During my trip to New York, the food scene was high on my list of things to experience. I knew the United States wasn’t the perfect destination for the highest quality cuisine, but it is indeed the best place to try fast food and experience food chain restaurants. IHOP, the iconic International House of Pancakes, was on top of the list of places I wanted to visit.
The next morning, we headed to IHOP for breakfast. The first thing we noticed was the menu. It was huge, with lots of options to choose from, ranging from classic pancakes, biscuits, and omelettes to unique combinations such as chicken waffles, steakburgers, and various platters I had never heard of. Dominik opted for the classic American breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausages and a pancake), while I chose chicken waffles. I had always wanted to try this combination, as many people were raving about it, and I was pleasantly surprised!
I felt like a crazy tourist, being excited about something so simple, but I couldn’t help myself. I was in New York! After our breakfast, we were ready to explore Manhattan. The whole experience was surreal to me, and I was excited about literally everything: the yellow taxis, the school buses, the signal signs, the skyscrapers—everything was so different compared to Europe.
We visited numerous shops, including Macy’s and Barnes & Noble (a dream of mine since I was fifteen). We also explored Madison Square Garden, strolled through Rockefeller Center (which soon became one of our favourite hangout spots), and even got lost in Grand Central Station.
We couldn’t find the main entrance to the building, so we spent about twenty minutes walking around in the underground tunnels, which felt like a big, scary maze, searching for the main hall. To be honest with you, I’m surprised that we didn’t get mugged. Most of the alleys were empty and it felt like we were completely isolated from the rest of the world. Trust me, you don’t want to get lost in the largest train station in the world. We managed to find the way, though!
When walking around the main hall, all I could think of was the iconic scene from Gossip Girl. I felt like Serena Van Der Woodsen, only slightly more excited to be there. Feeling a bit hungry, we snapped a few photos and then headed back outside, looking for something to eat.
I knew Dominik was going to love Panda Express. He’s a big fan of Chinese food, so when I found out they had a branch in the city, I just had to take him there. While I don’t remember the first time I heard of this fast food, I’ve certainly watched enough mukbangs to remember it for its orange chicken. So, naturally, that’s what I ordered. And it was delicious!
After our dinner, we decided to head back to our hotel and call it a night. We were still a bit jetlagged, so we decided to relax for a bit and go to bed early.
