Friday in NY

Friday morning we got a much earlier start to the day than Thursday. We left the hotel around 9 a.m. and got back on the bus. We rode the bus all the way to the Ground Zero before we got off. The memorial there is so sad. It’s full of pictures and a timeline of the day. There was a guy playing Amazing Grace on the flute, and it actually evoked more emotion than I thought it was going to. There is still lots of debris and construction where the towers stood. It feels untouched, and it’s amazing to think of how much was already cleared out.

We got back on the bus and rode to the stop for the Statue of Liberty. Oh, and did I mention it’s been raining this whole morning? And did I also mention that even though it was raining, we still rode on the top of the double decker bus??? With ugly ponchos on! We ate at a street vendor who served Italian sausage sandwiches, Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and, of course, hot dogs. We ate on the steps of a building and then walked to the Staten Island Ferry to ride across for free and get a closer glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. Because it was raining and not very clear, we did the free ride which doesn’t go as close. It was fun though, and we met a guy from Brooklyn, who for a brief moment thought I was from England.

We got back on the bus and rode it to our hotel to pick up our jackets. Shelley and I took the subway to Central Park so that I could go see Strawberry Fields. I convinced Shelley that this was endeavor worthy of pursuing. We got off the subway, found a map of Central Park and started walking. Strawberry Fields is about halfway down the park, which is huge. Shelley kept asking me, “are you sure you really want to see this?” And of course I would assure her it was going to be great. We were exhausted by the time we got there, and all we could see was a mosaic tile design on the ground, and in the middle, it said “Imagine.” Shelley was not impressed. I guess maybe I should have picked The Met instead. Maybe next time.

We walked back from Central Park to a restaurant called The Burger Joint. The menu said:

Tips for Success in Ordering:
1. Hamburger or Cheeseburger.
2. How do you want it cooked?
3. What do you want on it?
4. If you’re not ready to order when you get up here, you will go to the end of the line.

They had good burgers, and it looked like lots of college students ate there. It was pretty cheap too for Manhattan. After dinner we decided to get Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity. There was a two hour wait at Serendipity. We put our name on the list and went to a candy store and then to Bloomingdales. At Bloomingdales you could buy packets of frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity. So I bought a couple just in case I decided I liked it. We walked back over to Serendipity just in time to get a table. We ordered three of the frozen hot chocolates which came in bowls not glasses! None of us even got halfway through our drinks which were so good. We went back to the hotel and packed for our trip home, which made me a little sad, but I knew we still had a little more to do on Saturday.