First Time in NYC

April 26th

2018

Cheapest flight I've booked

$370

Roundtrip

YYC to LGA

Calgary to New York

2nd time leaving the country

New to the hostel world

Have had a handful of trips

To Hawaii

Maui

Paia

Small town hippy vibes

Fell in love

Warm- relaxed- calm

No hassle paying in green

Hiccup- stayed an extra night

Owner allowed me to pay

At a later time

Abundance of trust

Called in my cc digits

The moment I got home

No hesitation

No questioning

When I was worried where I'd be staying

They offered to do this for me

When it was ringing- and staff picked up

Not a single doubt I wouldn't call

Came across

In tone- the whole process

Very thankful

BC and Alberta

Kelowna

First time staying in a hostel

Different culture

Expectations and reality

Unmatched

Thoughts of frat houses

Hook up cultures & puke everywhere

Was unfounded

Friendliness and kindness

Interacted with friendly faces

Bumping into someone

I use to karaoke with

Not in a dorm

Went with a past partner

Own room- didn't arrange payment

Didn't see if it was cash or credit

Banff and Canmore

Before going out of Country

For the first time

I wanted to go on a hostel

Adventure solo

Dip my feet in

And experience

Had a blast

One night in Canmore

One night in Banff

Close to home

Pretty chill

Both accepted bills

For payment

Canmore was just a place

To lay my head

As I knew the town

And did my own thing

Banff was a hoot

Being a tour guide to foreigners

Travelers and visitors

Bar nights and karaoke

Cheap food

My kryptonite

I felt secure to go out

And explore

Solo

Independent

Always flying light

No credit cards

No cellphones

Just cash in hand

One small backpack

Pre-paying when I can

For hostels or tickets

To events I know I want to

Go to in advance

Traveling with little

And not much of an itinerary

The few times in life

I truly feel present

Going with the flow

Just having a place to lay my head

Sometimes prepaying for transportation

Or for an event I really want to attend

Doing things on the cheap

Frugally

Excited to explore the city

2 hostels

5 days

Landed

Took several buses and trains

Excessive honking

Police present abundant

Traffic jams

I couldn't phantom

Relieved I was close

Stopping in for a quick bit to eat

Chipotle

Walked down several streets and alleys

Arriving at my final destination

Looking at the brick walls

And feeling the hip hop background music

Tables and the bar

Looked inviting

Glancing and seeing

Weekly events postings

Exuding cool

Walked up to front desk

For check in

Amount for my stay announced

Pulled out cash

Sideway glance

Not accepted

Plastic only

For insurance purposes

To cover their asses

In case I did proper damage

Confused

Bed bunk

Dorms

What possible damage

Could occur

And how could it be

Speculated as to who

Lockers...was the answer?

I felt slighted

And a sinking feeling

3 nights

Less than $100 allocated

To stay here

Where would I go

Asking what we can do

Fellow Canadian...understood

The general polite and trusting

Culture

But shocked

Credit card and traveling

Wasn't something I did

I listed off other places including Mauii

Who accepted this

Shook his head

Trying to explain

That this is New York

Where lawsuits

And ownership

And distrusting...I guess

Comes hand and hand

In the moment

I felt like it was a personal attack

That I somehow said

Or did something to exude

Distrust

Manager was called

She approached

Said the only solution is

If my parents or someone who could

Vouch for me, send their cc digits

Email their photo ID

Then that would be their solution

For me to stay

Fumbling trying to make calls

And emails

Sinking feeling

I took a few moments

To take in the atmosphere

Knowing I couldn't stay here

Thinking

Pondering

A few short moments later

Asking for their landline

Called the 2nd hostel

Hostel International pulled thru

They had room

And they'd give me the same discounted rate

As my other nights

Making my stay that much cheaper

Front desk fella

Inquired if I got plastic to give

I gave him my alternative solution

Shocked

That I figured it out

And that another hostel

Had more trusting etiquette

Cab was called

Said it'd be about an hour

We both apologized for the kerfuffle

I gushed about the place

Wishing I could stay

He whispered of an amenity

To check out

A few flights of stairs

Gorgeous view

NYC skyline

From Queens' perspective

Took several photos

And took a few moments to

Process

And admire

Both at what I saw

The way I problem solved

And the chaos that is New York!

Quick thinking

Problem solving

Available bedding

At another hostel

Equaled 3 nights of security

But I was lucky

Traveling without

A credit card is risky

Especially in a city

With high rollers

And high levels of poverty

Protecting their assets

Hustling and trying to make a fortune

My first couple hours in NYC

Was rough

And the lack of trust

Felt like a personal diss

That I somehow gave off

The vibes I was untrustworthy

Despite this and a few bumps

NYC was still a lot of fun

The hostel that I couldn't stay at

Was bumping

And when I come to visit again

I'll bring plastic in hand

And not make this mistake

Again

Edinburgh

Montreal

Vancouver

Detroit

All cities I've gone afterwards

Still hesitant to bring

Plastic

Always checking in advance

If cash is accepted

Booking hostels

That green light it

Looking up customary culture

And attitudes

Checking in with acceptable payments

In advance

Makes it easier to navigate

A new environment

But at the very least

Will save you from a few hours

And a headache

Traversing

And phone calling

Scrambling

Making you feel

Less than

Frugality and cheap

Threads a thin line

And not having that

Or some cushion for emergencies

Borders on the line of cheap

And uncomfortable

Having a place to lay your head

As a women

Solo traveling

Is very important- so if one place

Doesn't work out

Whether it's lack of accessible funds

Or unsafe environment

Trusting in the universe

And kindness of strangers

Is always better than

Going distrusting and anxious

But having a safety net

Ain't a bad outlook

And makes you trust yourself

And the universe even more

Hiccups and bumps

Traveling abroad.