It’s Up To You New York, New York: I Visited For A Third Time

I had this trip booked to travel earlier in the year, but I wasn’t able to go. I was able to rebook for this month instead, though. This was my third time here by myself. You can read about those trips here and here.

Becca took me down to Gatwick and I had her drop me off in the long-stay car park (it was free for 2 hours). I did that so she could have a sleep and I would be able to get a shuttle bus to the terminal.

The flight over was uneventful. Before we took off, I was asked if I would swap seats. I said the only way I would do it is if it was another aisle seat and there was space for my luggage. If neither of these happened, then I wouldn’t switch. Thankfully both happened and it also meant I was closer to the front door.

I was apprehensive about landing in JFK as the last time it took over an hour just to get to immigration. There weren’t too many people in the queue, but there were still only 2 manned booths for non-US citizens. As the queue was almost finished, they allowed some of us to go to other manned booths.

I got through pretty quick. The agent just asked about why I was coming to the USA and when I was leaving. It was pretty quick for me.

Arrival Day

I went on the hunt for root beer and Three Musketeers. Sadly, I found neither. I just went for the AirTrain and then the Long Island Rail Road to the hostel. The area looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure why.
I checked in and the hostel looked quite good. I went to the room and the bed wasn’t made, so I went back to reception and they had someone change it.
I dropped my stuff off and sat for about 30 minutes and then headed out. I went to the Subway and decided I would go to Times Square. I called Addy and walked around with him so he could see it. I think he liked it. We went souvenir shopping too. I went to go find somewhere to eat, but there were a lot of road blocks by the police.
Addy messaged me later and told me that there had been a stabbing there and the person was shot and killed by the police. The person who was killed by the police had stabbed and killed someone. I am glad I wasn’t there when it was happening.
I left Addy and went and got some food and then headed back to the hostel so I could sleep. I was super tired.
Day 2
Today wasn’t much of an early start. The weather wasn’t looking promising and I was also super tired. I decided I would have a lie-in and then get up around 10:00 and then head out.

I did just that and as soon as I stepped outside, it was raining. I went back in and put my backpack cover on and got my umbrella out. I had decided that I wanted to go to Walmart today and the closest one was in New Jersey. Oh well, I’m always up for an adventure.

I headed to the Subway to 42nd Street/PABT. I found a Hudson News and they had some 3 Musketeers bars and I was so happy. I couldn’t find any yesterday – nor Barq’s root beer. I still haven’t found that, so I have had to make do with A&W or Mug.

I went in the direction where I thought the bus was picking up, but I was going the wrong way. I turned around and entered the PABT again and asked them where the bus picks up. They told me it was 3 floors up. I found someone up there to ask about tickets. My OMNY card doesn’t work for these buses, as they are run by NJ Transit and not MTA.

I was told I needed to buy them from the machine across the hall. I bought a return and it cost me $10.50. I had to wait 25 minutes for the bus. It was ok though; it was inside and out of the rain.

The bus turned up and it was a 25-minute ride from PABT to Walmart in Secaucus. I enjoyed the journey there. It’s a shame I couldn’t see a ‘Welcome to New Jersey’ state sign.

I got off and then headed into Walmart and had a look areound the aisles. If only I had the weight and baggage to get more than I did. I got some snacks for me and Ken and then some drinks for when I’m working on Thursday and Friday – though I don’t think it’s enough for the 2 days. Luckily, there are a few stores close by where I can get more if needed.

I decided to have some food at the McDonald’s here before heading back for the bus.

I saw a bus that was heading to American Dream. I kid you not. You can see below!

Our bus turned up and I wanted to sit on the left side so I could get some pics/videos of the New York City skyline from New Jersey. Judge for yourself how good it was.

Load more

Once I got off at PABT and decided I would go to Times Square and to M&Ms world. One of my friends wanted an M&M’s magnet, so I said I would get her one.

You see some sights during the day too. Exhibit ‘What The Hell’ below!

