New York - Energy Drink Journey 2019

Early Hunting in Manhattan

After a 13-hour flight, I arrived at my hotel in Manhattan, where they told me, "If you wait until 3 PM, we can give you a better room." So, instead of checking in early, I decided to leave my luggage and go hunting for about three hours. Even right after a long flight, I had the energy to walk around Manhattan! Lol

Manhattan doesn’t have many convenience stores, so if I were to use something like Uber, I’d end up with too much time left over. So, for the next three hours before check-in, I decided to walk around Manhattan and gather some energy drinks. It was pretty intense. (^_^;)

Energy Drinks: The Rarest in the City!? New York

As I mentioned in my previous New York trip report, New York has an extremely limited variety of energy drinks. I came to America expecting a wide selection of energy drinks, but New York is definitely not the place to go if you’re focused on them. (^_^;)

Now, let me pick out some of the things I found interesting this time.

First up, slim JAVA. There were two types sold individually, and they had been revamped since the last time I bought them, so I decided to buy them.

Normally, they were only sold in 4-packs, and they didn’t have them in convenience stores, but maybe things have changed? I saw them sold individually in a few stores.

By the way, the 4-packs were still available in another store. However, I didn’t need 4 cans, so I was happy to find them sold individually (*´艸｀*)

Next, there was the Monster Energy “GET GEAR” can from their huge 2019 giveaway campaign, which I decided to get. Well, sort of.(´・ω・｀)

They mostly had the 16oz versions, with only two flavors available. I hardly saw any 24oz cans, so I only bought these two. I did spot the original 24oz at two stores, but I didn’t feel like buying them, so I’ll leave that for another trip to America.

By the way, the Abzero GET GEAR cans hadn’t arrived in Manhattan yet, and the previous collaboration cans were the ones that were more common.

Speaking of Golden Week, it’s time for the release of the Red Bull Summer Edition, right? It’s almost a tradition that my trips to America coincide with the release of the Summer Edition.

There weren’t any stores specifically highlighting the new release, but one store had made a special Red Bull shelf, so I decided to check it out. This year, the Summer Edition comes in both 355ml and 250ml cans, but of course, in New York, they only had the 355ml ones. (ヽ´ω`)

One of the highlights this time was the Rehab Dragon Tea Black Top.

Also, two kinds of Dragon Tea from Rehab. When you’re in the mood for something refreshing and light, Rehab is the best choice. (●´ω｀●)

And the new JAVA Swiss Chocolate flavor. It was mixed in with all kinds of other energy drinks. (^_^;)

Ah, I almost forgot, but I also grabbed the new Ultra Paradise.

The refrigerators are usually quite empty like this. When you come to America, you might want to post photos of the shelves full of energy drinks on SNS, but sadly, that’s not the case in New York.

Well, it seems like it’s time to head back to the hotel, so I decided to pause my hunt. I still haven’t found everything I’m looking for, so I’m looking forward to the second half of the trip.

Amazing Room, Shock at the Amount of Luggage...

I returned to the hotel and checked in without any issues. To my surprise, I was assigned the best room in the hotel. I’ve stayed in many good rooms at various hotels, but when it happens in Manhattan, it really boosts your mood! (●´ω｀●)

My luggage had arrived, so I had them bring it to my room...

I had forgotten what I had bought, but I didn’t realize just how much I had purchased. Besides energy drinks, I bought things that are much more expensive overseas, even though they are available in Japan through local branches. Of course, the largest part of my haul was energy drinks. Σ(´∀｀；)

After enjoying the lovely room for a while, I started unpacking and immediately began packing for my return trip. It was an overwhelming amount, but I was able to sit down and take my time with it, so I got a break. ε-(´∀｀*)ﾎｯ

Other Energy Drink Situations in New York

During my stay in New York this time, I spent some relaxing time enjoying nature in Central Park. It’s so vast that just walking around can be tiring. (^_^;)

If I plan another trip to New York, I’m thinking of staying in a hotel right in front of Central Park in the summer. Spending time overlooking the lush greenery of the park sounds amazing. I really love large urban parks, so next time, I’d love to dedicate all my time to just Central Park. (●´ω｀●)

Since I didn’t have much time, I spent the rest of the night, around 3 AM, walking around Manhattan and picking up the things I missed.

I mainly went to 7-Elevens and 24-hour drugstores. Of course, the delis were closed since it was late at night, and their selection wasn’t great, so there’s really no need to go to them during the day either.

Monster Energy’s new fitness brand, REIGN, was also available.

Since I had so many things to take back, I skipped buying a few and decided I’d get them on my next trip to the U.S.

Bang, the brand that pioneered fitness energy drinks, is now going for the silver tops. Initially, the combo of black top and orange tab was the norm, and the caffeine-free version was the silver top/silver tab.

It’s interesting that they’re still found in Monster-branded shelves while currently in a legal battle with Monster! (*´艸｀*) There are small, fun moments like this when you’re in the area. I wanted to get the silver top versions, but the amount of energy drinks that arrived at my hotel was just overwhelming, so I decided to skip it. I’ll get them next time!

There was also a new NOS release.

I decided to skip buying it for now and save it for my next trip. I feel like I barely bought anything... (；´∀｀)

Rockstar was on sale for 2 cans for $3! But they only had one type...

In general, Rockstar is hard to find in Manhattan, but this deal made me laugh. Lol

I also managed to grab the latest Red Bull collaboration can in America. Interestingly, the 250ml cans weren’t part of the collaboration at every store, which was one of the things that highlighted how “minor” the energy drink scene is in New York.

Afterward, I decided to try the 4-can pack as well. Since it was 250ml, it was small and light, so I thought it’d fit easily into my luggage. (*´ω｀*)

If you’re looking forward to energy drinks, New York might be a bit disappointing, but as a tourist destination, it’s fantastic. I think it would be even more enjoyable if you plan to visit during events like Christmas or the New Year’s countdown. Personally, I’d love to visit in the summer next time.