Our second of three days in New York City was a Thursday. This was the day we planned to see the Statue of Liberty. I wanted to do a boat tour, so as soon as we got up we were beginning to head in that direction. My sister had booked us using the Trip Advisor app again, which had been working really well so far. Our pedicab tour of Central Park yesterday would be tough to top. If you missed it, read New York City Day 1: Central Park, MOMA, Time Square, Grand Central Station, Broadway & more.
I had suggested a $25/person hour-long tour I had seen, but she found a less expensive one and booked that. We had a bit of time to pick up breakfast, but we’d have to hustle. I felt rested and ready for the day and was excited to “make it an adventure!”
Breakfast Day 2: Chocolate chip croissants and a kale and egg breakfast bowl to grab and share. (from Le Pain Quotidien)
I’ll have to be honest, I’ve never really had a croissant past maybe a Pillsbury croissant you get out of a tube around the holidays. My Dad used to work for the packaging company that makes those labels. He used to look at how well the words lined up with me before we’d wack it against the counter to open it. But my sister had suggested this place to get a coffee and croissant like it was the “big city thing to do,” and I’d said sure. I ordered a fully caffeinated, hot almond milk latte instead of a half-calf I typically get. Biting into the croissant as we waited for our order was incredibly satisfying. A little crispy at first bite on the edge, but the middle was soft, and sweet, and so delicious. The best croissant I’d ever had.
The bowl took a bit and we were getting a little antsy that we’d have to hurry to get to our boat tour on time. We got a bag to take it along that I agreed to carry. (see me pictured below)
Riding the New York City Subway for the first time
We learned they may be changing up how people pay and ride the subway soon. But we were able to just tap our credit cards to get past the metal turn gate. It never said how much I was being charged, but I think it was about $2.50 a time. (update: credit card bill was for $2.90/swipe) My sister was able to navigate using a transportation app (update: the app is called Viator) she’d also used in Tokyo when she was there doing a marathon. It sometimes cut in and out once we were down underground, but generally really helped. I’m not sure what we would have done without it. There was an overhead voice saying the stops, but most of the time it was hard to understand. There were also street names written on the subway walls you could look at to know where you were. Some walls had fantastic mosaic art. Some subway cars had digital boards. The stops lit up as you’d pass them, which also helped.
I felt like I was sticking out like such a tourist. I didn’t really care. Everything was new to me and I wasn’t hiding it, well at least long enough for a quick picture to show my excitement. (below)
It was so hot down in the tunnel waiting for the subway. I had brought a neck fan along to use in moments like that. It really helped, and it probably looked a little dorky. But I noticed I really didn’t like the change in air quality down there or the movement of riding the subway either. I see how it’s very convenient, but I just don’t think I could do it regularly.
My sister taught me to put my back to a wall or pole whenever we’d stop. This became a habit multiple times on our trip. She said it keeps your backpack protected and not exposed out in the open. A lot of times she’d be looking down at her phone to check an app and so couldn’t keep observing her surroundings as much. I followed her suggestion and took a few deep breaths while looking at the footprint marks on the subway platform. They were painted the same color as my shoes. They were there to indicate not to stand closer to the drop off where the tracks were. Stay back. Got it.
I learned to hold onto a pole if the seats were full, and that if a seat was open you take it right away. People don’t care if they sit next to someone they don’t know, but if we could sit next to each other we would. If only one of us could sit, then the other would hold on close by. We always stuck together. We didn’t talk on the subway other than about our stop, and we didn’t stare. Most people looked tired though. There was a sign saying not to lean on the doors, but at one point a lady was and it made me so nervous. I’m such a rule follower.
Statue of Liberty Boat Tour
We had to run to the place where our boat would be. I’m so glad I had on my good walking shoes, but I was carrying my latte and the bag with our breakfast bowl, plus my backpack. It got to be a lot. Like I said in one of my previous posts my sister’s walk is my run. Her fast walk is my sprint. I recall her saying a few times, “just breathe Annie.” I was trying to “make it an adventure,” and laugh when I could. But I began to feel like she was now pulling me along, like I had joked about me doing to her yesterday. “I think we’ll just make it,” she said.
