The Big Apple -- Part 2

On day 2, I got up early so I could run. Little did I know how unnecessary any extra exercise would be by the end of the day. We needed to get a relatively early start because we had a schedule to stick to on day 2. We started with a trip south on the Subway to Battery Park to get to the ferry to go to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Our tickets were for a specific time, so we were in a real hurry. When we got to the ferry area, we saw that there were huge long lines. There was a shorter line for ticket holders, but it still took a good half hour to get through the line, go through security, and get on the ferry. Apparently, the ticket time is not really for a specific sailing. It's just to manage the crowd.

Once we were on the ferry, we headed toward the Statue of Liberty.

Day 2 with Mom, Annzy, and Whitney by the Statue of Liberty

The statue is really beautiful there in the harbor, but we didn't have tickets to go to the top of the statue, so we just took a good look from the ferry and went on to Ellis Island. There, we got off the ferry and went on an audio tour of the main building. It was pretty powerful to see all the photos and think about all the people, many of whom spoke little English, dealing with the lines, delays, and stresses of getting through the processing there. One of my favorite things about the audio tour was that they had little testimonials from people who had actually come through Ellis Island when emigrating. I was also impressed with the displays they had there. Once we got through the displays and tour, we jumped back on the ferry.

Day 2 at the main building on Ellis Island

After getting off the ferry, we went to the financial district to take a tour of the New York Stock Exchange. The day we were there was the day that Express went public, so they had a huge banner on the front of the building and did a fashion show out front. We missed the fashion show, but that's OK. The tour was really interesting. We got to see how everything works on the floor, where the opening/closing bell is, and where all the reporters hang out. We also had a fantastic tour guide from Morgan Stanley who helped us understand the NYSE better and told us some great stories. We also got to see some of the other rooms in the building and hear about their history. Things sure have changed with the digital age!

Day 2 with the huge EXPRESS banner in front of the NYSE (and Whitney in the foreground)

After our tour, we walked over to Trinity Church, a beautiful old church in the heart of a bustling part of town. It has a small cemetery with head stones so old the writing has been worn off by the weather. It was beautiful and serene, so we took an opportunity to rest our weary feet before heading off to a late lunch.

Dan 2 at Trinity Church

Annzy knew of a shop she wanted to go to for lunch, so we headed there only to find out that they were out of just about everything. We left without lunch, but with a box of Macaron cookies to hold us over. Fortunately, there were a dozen choices right on the same block, so we have Mexican food. The best part was the amazing guacamole they brought us. It was some of the best I've had.

Once we finished lunch, we went to China town to see if we could find any amazing bargains. It looked like what was available didn't really suit our tastes as much as we had hoped, so we didn't spend too much time there.

Day 3 shopping for purses and deals in China town

We headed back to the hotel for a little siesta and then got ready to go to Promises! Promises! It's a revival of a 60's Broadway show starring Kristen Chenowith and Sean Hayes. The retro music, sets, and costumes were delightful and we had a wonderful time. After leaving the show, we headed to Times Square. It's just amazing how lively that place is regardless of the time.

Day 3 ending the evening with a walk through Times Square

We enjoyed people watching and shopping and then headed back to the hotel for a good night's rest.