12:00pm January 23, 2015

Alexa got home around 6pm on Wednesday, which was right about the time we were waking up from our recovery naps. We were in dire need of food, so we walked over to a nearby place that makes specialty salads in an attempt to be health conscious. Alexa lives in a neighborhood referred to as Hell’s Kitchen that is in the heart of Manhattan. After dinner she took us on a walking tour of nearby touristy sights. Highlights included Times Square, The Rockefeller Center and Central Park/Columbus Circle. At this point, we were all a little cold and we headed back to Alexa’s to get ready for the evening. Suzie became a little more territorial when Alexa was around. For some reason, she no longer liked Dan and she would just growl at him and then bite her tail and run in a circle.

Times Square. Sooo many advertisements!

Rockefeller Plaza

Central Park and some tall buildings. Can you tell we're cold?

Our plan was to check out the Manhattan club scene, but seeing as it was a Wednesday night, there wasn’t much going on and we ended up at a nearby sports bar called Beer Authority instead. We had a blast there and Alexa introduced us to pickle backs, a New York tradition. Pickle backs are just whiskey shots chased with pickle juice. It sounds gross, but actually isn’t half bad and the pickle juice is a phenomenal chaser.

Pickle backs! Bottoms Up!

On the way home from the bar, we stopped and got Halal (chicken over rice) from a food vendor. We chatted with him while he made our food and I think we made his day. He told us about his daughter who is also studying engineering and the rest of his family. I would say all of us were friends by the time we left.

Waiting patiently for our Halal

Alexa took the next day off work and acted as our tour guide. We were very thankful, because our day would have been much less cohesive without her guidance and knowledge. Before we left for the day, Alexa asked us how we felt about walking and we told her we were down for a solid amount of walking. She definitely took that to heart.

Our afternoon started with a short walk to the subway. We rode the subway all the way down to Lower Manhattan and hopped on the ferry to Staten Island. We had no business in Staten Island, but the ferry is free and you get some great views of the statue of liberty and the city skylines during the trip. It was a little chilly, but we sat out on the observation deck areas for most of the ride. Standard protocol is that you have to get off the ferry at Staten Island and then get on a different one to return to Manhattan. We had a bit of down time in between ferries, so Kileigh and I bought some post cards while we waited. We quickly learned that small talk with cashiers is not the norm in New York. You simply hand them the item and then hand them money. They don’t even tell you how much you owe unless you ask.

Trying to fit in on the subway with our Dunkin' Donuts

Just posing with our girl Lady Liberty!

Another magical shot from Kileigh's camera. We're definitely glowing...

Once we returned to Manhattan, we began our walking tour of the various neighborhoods that compose Lower Manhattan. First up was the financial district and Wall Street. There really wasn’t much to see there, but Dan took his picture with the bull statue. Next we made our way to the 9/11 memorial. Due to time constraints, we didn’t go inside the actual tribute center, but the memorial itself is very tasteful and a sight to see. From there, we could also see the new World Trade Center. Dan insisted on referring to the World Trade Center as the Freedom Tower to Alexa’s chagrin. She informed us that the nickname Freedom Tower is not a real thing and just a perpetuation of America’s obsession with the idea of freedom. Nonetheless Dan called it the Freedom Tower all day.

The biggest issue we faced throughout the day was finding public bathrooms. For this reason, after leaving the 9/11 Memorial, we found ourselves in one of the strangest McDonald’s I’ve ever experienced. It was multiple stories and had almost a lounge feel to it which was amplified by the fact that they had a DJ inside playing music.

Classic tourist photo. 10 points if you can guess where this was taken.

Dan and the bull. 

World Trade Center or Freedom Tower or really cool looking building. 

9/11 Memorial. This picture doesn't really do it justice.

And old cemetery we stopped by during the day. 

Next we continued on to check out City Hall, China Town and Little Italy. By the time we got to Little Italy it was time for lunch. We picked the first restaurant we came to that had decent lunch specials on their board out front. The place was called Da Gennaro and it turned out to be a great choice.  Kileigh and I both went with the crab stuffed ravioli in a pink sauce. No regrets there. Lunch was also a much needed break for our feet. Especially since we had decided to forego taking the subway home and walk instead so we could see more of the city.

I think they put that sign up just for us.

After lunch, we walked through SoHo, NoHo, NYU campus, Washington Square Park, etc… Our next destination was Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market is an indoor market with a variety of shops and vendors. We found ourselves getting coffee and specialty mini donuts. The mini donuts were made fresh and you got to pick from a variety of flavors. The vendor also had the fryer machine out front so we could actually watch them get made. On our way out Chelsea Market, we walked past this awesome 3D printer setup. Basically they have a large circular studio with cameras at all angles and it takes a 3D image of whatever you put inside, typically people or pets. And then it uses that image to make a miniature action figure/statue of the person or thing. We were thinking we could use one of these with us in our classic road trip picture pose.

And just another place we thought was a good photo op. Name that President!

New York still has Kmart. Unbelievable. It seemed to be about the same quality as the one Eau Claire. Low. 

The doughnut machine!

Walking through Chelsea Market.

At this point, it was getting late, so we more or less headed back to Alexa’s. We walked through a pretty Highline Park for a few blocks which is neat because it an elevated park. We also saw the Flat Iron district, Herald Square, and the Empire State building on the walk back. Dinner consisted of $1 New York pizza slices that we picked up at a place nearby Alexa’s. We have had a lottt of pizza over the last week. I’m even starting to consider myself a pizza critic.

Highline Park

And another one for good measure. 

Once back at Alexa’s, we got ready a littler earlier than the previous night and headed out to the club we had wanted to go to the night before. It was called Sky Room and had a rooftop lounge with an awesome view of the city. From there we went to a bar called Mercury in Hell’s Kitchen. It had a neat vibe and they had a deal where you could get a domestic beer and a shot of fireball for ten bucks. By New York standards it was a steal. We ended our night there and headed back home at bar close.

We had intended to get up early and leave, but after cramming so much in the last few days sleep ended up being more important. We left the city just before noon after saying goodbye to Alexa, Jason and Suzie. New York was a crazy whirlwind of tourism, good eats, and partying. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We’re now headed to Philadelphia in search of the classic Philly cheese steak and from there we’ve got a quick stop in Baltimore and will finally end the day in Washington DC. 

Looking fancy at the Skyroom.

The view from the Skyroom!

Suzie didn't want us to leave!