Pier 36
We eventually got to where the boat was supposed to be. We saw a boat and felt relieved we hadn’t missed it. But then we realized it was not the boat we booked. That boat wasn’t there yet. We waited a long time, and even walked down a ways along the water. A guy who worked with the coast guard confirmed ours had not arrived. He also said that that particular company doesn’t have the best reputation for being on time. Eventually, we decided to quick run back and board the other boat. We had to pay what I originally had suggested we pay, on top of what we had pre-paid for the boat we never caught. Oh well. We were so glad we went on this boat instead though. The newer, family run business had a female captain. She gave commentary about what we were seeing all along the way and was fabulous.
BMW Bridges
The famous Brooklyn Bridge was in view, but also two other bridges. She grouped all three into what she called the BMW Bridges. This included the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.
I was reminded how boats make me a little queasy. I held onto the railing and moved carefully when trying to get a picture. I sat down whenever I could. I was so glad it was only an hour, but it was such a cool way to see the Statue of Liberty. At one point I felt really emotional when she talked about it’s history while playing patriotic music. This was definitely a highlight of the day and trip.
It took me a bit to re-acclimate to land, about an hour to be exact. We walked along the shoreline and I took a moment to breathe. While my sister made a call in the shade, I took a few photos on my own. Later I converted them to black and white.
Lower Manhattan
Of course I’d heard it before, but I didn’t really realize Manhattan is an island until I was down by the water in this area. Funny how our brains work. Things just look different in person, and I was constantly processing my surroundings and comparing things to how I’d heard things were from people or movies or books. Somethings were exactly how it was described to me or in my head as I pictured it. Other things were completely different and unexpected.
Lower town is where the New York Sock Exchange and Wall Street are located. We planned to walk that direction and also see The Girl With Bull statue. I wasn’t familiar with this landmark, but it was one of the most crowded places we went on our entire trip. Well, aside from Time Square and right by Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry Night painting at the MOMA. On our way we grabbed a slice of pizza. It was as good as I would have wanted and expected it to be.
Lunch: A slice of New York City pizza and an apple I brought from home
It was so crowded I couldn’t get a good picture of the bull, and it wasn’t until later that day we realized we weren’t on the side with the little girl anyway! I had missed it. I was busy grabbing a couple of small souvenirs from a street vendor nearby. I got two snow globes on top of little taxis for my boys, and a mini Statue of Liberty figurine for myself.
New York Stock Exchange & Wall Street
I thought of my Grandpa George when I visited here. He always rigorously invested his money and taught me a lot about saving. I wrote about our conversations here: A Walk and Talk with Grandpa George (to gain access to this post: Join Annie’s Adventure)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
I love the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn. On our walk we just ran into it, and it was a lovely surprise. I wanted to see a lovely little blue box in the window, but I didn’t see any. I felt like there should have been a statue of her, but there wasn’t one.
Trinity Church and Cemetery
It was extra special to see where Alexander Hamilton and his wife Eliza are buried because we would be seeing the musical Hamilton that night. My sister pointed us in the direction of Trinity Church and Cemetery next.
911 Memorial and Survivor Tree
Like I mentioned in my previous post I was with my sister on September 11, 2001. She told me she had gone through the museum on a previous trip, but that it takes at least a couple hours. She also wasn’t sure she wanted to do it again. Instead we spent about 20-30 minutes seeing the 911 Memorial and a tree that’s been named The Survivor Tree.
The tree is special because it was right in the middle of ground zero. After the 9/11 attacks, it was taken away to be nurtured back to health, and is now replanted there and growing. There were handwritten notes tied to the railing around the tree. It surprised me how small it actually still is. It was quiet, not tall and strong looking like an oak or maple tree I’m familiar with in the Midwest. But there is was. The contrast to the dark, black marble like material of the two huge holes in the ground behind me was very apparent.
I had been focusing on one of the holes, looking at all the names around the edges. It was overwhelming. Then my sister said “the other one is over there.” I had almost forgot. Of course, there were two. The Twin Towers. Then it finally sunk in about the sheer magnitude of how many people were lost.
The design was simple, with water flowing down the edges into the hole. A few places I saw a single white rose placed next to an engraved name. (pictured above)
It didn’t feel right to take a selfie here, although I did see a family smiling and taking one. That felt out of place. I also didn’t feel like getting a souvenir, although there was a cart selling them.
