After studying for more than a month and finally  finishing the Bachelor of Economics back in Germany, I traveled to New York City to spend two weeks of vacation before the IIB program started.

Staying at a student’s apartment I found on Airbnb, I was in the right place to experience New York from a local’s perspective. It was located on East 106th Street, only a few subway stations from the main attractions of Manhattan.

New York can be overwhelming, especially when it is your first time in the city, but after a few days and a lot of walking around I finally settled.

After a few days of sightseeing in New York, I visited a friend in Washington DC. for a weekend. Compared to New York, Washington is much more quite and very pretty. We walked a lot and saw some of the main sights, like the White House, the National Mall, the National Zoo (with its Panda Bears) and much more.

The place my friend lives at, Alexandria, VA, is a small town a few minutes outside of Washington DC. It is very pretty with all its historic houses built by British settlers. All in all the trip felt a little like vacation from the loud and vibrant city of New York.

After my Washington trip I stayed a few more days in  New York to visit the bank I’ll be working at starting in October. Also I went ice skating in one of the best ice rinks I have seen so far (Chelsea Piers).

One day I went to Coney Island for a day on the beach and to ride the wooden roller-coaster that was build almost a hundred years ago.  Scary!

Ann-Christin on the Staten Island Ferry – Manhattan Skyline in the background

Panda Bear in the National Zoo Washington DC.