Day 1
Day 1:
Week unlimited metro passes had been bought and it was time for the adventures to begin! Destinations for the day were as follows:
2.) Brooklyn Bridge
3.) DUMBO
5.) Battery Park
6.) Staten Island Ferry- Statue of Liberty
7.) The Mansion
We started out the day by taking little Scooter on a walk down the East River and to Carl Schurz Park as I normally start my days. It was about 33 degrees out, which beats the average in the 20’s from the week before, but it was cold nonetheless. Once I gave them a little lay of the land by my apartment we walked to the subway station and took their first subway ride all the way south to City Hall with a little detour stop at Grand Central Station on the way down. Then we were out of the subway station and onto the Brooklyn Bridge. The views from the bridge are one of my favorites in the city. I’m not sure I would suggest going in the middle of winter again, but it was a beautiful day and definitely something I wanted them to experience while they were here.
We walked across the bridge down to DUMBO- Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. The area was under some pretty heavy construction since the last time I was there, but the views from the waterfront down there is also very pretty. We ventured around the area for a little while and decided to get a slice of pizza at a local pizza place (also something you have to do while in NY!).
The trip back across the bridge was a lot colder than the walk over, but we made it. Next stop? Attempting to find the World Trade Center. It wouldn’t be an authentic Anna New York living trip if I didn’t get us a little lost.. but given that I don’t go to a lot of the places we went to on a daily basis I’d say I was a pretty good transit director. We made it to the World Trade Center site, but there isn’t really much you can see now because it is all under construction.
We hopped back on the subway again and off to the Bowling Green stop, which takes you down to Battery Park. I haven’t been to Battery Park since I first visited New York with Kathy in 2008, but it was a lot more lively the last time I was there than when we visited. Then again, it was the middle of December. From there, we headed to the Staten Island Ferry for a little boat ride. If you don’t care about actually going to the island that the Statue of Liberty is on, but still want to get a good look I would suggest this option. Plus, it’s free! We hit the ferry right at the right time during sunset and if you could fight the crowds and the cold on the ends of the boat there were some pretty great views.
By the time we got off the boat it had been a long day and we were ready to head uptown and to dinner. There was a M-15 limited bus (the same bus I take to Target) calling our names outside of the ferry station that would take us all the way uptown without transfers or subways.
Once uptown, we headed to one of my favorite diners, The Mansion. The name may be a little deceiving to people who haven’t been there because it is not in a Mansion nor is it fancy. It is just one of the local diners a couple of blocks from my apartment that has a homey feel with delicious food. After dinner it was time to call it a night. The next day I had to work a full day so my family was on their own (kind of) for the day. They survived though I promise!