This was the first year, that Markus and I didn't leave the country. After two years of traveling outside of the country we realized a very important fact, international travel is expensive. We desperately wanted to travel out of country at least once a year, but it was hard with our salaries. We decided that we would visit the big cities of America. If we did this, we would be able to save more money and then be able to leave the country the following year. It took a lot of discussing and planning, but we finally decided on New York City as our first US city.

Before this trip, Markus never visited New York, which I couldn't believe. I was lucky enough to have parents that took me to New York many times throughout my childhood. We decided to spend Thanksgiving week of 2008 in NYC. Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends in NYC, Corey and Sabrina. Corey helped us get a room at an amazing hotel and we spent Thanksgiving with them.

The last time I was in New York, I was in high school and it was nice seeing the Big Apple as an adult. Also, it was interesting seeing it through the eyes of someone who's never been. This trip was my first Thanksgiving away from home. Even though I missed my family, I think it prepared me for my future as an expat. 



My parents also decided to spent Thanksgiving in New York that year. They came for half of our trip and the minute they arrived, my mom wanted a New York hot dog. It was nice seeing my parents and we spent a lot of quality time together in Chinatown, one of my favorite areas of NYC.


Despite having traveled to NYC many times, I never actually made it to the Brooklyn Bridge. We didn't actually walk the whole way, but it was still awesome seeing s uch an iconic landmark. Cloverfield came out that year, so Markus was even more excited to see the bridge since the monster trashed it in the film.





We spent the rest of our time in NYC, going to museums, visiting iconic places, eating delicious food and spending time with wonderful people. When we went to the Natural History Museum, it was a dream come true for Markus. He was able to see all the things he loves, dinosaurs and all things to with nature. They even had a Christmas tree covered with dinosaur origami. It was amazing. Overall, it was a great trip to New York City and we can't wait to go again.