I was in my sophomore year of college when I got the news of what was happening that day. I was in my theatre history class on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota campus. Class hadn’t started yet that day, and I overheard someone describing the attack before I even sat down. I thought they were talking about some scenario from a class they had just come from. That class got cancelled. A sign on the Barbara Barker dance building up the street said there wouldn’t be any classes the rest of the day either. We were all in shock, and I remember I just went back to my apartment. I’ve talked about it before, but I was remembering how I’d met my sister, who I was traveling on this trip with, that night for dinner. I definitely wouldn’t be getting a souvenir. It wasn’t something I needed any other reminders of.
The subway wall as we were heading out of the area was stunning. (pictured below)
Greenwich Village
Traveling to the west side of Lower Manhattan where Greenwich Village is located, we wanted to stop in to one of the oldest bookstores still around called Three Lives & Company. My sister bought a few books, and I got a greeting card with a watercolor of the store on it. I planned to later send it as a thank you to my sister for inviting me on the trip. I could tell they appreciated me paying in cash when I asked if that was okay.
Dinner and a Broadway Show
We made our way back to the hotel to rest and change before our dinner reservation at P.S. Kitchen. My sister picked the restaurant because it had great reviews and options if you have any dietary needs, like wanting to eat vegan or gluten free. I don’t have any of those needs, but I chose a tofu lasagna that was really good, despite not quite being as hot as I would have liked. I was so hungry though it didn’t matter. My sister had a potato soup I had a spoonful of and that was really unique. She talked about trying to replicate it at home. I believe she also had a grilled chicken, thai flavored sandwich, which obviously isn’t vegan, so lots of options.
Hamilton on Broadway
By the time we got in line to see Hamilton I couldn’t believe we were more than halfway through our trip. The amount of things we’d seen seen in just two days felt more like a week. I had so many pictures in my phone. I also couldn’t believe I was about to see Hamilton for the first time, even though the show was celebrating it’s 10th anniversary. My sister had seen it multiple times, but was super excited to see it again.
We laughed when we got our seats which were literally in the very last row in the top balcony! Never mind that though, the seats were fantastic. I could hear and see everything. The usher actually said, “best seats in the house.” With a wall at our backs, we could move to the music without disturbing anyone behind us. Because there was nobody behind us, I’m not gonna lie I was sorta dancing in my seat at times. I’d been listening to the soundtrack for months and knew a lot of the lyrics. You might also like this post: Who Was Alexander Hamilton? How I gave Hamilton the musical “another shot”
At intermission, I got two bottles of water for my sister and I that cost $6 each.
I asked the bartender how much the souvenir mugs were. $10 seemed a bit much. That was before paying for the beverage you wanted inside. A group a row in front, and to the side of us, left before the first act was even halfway done. My sister thought she was hearing that maybe English wasn’t their first language. Maybe they couldn’t understand the words? Not sure. Anyway, it puzzled me because #1 shows are really expensive, and #2 they left an almost full drink in a souvenir mug. After the show my sister pointed to it. I grabbed it. I found another right outside the theatre in a trash bin. Yes, I grabbed that one too. Nothing a little soap and water can’t clean up.
The City that Never Sleeps
On our walk back to the hotel the night we’d just had was sinking in. It felt awesome to feel the energy of live theatre and appreciate the phenomenal talent below us on the stage. It was a memory of a lifetime. I felt so grateful I was able to go.
The next day would be our last day in New York City. How could I ever sleep? For some reason I was craving fried chicken on our walk home from Broadway again like last night. My sister kept us moving along. I wanted to try a hotdog from a vendor but wasn’t sure that would sit too well in my stomach. Latching arms at times, I kept walking next to her. There were so many people out. Lines were forming at street vendors down the sidewalk. We learned this was definitely a great sign, a place you should try if you had the time and were hungry enough. Follow the locals. It made sense. I watched as workers were re-painting the lines for the bike lane. Now the smell of chicken was mixing with paint, and then sewer, as my sister pulled me across the street as soon as the light changed and people began crossing. I carefully watched my step making sure to miss the murky liquid along the curb. My senses were on overload. I was still hearing the songs of Hamilton in my head. “I’m not giving away my shot…”
Have you seen any of theses places in New York City? OR the musical Hamilton? What did you think? Leave a comment below.
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