Traveling to NYC: Part II

Day 3: Southern NYC and Lady Liberty

When I was in NYC last time, I did the Statue of Liberty Tour, but I don't remember getting off or seeing anything up close, so I was really excited to see it all, from the statue to Ellis Island and then finally the best view of the city. We woke up early and took our subway down to Battery park where the tour starts. Both of us assumed that the weather was better than it was, so I was again in a leather jacket and surrounded by a bone-chilling cold and wind. Note to all, you're on or very close to the water here, make sure you have gloves, scarf and a warm jacket if you aren't going in the summer.

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FINANCIAL DISTRICT

After the tour, we wandered around the southern part of manhattan and got to see the financial district and then the world trade centre monument. It's so incredibly sad and moving to see the location of the two towers and then even more impactful to see the many names surrounding the monument. The names of the people in the towers, the planes that crashed and then the Pentagon casualties are marked in the stone. What brought me to tears was the people that keep up the monument make note of someone's birthday, and they place a white rose in their name carving. Tourist and local alike go to here to learn more about 9.11.

THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

Close by this area, is the Brooklyn Bridge. I didn't get my beautiful sunset or sunrise on the bridge due to the grey skies, but I did get to wander around the bridge and join the ranks of tourists taking photos.

Our dark and stormy afternoon on the bridge. You can see the progression of the clouds to stormy weather.

DOWN IN CHELSEA

After touring the Brooklyn Bridge, we made our way over to Chelsea for a tour of the market and lunch. Our only mistake was finding a restaurant too soon and settling for soup. There were a ton of places to eat and things to try along the market. It's quite cool inside, with the exposed brick, bare pipes and lots of character. Make sure to check out the shops at the end where you can find anything from jewelry to soap to printed bags and artwork.

We ended up walking back to our hotel, partially looking to save our subway fare (again, get the extended pass that is made for tourists like us), and went past the Flatiron building and Bryant Park, both sights that are quite cool.

230 FIFTH

I found a recommendation for this bar a couple weeks before we left for NYC. I was told it's the best view in the city and has the coolest rooftop bar in both summer and winter. Now, with it being March, I wasn't expecting a great rooftop experience, but we were surprised when we walked up stairs and found ourselves in and amongst igloos! The rooftop had these great igloo structures that were heated in the inside and guests were given bright red fleece robes when they came up. We spent about an hour out bundled up and then decided to head back to the main bar.

Traveling sometimes means you're out of touch with the world, but we didn't realize it was the Oscars that night and that there was a Oscar viewing party at 230 Fifth! It was one of the swankiest places I'd been in a long time, and I felt very underdressed in my winter boots and leggings. Thankfully my sample sale shirt looked somewhat dressy, or I would have kicked myself out of the bar.

Day 4: Central Park, Central Park and Central Park!

CENTRAL PARK

After a late evening out at 230 Fifth and an early morning wakeup, we packed up our bags and hopped on the subway to get to the northwest corner of Central Park. With the weather being again gloomy and cold, we bundled up and hoped for the best.

We spent the rest of our day wandering the park, exploring a few last minute shopping places and then catching our subway back to the Roosevelt Station.

All in all, we had an amazing trip despite the weather and temperature. I highly recommend heading to NYC for a weekend and seeing whatever you can see. New York is one of those places that I think you could spend weeks and weeks at, so I'd recommend not trying to cram too much into a trip, because it's easy to get to again.

Love, E