Hotel Pennsylvania: τι υπάρχει τριγύρω, πώς να φτάσετε και πότε να πάτε · 2026

PPolinapolly_radchenko · 19 Ιουν 2012Διάβασμα

So, the blog is officially open and ready for reading) The 10-hour flight didn't seem that exhausting—I sat next to a pretty nice guy named Vasya, who was also a program participant. I was struck by the sheer number of people in lime-green t-shirts... are there really so many of us? O_o At the Washington airport, while waiting for our connection to NY, we all got to know each other, laughed, tried burritos (rarely have I tasted something so gross!!—my poor stomach cursed me), and overall had a great time during those 6 hours) But the beautiful New York, greeting us with colorful lights just past midnight, had already prepared some minor troubles for us. It turned out that the Hotel Pennsylvania could only provide a room for me and my friend at 3 p.m. on June 14th (and we arrived just after midnight on the 14th). The problem was that we didn't fly via full service and had accidentally booked rooms in the same hotel as everyone else... BUT! at the wrong time... in the end, a fairly friendly hotel employee kindly offered us his help (for which he was undoubtedly rewarded!!) and put me in a room with 3 Chinese girls, and my friend with 5 Russians. We slept for about 3 hours that night... woke up early and went for a walk through the streets of Manhattan! It was one full day in New York, and it will undoubtedly remain in my girl memory forever: a ton of money spent (how could I???), a ton of new blisters, incredible fatigue, photos, Americans, and... of course, the Empire State Building!!! The city is like in the palm of your hand... and you can't see the end or the edge of those stunning lights. And also, golden butterflies are flying in the sky... what are they? Fireflies? I don't know... but they were part of that atmosphere, the atmosphere of the American dream... Later, we were finally given the room we had booked, we spent exactly 1 night in it, paid $300, and headed to the state of Virginia, to a glorious city that someone named Williamsburg... P.S. Among the many new acquaintances, I would like to highlight the rapper Phinelia, whom we met while standing in line at hotel check-in. He doesn't know a single Russian rapper, which, as you can understand, says a lot..) A very cool and very talented guy. He gave us his CDs. A cutie:) Also, I apologize for the different fonts, it doesn't listen to me and doesn't want to be the same everywhere. Let it be something like an indicator of mood swings and emotions))

NZNatalia Zhilinanataliazhilina · 31 Ιαν 2015Διάβασμα

May 26th, flight to America, with a layover in London. British Airways—I never thought I'd fly on such a comfortable plane. I was separated by several thousand kilometers from New York, the city I wanted to visit more than anything in life. All I had to do was fly for a few hours and my dream would become reality. The thing is, I'm terrified of flying! And once again, finding myself on a plane, I turned into the most religious person! Although, that was the only thing that helped me overcome my fear. My cross, my pendant, and a ring—a gift from my parents—were all I needed! I managed fine until London; it was only about a four-hour flight. The company was good, too—a young man who was traveling on the same program as me. He supported me as much as he could! I'm ready to be grateful for that forever! Only the smallest thing remained: crossing the Atlantic Ocean! The landing gear touched the runway, the plane began to slow down sharply... An indescribable feeling. I'm in New York! It was just John F. Kennedy Airport, but I was incredibly happy, perhaps because I was finally on the ground. My first challenge: communicating with the border officer. That's when I realized how insecure my English was; it's very difficult to orient yourself when the person standing next to you speaks English fluently. Such stress, but I managed. The airport turned out to be a difficult test for me. And all because, before the flight, I had read reviews about how luggage gets lost. And what do you think? On the baggage claim belt, I didn't find my bag. I had tried so hard, attaching identification ribbons so I could instantly find mine in a pile of black bags and make it to the last bus to Manhattan. I looked at the guys I met on the plane and at the border; they all looked happy and were standing with their luggage. And I'm a winner in life! I would have to file a report after all... and, hooray! From under a mountain of bags, a red ribbon appeared. I ran over like a scalded cat to check, and... the first test was passed, my luggage was there, I was happy, in New York—what could be worse? Nothing, right! Dasha, Anya (I'll switch to names, otherwise it will be difficult), and I ran to the exit as fast as we could. The last bus to Manhattan was at 10:45 pm; if we didn't make it, the prospect of spending an hour and a half in the New York subway or paying 52 dollars plus tips to a taxi driver didn't appeal to us. But as soon as we saw the bus standing nearby, we felt relieved. We paid only 16 dollars and in forty minutes at most, we were at Penn Station. Right next to it was our Hotel Pennsylvania, where we were offered to stay for two days under full-service, plus help with obtaining a Social Security Number and orientation for the program.