Ivy and Tia Julie Take New York: Day One

Ivy arrived in New York from Seattle on a red-eye flight at 6 a.m. That is awfully early for someone coming from Harlem to meet them at the airport. Needless to say, both of us were quite tired as we rode the subway into Manhattan. We went straight to our hotel at 8th and 44th St, planning to just drop off our luggage and head out for the day. When they told us our room was ready and we could check-in early (for a fee, obviously), I took them up on it. Being able to shower and get situated before heading out all day was well worth it.

Ivy made a list of things she wanted to see and do while in New York. I loved that a lot of items on her list included food and non-touristy things, like visiting the NYU and Columbia campuses, see Carnegie Hall, go to a movie in Times Square. But we had to do some touristy things, so after getting breakfast we started making our way to South Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. We were originally going to do this the next day, but since it was forecast to rain Tuesday we switched things up.

Instead of taking the Circle Line cruise that goes to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, we took a cruise that departs from Pier 36, goes under the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges and sails past the Statue of Liberty. Since tickets were sold out for visiting the pedestal and the crown, Ivy didn't see any need to go directly to the island. The cruise we took was just as good.

It was a bit cold out on the water, but it was fun riding under the bridges and seeing the Statue of Liberty. We asked a gentleman to take our picture, wanting the Manhattan skyline in the background. He did this instead:

Once we docked we made our way around the Financial District for a little bit, checking out Battery Park, Trinity Church (where Alexander Hamilton is buried), and other places in the area. I showed her where I worked for a hot second, and Bowling Green park where I ate lunch a few times.

 

I wanted this photo of the date (Ivy's birthday). 

We were getting hungry, and on Ivy's list was eating at Joe's Pizza. That's where Peter Parker works. We hopped on the subway and made our way to the Washington Square Park area (I don't quite know all the NYC neighborhood boundaries and names). The pizza was fantastic, so much so that each of us had to get a second slice. Afterward Ivy experience her first find-a-clean-public-restroom-in-NYC. The girl eating at the table next to us had just used the bathroom at the gelato place a few doors down, so we did that too.

We then jaunted over to Washington Square Park and then the NYU "campus". Ivy checked out the bookstore of her maybe-future school. She's already in love with the city and I love it!

Since it was her birthday, we had to get ice cream. Luckily, Ivy had four different ice cream places on her list of things to do in NYC. We headed for Morgensterns, a lovely ice cream place with a blue facade and delicious ice cream. The workers were very friendly and let us try a few flavors. We each really enjoyed our ice cream choices.

It was nearing five, and Ivy wanted to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. So we hopped on the subway and took the green line to the Borough Hall stop. Being rush hour, there were a lot of people on their commute home, both on foot and on bike. There were also, obviously, a ton of tourists. It made for a crowded walkway, especially with those tourists that chose to stop randomly and take selfies.

This is my favorite photo of Ivy from the trip. 

It was then on to Rockefeller Center to get tickets for Top of the Rock. We got tickets for roughly an hour later, so we could be up there during sunset and so we could go back to our hotel and get warmer clothing! By the time we made it up to the Top of the Rock, the sun had set. But the NYC skyline at night is beautiful and we were glad to be up there during the evening. It was super cold, though, so we got our pictures and went back to our hotel, ready to rest our sore feet and sleep for the next day.