We checked out and headed down to the Lower East side by a bus. We rode the bus in NY a few times as our card allowed us to use both the subway and bus. We got down at the stop near to Katz's Delicatessen, a Jewish joint known for their pastrami sandwich and a scene in When Harry Met Sally. I was quite thrilled to try the matzah ball soup aka Jewish penicillin. My brave husband went to the deli and survived the notoriously challenging ordering system. By then, my tonsilitis was in full force and the matzah ball was definitely the most comforting thing I've ever eaten. However, we can't really appreciate the hype around pastrami so felt that it was too pricy.
We took a walk near Battery Park.
Saw this memorial for soldiers.
We decided to visit the 9/11 memorial next. I didn't expect much as I thought it would be some monuments with pictures or a typical museum-like installation. It turned out to be nothing like that. It was a very overwhelming, heartbreaking and unforgettable experience to be there. The memorial was very thoughtfully and beautifully designed. The four corners of the block had the names of all the ones who perished and a waterfall cascading down almost as if the tears were being wept by everyone standing around it. The waterfall then flows down towards the center where it forms another dark and smaller waterfall which we cannot see the bottom of. It brought tears to our eyes standing there in that vast space with only the sounds of loud but serene water gushing down. It communicated the immense sadness of the loss of life so well and yet the serenity which so many of us need after a devastating event like this. It made everyone fall silent and think of our place in the world.
We walked on and came across the Oculus- a transport hub/mall which is supposedly shaped like a dove in flight. This replaced the old station which was destroyed in the attack. We went in and caught the subway from there.
We dropped by in Greenwich Village to see the side of the 'Friends' building. It was a nice and quiet residential street save for a tourist couple which got there before us and were posing for photos in front of it. I love how the fire escapes look.
This day was our designated New York Pizza Day. The two most recommended places online were Joe's and Bleecker St Pizza. We visited both and we agreed that we much preferred Bleecker St because the pizza was just crispier and juicier. We got to watch it made and freshly taken out of the oven (the cheese bubbling to perfection). The Nonna Maria pizza in Bleecker St Pizza is definitely a must-try. My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. For $2.50 a slice, definitely most worth it. We were also advised by my mother-in-law to try the Coca-cola in the states as it was supposedly different and original. We did, and she was right! Best Coca-Cola ever! So much fizz and for some reason didn't taste as sickeningly sweet as the Coca-Cola's that we are used to. Coke and Pizza= perfect match.
The view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Gorgeous bridge
We took a walk near Battery Park.
Saw this memorial for soldiers.
We walked past the Charging Bull of Wall Street. There were so many tourists mounting the bull's behind (thankfully you can't see that in this photo). The entire area around the bull was crowded beyond belief that they had to put fences in that area so that the tourists don't spill out into oncoming traffic whilst attempting to pose with the bull.
We walked through Battery Park and saw Lady Liberty from a distance.
We decided to visit the 9/11 memorial next. I didn't expect much as I thought it would be some monuments with pictures or a typical museum-like installation. It turned out to be nothing like that. It was a very overwhelming, heartbreaking and unforgettable experience to be there. The memorial was very thoughtfully and beautifully designed. The four corners of the block had the names of all the ones who perished and a waterfall cascading down almost as if the tears were being wept by everyone standing around it. The waterfall then flows down towards the center where it forms another dark and smaller waterfall which we cannot see the bottom of. It brought tears to our eyes standing there in that vast space with only the sounds of loud but serene water gushing down. It communicated the immense sadness of the loss of life so well and yet the serenity which so many of us need after a devastating event like this. It made everyone fall silent and think of our place in the world.
We walked on and came across the Oculus- a transport hub/mall which is supposedly shaped like a dove in flight. This replaced the old station which was destroyed in the attack. We went in and caught the subway from there.
We dropped by in Greenwich Village to see the side of the 'Friends' building. It was a nice and quiet residential street save for a tourist couple which got there before us and were posing for photos in front of it. I love how the fire escapes look.
This day was our designated New York Pizza Day. The two most recommended places online were Joe's and Bleecker St Pizza. We visited both and we agreed that we much preferred Bleecker St because the pizza was just crispier and juicier. We got to watch it made and freshly taken out of the oven (the cheese bubbling to perfection). The Nonna Maria pizza in Bleecker St Pizza is definitely a must-try. My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. For $2.50 a slice, definitely most worth it. We were also advised by my mother-in-law to try the Coca-cola in the states as it was supposedly different and original. We did, and she was right! Best Coca-Cola ever! So much fizz and for some reason didn't taste as sickeningly sweet as the Coca-Cola's that we are used to. Coke and Pizza= perfect match.
The view of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Manhattan from the Brooklyn side.
Gorgeous bridge
Manhattan Bridge from our place for the night.
We couldn't leave New York without having Junior's one more time. Even my husband who doesn't really fancy cheesecake was the one requesting for it. He went off to the original Junior's in Brooklyn and bought a slice of cheesecake and red velvet cheesecake. They were to-die-for. Such deliciousness! Our place of lodging for the final night in NY was right smack in the middle of Chinatown. We did some shopping for much needed fruits from a local Chinese shop. We tried a lovely place called Carol's Bun for dinner which served wonderful homemade-type Chinese dishes with rice for the best price ever! We were almost weeping at the thought that we couldn't get that back in London. The hotel was really good apart from the fact that it would rattle everytime a subway would pass. Luckily we were so exhausted we couldn't feel a thing. The next morning, the Mr ran out to Carol's Bun the moment it opened and had a long chat with Carol herself whilst buying congee and dumplings for breakfast. It was again very tasty like mum's cooking. We then made our way to the airport and the husband sampled Dunkin Donuts whilst I had my final serving of Shake Shack fries (sob!).
And..... we were off to the West Coast!
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