Tag: new-york

The Trip that I didn’t like

June 23, 2024 by Ruth Misori

While traveling is typically a fun adventure for me and I usually enjoy my time, there were trips that I took in the past that I didn’t like or enjoy, which is sometimes a normal downside of traveling. This also applies to everyone else who frequently travels, and the reasons why they may not like their trips can vary differently from the weather to the foods, to the atmosphere to the vibes of people. Other reasons can be due to clashes of different traveling styles when traveling with people or in groups. Then there’s others who may not like their trip because the location was overwhelming or boring, or simply because they felt out of place. I will say that regardless of the reason why anyone didn’t like a specific trip that they took are still valid, and I also want to remind you that what you may like, may not be for others because everyone goes at their own pace and has certain expectations for their trips. This also goes for the other way around in case everyone around you is enjoying a specific trip and you’re thinking to yourself that it wasn’t your cup of tea- and that’s okay! So, to each their own!

Last year during Labor Day weekend, I made the awful mistake of booking a day trip from D.C to New York City. I booked it because I wasn’t from the east coast and figured that since I’m going to be traveling to D.C for a few days, then I may as well take the initiative of visiting NYC for the first time that coming Sunday. I will say that I did technically plan this trip ahead of time since I already booked the flights and the Amtrak tickets a couple of months back (so, it wasn’t on a whim, y’all), and did ask one of my mother’s friends if she would be willing to take me sightseeing upon my arrival to Manhattan (which she gladly accepted). However, due to my poor planning (and false hope that I could see most of NYC in only a day), we we’re both strapped for time, and I was ultimately disappointed. I distinctively remembered how my mother’s friend and I rushed through several bus stops, after several unsuccessful attempts of hailing taxis to quickly get back to the train station with only 5 minutes left to spare before I returned to D.C, and I was so devastated. I didn’t even have time to get any souvenirs and I was overall miserable.

I woke up very early the day of my trip to NYC after sightseeing in D.C the day before, and I admittedly didn’t get enough rest, and had to leave for the Union Station at 4-something in the morning so my train can leave for NYC at 5 and arrive at 8. I had booked a return ticket for 3pm because I was traveling solo and didn’t feel too comfortable being in NYC after sunset or navigating public transit at night since I wasn’t staying, so I understood that I only have a solid 6 1/2 hours of sightseeing with my mom’s friend and honestly, the last hour was spent trying to quickly get back to Penn Station so that I don’t miss my train ride. I will say that the only highlight of NYC was reuniting with my mom’s friend, whom I haven’t seen in a long time, and her taking me out to a delicious pizza joint in Brooklyn (Juliana’s Pizza, I believe), where I had a mini reunion with a margherita pizza (pictured above).

I planned this short trip because I had recently did something similar when I booked a weekend trip to London during my time in Spain, and despite only being there for two days, I was still able to do and see so much of England and assumed that the same thing would apply to NYC, even if it was for a day. Big mistake! I completely messed up by not booking at least a three-day trip to NYC when I would have the ability to stay longer and go sight-seeing with my mom’s friend and actually seeing the main pinpoints of the city, like Central Park, or attending a Broadway show, or really diving into the boroughs that make NYC so worth visiting! Both my mother’s friend and I were robbed of those opportunities due to my poor planning for a day trip with less than 7 hours, and the only places that I got to visit were Time’s Square (which everyone apparently hates) and the Brooklyn bridge through the ferry rides.

So, I can definitely say that I didn’t truly visit NYC, or at least visit NYC the way that I wanted to, and this bad trip left a sour taste in my mouth and set a negative tone for the rest of my trip in D.C, and I was still very bitter about it a few months afterwards. I was very salty towards NYC because I barely saw it! I remember feeling so grumpy (and sleep deprived) on the train back to D.C, that a passenger next to me sensed this and actually got up and moved to another available spot! I feel bad about that to this day, but maybe it was for the best because they were allowing me to be alone to process my emotions, and I respect that, but I still feel bad. The worst part of the trip was the fact that we were approached by bus tour guides offering discounts to take bus tours and we declined because I figured that since my mom’s friend was already from NYC, then she knows the city like the back of her hand, and that we could equally see as much in 5 hours on foot. I regret saying no because that would’ve at least given us an opportunity to see a lot more since we have the option of getting off at certain stops (it was a hop-off-hop-on bus), then getting back on to see other spots in less than 5 hours without feeling too exhausted, and I loved taking bus tours in other cities previously. So, that’s definitely my biggest regret while being in NYC.

Now that many months have passed, and I know better, I can plan better because that trip was not it! My desire to visit NYC has even returned and I can’t wait to take a proper trip with my mom’s friend and see all of the sights that she originally had in stored for me, and more! So, one day I look forward to returning and actually seeing most parts of NYC because this time, it’ll be planned better. Now a tip that I give to you regarding day trips is to make sure that you have at least 7-8 hours at your destination, not including transit time, otherwise it will be a waste of time and money. I will say that day trips overall are fun, and I have taken many of them in the past prior to this NYC trip, but the locations I visited were usually 1-2 hours away, which gave me the opportunity to stay longer and sightsee for at least 10 hours before I felt satisfied to leave. So, if you’re thinking about planning a day trip and it doesn’t last for more than 8 hours at your destination, then it isn’t worth it.

The purpose of planning day trips is to be strategic without having the burden of planning a traditionally longer trip while enjoying the convenience of a weekend trip. You first need to find out if the day trip that you want to take is feasible in the first place. Then if you feel that it is, then you’ll need to figure out what type of transport is needed to get to your location (bus, car, train, plane) and how long it takes to travel both ways, and if the costs of taking public transit is manageable (if booking for a holiday, then at least make sure tickets are booked 2-3 months in advance since they’re likely going to sell out). Now as for activities and excursions, try to go ahead and book them two weeks in advance instead of booking them upfront (unless there’s better deals in person) on their personal websites or through excursion apps, like GetYourGuide or Viator. Those apps are usually decently priced and have a variety of options of things to do in case you haven’t planned anything yet. They even have bus tours which I took in the past in D.C and London. Or, if you don’t want to plan anything online, then the best way to travel on day trips is to visit friends who will take you sightseeing since they’re already familiar with the location and can help you avoid tourist traps or scams, and it makes traveling with people you already know a ton of fun.

While I don’t enjoy my trip to NYC, it doesn’t mean that I can’t plan again and try to revisit, because now that I know that I can’t see NYC in a day, I can take the opportunity to plan in the future so that I can see my mom’s friend and explore most of NYC and really enjoy my time. So, if you’re planning a day trip to a popular place like NYC or Philly or even Paris (from another European city, of course), make sure that you spend a lot of time there for more than 7 hours and make sure that the trip is doable because you don’t want to waste your time and money like I did. However, I don’t regret this experience because while they’re not all going to be roses and peaches, it does somewhat make a great story, even though I was mad at the time. So now I can move forward with better execution and planning- and hopefully more time, lol.