitaa mennä siihen "only in America" kastiin. Vaikka olisivat nuo katulaturit tosi käteviä täällä Suomessakin, en valittaisi! Bongattu Manhattanin eteläosasta.

I'm pretty sure this is one of the things that fall into the category "only in America." However, these street chargers would come in very handy here in Finland as well. Wouldn't mind if we had them too! Spotted in southern Manhattan.

 4  NBC-studion kaupassa kiertelemässä. Tuossa vieressä kuvataan perinteisiä amerikkalaisia talk showita, joita olisi sinänsä ollut mielenkiintoista olla katsomassa!

Wandering in the NBC studio store. Right next to the shop they film American talk shows, which would have been interesting to see!


 5  Pakkohan se oli ostaa B&J edes kerran, kun Amerikkaan ollaan tultu! Oli pieni pettymys tuo maku kyllä:-( Vähän liian makeaa jopa minulle, joka rakastaa suklaata...

You've just got to buy B&J at least once when you've come all the way to America! This flavour was bit of a disappointment, though :-( It was too sweet even for me, the ultimate chocolate lover... 

 6  Velipojan kanssa yhteiskuva, koska oli iloinen fiilis♥ Mua naurattaa tämä kuva, kun näytetään niin vihasilta. Oli meillä oikeasti hauskaa Staten Islandilla, hei!

A photo with my bro because we felt so happy♥ This photo makes me crack because of our angry faces. Seriously, we did have fun in Staten Island even though it doesn't look like it!

 7  Illallinen hotellihuoneessa:-) Meillä oli siis oma keittiö ja tehtiinkin parina iltana ruokaa siellä. Vastapäätä hotellia oli fairway market, suuri ruokakauppa, jossa oli erittäin laaja valikoima lihaa, juustoa, kasviksia, leivonnaisia ja erityisesti luomutuotteita.  Sieltä ostettiin superhyvää australialaista cheddarjuustoa ja sinihomejuustoa♥ Ja lautaseltahan löytyy lohta, vihreitä papuja, kahdenlaista riisiä, salaattia ja patonkia.

Dinner in our hotel room:-) We had our own kitchen and actually ended up cooking on a couple of evenings. Opposite the hotel there was a huge food shop called Fairway market, which had an excellent variety of meat, cheese, vegetables, pastries and especially organic products. We bought some super delicious Australian cheddar cheese and blue cheese♥ On the plate there's salmon, green peas, two types of rice, salad and some baguette.

 8  Ihmisiä Broadwaylla. Oli muuten jännä, kuinka paljon espanjaa New Yorkissa kuuli ja kuinka monikulttuurisen näköinen katukuva oli.

People on Broadway. It was funny how much people spoke Spanish and how the street scene looked so multicultural.  

 9  Käveltiin muutaman kerran Lincoln Centerin ohi ja huomio kiinnittyi erityisesti Pähkinänsärkijän balettiesityksen mainokseen. Se olisi ollut aivan mahtavaa nähdä joulun alla!

We walked past Lincoln Center a few times and I couldn't help noticing the advert for the Nutcracker ballet show. It would have been awesome to see the show before Christmas!

9/11 memorial & museum

Tämä paikka on varmasti kaikile tuttu ei-niin-mukavan tapahtuman johdosta. Valitettavasti. Alusta asti oli selvää, että kun New Yorkiin asti tullaan, haluan ehdottomasti käydä WTC-muistomerkillä ja museossa - onhan 9/11 kuitenkin yksi mieleenpainuvimmista tapahtumista, joka on tapahtunut jopa minunkaltaisen juniorin elämän aikana.

This place must be familiar to everyone thanks to a not-so-nice incident. Unfortunately. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that since we were going all the way to New York, I would definitely want to visit the WTC memorial and museum - 9/11 is, after all, one of the most memorable incidents that has happened during the lifetime of a youngster like me.


Entisten tornien kohdille oli rakennettu suihkulähteet, joiden reunilla luki kaikki uhrien nimet. Uskon, että tuo olisi illalla näyttänyt todella upealta valoineen.

Water fountains holding the names of the victims were built where the old WTC towers used to be. I think the fountain would have looked magnificent by night with its lights.


