So let’s do this then again, solo NYC travel to AnimeNYC. It just seems like yesterday that I went to New York but in light of all of the travel and trips that I have been doing this year, it does seem in some regards a distant memory. It was less than 8-9 months ago, in Nov when I went but this time it’s the summer, let’s see how that goes for this day 0/day 1.

I realize that in some of my trips I do a day 0 but for some others it’s actually day 1 on the travel day; I think it depends on how I feel and if any notable activities are done on the same day as travel. Being that NYC is pretty close, I will have things to see/do today so yea, day 1. Airport looking pretty empty right now here.

Got my nice boarding pass, ready to go. I’ve gotten used to Air Canada’s automated checked luggage thing, noice.

Proof of existence, airport before security check edition.

When I got inside the terminal I see this restaurant by celebrity chef Lynn Crawford. Hmm, I don’t believe i’ve ever seen this before, nor have I been to this terminal before, at least to my memory. Can’t remember.

Motherfuckers what the hell is this lol. Damn, Wahl Burgers has invaded Pearson airport, dang. Maybe they will open more locations in Toronto and not just in the airport. It’s kind of jokes how weeks ago I went out of my way in Boston to try it there in it’s place of birth, but now they have one at home too. Across from it is also a standard Tim Hortons with usual traffic.

Since it was pretty early I ultimately decided to try that Hearth restaurant by Lynn Crawford for some breakfast. I knew it was going to be a bit expensive but yea, this standard breakfast was better than average, they have some nice special hot sauce and etc too. After coffee and tip, the final bill is like $32; airport food man, it’s not cheap; plus a sit down at a celebrity chef? Yea, kinda expected.

While magazines are a relic of the past, I see them more as nice paper now, relics to collect and display; a show of the times and what’s going on. Looks like everyone is focusing on the upcoming US elections and Harris and other topical subjects of our times like generative AI, hmmm.

When it was bout time to board they announced that the flight was overbooked and were looking for people to stay back and wait for the next flight, 2 hours later at like 2:30pm. After a while with no takers, they offered $700 in Air Canada flight credits if people volunteered. After a few more minutes they upped the offer to $1000. Then when still not enough people came forward, they then offered it in cash via cheque mailed it to them. After then they got enough people. Apparently they needed four people to stay behind, and the earlier people who took lower offers were complaining why they couldn’t get the max deal of 1k in cash, jokes.

A very short flight of like 1 hour but they still gave us snacks and drinks, noice.

Exiting out of the terminal you can immediately tell that these two girls were also here for the convention, no doubt as artists because the one on the right was carrying a box filled with acrylic charms and the one on the left carrying display poles. You can kinda tell who is here for the convention, more so than others. I mean there were a few peeps wearing hololive and oshi no ko shirts already in the area.

After an extremely long and expensive taxi cab from the airport after picking up my luggage I got to my hotel at the Courtyard Marriott Manhattan Times Square West. Man that was a horrible ride, it was over 1 hour because of the traffic and I think my taxi cab guy sucked, like I think we was taking slow ass routes and shit, the cab was bumpy and cost me like $70, shiet, I can’t remember it costing that much last year. Whatever. At least my room looks nice and clean.

Hmm, not that I look at it, it’s basically the exact kind of room and layout at I had the last time I was in NYC lol. Maybe all hotels in this area have the same kind of room and layout? So strange that it ended up the exact same almost, although this room is much better purely because they have a mini fridge in the corner, noice.

After a quick rest and wash up I decided to get sometime to eat for the afternoon lunch, pizza here to we. It’s actually the same exact place as my first pizza that I had in New York last year lol shit. It’s like only 1 block away so why not?

Decided to go with pepperoni and sausage this time. Pretty good shit man, like I said, NY pizza is just better, their crust and bottom is actually crispy and thin, good shit. The topping good to, this cost I think $4 flat. The cheapest offering is plain cheese, at only $1.50. No wonder ghetto people hang around this place and chain in general.

I needed to pick up the badges I got I brought from the official reseller Lyte from an approved retailer of animeNYC. Of course Kinokuniya is one of them.

I only brought one Saturday badge through official reseller/scalper site Lyte but for some reason they sent me another QR code a day later. I guess the fucked up or something. I don’t care to I redeemed both lol. Maybe I can sell one on the street if someone is desperate. I still have to pick up Friday and Sunday at the convention center tommorow because yea, I brought it officially so it has to be that way, pain in the ass.

Since I am here might as well check the place out again and do some shopping. As one can imagine, it’s very busy here, mainly with pre con people and such.

It wasn’t open when I came last year but there is a place to actually buy Japanese food on the second floor to sit at where they have all their artbook/figure and manga stuff cool.

I have 3 of the 4 figures in this pictures and all I can say that they are massively overpriced, roughly double of what they cost originally retail. Worst yet, all of these figures also went in the bargain bin at AmiAmi, so they are really marking these figures up for the desperate and needy.

‘I killed your dad’ manga looking fine in English.

