Securing two flights to New York City for my daughter and me using miles felt like a stroke of luck. The anticipation of revisiting this vibrant city again but this time with Leilani had been building for some time.

The night before our early morning departure, I found myself restless, waking up every 45 minutes to check the time, anxious not to oversleep. Despite the lack of sleep, navigating through airport procedures – from security checks to passport control – and boarding the plane went smoothly.

 

However, our journey took an unexpected turn when Lani accidentally spilled a whole bottle of water, turning her seat into a mini swimming pool also soaking the backpack of the passenger behind us. Despite his understandable frustration, I managed to brush off the incident with a sense of humor. In situations like this, I always think that I probably wont see them ever again (and it helps).

 

During the flight, we flew over the exact location where the Titanic tragically sank in 1912. So in this case not a fun fact but a sad one. After nearly eight hours in the air, we touched down at JFK airport.

While queuing for immigration, I struck up a conversation with a professional violinist from Switzerland, and we decided to share a cab to Manhattan, sparing ourselves the ordeal of navigating the subway with our luggage. She seemed relieved, as it turned out later, she was carrying an antique Italian violin worth…now wait for it: USD $300’000!!! I would be scared for my life, carrying that thing around the world lol

 

It took forever to get into Manhattan, and when we got to our hotel, I was ready to just put my feet up and take a little break from traveling. Unfortunately, we got the worst room in this already run down establishment; it could not be any noisier. So of course, I went down to the reception to ask for another room, but the rather unmotivated guy told me they were fully booked. I thought to myself: The city that never sleeps will not allow us to sleep either.

 

After dinner, I politely approached the night manager, turned on my charm and offered some Swiss chocolate in exchange for a different room. Thankfully, it worked, and we're now situated on the 11th floor overlooking the courtyard instead the street. Only the hot water didn’t work, so it was an ice cold shower for me. Reminder to myself: shower in the morning next time.

 

Of course, there's the inevitable jetlag. I found myself wide awake by 4 a.m., though fortunately, Lani managed to sleep until 6 a.m. My go-to remedy for jetlag is taking melatonin before bedtime, which, in my experience, helps reduce its effects by a few days

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Rising with the early birds, our morning journey led us to Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where aspiring Broadway talents double as your breakfast servers. While the food may be average (and expensive), the lively performances make for an entertaining start to the day, especially for little Lani. With New York's familiar sights behind me, I aimed for a child-friendly experience this time around.

 

Post-breakfast, we hopped on the uptown subway to the American Museum of Natural History, a captivating haven where hours easily slip away amidst dinosaur relics and cosmic wonders like meteorites.

Months earlier, I entrusted Leilani with a meaningful project. As a little creative artist with a compassionate soul, she took to heart the issue of homelessness. Over three months, she diligently sketched and sold her drawings to raise $200. Witnessing her dedication filled me with so much pride.

 

Today, armed with care packs containing essentials like socks, toothbrushes, and chocolates, along with heartfelt letters and more of Leilani's creations, we roamed the rain-drenched streets, offering solace to those in need.

We always try to include something altruistic in our journeys, because we care and as it should serve as an important lesson for Lani about empathy, humanity, and the privilege we hold being born and living in Switzerland, one of the world's wealthiest and safest nations. It's a reminder that not everyone enjoys the comforts we often take for granted.

 

One homeless man said to me: don’t just be one color of the rainbow, be the whole rainbow and it seems to me that you are, which was really nice.

As you can imagine this city is incredibly crowded, so I decided to take precautions. I attached an AirTag to a wristband worn by Leilani. While on the move, I also placed one in my suitcase for tracking purposes. Big sister Marisa is watching you haha!

 

Again wide awake at 5 a.m. and Lani in full on play mode…the energy of a kid one (adult) should have, and I am like, here’s your ipad, watch something so I can can doze for another hour lol

At 7.30 we were already on the subway to catch the free ferry to Staten Island. Why would we do that? it offers a fantastic view of the iconic NYC skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

 

I decided to take public transportation with all my luggage back to JFK airport. It wasn’t too bad, just that I need a massage now. Next Destination: Panama 

On our final day in Bocas, we unfortunately consumed something that upset our stomachs, resulting in a night of illness. And to make matters worse, we had to catch an Uber at 5:10 a.m. to reach the airport. Fortunately, it wasn't food poisoning and only lasted 24 hours. Those days are just part of traveling, I’ll take them, if it’s nothing worse.