Tässä vähän perspektiivissä, kuinka korkeita rakennuksia on kyseessä. Oikeanpuolimmainen ei ole itse WTC-rakennus, vaan lähistöllä oleva pilvenpiirtäjä. Hulluja mittasuhteita New Yorkissa, ei voi muuta sanoa! Päästiin noin vajaan tunnin jonottelun jälkeen itse museoon, joka on rakennettu toisen entisen tornin lähistöön. Ymmärrettävästi suurimmassa osassa museota ei saanut kuvata, joten kuvamateriaalia sieltä on hyvin niukasti. Vasemmalla puolella näkyy kuitenkin entisen WTC-tornin kärsineet portaat.

Here's a little perspective on how tall the buildings are. The photo on the right-hand side isn't the World Trade Center itself but a nearby skyscraper. Crazy proportions in New York! We got inside the museum, which has been built near one of the former towers, in less than an hour. Understandably, in most of the museum you couldn't take photos so I don't have a whole lot of pics. But on the left, you can see the ravaged staircase of one of the former towers.

Kun olimme nähneet valokuvia, entisiä perustuksia ja portaita, päästiin osioon, jossa kerrottiin tapahtumat alusta loppuun saakka. Karmeinta oli kuulla nauhoja, joissa kuului ihmisten viimeisiä sanoja ja terveisiä kotiväelle. "Olen kunnossa. Muistakaa, että rakastan teitä aina. Ei hätää." Jostain syystä tulee enemmän ajateltua, kuinka ahdistavaa ihmisillä on mahtanut ollut torneissa, kun niihin törmättiin, mutta ei kaapatussa lentokoneessa istuminenkaan kuulosta kovin houkuttelevalta.

After seeing photos, old foundations and stairs, we got into the section where everything was told right from the beginning to the end. The most horrible thing was to hear people's last words to their loved ones on a tape. "I'm alright. Remember that I'll always love you. No need to worry." For some reason, I always tended to think how agonizing it must have been in the towers when the planes crashed, but on second thoughts, being in a hijacked plane doesn't sound very tempting either. 

Arkiset esineet toi paljon inhimillisemmän lähestymistavan tapahtumaa kohti - muun muassa naisen katkennut korkokenkä, likaisia vaatteita ja palomiesten tarvikkeita oli esillä museossa. Toisaalta loppupäässä - jolloin en enää jaksanut hirveästi keskittyä - oli kerrottu perusteellisesti al Qaedasta ja heidän aatteistaan. Sieltäkin löytyi äänitteitä ja vaikka minkälaista alkuperäistä lappua ja esinettä. Yhtä aikaa niin karmivaa, mutta kiinnostavaa. Museo oli kyllä kokonaisuudessaan todella kattava ja visiittinsä arvoinen. Piipahtakaa täällä siis, jos matkaatte New Yorkiin!

Everyday objects brought a much more humane approach towards the incident. They had a broken high heel, dirty clothes and the equipment of the firefighters. on display in the museum. Then again, in the end - when I was already a bit too tired to fully concentrate - they thoroughly told about al Qaeda and its ideology. You could also find tapes and all sorts of original notes and objects. At the same time it's so chilling but interesting. Overall, the museum was very comprehensive and worth a visit. So pop inside if you're on your way to New York!

Shopping guide for NYC part 2

Moikkamoi! Puolentoista vuoden blogitaipaleen jälkeen, tuskanhien sekä monien mutkien ja matkojen kautta tulin siihen tulokseen, että alan kirjoittamaan blogia suomeksi! Abivuonna on jollain tavalla korostunut se vapaus, mitä oma äidinkieli tuo kirjalliseen ilmaisuun: sanavalinnat, kielellä leikkiminen ja luovuus. On ollut ihanaa kirjoittaa englanniksi - siinä on oppinut todella paljon! - mutta aika ajoin se käy melko raskaaksi. Tämä ei kuitenkaan tarkoita, että unohtaisin englannin kokonaan, vaan tulen kirjoittamaan kahdella kielellä tai hätätapauksissa lyhyemmät referoinnit englanniksi. Katsotaan, miten tämä lähtee sujumaan!

