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16 Mile Manhattan Tour
The goal this morning when we awoke in our rented Manhattan apartment: squeeze as many sights in to the day as possible. NYC is saturated with such diverse neighborhoods, each hiding their own famed restaurants and attractions. Plus there were some highlights from our 2012 trip I wanted to revisit like the Highland Park, Chelsea Piers, and Bryant Park.
So where to start? We walked to Columbus Circle, hopped on a Subway & rode to Brooklyn. (My dad tried to convince me that the subway operated like a submarine when we travelled under the Hudson River, where you see water and fish out the windows. NICE TRY. )
We weren’t in Brooklyn long because we walked straight across the Brooklyn Bridge, over the cars and the water for about a mile. Which is only the start of the distance we covered by foot today. We used the Map My Walk app today to measure our trek and after 8 hours we have travelled an amazing 16 miles.
We stopped for coffee, fruit & a bagel to share at the Long Island Bagel Shop. We found the bronze Charging Bull sculpture and walked down Wall Street. Circled Battery Park and dodged children and bicycles. However the most amazing site was easily the 9/11 memorial. If you have the opportunity, please go see. It’s free and it’s beautiful. On the exact plots where the twin towers stood are now vast deep fountains, encased in marble that carries the names of each victim.
We stopped for a 2 o’ clock brunch at a hipster vegan restaurant ‘The Butcher’s Daughter.’ On the way in, my dad asked “this isn’t one of those vegetarian restaurants, right?”
He enjoyed his “tempeh” and dairy-less cheese ;)
Next we strolled through Little Italy. Smells So GOOD. A mile later we were in Chelsea, on the piers looking across at New Jersey. It was a gorgeous day!
One of my favorite places in Manhattan is the Highline Park, an old elevated railroad that has been transformed into a garden and walkway a couple stories above the city. It reminds of a fairy tale :) When we were ready to head home, we still had a good 40 blocks uptown to go. The best way to see the city is by foot! You get to see so much, and smell way too much.
We were walking up 9th Ave when we happened upon the biggest street fair. For 10 blocks we passed food vendors, street performers, and what seemed like millions of people. It smelled like grease and cigarette smoke.
16 miles later we were back at our apartment to relax & have our own little happy hour. Tomorrow brings another day of adventure! This is an incredible place to be.
Post-Op Update Part 2: New York Shenanigins
We are in the City that Never Sleeps. Though ironically, that is precisely what I am prescribed to do for recovery after my surgery on Monday. But it’s Christmas time in the Big Apple and we are feeling especially stir crazy. At first I was a little excited about lounging around in comfy jammies, watching TV, and eating soup – the antithesis of last week at school when I was struggling to finish finals and semester projects.
But after a day of rerun episodes on E! and ABC Family channels, I realized how nonsensical it was to sit on the couch watching people traipse around Manhattan when it was directly out the window. I watched Carrie in Sex & the City with her friends in a Midtown café (dressed to perfection, of course.) And then there’s Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada flagging down a cab. Officer Benton in Law & Order heading to the New York City precinct. Blair from Gossip Girl eating macaroons on the Upper East Side. Even the novel I’m reading Queen of Babble describes Liz’s dream of moving into the city to pursue a career in the fashion district.
The view from our window. Sadly, no snow in sight.
Message delivered; we headed out. I had to buy an extra-large pair of sunglasses to shield the multi-colored bruise around my eye and as much of the swelling as I could. Cheap sunglasses and a winter hat = incognito ;)
Any outing with my mom and I starts with a large cup of coffee. In the past three days, we have gone to Starbucks, Morton Williams, and Balducci’s for a little morning coffee variety. Columbus Circle is not too far away, and on the corner of Central Park is a seasonal outdoor “market” of vendors decorated for Christmas.
Dozens of shops filled rows of these little Christmas huts with scarves, jewelry, ornaments, candles, coffee and cookies.
Central Park – not so colorful in the winter time
Central Park Ice Rink
We walked through the park, by the ice rink, up to 5th Avenue for a latte from the cafe in FAO Schwartz Toy Store (where we saw the most expensive stuffed animals I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I giant Panda for $1,400. What’s wrong with a good ole’ beanie baby?). Anyone seen the 80’s Tom Hanks movie Big? The piano scene? Filmed at FAO and the piano is still there for shoppers to dance on.
Across the street is the Plaza hotel, massive and beautifully decorated. We walked through the entrance to pretend for a moment we were among the hotel guests, like Donald Trump or Eloise.
Back to reality and over to Lincoln Center. One of my surgeons met with my mom and I Thursday afternoon; when she heard we’d be in the city for almost another week, she said she had tickets to the Broadway play “War Horse” that she couldn’t use. She gave the tickets to my mom and I for the Friday night showing at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in the Lincoln Center.
The accents were my favorite part! The 3-hour show took place in during World War 1, with characters sporting English (Cockney), Irish, French and German accents that I tried to imitate on the way home ;) At first I was a little skeptical of how realistic the giant puppets used for horses could look. But the production did a great job of creating life-like movements with the large horses, and we were impressed.
Rockefeller Center at nighttime was also spectacular, so crowded with everyone trying to get pictures with the famous Rockefeller Tree. The lights, the music, the tree and the crowds made it such a festive time here! The ice rink just below the tree is quaint and small compared to the one in Central Park, and my mom and I might head back to skate in the next couple of days.
Today it is rainy and dreary, though we took an umbrella-covered stroll to Riverside Park, along the Hudson River. It was totally desolate outside, unlike the hustling and bustling we are used to closer to Times Square. The city folk must have been in church or in bed. We are going to pick out a Christmas movie this afternoon. I do love old black and white Christmas movies. It’s a Wonderful Life is a classic, but I think my favorite is Christmas in Connecticut.
What’s Your Favorite Christmas Movie?
