We trade our flights for $1,000 each, reroute through Detroit, and still make it to New York to surprise a sister on her Brooklyn stoop. Fast walks, faster subways, and a crash course in how to eat, move, and avoid tourist traps without a car.
• volunteer bump offer rising from $600 to $1,000
• quick reroute with checked bag retagged
• Brooklyn surprise reveal and family moments
• Tom’s Restaurant sign and Ghostbusters firehouse
• free Statue of Liberty viewing via Staten Island Ferry
• how density makes car-free living workable
• eye-contact safety and crowd dynamics on subways
• food costs, corner stores, breweries, and late nights
• walking the Brooklyn Bridge and neighborhood shifts
• two-to-five-day strategy to avoid burnout