I got the magnet and checked with the sightseeing bus people about the time they started tomorrow and where the first stop was. I decided in McDonald’s that I would get a sightseeing bus ticket for tomorrow since it was only $29.75 instead of the usual $75.00 they would charge on the street.

I left here and then headed back to the hostel so I could empty my heavy backpack and so I could also chill for an hour or so.

I got up and left by 17:15 and decided I would head to the World Trade Center. I wanted to show Addy this area too.

As soon as I got out of the metro, he had messaged me so I decided to call him and show him the part of the city I was in. I was explaining the area to him too. He was asking if it was where the towers stood that were crashed into. I took him to the memorial there to show him.

As I was walking, the rain started and it started to get heavier the more I was walking. I stayed out walking since I had the backpack covered and my umbrella. It was thundering and lightning too. I was loving it. I did manage to get a few pictures here despite the rain. I think the rain helped the ambiance of where I was. It’s a memorial, so the rain felt right to keep it a place of remembrance.

From here I went and sat in the Oculus for about 20 minutes. I then left here (with Addy on the phone still) and then headed towards Brooklyn Bridge so I could show Addy. It wasn’t too good to see since it was raining and the clouds were low and it was a bit foggy.

I then went to get some food before heading back to the hostel.

Even though it rained, it was still a good day and it was nice to hear the rain after not having any for so long in England.

Tonight is an early night, though, since I am up at 06:30 so I can make the most of the sightseeing bus tomorrow.
Day 3
Today was a super early start for the bus tours. I wanted to get the first bus so I could do my usual of one round on each side of the bus. I also wanted to get the first bus so I could show Addy around the route so that he wasn’t staying up late. Yeah… that never happened.
The routes they had were a Downtown and Uptown route. Downtown was downtown Manhattan and Uptown was around Central Park.
Downtown Route
Times Square
Fashion District
Bryant Park
Empire State Building
Flatiron Building
SoHo
Chinatown / Little Italy
World Trade Center / Brooklyn Bridge
Brookfield Place
Cruise Pier
Hudson Yards
42nd Street
Port Authority
Uptown Route
Theater District
Dakota Building
American Museum of Natural History
Museum of the City of New York
Guggenheim Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Central Park Zoo
Carnegie Hall
I wasn’t really paying attention to the audio as I was just happy taking in the sights and sounds of the city. There’s something about seeing the city from the upper deck of the bus.
On the Downtown route, it took a little over 90 minutes to do the whole route. The rain held off aside from a few drops here and there. I didn’t mind. I was happy to sit on the top deck and just look out and wish I could live here.
You can see the route we took and some pictures from each side of the bus.

I got off at the end of this route and then went to find a bathroom so I didn’t have to sit through another round of not being able to concentrate.
The diabetes is a nightmare for needing to constantly drink and pee!
I went to the bus stop and I was told it would be another 30 minutes until the bus left. All of us waited patiently and then got on. It turns out there was a mechanical issue with the bus. We were sat on it for 20 minutes until the driver told us of the issue. We waited another 10 minutes and the replacement bus turned up. We got on and this driver said he wasn’t going to leave until the scheduled time of the next one. None of us was happy and we let him know it. He didn’t care, though. I sent a complaint email to the company. They’ll probably file it in the ‘Who cares about customer service!’ basket.
We finally got going and I was, again, happy to sit and take in the sights and sounds of the city. This was the Uptown route and took us around Central Park. As we were coming around to the East Side, it was starting to rain. It was just spitting to start with.
By the time we got to the end of this route, it was proper raining. I had already put on the poncho they gave me and I had my backpack cover on my backpack too. I was happy just sitting in the rain whilst everyone else was going downstairs and getting off the bus.
I didn’t get off to start with and just sat there and then decided I didn’t want to do another round in the rain. Who knows if we would have even left, since the driver was timing himself and didn’t care about any kind of schedule.
You can see the route we took and some pictures below.

