Saturday in NY started off with a full agenda (side note: when I was talking with my college friend, Stephanie - a born and raised New Yorker - about our trip and everything we were hoping to see and do she was clearly skeptical about our ability to do it all...well, when I put my mind to something I generally make it happen and that list of fun was no exception!) A few things on our list for Saturday: get a NY bagel, take the subway, walk the Brooklyn Bridge, visit the 9/11 memorial, go to China Town and Little Italy, walk neighborhood streets, do some shopping, find some iconic tv sites, and eat more good food.
I found a highly recommended bagel shop a few blocks from the hotel so we set off early with a fully-charged phone and a vague plan. First stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral. M didn't fully understand why we were going into a "church" until we walked in...and then she was mesmerized. The absolute beauty was breathtaking and we spent quite a bit of time walking all the way around, admiring every statue and ornate detail, and imagining what it would feel like to attend church in a place like this each week.
Ess-a-Bagel on 3rd Ave. had a 45-minute wait outside the door, but we were starving (and I hadn't had coffee yet) and everyone who walked out the door raved about how good the bagels were so we hopped in line and chatted with the people around us (shocking, I know) while we waited. The wait was so worth it....an everything bagel with eggs, cheese and bacon (and of course a cup of coffee) for me and a plain bagel with strawberry cream cheese for M (her's was the best, hands down).
I found a highly recommended bagel shop a few blocks from the hotel so we set off early with a fully-charged phone and a vague plan. First stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral. M didn't fully understand why we were going into a "church" until we walked in...and then she was mesmerized. The absolute beauty was breathtaking and we spent quite a bit of time walking all the way around, admiring every statue and ornate detail, and imagining what it would feel like to attend church in a place like this each week.
Ess-a-Bagel on 3rd Ave. had a 45-minute wait outside the door, but we were starving (and I hadn't had coffee yet) and everyone who walked out the door raved about how good the bagels were so we hopped in line and chatted with the people around us (shocking, I know) while we waited. The wait was so worth it....an everything bagel with eggs, cheese and bacon (and of course a cup of coffee) for me and a plain bagel with strawberry cream cheese for M (her's was the best, hands down).
After breakfast we got on the subway at Lexington and 51st and rode it all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge stop, also known as the very end of the line. The NY subway didn't disappoint. The people watching was solid and after getting off the subway we found our way to the Brooklyn Bridge where we only walked to the middle for a few photos. We then made the short walk to the 9/11 Memorial after walking through the cemetery at St. Paul's chapel where George Washington once sat and the tombstones dated back to the 1700's. I have only been in NYC one other time and it was the end of August, 2002...almost a year after the 9/11 attacks. On our bus tour of the city that hot August day, we stopped at what once held the two World Trade Center towers...and was at that time a gaping hole that left me reeling with emotion and feeling like I didn't deserve to be there because while I was an American, and the attacks were on all of America, I knew no one who died that day and what I was looking at was the burial ground of innocent lives that, while unknown to me personally, felt like family on 9/11 and as I stood there that day. What haunted me then were the memorials and tributes that lined the wrought iron fence surrounding the little cemetery I had just walked through, and while they had long been removed, the memories were there still the same. We did not go through the museum. I didn't have it in me and we had a lot more on our list, but we did spend some time at the memorial. I never would have been able to come up with a way to memorialize those who died that day. Nothing in my mind could have ever been enough, but somehow what I was looking at...the huge pools and cascading waterfalls that created a calm and peacefulness in the world's most chaotic city...were exactly perfect. I found myself sad, but in a much different way than I had felt in 2002. This time I didn't feel the fear and anger I felt then, but more so the sadness I have felt at other monuments and memorials. And, while I know M didn't feel nearly the same things I felt in those moments, she was well aware of why we were there and as much as she hates to see me cry in public, she didn't dare question the tears that filled my eyes even as we walked away.
Next we hopped a bus up to China Town - a few city blocks that put M and I into sensory overload. We had hoped for knock-off purses, but decided to quickly move on to Little Italy and the heaven we found in Ferrara Bakery. Friends, I can't begin to tell you about the goodness that came in the form of strawberry gelato and a chocolate cannoli. We absolutely loved this place and got a little rest before heading towards SoHo and shopping. It was about this time it started to snow. I can only describe the rest of the afternoon as iconic New York, snow globe, fluffy, beautiful snow. It was magical, and I'm so glad we got to experience the city that way. We spent the afternoon wandering neighborhoods and going in and out of little shops. I got a killer deal on a great pair of leopard print heels that I get compliments on every time I wear them. I consider that a win. I knew we weren't too far from the Friends apartment building so we set off on a scavenger hunt to find it. I'm not sure which one of us was more excited when we came around the corner and saw the exact view we've seen hundreds of times when watching my favorite show. We snapped a couple photos and then moved on to find Carrie Bradshaw's stoop (only a few blocks away) from Sex and the City. M then asked if I thought we could find Kleinfeld's from Say Yes to the Dress. It was a bit of a walk, but so worth it when the owner herself gave us a personal tour! M was in heaven! We ended the evening at the Flatiron Building before grabbing an Uber back to our hotel. It was quite a day and we covered so much ground. To be honest, I know there are things I've left out, but we went non-stop for 11 hours and were cold and damp from the snow, but we saw so much and laughed a lot and ate yummy food. It was one hell of a day, and I know neither of us will forget it.
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