Two Backpackers

The Best Things to do for Free in New York City

| by Sponsored | 11 Comments » | North America, United States

The Big Apple, the city that never sleeps and where anything is possible – including having a great time on a budget.  Backpacking in a big city can be pricey, especially in a prosperous country such as America.  But it is possible to find cheap accommodation in New York City, to see the sights and experience life in New York without blowing your meager backpacker’s budget.  After all, it costs nothing to soak up the atmosphere of bustling, neon light-filled Times Square, gaze up at the jagged skyscrapers, or watch the sun set over the Hudson River from Battery Park.  The best of New York is completely free. (more…)

Miami the Big Havanna

| by Jason | 31 Comments » | North America, Reflections, United States

After 11 of months of traveling in Latin America, I felt a considerable amount of stress relief coming back to the United States, my home.  I always seek my comfort zone for relaxation, peace and ease of life.  That’s absolutely a contradiction to the fact that I do seek out travel, adventure and off the beaten path places.  The truth is, I will only seek them out with Aracely leading the way.   She is the outgoing, social, friendly, non fearing leader when it comes to exploring new cultural environments.  After having been through the experience of visiting a new place, I am always grateful for it, but it’s not something I would have done on my own.

Jason Ordering His Favorite Coffee and Hoagie at Wawa

NYC Marathons

| by Jason | 11 Comments » | Adventures, North America, United States

NYC Marathon Runners on 1st Avenue

I attended my first NYC Marathon, while Aracely ran in her first NYC Marathon.   This was an amazing event to both participate in and be a spectator.  The race had over 45,000 starters, ranging from 18 years old to 87 years old.

NYC Marathon Course

The NYC Marathon is considered a difficult course, spanning the 5 boroughs of New York City.   The starting line is in Staten Island, and runners first cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge bridge to Brooklyn.  After running through the narrow streets of Brooklyn, they cross into Queens and then onto the Queensboro bridge landing on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  Running north on 1st Avenue through Harlem, they enter the 5th borough, the Bronx.  The runners finish by returning south and running a half a loop around Central Park.  The 26.2 marathon distance is challenging in NYC because of the many turns, spanning bridges and crowded field of runners. (more…)

Backpacking the Grand Canyon

| by Jason | 13 Comments » | Adventures, North America, United States

Backpacking Classmates

We were looking for a challenging outdoor adventure, but we knew we didn’t exactly have the experience to do it safely on our own.  Once we decided on our destination, the Grand Canyon, we began researching guided hikes and camping.

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a World Heritage Site which encompasses 1,218,375 acres and lies on the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona.  Our goal was to experience the Canyon to the fullest; that can only be done by hiking to the very bottom.

The Grand Canyon National Park offers a variety of choices to experience the inside of the Canyon; guided tours, mule trips, river trips, hiking and camping.  If you are interested in backpacking and camping on your own, you must acquire a backcountry permit.  The permits are very challenging to obtain due to the volume of requests, but the organizations conducting the guided hikes all have access to those permits. (more…)