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.