This is it. Takk for meg. Bis denn.

Hello, my beloved readers!

As my time in Kansas City is over, so is my blog. This will be my last entry here- please don’t be too upset ’bout that. Thank you for reading and liking (if you did)!

I am back in NYC, safe and sound. I am now allowed to stay in the US another three months- a shame it’ll only be two weeks. But then again- it will be really good to get home, too.

Toronto was a nice city, beautiful and clean (I seem to be obsessed with how clean cities are. I’m surprised myself.), not too big. The weather was sunny and hot, that sure always helps. I did not do too much while there, I preferred to rest my legs (showing effects, they are pretty much back to normal!). One thing that I did see was the shoe museum. It wasn’t too impressive, but OK to kill a couple of hours.

Napoleon’s socks

Downtown Toronto

People at the hostel kept telling me about all these people that come to Canada because their visa expire, and everybody knew somebody who wasn’t let back in to the US. Needless to say, I was a bit worried. You never know with the American border peeps, they are pretty hardcore. I freak out no matter what they say. Every answer you give is replied to by them yelling back WHY?! Jeeeez! But the ones I met when I went back now were actually nice, I think the first nice American border officers I’ve ever met. They may have been Canadian.

Back in NYC- living the good life for two more weeks (11 days now). I have “my own” apartment these days, I cannot even start to tell you how awesome that is. Rosa, I owe you so big time, girl! Thank you again!!! You are the best!

This place will be available for rent in August- if interested, let me know. I’ll redirect you to Rosa. And what a wonderful excuse to show you my Rosa’s apartment here 🙂

New York is awesome as ever, and I intend to enjoy every single moment here. Bergen and the real life is just around the corner- but for 11 more days, not quite yet.

Thank you for reading, now it’s time to say goodbye. Most of you I’ll see again this summer, and I am so looking forward to that!! To my new friends found along the way here, I truly hope we’ll meet again someday. Take care. <3

 

Compliments in NYC.

Hello, my fans!

When I came to NYC the first time in 2009 I was blown away by how friendly everybody was (on my first day I was struggling my suitcase up the stairs at the subway station. A man hurried up the stairs past me- stopped at the top- turned around- came down and carried my suitcase up for me. What a gentleman!). Now, during my months in the Midwest people there kept on telling me how rude people on the east coast are- especially compared to themselves (Midwestners are pretty friendly, I’ll give them that. Remember my best friend the Bank Lady?). I could not really understand this, as it did not match my impression: all I remembered was smiling faces all around. So I thought I’d pay a little extra attention to that now, to see who was right. I hate to admit that there was a small detail I overlooked in my first-time-NYC-euphoria in 2009: Almost without exception, the only strangers being nice to me in this city (if so), are men. That leads me to believe that it is not an east-coast-thing, but rather a biological thing, somehow more rooted in American east coast men than women. My bad.

Believe it or not, but people here keep on asking me for directions. I can hardly think of a greater compliment! Sometimes I even know the answer. That rocks. An even bigger compliment is to be asked about subway connections (knowing the subway map by heart takes a decent while of being here, like living here for reals), preferably without even having had eye-contact first. People seem to simply feel the need to adress me out of the blue because they seem to sense that I just must know everything about NY. Well, what can I say. Sometimes I even know the answer.

Today that happened again- and I had to smile to myself. Stupid tourists, it would have been so easy to recognize me as being one of them:

To cite Andy Dufresne: …But who does ever really pay attention to a (wo)man’s shoes.

I do hold the strong belief that pretty much no New Yorker would be seen walking around Manhattan in running shoes. From my discrete observations, 97% of the people in running shoes I’ve seen here are tourists. How I know? They will pull out a map at some point, lean over other people to check out the map on the wall, or simply ask me for directions (needless to say that I only steal short glances of my own map when I am positive no one is watching).

Besides walking around feeling like Tim Robbins on the loose, I also went to see the 9/11 memorial. That was something worth a visit.

Two pools where the WTC towers used to be.

The names just went on and on. They were arranged in such way that the people’s names related to each other, and/or who died close to another, were put next to each other.

New towers are built.

In the middle of it all, a beautiful and quiet park.

That was a weird feeling- so nice and calm surroundings, yet the underlaying knowledge that this is where thousands of people died. Gripping.

The Survivor Tree- I stood originally right here, and was crippled during the 9/11 attack. However, it was dug out, and it rebloomed. Now it has been brought back here, still growing.

As the child of nature that I am (at least sometimes), this moved me, too.

The admission to the memorial is for free. I do like the feeling though that the humble donation I made will contribute to rebuild the new WTC. Maybe paying for a door knob, or something.

Now it’s time to leave this city for a tiny while. Dad, I will do my best to not make a pit stop at Guantanamo on my way back.

Toronto tomorrow it is. Greyhound busses rock!!

<3


 

 

 

Greetings from the finest place on earth.

Hello, my dear readers!

Here I am, back where I believe I have lived a couple of former lives. The weekend has been great, hanging out with old and new friends- and partying like rock stars. The weather is a bit of everything, and I could not care less about that. I’m here, that’s good enough for me. I have not taken too many pictures here yet, but I promise to try to become better on the picture front (as we say in Norway).

When in the hippest neighborhood of the hippest city, I only shoot hipstamatic:

One of the things I love about NY is that you never quite know what’s waiting for you around the next corner. Here I just wanted to check out the view from the Williamsburg water line, and found a food festival. I have never seen so many beautiful people gathered in one place.

Carbs are OK when they are this small, and organic:

Oh, the view.

There is definetly no lack of choices in this city. When it comes to perfumes, you can smell like roses, grass, or dirt. And of course:

… who would not want that.

Panduro kan ta seg en bolle:

Today I’ve been around and about, amongst others getting a foot analysis. Now that my (right) ankle is fine again, the left foot is hurting like crazy, as I’ve been putting more pressure on the left one to relieve the right one (this is what you get when you read my blog instead of a 16 years old one’s who is occupying the top list. Foot problems. My appologies.) Not being able to walk in this city is just crazy, and not an option. As I wanted to get new running shoes anyways, I decided to get the most perfect ones for my ageing feet. So after scanning and analysing my feet for 45 minutes, I found my pair. These I will be seen wearing the next days, fashionista or not:

In case any of you have started planning their christmas gifts yet, a set of new feet is on the very top of my wish list.

On wednesday I leave for Toronto, will be back here on Saturday. Twelve hours bus ride each way will be so much FUN! Oh, but what I wouldn’t do to be allowed to stay a couple more weeks in NY. All for you, my love.

This is it for now, TTYS. <3