Btw, this blog could be REAL fun as a drinking game! Grab your favorite cocktail and drink every time any form of the words New York City/ New York/Manhattan are mentioned! Happy reading!
I REALLY do! A friend texted me last Sunday night telling me he was off on Monday and "want to do something?" Uh, YEAH!! NYC, baby!!
A plan was hatched, well, half-hatched because neither one of us knew exactly how we were going to get there. You see, me being from Sweet Home Alabama doesn't exactly make me an expert on how to hop on a train to head to the Big 'Ol City! And this kid from big 'ol Philly had only been to New York once before. What?! You live 2 hours from one of the most amazing cities on this planet and you've only been once?! Impossible! Well, possible I found out. He wanted to drive. Uh, yeah. That was my first clue he had no idea. So, Type A me took the bull by the horns and powered up my netbook and Google searched that shit!
I was so excited about the trip I barely slept. I was like a kid on Christmas Eve! I packed my backpack and laid out my clothes, printed out an NYC transit map, set my alarm clock to 9:45 am, and tried to catch some ZZZs.
Morning of my NYC day trip! I wanted to look good for my city so I took a shower and actually flat-ironed my hair! I put on a little make-up, make-up (is that a song?) and my freshly ironed t-shirt (yep! ironed!), jeans and my New Balance. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to wear a little Spring dress and strappy sandals. I could totally picture myself all decked out in a cute sundress and my big sunglasses leisurely walking the boutique-lined streets like a Gossip Girl, but who do I think I am?! Well, that day I was a damn tourist. So, I went practical. Blah! Out the door I went with my grey sneakers on...
An hour later we landed at the Trenton, New Jersey train station 'cause that's what Google told me to do. Eek. Why are train stations always in the scariest parts of town? Whatever, we were on our way to NEW YORK!! My friend bought our tickets ($30 each) and we quickly boarded. When a train says it's gonna leave at 12:52, it LEAVES at 12:52, SHARP! I kept that in mind because I have a tendency to run about 15, who the hell am I kidding, 30 minutes late to anywhere I go.
We arrived at Penn Station an hour and a half later. We made no set plans on what we wanted to see and do. We only knew that we for-sure wanted to see the Trade Center and I wanted to visit Canal Street (knock-offs people!). This is sometimes the best way to enjoy a city. Simply see where the day takes you.
From Penn Station we boarded the E train to the WTC. Gosh, Im sure glad I printed out that transit map! Southern Girl leads the way!!!! This is actually my second trip to New York and the first one didn't go so well. Some New Yorkers think it's funny to "help" tourists ride the subway. And by "help," I mean they send you to QUEENS!!!! when you really wanted to go Downtown. NOT NICE! But, I was prepared this time. Fool me once...
My first sight of actual New York was coming up from the subway and spotting the New Yorker Hotel sign. Ahh, SO NEW YORK!!! It gave me a teeny tiny high! Like buying new shoes! Do you see what I mean when I say "I love this place?!" The day instantly held so much promise! The sun was out and the birds were singing (or maybe that was that homeless man...)! Anyway, it was going to be a good day!
Our subway exit came up right at the site of the missing towers. New ones were being rebuilt but it's absolutely amazing to me that multiple massive buildings fell and yet others stood their ground. Astounding! Buildings still stand so close to the wreckage. How on Earth did lower Manhattan not crumble? Standing at the edge of the site I couldn't help but look up and visualize those planes crashing into those buildings. The sky didn't seem so far up. Those planes must have looked huge to the poor people on the ground. And then to see them crash into those tall towers must have been horrifying. I can't even imagine. Across the street is the Trinity Church. Still in one piece. I wondered if people sought shelter in there that day. I looked at all the buildings that still stood and wandered if those people in those buildings thought they were going to die, too. Visiting the site absolutely brought the tragedy home. It's a powerful place to visit. I said a prayer before leaving and off we went towards Battery Park.
The day was shaping up to be one of the nicest all Spring. The temperature was slightly warm which made this Bama girl happy! We walked along the water's edge. Looking at the New Jersey skyline then looking further down to see Her! Lady Liberty! But, funny. She seems so small over there on that tiny island overlooking the Hudson Bay. Off to her left is Ellis Island. How sweet a site they must have been to all the immigrants about to make America their home. We continued to walk towards the southernmost point of Manhattan. I really should have worn that sundress! It was THAT kind of day!