Hey guys! As you probably noticed, the previous text was in Finnish. I've realized how much more free one is when they can express themselves in their native language. Therefore, I've decided to write my blog in Finnish. But it doesn't mean that I'll forget about English! No way. I don't want my blog to be readable only for the 5,5 million people in Finland, you know. From now on, I'll continue with two languages - perhaps some of you learn a little Finnish simultaneously :-D Let's see how this goes! 

NINTENDO WORLD

Joo elikkäs nimi varmasti kertoo olennaisimman! Kaksikerroksinen Nintendo- kauppa tuli oikeastaan sattumalta vastaan, kun oltiin menossa MoMAan. Tää siis sijaitsee Rockefeller centerin lähistöllä aukiolla nimeltä Rockefeller Plaza. Siellä sitten ihmeteltiin maailman älyttömyyttä ja pikkuveljellä tarttu kyllä mukaan suloinen Pikachu-pehmolelu, eli ei ollut ihan turha reissu :-D

I guess the name tells everything! We ran into the two-storey Nintendo shop accidentally when we were on our way to MoMA. It's located near Rockefeller center at Rockefeller Plaza. There we just spent time wondering the crazy world we live in and my little brother ended up bying a cute stuffed Pikachu toy, so this visit wasn't totally in vain!

Ylä- ja alakerrassa oli paljon pelejä, joita pystyi pelaamaan kuka tahansa. Kauppa olikin täynnä vaikka minkälaisia pelejä ja tuntui, että suurin osa oli tullut sinne vain pelaamaan. Eipä siinä mitään pahaa olekaan! Taisi olla kaikki mahdolliset Nintendot - vai miksikä näitä kutsutaankaan - vitriinissä. Mukana oli harvinaisempia 80-luvun mallejakin.

Upstairs and downstairs there were lots of games which anyone could grab and play. The shop was full of them and it felt as if most of the people had only come to play. But hey, it's okay! I think they had every possible Nintendo in the showcase. There were also some rarer models from the 80s.


LEGO SHOP

Sitten oli tämä toinen lasten unelmakauppa Rockefeller plazan lähellä. Erityisesti jäi mieleen legopakkaukset, joissa oli maailman kuuluisimpia nähtävyyksiä, kuten Eiffel-torni ja Empire State Building. Teki mieli ostaa itelleenkin niitä ja alkaa rakentelemaan! Keskellä kauppaa oli jättimäinen torni, josta sai ostaa irtomyynnistä erilaisia legopalikoita pieniin pussukoihin. Tämä jos mikä olisi ollut hyödyllinen kauppa penskana! Aina oli tietyt pala hukassa ja niitä sai olla etsimässä sohvien alta ja kaappien kätköistä.

Then there was this paradise for children near the Rockefeller plaza. Especially the lego packages that had world famous sights, such as the Eiffel tower or the Empire State Building, stuck into my mind. Would've wanted to buy them and start building! In the middle of the shop there was a gigantic tower from which you could choose different lego bricks into small bags and purchase them. Boy, how this would've been useful as a kid! Always some of the bricks went missing and we would have to search for them under couches and inside cupboards.

Luvassa olisi vielä jonkun verran New Yorkin postauksia, kun kerta tämä bloggailu jäi vähemmälle kirjoitusten ja muiden kiireiden vuoksi. Tulihan tuota käytyä Budapestissäkin kuukausi sitten, joten siitä kanssa lisää myöhemmin sitten! Hyvää pääsiäistä kaikille ♥

There are still some posts about New York coming up, since I've been away from the blogosphere due to my matricultation exams and other things that have kept me occupied. We did visit Budapest about one month ago with my friend, so more about that later on then! Have a happy Easter everyone♥

Shopping guide for NYC

New York is massive city with endless shopping possibilities, which is why it might seem frustrating to find the perfect places to shop. I was confused before we left, because I only knew where the high end shops were located and the fact that there were some shops all over Times Square. Despite the research I did with the help of Google and a millions of similar-looking keywords, I couldn't clearly find a list of shops that the streets had. So I present you this shopping guide!