 

The flight from Panama to New York was only 4 hours and 30 minutes, but the wait for immigration was announced at 90 minutes. Faced with the daunting prospect to wait in line for that long, I decided to take action. I approached airport staff, explaining my daughter wasn't feeling well, and within 10 minutes, we were able to bypass the line. Just 30 minutes later, we were already on the train.

 

This time around, I wanted to stay in Brooklyn, and it turned out to be a good decision. I highly recommend the Tillary Hotel. It's conveniently located near the metro, Brooklyn Bridge, and Downtown Brooklyn is just a few blocks away. And it was affordable compared to the rest. It‘s crazy expensive here, it definitely bypassed Switzerland! I paid $30 for a small cheeseburger (no fries nothing), a small grilled cheese sandwich, one water and a milkshake at 5 Guys (fast food place).

 

In the late afternoon, we ventured to Brooklyn Bridge Park, where a playground offers stunning views of the Manhattan skyline. Later, I strolled, Lani danced across the bridge at sunset, which was truly enchanting.

 

One of my biggest concerns about visiting NYC was whether Lani could handle walking more than 1 km, or if I'd end up carrying her on my shoulders and needing a personal chiropractor afterward. To my surprise, she was a real trooper, walking 10 km each day and even enjoying it! Of course, we took plenty of breaks, and she was rewarded with treats. It's remarkable these little people – for every step we take, they have to take two.

We still had $80 left from Lani‘s donations to distribute to the homeless. Close to Central Station in front of Mc Donalds, we met John, he is originally from Philadelphia and his story I found particularly sad and tragic. 4 years ago he had a good job, married and everything was going really well for him, until the pandemic. Then one day, his wife gets covid, a week later he wakes up and she is lying next to him, dead. He then has to pay $9000 for a simple funeral, gets depressed and can‘t get over his loss, not able to focus on work anymore, no longer performs as they expect him to, consequently loses his job. From then on it‘s a downward spiral until he eventually ends up on the streets with no family or friends to support him. He describes his life now as very hard, especially this last winter. He was sleeping outside and it was so cold that he got water in his lungs. He had a sign up: freezing cold, I desperately need a blanket. For a whole week he didn‘t get one, while thousands of people walked by on one of New York’s busiest streets!! He said one of the toughest aspects of homelessness is feeling invisible, forgotten, and uncared for by society. It's heartbreaking how easily people can be overlooked or ignored. It gets worse though! Some people actually throw their trash at him when he sleeps, others curse at him, call him trash. And one time he was thrown down a few flights of stairs at a metro station! Can you imagine?!?! These people deserve a special place in hell, and it makes me worried and sad to be raising a daughter in a world where people can be so cruel and have no empathy whatsoever. That night in bed I had trouble falling asleep, my thoughts circling around John and his fate. One thing that struck me was the reaction of the 20 people we gave care packs and money to. It wasn't about the money for them; they were most grateful for the thoughtfulness, the drawings, the letters, and the genuine human connection – someone taking the time out of their day to talk to them and show they care.

 

On Wednesday, we indulged in a classic American breakfast at IHOP, complete with pancakes, French toast, and my all-time favorite, eggs benedict. Afterward, we made a stop at Macy's, where I searched for dresses for my two best friends' weddings this year. We ended up spending quite some time there, browsing through the wide selection.

 

Then we hopped on the subway to Chinatown for lunch and a massage. The massage was absolutely incredible, a solid 10/10. Despite the same song playing on repeat for an hour and the guy next to me falling asleep and snoring loudly, I didn't want it to end. It's all part of the experience, I suppose lol! I've had some of the best massages of my life in Chinatown(s). Lani said to me, mommy I really need a foot massage from all the walking (she is my mirror). So she got a 15 minutes foot massage and 45 minutes of Netflix, more than enough to make this little girl happy haha

 

There's a vibrant Food Hall called DeKalb Market Place in Brooklyn where we enjoyed dinner. It's the perfect intersection of culture, cuisine, and community nestled in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn. In the same building there is also a Primark and a Target.

On our final day, the weather took a turn for the worse with rain and chilly temperatures. We decided to seek refuge indoors, opting for a leisurely movie outing and lunch. As we prepared to depart for the airport, serendipity struck when two friendly Chileans approached us in the hotel lobby, offering to share a cab to JFK. Gratefully accepting their offer, we headed to JFK and back to the motherland.

 

I like them overnight flights, you eat, you sleep, you land. And it’s so easy with Lani, she self governs - watches tv, decides she is tired, turns over, falls asleep.

 

I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for the experiences on this whole trip and looking forward to a next adventure.