In a New York State of Mind Day 4

Our final day in the Big Apple was sunny and hot, the kind of May weather people from Hawaii expect to have on vacation. The day was filled with firsts. Since none of us had ever been to New York before, we decided to experience a quintessential Manhattan feature, the subway.   

I'd been on a few trains in my life; Chicago, Tokyo, Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland, just kidding about that last one. That being said, the New York subway made me a little nervous. I'm always intimidated by media influences and in the movies and TV the subway always seems dirty and the conductors require a knowledge of ancient accents to understand their announcements. To my surprise the subway wasn't half bad. A little bumpy and jerky, not unlike Big Thunder Mountain, but not bad. 

Here we go!

Mom and I trying to stay still on the bumpy ride

When we arrived in lower Manhattan, our first objective was Battery Park. We passed by the Staten Island ferry, but since both my Mom and Brother get seasick, we decided to view lady liberty from dry land.

I guess the seagulls had a fresh meal

Ellis Island through the fog

Can you see her?

American Merchant Mariners Memorial

New York Korean War Veterans Memorial

Brother, Dad and Mom and Freedom Tower

Brother, Mom and I

Sunshine and Freedom

We walked through the World Financial Center trying to find the entrance to the 9/11 Memorial, but all of the construction got us a little lost. Eventually we found the preview center where you can get tickets and made our way through the crowds to the memorial. 

The Memorial was very powerful, especially the negative space. It really gives some perspective on how large these buildings were and how the events of 9/11 changed everyone in our nation. 

I remember what I was doing when I first heard the news. It was a school day and I was sleeping in my room when my Mom woke me up to watch the news. At the time I didn't understand what was going on. I was a freshman in high school, a thousands of miles away from New York city. I didn't know the importance of the World Trade Center, but watching all the devastation and listening to all the frightened voices on video quickly made me realize that things will never be the same. The rest of the school day we spent watching the news from our classrooms. Even from Hawaii, we all felt the impact. 

After the 9/11 Memorial, we decided to walk around the financial district. But I had to get my nom on. We stopped by a little salad and sandwich shop near the memorial and we got some paninis. I just wish the guy who was taking my order didn't look at me funny when I ordered a "iced coffee, no sugar no cream, no milk." He seemed so shocked that I changed my order to appease him. "Fine, just a splash of milk."

My chicken, spinach and cheese panini with iced coffee

Again, I don't know if it's renovation season in New York, or if there's just always something being fixed, but I was disappointed that Trinity Church was being repaired... no pretty pictures of the church. It was gorgeous and the history of the church was just a fascinating. There are tombstones that are barely legible, but there are some from the early 1700s. There's also a spot on the ground where Queen Elizabeth stood when she visited. I wish we could have taken a tour, but we had a lot on our to do list that day. Onto Wall Street!

National Treasure much?

When I imagined the New York Stock Exchange, I didn't expect these old buildings, but it makes sense. I imagined these modern, ultra-sleek buildings like sky scrappers, but it looks like a museum.

New York Stock Exchange

Where Washington was sworn in as President 

The Money. The Power. The History.

Before we get to the iconic Charging Bull, I thought I'd share a funny little history lesson that I learned on the trip. Apparently Arturo Di Modica, the artist who sculpted the three and a half ton bull was not commissioned to build this sculpture for the city of New York. Turns out he made it on his own and decided to discretely drop the bull in front of the New York Stock Exchange as a gift to the city. So Di Modica's masterpiece literally showed up one day completely unexpected. Sneak attacked!

Side view of the Charging Bull

Cheese!

AHHHHH!!!!

Dress: Isaac Mizrahi

Necklace and Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: Kelly & Katie

Bag: Aldo

For our last dinner in New York, we decided to keep it simple. We had done a lot of walking the past few days and wanted something nice but it had to be close. And what is closer than the restaurant in the hotel lobby? I wanted to dress up, after all it was our last night and I didn't expect any dressy opportunities in Boston. Mom and I had purchased new sandals from DSW earlier that week, but they didn't match our outfits. Shoe swap! I took her new sandals for the night and she took mine. 

Tank: Calvin Klein

Skirt: The Limited

Necklace: Target

Crossroads in the Marriott Marquis on Broadway

Boys...

...and girls

Prochiutto goat cheese crostini

Caesar salad

My tuna with broccolini

Dad's white fish with lemon butter sauce and asparagus

Mom's steak with chimichurri and mashed potatoes

Brother's steak with cheesy fingerling potatoes

Peanut butter ice cream sundae

Apple tart with caramel

Our wonderful entertaining waiter, Bob

We had a wonderful time in New York, but it was time to say our goodbyes and settle in for the night. The next morning we'd get the rental car and drive up to Boston. Bean Town, here we come!

-Akemi-chan