WEST 34th STREET
This is a bustling street right in the centre of Manhattan, a few blocks away from Times Square. Its nearest subway stops are Herald Square and Penn Station. I found this amazing site where you can see the full directory of all the shops on the street, including their addresses! But these ones listed below might be the ones you're looking for, presuming you're a young woman. Oh, and in that case, the three-storey Victoria's Secret store will also be a must see even if you aren't going to buy anything in there! The world's largest Macy's store is something you shouldn't forget to check out if you step in New York. Especially before Christmas the little decorations and jolly lights in the showcases are just dazzling.

It was funny how we only had about one hour until our departure to the airport and I realized I had only seen Macy's from the outside! Off we went to the crowded undergr- I mean subway and so we were moving forward slow but steady. Apparently there was a track construction ahead, which was slowing down our speed significantly. Just our luck! I already thought we wouldn't make it to Macy's and back at time. We did get to the store and I even bought a pair of shoes because they felt amazing even though they had heels. Must have been one of the most random things during our trip. Well, at least visiting Macy's for the last time wasn't in vain.

TIMES SQUARETIMES SQUARE

I was surprised when I stepped into Forever 21 at Times Square. It was so big! 4 huge floors full of clothes and accessories for both boys and girls. I must have forgotten that everything is big in New York even though it might not look like it from the outside. Having said that, I found it nicer to shop at the Forever 1 at West 34th Street because they had more sizes over there. Anyway, at Times Square you can find for example Hershey's, Forever 21, Toys'R'Us, H&M, Disney Store, Sephora, Levi's, Express, American Eagle, Aeropostale, M&M's World, U.S. Polo and Walgreens.

Alright, I think it's time to go to have a good rest before the new week so good night everyone! These shopping posts will be continued shortly.

Chinatown & Little Italy

I think Chinatown and Little Italy were on my to-do list right from the beginning. Even though they are pretty much packed with tourists, it was a nice little change to see different cultures blended in in New York. And as an Italian food lover what would have been a better place to find pasta than Little Italy! (Well, perhaps Italy) We went on a three-course dinner in the first restaurant we came across and weren't disappointed. At least I know I wasn't. I just made a rookie mistake and ordered something I wasn't sure about; I should have know that mushrooms are a crucial part of the Portobello salad. Haha. Besides the mushrooms it was great ♥

I would love to tell long exciting stories about these neighbourhoods but I think that's about it- We wandered for a while after eating in the restaurant and left after that. Before leaving I wanted to buy something I couldn't find in Finland, so I decided it was time to step inside one of the Asian shops.Most of them looked like they sold meat in any form and some guy was casually delivering livers in a plastic bucket with no lid on. I guess that's how things roll over there.

We found a Japanese shop and of course it sold the cutest Hello Kitty candy. A little girl inside me wanted the cute stuff, so I just had to have it!

Staten Island & the Statue of Liberty

I had previously read on some blogs about the Staten Island ferry, which is free and goes between Manhattan and Staten Island every half an hour. I thought it would be a great way to see the Statue of Liberty, since I didn't have a hankering to queue at the foot of the Statue itself. So on a sunny day - the only sunny day - we headed to Staten Island and did a little cruise at the same time. I know most of the passengers were commuters, but I did also see a lot of tourists among them.

Once we got to Staten Island, we weren't sure what to do because this borough was huge and we hadn't done much investigation about its sights. So we wandered around for a while, just to see what kind of a place we had landed in. And I've got to say, it was so different from Manhattan! Staten Island seemed like a sympathetic neighbourhood, whereas Manhattan was sparkling new.

I couldn't help thinking how much Staten Island started to remind me of Britain. You know, old cute houses and those wiggly roads with small pubs and cafés. It looked so cute. After sauntering on a few roads we thought it would be best to leave as we hadn't planned to do anything in Staten Island. Perhaps going to a mall over there would have been a good idea; I presume the prices are a bit lower there than in Times Square. If it only had been summer, I also would have loved to see the botanical gardens. Actually, there would have been lots to see if we would have just stayed longer on this side of New York.

Before we said good bye to Staten Island, we had a few slices of pizza at one of the restaurants at the harbour, which was heavenly. Then we squeezed through to get into the ferry to admire the skyline of Manhattan for a while and then continue to the WTC museum. Oh, and even though it was +13 this very day, it was a good choice to put on a think coat. It was windy, just like it tends to be in New York City!