After my visit to Rhode Island I went back to New York city. As it turned out, the customs guy who 'allowed' me in the country as I arrived at JFK airport 4 weeks ago had 'forgotten' to give me my I-94 form. This tiny piece of paper is basically the document saying I'm legally staying in the States and I have been admitted in all the computers and such. Sooo... I had to go back to the airport and get it. Thank you ever so much dear customs guy! But, I decided to play it cool and not to make a big deal out of it. I've experienced enough Visa drama as it is, and honestly - it's really not that much of a punishment to have to go (back) to New York city... right?! Returning to New York was like coming home. I welcomed the recognition, the frenzyness, people, familiar chaos and subway, and felt very much like an 'almost-New-Yorker'. After all, there was no longer the need to pull out my map (always a tourist give-away) or snap a picture every minute.  This time I knew my way around, knew how the 'street system' worked and how I could avoid accidentally ending up in Harlem. This time I did it like the New Yorkers do: ignore the tourists, always look like you're in a hurry, music on, eyes ahead, know-where-you're-going and no breaking your step! And honestly, if you combine that attitude with the right music and your World City Surroundings and it feels pretty damn awesome ;) :D I stayed in a hostel this time, looking forward to meeting some other travelers. And as it turned out I  had some great roommates! We got along really well, came from all over, and enjoyed a few hours having diner while sharing stories, our new New York purchases and  trying to speak each others languages (and names).  My trip to the airport office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was thankfully quite quick and smooth, and I even met another interested soul. "Traveling connects people", is what they say. Well they are absolutely right, yes. That being said, never underestimate the bond two individuals can create over shared American Immigration frustrations. I also popped over to Clementine and Florents for a hi-I'm-back-again-diner, enjoyed Times Square a bit more (with way less people when New Years isn't around the corner), window shopped on 5th (there are half naked models walking around in the Abercrombie&Fitch store, for real), visited the Apple Store and spent some very New York hours in the public library. Because that's what everybody always says; "Working in the public library is a very New York thing to do!", so I went and did it. I don't think I've ever spend so much time in public libraries before, but for a wandering soul like myself they provide a lot of the things you're looking for. A warm and dry interior, a comfortable chair, table, plugin, wifi, toilets and helpful people.  Besides, it's just plain cool to work in the New York public library. Have a look at the photo's, and I dare you to disagree ;) I traveled on to Lake Placid, a small but lively village in the Adirondacks. The Adirondacks is a mountain range roughly half the size of the Netherlands located in the north of New York state, and on my way to Montréal, Canada. I really wanted to see and experience some nature before I'd travel to another big city, and I figured I could give it a shot in Lake Placid. As I was unable to find a couch to surf I booked a room at a small local hostel, owned by John. Now I may not have been sleeping on a couch (I had a private room actually), it did feel like I was visiting someone's home. The hostels interior was made up out of different kinds of wood, a disarray of carpets and wallpapers, a jumble of furniture, a guitar and piano (so unbelievably off-key that it really didn't matter if you hit the wrong key), a collection of good books and magazines, and all of this in a very Scandinavian-look-a-like homy setting. As a complimentary service, John provided his guests with breakfast every morning, some lunch-to-go if you wanted, and even a meal once or twice! And I'm talking fresh orange juice, hot-from-the-oven cornbread with real butter, freshly made oatmeal, home-made diner rolls, personalized granola with fresh fruit, and marinated chicken breasts, very well filled vegetable soup and apple crumble with ice cream for diner and desert. I enjoyed my private room and bathroom, the TV with 100 channels that allowed me to watch Grey's Anatomy, the company of the other guests (who where all extremely nice and good to hang out with), and John's hospitality. Needless to say I felt very much at home and was loving my 'couch'. I also managed to find my way to the top of a mountain three times, twice by climbing it and once by taking the gondola. Now I know very well that I'm not an experienced mountaineer, and still have a thing or two to learn about being in the outdoors during a North American winter. But even as I was prepared to acknowledge my inexperience, I wasn't prepared for the mountains being covered in ice. The smallest of climbs became a pretty serious battle, where the mountain was putting up a very good fight to kick me off. Or rather 'slide me off', if you will. Just imagine a very big rocky hill, not too steep, something anybody having two functioning arms and legs should be able to handle - now imagine that completely covered in snow and ice. So basically you are trying to climb a gigantic slide. And to do that without the proper gear is extremely hard, I can tell you. But, being the stubborn person that I am, I reached the top. The view was mine! I took the gondola up Whiteface Mountain, the most popular ski mountain in the area. Climbing it would have been impossible with my current gear and experience, so I settled for the ride up. The view from the top was beautiful, but it was só cold and the wind was blowing só hard that it took a lot of effort to stay warm, let alone take a photo. Taking your gloves off simply wasn't an option; the cold was so intense it physically hurt. Sure was an experience though. The last mountain I climbed was with Rolf Schulte, an experienced mountaineer ánd nature photographer I was fortunate enough to meet. He has been working in the Adirondacks for over 40 years, and knows every mountaintop. So one very early Sunday morning we left to climb one of those tops and experience the morning light, hoping for a photo opportunity of course. This time around I was better prepared, and benefitted from Rolf's knowledge on how-to-stay-warm, what-should-you-bring, how-to-climb-an-iced-up-mountain and how-to-take-photographs-in-freezing-temperatures. Though the photo opportunities weren't as grand as we'd hoped, it was a great trip and I was very happy to have had the opportunity to walk along a nature photographer. I also met up with Shaun, another enthusiastic CouchSurfer. Shaun is what I call a 'free spirit'. He is to be given free range, a lot of space, time and a camera, and let him do his thing. For Shaun also happened to be a nature photographer! I just got myself in the midst of it all :) We spent a good afternoon having coffee, walking on a frozen lake and driving around in the area. I only got to spent a few hours with Shaun, but he left a lingering impression. He had a simple strength to grab life by the horns and find a way to reach his goals, make his plans reality, not to worry about the little things and just enjoy the ride. Very inspirational, and an awesome afternoon. And then, after almost a month of traveling... I crossed the border! Canadaaaaa, here I am! :D Exploring America has been great. New York was absolutely everything and a bit of nothing, Providence was all about the people, Newport was rocky beaches with awesome couches, New York the Second Time Around was home, and the Adirondacks were intriguing and challenging.  Thanks America, I will see you in Alaska. Oh, and Trevor says hi ;) Cheers!