Some were already in cosplay and the like shopping. Maybe there is a pre con event or party tonight, but yea, somewhat expected.

On the subway to my next destination for today. Nice photo of the people in the subway, I like this kind of photo. A photo snapshot in time for the ages.

I did it. I went to dumbo and am taking photos of the so called famous dumbo alleyway with the view of the bridge.

I did it. Portrait blurred focused proof of existence edition.

I did it. Asking some random fool to take a photo of me and that can’t take good focused photos of me for shit edition. I tried and it looks ok but why is it so dark? Either way, I did it.

I did it. Thumbs up closer to the bridge edition blurred bridge portrait focused version with nice lighting.

After the majority of people finish their photos of the dumbo best photo spot, they walk the pathway to see more bridges and shit. Not bad.

For some reason on the way they have a carousel for kids that is like enclosed in some glass plastic box, weird but sure. This photo kinda jokes with the two women sitting tho.

Not too busy for a Thursday evening but still a decent amount of people on the boardwalk.

Nice place for wedding photos it seems like.

Nice place for gay couple photos too I guess, oh shit.

Nice place for proposal too I guess and hiring a secret photographer to take photos and video while you are proposing I guess. I clapped when they hugged and she accepted.

After enough nice photos I went into the nearby Time Out Market, yes another one of these food court kind of things that is so popular around the world for tourists. New York edition.

Went to the second floor to grab some food from one of the hot food place, Bark Barbecue, a Texas/Dominican fusion BBQ place. They had a line but when I came close to my order, they announced that they are almost sold out of all meats, and most probably won’t get anything, shit. Luckily they had some still left.

They were all out of sandwiches and only had pulled pork and chicharrones by the half pound, basically domincan style roast pork. I got the roast pork half pound and a side of mac and cheese. Overall pretty good shit. Very tasty and crispy pork, quite a different experience from Chinese style roast pork I can say, and the sauce and condiments go well like the pickles and pickled red onions. Good shit. Would go again, if they had more stock.

I left Time out market and went to another pizza place near Dumbo that people say is good, Front Street Pizza.

Decently busy and a bit touristy since it’s so close to ‘the spot’ in dumbo but that’s fine.

Basic cheese slice, pretty good shit. cost $3.25 so a bit pricier than 2Bros pizza but I think quality a bit better. Good shit, nice and crispy and thin, good to fold to eat. Good shit.

The statue outside is jokes, dude is doing my kind of pose for real.

Since I came via subway pass the Brooklyn bridge, now is the time to cross in going back towards Manhattan. This is where the trail begins/ends for the walkway to the bridge.

Sun’s coming down in New York. Guess the Hulk finds calm in this photo.

The real walkway begins when the route becomes a wood boardwalk, noice.

Mexican cut fruit sellers. I have no idea why they are here and why they are allowed to sell fruit but sure? They were getting business.

Even from me lol. For $6 it’s just overpriced fruit but I was kind of thirsty and ran out of water so yea, why not. They also had bottles of water being sold but why do that when I can have fruit. I opted for no spice, just some watermelon. It was nice.

Getting dark now, the city and bridges begin to light up, noice.

Another nice view. Some people were mad lads and sitting on the metal railing and shit to take selfies and shit. Damn man, mad lads, they could die if they slip.

Proof of existence, try smile edition in the dark bridge edition.

Nice view of the skyline, too bad my phone doesn’t do so great in the dark.

Once I got on the other side of the bridge back to Manhattan, decided to try and walk to one last place. See this nice anime mural in this non-anime related area for some reason, strange but cool.

This is one of the places I was curious about, the World Trade Center, I believe. I am not sure when they built this, if it was before or after 911 but it certainly is quite a interesting cool future like building.

Inside it’s crazy looking, looks like I am in the super future with this kind of design and architecture.

Looks like something from MIB or some Scifi future movie. Really cool building and inside too. Filled with shops and stuff that connect to several subway lines too.

Walking through the World Trade Center, it leads outside to a path that leads to the 9/11 memorial museum. It is obviously closed now but you can see that it is a thing to go to if you want to.

And here I am, at the site of 9/11, the former location of the twin towers, now replaced with big square water fountain pits as memorial landmarks. You can’t go to them after the museum is closed it seems and they block out access all around with barricades. They also have police cars just sitting around on the road, I guess to patrol the area to make sure no one jumps the fences and goes hooligan/terrorist to disrespect the location. Wow, they take this shit really seriously, even after hours it seems.

On the way back to the World Trade Center to catch the subway back to my hotel is this cool statue, noice kid for extra effect of size.

Checking out youtube via the tv app. Some interesting search results from previous visitors of my room it seems lol.

Ah yes, my contribution to the youtube search history, Hololive vtuber Gigi Murin channel, jokes.

And that ends my first travel day/day one back in New York. Did a decent amount of shit today, let’s see how things go tomorrow for the first day of AnimeNYC. Let’s go, get some sleb.