- Walked to Port Authority/Bus Terminal to pick up Double Decker Bus Tickets (reserved online ahead of time http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/)
- Got on bus, waited...waited.... finally the tour guide spoke to us and said we "would probably make it to our 9/11 memorial reservations on time"
- We (smartly) got off the bus and took a cab. Lots of construction. We finally told the cab driver to let us out a few blocks after we passed memorial.
- Bfast at a middle eastern deli/cafe in the bottom of a nearby high rise. Bad choice.
- Memorial was very well done. Tickets are free but you had to reserve at http://www.911memorial.org/. The memorial waterfall pools, freedom towers, survivor tree, and gift shop were touching. I'm sad the museum wasn't open it was set to open soon.
- Lunch at a nearby deli. Good but nothing to write home about.
- Walked to Battery Park. Had reserved ferry tickets ahead of time at http://www.statuecruises.com/.
- Liberty Island...we didn't go inside the statue. Next time, book early to get "crown" tickets! I had the option of getting pedestal tickets but chose not to, kind of wish I would have but on a time crunch.
- Got back on the ferry to go to Ellis. Glad we went. So much history. So many stories. Was happy to learn that 98% of people made it through, despite the horror stories we hear. Lots of damage from Sandy. We took a quick, free, group tour with a park ranger. Didn't stay long. I'd recommend doing research ahead of time to see if your ancestors made it through there.
- Thankfully, there was a bus stop right at Battery Park where we returned. Helpful hint, if you are waiting for a bus near 5:00, they are full. We finally, thankfully, caught one back to Times Square.
- We weren't hungry and decided to take the double-decker night tour included in our bus passes. I had been on the night tour years before on a family trip to NYC and it's still a popular inside joke... "if we'd only kept the Dodgers..." This tour guide was much better. He too, took us to Brooklyn. Beautiful views of the city but we didn't stop for pics and it was hard to get them through the scratched plexiglass covering the bus. It was a nice 2 hour ride to rest our feet and hear a local's tales of the town.
- Not in the mood for a dress up fancy dinner. We took the tour guides suggestion and walked to "Restaurant Row" (46th between 8th and 9th). We ended up a few blocks over. Our tour guide had recommended Two Boots and my vote was Justin Timberlake's Southern Hospitality. We compromised and went to 5 Napkin Burger (also recommended by our tour guide). It was PERFECT. No muss, no fuss. Kind of a mix between Flip Burger and 5 Guys. We both enjoyed it.
- Side note: Next trip, Andrew wants to go to McSoreley's. Oldest pub in NYC, cool history.
- Left dinner, walked through Times Square (again). Quick photo opp...love that man!
- Weren't even hungry but HAD to have cheesecake from Junior's.Took it back to the hotel. It was not life changing.
- Woke up, checked out, stowed luggaged. Walked to Best Bagel at the suggestion of the front desk. Correct. Best bagel I'd ever had.
- Walked to Times Square, met Andrew's boss and family to pass off bus tickets. Glad someone got to use them to their fullest extent.
- Walked to Central Park. We didn't have a whole lot of time so we only walked to the loop from the 7th Ave south entrance, up to the carousel, and back out to the western side of the park. Fun people watching! Would love to go back.
- Then a walk back to the hotel, pick up luggage, walk to Penn Station, train to Newark.
Another great vacation! :)