Once I left the bus, I went across the street to use the bathroom so I could dry myself and my backpack cover and also get rid of the poncho.
I headed to the subway, as I had found an Arby’s I was going to go for dinner. I ended up going the wrong way for a few stops on the subway, and it was annoying. I got off and found the right side I needed to be on. Oh well, it’s helping me reach the fare cap of $34.00 for the week, so every other journey (with the exception of the JFK AirTrain) is free.
I got to Arby’s and ordered a half-pound beef sandwich and some large curly fries and a large drink.
I left here and then headed to the subway so I could head back to the hostel for the night. I decided I wanted a chill, easy night since I am working night shift (thankfully 13:00 – 01:00) for the next 2 days.
It turns out that American food doesn’t agree with me and my stomach was hurting the whole way home. I had to stop once so I could let it sort itself out. Thankfully, it was fine until I got back to the hostel.
Days 4 & 5
Day 6

Today was the day I planned to take the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. I had to be up around 08:00, which was brutal given that I didn’t finish work until 01:00.
I got up and got ready and then headed out to the Subway. I had some breakfast and then went to the Subway. I had to get the A train to Fulton Street and then the 4 train to Battery Park.
Where I needed to be was right there at Battery Park. I went to look for a bathroom because I can’t even look at liquid without needing to use the bathroom.
Once you have your ticket scanned, you then have to go through airport style security before heading to the boat.
The boat was absolutely packed. I had to stand on the lower deck. I managed to squeeze myself in at the back so I could call Addy and show him around. The calls kept disconnecting and it was infuriating. It was my signal, though. It wasn’t very good when sailing to the islands.
We got to Liberty Island and Addy was so happy to see Lady Liberty. I started walking around so he could see the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines along with Lady Liberty.
I have learned from being on Liberty Island that I really dislike a huge amount of the world population. I don’t know if I was just in a bad mood and that was making me feel like that.
I finished walking around and then headed to the ferry to go to Ellis Island. I called Addy once I was on the island so he could have a look around with me. Again, I’m not sure if it was because I was in a bad mood, but I wasn’t impressed with Ellis Island.
I was under the impression you could walk around the whole island, but you couldn’t. I didn’t really care about the museum, as they aren’t my thing. I thought Ellis Island was going to be more than just the museum. I did have a look for my family name and Addy’s family name, but they weren’t on there.
I got back to Manhattan and went to find a bathroom and then got on the subway and just went to different places in the city.
You can see some pictures from the day below.

I got a text from the airline to say that the flight home tomorrow will be delayed by 2 hours due to a late arrival of the aircraft. It makes no sense at all. The aircraft I am using left New York on time, so I don’t see why it won’t leave Gatwick on time.
I got back to the hostel and did some laundry and went to get some dinner and then headed back to the room to pack ready for tomorrow.

Today was the day to leave. I got word last night that the flight was going to be delayed by 2 hours. I didn’t know what I would do. The hostel check out was at 11:00 and I didn’t want to sit in the airport for an extra 2 hours. I also didn’t want to carry around my luggage.

I decided that I would just jump on the A train to the end of the line and then head back to Howard Beach-JFK station and then head to the airport. By the time I got to the airport, I had about 6 hours until boarding was due to start. I had about 45 minutes to wait until check-in opened.

I got to the front and asked if I could have an aisle seat due to my need to constantly use the bathroom. They wanted to charge me for it. Thankfully, they gave me an aisle seat anyway.

I went through security and then went to find a seat with a plug so I could charge my phone. I found a seat that overlooked one of the runways and the apron. I enjoyed sitting there.

We got another notification whilst sitting there that the flight would be delayed another 25 minutes. All in all, it was almost 4 hours late when we finally left. I had a row to myself and I tried to get some sleep. I think I got a couple of hours.

I landed in Gatwick and I had missed the 09:19 train. I managed to make the 09:49 train – so thankfully only 30 minutes after the scheduled train. We should have landed around 06:15 but ended up landing at 09:12.

I was so glad to be home and showered and just relaxing.

View all of my New York City media here

chris | Tuesday September 8th 2026 | Travel| New Jersey, New York, New York City, North America, Secaucus, Travel, USA | 0 Comments

It’s Up To You New York, New York: I Visited For A Third Time

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