We continued on to Coney Island and it was quite a long ride from Brooklyn. Coney Island is known to be the center for carnival and beach fun at New York. Read on to see if it lives up to its name!
Once you exit, the area is much less urbanized and will almost remind you of scenery in old American movies.
Even from afar, you'll start to see the roller coasters and different rides by the seaside. Just follow this direction and you should be able to reach both the beach and the carnival!
One of the most iconic parts of Coney Island is the Wonder Wheel!
We didn't really ride any of the rides because none of us were feeling like it so we just strolled around the area to see what it was like.
The Wonder Wheel is especially interesting because at some point, it slides its carriages into the grooves on the inside of the wheel instead of spinning it the whole way around.
Lots of different rides here for different ages.
Once you get past the carnival, you reach the Boardwalk!
And beyond the Boardwalk is the actual beach.
I didn't actually see much people swimming so maybe the water isn't as clean as it should be?
Tourist photo for remembrance! It was so windy that day.
Before leaving Coney Island, we decided to eat at the original Nathan's Famous branch! Nathan's Famous doesn't just have hotdogs in Coney Island, but also a bunch of other seafood themed fast food!
We tried the Chili Cheese Dog first. It was pretty okay and nothing out of the ordinary. I'm confident you would be able to find something similar in Manila... or actually make one yourself at home! Haha! The sandwich consists of a toasted bun, a grilled hotdog topped with chili and grated cheese, and it tastes exactly as you think it would. I liked it a lot but it wasn't all that life-changing.
Undeniably the real winner of the bunch was the Softshell Crab Burger. I'm a giant fan of softshell crab so when I saw this on the menu I jumped on it with no doubt in my mind. It's essentially a burger with one whole softshell crab inside with lettuce and mayo. So simple yet so good! I definitely want one of these to eat myself next time. Lol!
They also had a choice between Long Island Style & New England Style Clam Chowder and I didn't know which one was the creamy one (which I prefer). I went on ahead with Long Island Style because I was in New York. Haha! Turns out Long Island Style is tomato-based which gives it a nice tart fresh-tasting soup. Pretty good! I still prefer New England style though!
Afterwards, we headed to Manhattan! In our whole trip, we started with New York, headed to Philadelphia, then Washington D.C., and then back to New York. We originally planned on saving Manhattan for when we got back, but since we had all this extra time, we used it to take a peek of the East Village for a comedy show!
First on my agenda though, DECIEM! When I found out I was going to New York, I knew I wanted to visit one of DECIEM's stores for cheap but effective skincare. DECIEM is actually a company that houses various skincare brands at different price ranges - the most popular of them being The Ordinary!
The Ordinary is known for being a no-nonsense brand that has a more clinical approach to skincare. You guys can check them out more on YouTube! (I learned mostly from Liah Yoo.) Their skincare is almost all below $10 which is absolutely amazing.
I bought quite a bit of skincare for $50, but trust me, I bought a few months' worth of effective skincare. NO RAGRETS. Also, I would like to note that their plastic bags are amazing quality. I still keep them around for storing random stuff! They're so good that I'm thinking of using them as my lunch bag for work. Haha!
We started making our way to the show. We were going to watch the Upright Citizen's Brigade which is a comedy club that has housed comedy legends like Amy Poehler! I am a giant fan of a lot of American comedians so I was particularly excited about this.
Forever amazed at the integrity behind city planning in New York City. No matter how developed the city is, they understand the importance of public spaces. Look at this awesome sports park in the middle of a busy commercial area! This would never survive in Manila. It would be turned into a condo or a hotel in a blink of an eye. *Sigh*
When you cross big streets, you can actually see that they've made the curbs at the center into mini parks! So. Wonderful!
Once we got to the Upright Citizens' Brigade Theatre though, it was closed! We were so confused by this as it was almost 7PM and it was still closed. Turns out they only really open strictly during the time of the actual show.
We decided to grab some quick dinner nearby and it just so happened to be Katz's Delicatessen!
Katz's is probably the most iconic deli in the city. It's become such a landmark that...
It has its own engraved plate on the sidewalk!
Once you enter, you will immediately be issued a ticket. Even if you're a party, you will each be given one, and you have to be sure you don't lose it because you have to give it back before you leave or they'll charge you $50 for a lost ticket!
At any hour, this place is pretty packed. Luckily, we were immediately able to find seats.
You can see that people from all over the world dine here!
It is, however, a little confusing to order because there are just so many booths and there's actually a process that you have to follow. If you're dining in, you have to first go to a Cutter line and order what you want there. They'll serve you your order with the receipt. You can then pay for your meal before you leave at the counter beside the exit. There's not really any signs here that tell you what to do so it can be chaotic.
We ordered the famous Katz's Pastrami Sandwich. It's quite expensive, I know, but it's so incredibly packed with good quality meat that you can't really complain.
There's more meat than bread! Haha! This is definitely worth a try. Everything is just a delight to the palate; from the warm lightly toasted bread, to the intensely smoked and seasoned meat and the sour mustard. Can definitely be shared for its size.
We also ordered Bagel with Lox and Cream Cheese because of Will & Grace and the Golden Girls. Haha! It seemed to be an addiction with them that I had to try. Lox is basically smoked salmon and *lots of it* topped with an even more generous serving of cream cheese. This cold duo is then encased in a warm bagel. Absolutely delicious.
Afterwards, like magic, the Upright Citizens' Brigade Theatre was open!
Love the very retro interiors.
We made it just in the nick of time. The theater itself is very small. It probably holds no more than 80 people, which is great in this sense because it's more intimate! The show is about an hour and a half long and it changes from day to day. In my case, it was a series of stand-up comedy routines and every one of them had me laughing so hard! Truly a lot of talent can be seen in this small space and it's definitely something to check out if you're into comedy clubs. Who knows, you might actually watch a famous comedian do a show here! In my case, Jon Glaser did a quick routine! He played Jeremy Jamm in Parks & Recreation - one of the villains - and he was absolutely hilarious. It was such a fun surprise seeing him in the flesh!
And that pretty much wraps up my Brooklyn travel series! Next up, Philadelphia! :)
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