Vacation Recap Part III: New York City

I am recounting our vacation from a week and a half ago and am onto Part III. To catch up, see Part I and Part II.

For the final leg of our trip we visited the Big Apple. We left early Friday morning from the house on the river in Pennsylvania and set out to New Jersey. There we were dropping off our car and getting picked up by a van to take us into our apartment in Midtown Manhattan.

I'll just begin with that none of us, maybe excluding my one brother-in-law and my mother-in-law, are really "big city folk." The minute the van crossed the bridge into the city you could see my father-in-law's grip on the seat tighten. It was quite the experience in the van with the driver weaving in and out of traffic and honking, pedestrians dashing across the street with no obvious fear toward cars racing toward them, construction everywhere, huge buildings, etc.

We made it to our apartment, dropped our bags off and headed out to brave the subway. The subway is awesome. It is so amazing to be able to get from point A to point B so quickly and efficiently. We made a stop at a pizza place that Hub and I had seen on TV. Yummy New York Pizza.

Brother-in-law waiting for the Subway

Me with one of my all-time favorite foods!

We jumped back on the subway and headed to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.

The park and kids playing in the fountain

There she is

Wow, it fits right between his finger tips!

We then meandered through the financial district and saw the New York Stock Exchange.

We then headed to Ground Zero. I must say it was definitely strange being right in that area. Obviously it was almost 10 years ago {wow, that is even more strange to say} and I was a junior in high school when it happened but honestly I remember it like it was yesterday. The actual spot is a construction zone but there is a memorial on the wall of the fire station. Which we also saw a fire truck come out into action.

We stopped off at Grand Central Station on the way back to our apartment. It is absolutely beautiful and it is really interesting to see things in real life that we have only seen in movies or on TV. It is pretty amazing to stand on the stairs in the middle of the station and see everyone going their own which way. Almost like a movie in fast forward.

We headed back to the apartment for a little bit to wind down and then head out to dinner. We came across a restaurant called Ali Baba's Terrace which had a neon sign. To me, neon signs can be somewhat of a warning but everyone was convinced! And guess what we found? More Turkish food that we loved! After a nice dinner we walked to Times Square. All I have to say is, "Wow." 

Hub's company

On the walk back from Times Square we saw these attractions:

We love 30 Rock :)

St. Patrick's Cathedral

The next day we awoke and headed to The Empire State Building. It was pretty cloudy and a little misty so we didn't go to the top. The lobby is really beautiful though. 

We then headed to the New York Public Library. Hands down my favorite sight to see. It was absolutely beautiful. I can totally see why Carrie Bradshaw would want to get married there. Not only is the lobby beautiful but all of the book rooms are equally as gorgeous. The ceilings are so ornate and there are so many details. I feel smarter just for having visited.

After the library we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral to go inside. Another beautiful building. 

Here's where lunch time came in. And what an event it was. We went to Carnegie Deli. Yum and yum. I have never seen sandwiches or desserts like this before. I had a hot pastrami sandwich and it was delish. We all split the New York Cheesecake with strawberries for dessert. Best cheesecake I have ever had.

We continued onto the Guggenheim and into Central Park. It is crazy that in the midst of a busy city there is just a beautiful park. 

We made a quick stop into the Natural History Museum. It was under construction so the outside wasn't much to look at. 

We continued on and stopped at FAO Schwartz on the way back to the apartment. What a fun toy store!

We headed back to the hotel for a bit and then headed out to our final meal together. It was a really yummy Indian restaurant. Hub and I flew out in the morning.

Our trip to New York was a definite whirlwind but we got to see quite a bit of sights. It was really interesting staying in an actual apartment and feeling like we were immersed in the city for a couple of days. Hub and I both agreed that we didn't think we would be able to get past the crowded nature of the city and actually enjoy it but we both did very much. I am so thankful to my in-laws for bringing me along on this adventure. It was a very fun vacation and a good one to have before the baby comes!