Preparations

On the day before leaving for New York, there are several things that need to be taken care of:

Proper Goodbyes

As I will be leaving my family, friends and my girlfriend for two months, proper goodbyes were in order. As there was very limited time to visit everyone after the exams on friday, I decided to say good-bye to my grandparents and my aunt over the phone, and my family I visited during the week of the exams. With my girlfriend, I had a great last weekend including watching a double rainbow form the Uetliberg (the mountain next to Zurich, http://tinyurl.com/6xbsele), having brunch in a nice Moroccan restaurant and sailing the the 29er (an extremely athletic sailboat, http://tinyurl.com/69cctm4) on the lake of Zurich. However, saying goodbye is difficult even when leaving for a city as great as New York. I will miss you guys a lot! Special thanks to Caspar Buettner who hosted me one more time in Zurich before leaving for a distant country.


Task List when in New York

Due to the seven exams I had during the last two weeks, there was very little time to prepare my stay abroad. I started to go through the New York City city guide from Lonely Planet on saturday night. It seems that New York has unlimited possibilities and thousands of sights worth visiting. Looking at the city guide, I decided that the following activities are mandatory for my stay in New York:

I will...

...climb the stairs of the Empire State Building.
...jog through Central Park.
...ride a classic yellow New York Taxi Cab.
...see a Broadway Musical.
...eat something indefinable in Chinatown.
...visit a Jazz Club.
...learn how to dance Salsa New York Style (On 2).
...use the Staten Island Ferry.
...visit a public school in New York.
...see a game of the New York Yankees.
...visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
...learn about the history of the United States.
...memorize all the States and their nicknames.
...take a stroll on the High Line.
...visit the Museum of Modern Art.
...cross the East River walking over the Brooklyn Bridge.

If any of my readers have any suggestions for other sights or actions one needs to see or do, feel free to comment in the comments section below. If you want a customized photo of New York, visit this link: http://tinyurl.com/5scofkm.