Returning to what I thought was my dream city is no longer as epic as it used to be. You know what I mean? Being here for the 4th time (actually the 5th, but one time I just slept at the airport waiting for a flight), I started to realize that this is just an ordinary city in an ordinary country. No, I still love it and, perhaps, would like to live here, but after several stays, the tourist layer of the city wears off, and you realize that, in essence, there is nowhere left to go. You can just walk around, sit in a cafe, etc. For example, you don't have to rush to Times Square every time you visit.

It's just that New York is my standard arrival and departure point from the States, so I'm so used to flying here, doing all my business like getting a SIM card, doing some shopping, and then going to Montana or continuing my travels. I think only those who have been to the same city several times will understand me.

Although, of course, even when you are in a city where you have been several times, you can find something new. Especially considering the fact that you haven't been there for about a year.

Upon arrival, as usual, I met my old friend Ruslan, who helped me rent a small room in a good area of Brooklyn this time, considering he was doing renovations at his place. A good thing for those who are going to rent a room or an apartment is Airbnb. An app where you can find apartments to rent at reasonable prices in a short time (short time means a couple of hours, or maybe less). True, as far as I understood, to get the address you need to pay for the rent by card, but you can buy a disposable card in any cheap store that sells cards like Amazon, eBay, etc. They have one-time debit cards, and at the checkout, they will immediately credit the cash you pay. Fast, convenient.

After that, we ate at a place, and then went to his friends, and I was just falling asleep on my feet, considering the flight. So by the evening, Ruslan woke me up and took me to the apartment where we rented a room for me, and I passed out there.

Day two.

In essence, I didn't make any plans. I just needed a SIM card, because without the internet, looking for Wi-Fi is not cool, yeah. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but packages like unlimited calls+SMS for a month and 10GB of LTE (which doesn't end, but just slows down after 10GB) cost about $60. Well, that's at T-Mobile, for example. Just for information. For those who want to connect.

Well, after the T-Mobile office, the usual walks around the city with the phone began, photographing "moments in the ordinary". Actually, I was heading to Central Park, trying to catch an interesting band that I've been listening to since my first year in the States. I'll talk about this later. I didn't catch them, so it just turned into a long walk with good photos.

I don't remember if I said this before, but it doesn't matter. I can remind you just in case. Frankly speaking, friends, taking a bulky camera with you is not worth it. Unless, of course, you are a professional photographer and are not planning any unique photos. But even in that case, you can take photos on your phone (if it allows, of course). In my first year, I took my camera with me. I took it out of my bag a couple of times, and then realized that it was just extra weight on my shoulder during travels. And with a phone: took it out of my pocket, took a picture, put it back. To each their own, of course, but I'm giving advice based on experience.

Nothing significant happened that day, and I returned home quite late. Considering I was living alone, it was, honestly, a bit scary. But it's okay - I managed.

In general, it's worth saying once again that you should be careful in New York, especially in some areas of Brooklyn, the Bronx, etc., where it can be quite dangerous in the evenings and at night. And during the day there can be many scammers, criminals, etc. Therefore, I especially appeal to those who are going for the first time: try not to walk alone in unfamiliar parts of the city.

Day Three.

In the morning I headed to the city again, and just went to Union Square, where I ended up in one of the largest bookstores in New York. I already wrote about one in LA, and here is the NY bookstore for you:) It's called Barnes & Nobles and is located right in front of Union Square. It consists of 4 or 5 floors and there, as usual, you can just read, sitting somewhere on the floor. I love the States for this. There are books for every taste, and there is also a whole floor with toys:)

I think book lovers understood where to go in NY.

Yes, by the way, there is, of course, a small section with vinyl records. This is typical for bookstores in the States. And in general, there were many different trinkets, including postcards for various events. At the time I was there, Father's Day was approaching, so most of the shelves were filled with postcards on this very topic. Moreover, the postcards there are truly unique.

By the way, I was always amazed at how easy it is to find new friends in the States. Sitting on a bench at the same Union Square, I easily and simply started a conversation with a local American woman. And the day before that in Central Park, I took a few pictures for a lonely girl who turned out to be a future lawyer from Denmark. We got to talking then and walked half of Manhattan. And, by the way, we still correspond periodically.

And there are a lot of such people there. Yes, as I said earlier, there are many scammers there, but with time and experience, it can be easily recognized: who just wants to chat, and who wants to scam you. People in big cities of this country sometimes just feel lonely, or it happens that they can talk to someone out of politeness. This is absolutely normal.

So, if a stranger says hello to you on the street, you just need to say "Hey" in response, and not get scared and try to remember who it is:)

After Union Square, I moved through Manhattan towards Central Park to finally get to the performance of that very band. Regarding the band - I got to their performance when I was walking around NY on my first visit at that very fountain in Central Park. I even wrote about them briefly on the bonus page of the first blog. They captivated me with their covers, so I started listening to them constantly and following their music. Now they are already established artists, touring the states: giving concerts themselves or opening for someone. On music portals, their new songs are becoming quite popular, and they still continue to play on the street to gain popularity and just for the public. It's really nice. By the way, before arriving, I wrote to one of them on Facebook to find out where and when they would be playing. That's how I got to their performance. I bought a CD from them and asked them to sign it. Well, what... What if they become stars, and I already have autographs:) Oh yes... I didn't say... This band is City of the Sun. I highly recommend you look at them on YouTube or just search for their songs.

After meeting that very band, I headed to Times Square, where a meeting was scheduled with a very good friend of mine, with whom I worked last season in Montana. Well, it happened that she stayed to live in America, or rather in New York. So I visited her. And together with her, we went to a bar. I want to note that this was my first experience going to a bar as a 21-year-old. Yes, I officially showed my passport at the entrance, and then pompously walked inside. It's terribly pleasant, guys. Those who arrived in the States already being 21+ won't understand this moment:)

That's how we changed in less than a year:

We had a good time with my friend: we sat in a bar, walked around, etc. And the next day I was already planning to fly on calmly. Well, I thought it would be calm....