NYC Day 3

Sunday did not start so bright eyed and bushy tailed for our crew. Saturday was a LATE night and we (I) weren't quite ready to go when the alarm sounded. After much procrastination we got up and were at it again. Statue of Liberty and Little Italy were the primary goals of our Sunday agenda. 

just a little early am sister struggle

Not sure why we have another picture in front of our apartment, but I thought it was cute. We were all ready to go by 9:00 am. We were off for a beautiful day in the city. 

Everyone was excited to try our hand at the NYC subway system. Nothing screams tourist quite like taking a picture in the subway. I have ridden the subway many times but this was the first time I didn't get specific instructions from my friend...but we did well! 

After a quick subway ride we were back at Battery Park with tickets for Statue of Liberty in hand. Right when we walked up out of the subway one of the tour guides immediately recognized us. Funny sidenote: we were constantly pointed out as being sisters and looking alike. I do realize we look alike but it seemed as though people in NYC were OBSESSED with our resemblance. Although slightly chilly it was a lovely day to visit Lady Liberty.

After Statue of Liberty we, in our confidence, hopped back on the subway and took it to Little Italy. Luckily we were a bit late for normal lunch hours and were able to sit right down at Lombardi's, America's oldest Pizzeria. It was a great NYC spot with very yummy pizza. 

Little Italy was charming. From there we walked into Chinatown...not so charming. It was a nice experience to see how quickly the culture changed but it definitely was not our favorite place.

After our walk through Little Italy and Chinatown we jumped back on the subway...getting confident! We were going to head toward our apartment but decided to take the subway all the way to the Upper East Side instead. We went straight to Central Park to catch a couple daylight minutes.

We stopped in The Plaza to warm up and use the restrooms. The bottom floor is now a great little eating area which was neat to see. Phone charging became a serious focus of our days as we would all find that our batteries were draining very quickly. Here Amy looks sly as she charges phones from her purse at The Plaza. One might think she was just standing there. It was pitiful how hard we laughed at this scenario.

From The Plaza we walked Fifth Avenue to our apartment in midtown. We made a couple stops at St. Patrick's Cathedral and The Trump Tower.

a candle lit for dad at St. Patricks

cool wall at Trump Tower

After a long and exhausting day we stopped in a little pub for dinner. We were all eager to go to sleep early for our last day in the city.

NYC Day 2

I planned a LOT of activities for our Saturday in NYC. We woke up early as is evident by the pictures of us in front of our apartment.

All smiles before heading out for a LONG day of exploring

We started our day by walking down Fifth Avenue from Midtown to Downtown. I wanted everyone to see the Flatiron Building and wasn't quite sure of another opportunity we might have. It was a a cloudy but nice morning. We saw the Flatiron Building and a darling little park before getting a bagel and hailing a cab to Brooklyn. 

From the Flatiron District we went to Brooklyn Roasting Company. I love a good cup of Joe so I was excited to try this coffee shop right under the Brooklyn Bridge. We got a delicious coffee then began walking along the water toward the bridge. We got some great advice from the barista at the coffee shop and were fortunate to get some incredible views of the city before the fog came in.

Last good pic before a cold and wet walk

NOT a good picture but it shows how cold and soaked we got

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge in rain, sleet and snow. NO JOKE! It was insane. I, for one, loved the experience and hope to do it again someday in warm, sunny weather. This is a terrible picture but mom was really enjoying herself and thought it was a quaint little park and bench.

Luckily there was a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf nearby. We "moved in" to warm up and dry off. You can see just how wet we got. We stayed here for quite some time before we talked ourselves back out into the cold, wet weather.

WE ARE OFF!

From The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf we pretty much explored the city all afternoon. We went to Battery Park with the intention of going to Statue of Liberty but we didn't have our tickets. We walked to Greenwich Village and down toward the Hudson River before heading back toward 9/11 Memorial. We had tickets for 5 pm so we could see the memorial at sunset. There was lots of exploring to be had before 5 pm would come around. Enjoy a plethora of afternoon exploration in no particular order.

Battery Park with Statue of Liberty in the distance

our delicious little lunch spot recommended by a dear friend

After hours of exploring we arrived at the 9/11 Memorial just as the sun was setting. The memorial was breathtaking. Photos could never do it justice. It was truly a remarkable experience.

The Freedom Tower towers above the memorial

Mom and I went up in this tower on our first visit to NYC in 2000.
A very interesting experience to stand here together again.

This tree survived the attacks

a rose is placed for a victim's birthday

After the memorial it was back to the apartment to get ready for dinner with my cousin. We had an amazing dinner with her and her husband. So delicious, such fun and tons of laughs. It was certainly a highlight of the trip.

After dinner we went to a pub down the street for a drink. Before we knew it it was 2:15 am. woah. Time for bed for these ladies! A great time was had by all.