It was now almost 5:00 and we were getting hungry. We decided to walk the one and a half miles to Canal Street. Neither one of us had ever wandered the streets of New York and we were excited to see all the sites along the way. And boy did we see sites! We saw the Charging Bull. We stopped by Wall Street to see the New York Stock Exchange. I'm a sucker for a man in uniform, and I guess I'm now a sucker for a guy in a suit! HELLO!!! I'm definitely living in the WRONG city! Next we saw the Brooklyn Bridge! I really am a tourist! Seeing it made me so happy! We passed City Hall and then made our way into Chinatown. I prepped my friend for what was about to come. "Listen, D. You're going to hear a lot of 'Rolex, Rolex, Rolex.' And people are going to shove papers with pictures of purses in your hand. Don't take anything and don't say anything. Just follow me and stick close!"
Managing our way through Canal Street wasn't too bad. D, however, did not follow my advice so we got sidelined a couple of times. Why don't men listen to us?! I pretty much just pulled him through! I wasn't really in the market for any knock-offs, but just walking on Canal Street is such a rush! I did get a deal on two "pashmina" scarves. $12 for 2! Nice! I probably could've gotten them for $10, but it didn't help that when I pulled out the $10 the ones came too so my chance for doing some real negotiating went out the window. Oh well. Next time?!
After Canal Street we really didn't know where we were going. We just meandered north-ish. Within minutes we were within smell-shot of LITTLE ITALY!!! We found our way onto Mulberry Street. The HEART of Littly Italy! I had no idea we were even in the area! What a treat! And with all those amazing smells of pasta and garlic and bread, fugedaboudit!! We were in! What I didn't know was that Littly Italy is the food version of Canal Street!! We started to walk down the narrow sidewalk and were bombarded by all the little bistros' and ristorantes' matradees thrusting menus at us and yelling out their specials. They practically push and pull you into their establishments! It was very overwhelming, but i stuck with the "don't take anything or say anything" mantra. WE would decide where we wanted to eat! NOT them! This may sound like I was a bit annoyed, but that is not at all the case. It was all VERY exciting! But, just like Vegas, the house always wins...
Each cafe had menus propped up outside the door so you could read the specials. We found Casa Bella. They seemed to have good prices, so we said yes and in like 2 seconds we were quickly squished into a tiny table outside. I was still a happy girl! It was all apart of the experience, the New York experience!, and I was loving every minute of it! It felt like I was at a theme park where the actors over-exaggerate whatever culture they are trying to convince you they are representing. But this was the real deal! I ordered my usual fettuccine alfredo and a glass of wine. D ordered the same. We got our bill and it was $65!! WHAT?! The menu right there said $10! The waiters didn't speak real good English and we just went ahead and paid. Oh, and did I mention they include a 20% tip? No ifs, ands, or buts. WE picked our place, but THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS!
Besides being monetarily raped, we were fat and happy! We proceeded north. It was still daylight and the last train out wasn't until 1:33 am, so we had plenty of time to do whatever. We decided to hit up Times Square. Because it was nice out, we decided we'd walk a few blocks before getting on the subway. What D and I didn't know was that those few blocks were littered with my very favorite shops! Forever 21, Zara, and H&M to name a few. SCORE!!! Just kidding! I was kind to D and just did run-throughs. Boys and shopping don't mix. And hell, after that dinner I was in no situation to spend any more money!
We hopped on the subway and headed to Times Square. I was feeling pretty proud of myself at this point because HE was following ME! The Philly boy was following the South Alabama girl! I managed to get us from Penn Station to Battery Park and Battery Park to Canal Street and now Canal Street to Times Square! Someone hand me a cake with a candle!
We arrived in Times Square and by this time it was dark so it was lit up in all it's glory!! Lights and sounds everywhere! VERY NYC!! We wandered to Rockefeller Center, FAO Schwartz, and The Plaza Hotel. We went inside Trump Tower to feel like we were on Apprentice and we strolled past Central Park. It was a lovely way to wind up an amazing day! We decided we'd hit up a bar for a beer and review my transit map so we new which subway line to take to Penn Station.
At this point my engine was dying quick! I started to get moody like a child whose been dragged all over Disney World! My legs were jelly! My feet hurt inside my practical New Balance shoes. Because we were near Central Park we were far from the bars. We walked and walked until we FINALLY found a place called Pig 'N' Whistle and D ordered us two Miller Lights. We were served Bud Light. This was the beginning of the end. I reviewed my map and D googled our location on his phone. All signs pointed to us taking the R line.
I pleaded with my legs to take me just ONE MORE BLOCK and they obliged... barely. We got on the subway. We rode and rode. The beer kicked in and I had to pee. We rode and rode. I REALLY had to pee. We rode and rode. The map said Penn Station was like 2 stops from where we started. Hmm........................................ Excuse me sir, where is this train headed? "QUEENS." Damnit New York!
The blue line shows the path we walked from the WTC to Canal Street............................................................................................
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