After a wonderful evening, culminating in 2 hours of musical theatre – Jersey Boys – we were up and about by 10am and ready to eat into some more of the Big apple. (If you missed day 1 you can find it here)
Day 2 (Sunday)
Our second day in New York was spent exploring Brooklyn. We had managed a stroll along the Promenade and around Brooklyn Heights on our previous trip and I absolute fell in love with the brownstone townhouses and the laid back vibe of the picturesque neighbourhood and of course, nothing beats the panoramic view of Manhattan’s skyline from the Brooklyn waterfront!
Anyway, our day in Brooklyn started on Smith Street where we found an excellent place to brunch – Clover Club – a cosy neighbourhood hangout by day and a cocktail bar by night. I must say that my brunch was possibly the best I have ever had. And I brunch a lot!
After charging the batteries we spent some time strolling around the area, wandering about the streets of Park Slope where the walkways were brightened up by tree after tree covered with cherry or magnolia blossoms. From there we walked around the northern edge of Prospect Park – Brooklyn’s equivalent of Central Park, designed by the very same people, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
Whilst we didn’t have the time to explore and see a great number of its attractions, I’m told that things to investigate include a 90-acre Long Meadow, a Picnic House, Litchfield Villa, which existed before the park was designed around it, Prospect Park Zoo, the Boathouse … I could go on. I’ve definitely added a proper explore to my bucketlist for my next visit to the city.
Hopping back onto the subway, we made for DUMBO. I still can’t get over the amazing views from the waterfront walkway. If I lived in New York I would be there all the time! By then it was time to refuel, so we popped into One Girl Cookies on Main Street for an unusual, but very delicious, ‘spiky’ cupcake and a caffeine kick.
With satisfied stomachs, we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, stopping for several photo opportunities along the way.
Back on Manhattan Island it was time to hit the shops and where better to start than Century 21 (Courtland Street) – no thrifty fashionista can miss this chance for bargains – and of course, TJMaxx (Wall Street).
Once we had done enough (window) shopping we strolled around the Financial District, stumbling across Stone Street as we went. Somewhat of a ‘local gem’ this little cobblestoned alley is lined with historic buildings, which were once storehouses for merchant goods and imports. Nowadays the gabled Dutch revival buildings are home to a number of Olde Worlde pubs and a walk along the street really transports you back to another era. If it weren’t for the nearby skyscrapers looming overhead you could certainly forget that you were in Manhattan.
From Stone Street we made the short walk to Battery Park. Back in 2013, the whole park was gated off following the destructive power of Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, so unfortunately we weren’t able to meander its paths. Thankfully this time there was nothing to stop us from enjoying the greenery of the plants, shrubs and trees as we made our way along the paths to see the famous ‘The Sphere’ sculpture up close. The bronze sphere, meant to symbolize world peace through world trade, once stood in the middle of Austin J. Tobin Plaza, the area between the World Trade Center towers. Following the horrors of 9/11, the sculpture was salvaged from the rubble, intact but visibly damaged, and was later relocated to Battery Park.
Ticking off another of the city’s famous sculptures, we headed up Broadway passing the Charging Bull, which supposedly symbolises the aggressive financial optimism and prosperity of nearby Wall Street, until we reached the 9/11 Memorial plaza.
The whole area has changed massively in three years! I remember visiting back in 2013 when we had to queue out on the streets for a good half an hour before going through a makeshift security office – it was not a case of simply walking in off the street.
It’s really hard to describe the emotions you feel stood in the plaza, surrounded by the ring of old and new buildings, appearing as sentinels to this place of remembrance, the 400 oak trees, symbolizing ‘hope and renewal’, and the evocative murmurings of the gushing waters as they cascade down into the north and south pools. You just can’t help but feel moved.
Feeling a little sombre, we exited the plaza on the far side and, to cheer ourselves up slightly, we spontaneously decided to head up the One World Observatory. Our timing was spot on, and we emerged into the viewing gallery just as the sun was setting. As you can imagine, we were met with spectacular views!
After a good hour admiring the views, pointing out the various sights and watching the vapour trails of planes taking off and landing at the various airports serving the city, it was time to capture the panorama in our heads and head off on our way.
It was getting late and our stomachs were rumbling so when a short walk along Greenwich Street took us past Sarabeth’s in Tribeca we decided to make that our dinner stop and enjoyed an evening reflecting on the many events, seen and experienced throughout our busy day.
Day 3 (Monday)
Our final day in the city was soon upon us and after grabbing a quick coffee and pastry in Starbucks we made for The Plaza Hotel where our activity for the morning was due to begin.
Following two days of glorious sunshine and clear blue skies, it was time for the rain to make an appearance and attempt to dampen our enthusiasm. Not a chance!
When at 1030 our transport for the morning arrived, we gladly hopped aboard, and were soon off to see the locations used in the filming of Sex and The City.
The tour took us around Midtown and the gorgeous streets of Greenwich Village, and along the way we visited plenty of places made popular by the four legendary ladies. I won’t tell you too much about it, as there will be a blog post about the tour coming very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
Unfortunately the rain had not stopped by the time the tour finished at 3pm so after being dropped off by Bryant Park, we retraced the bus route back down as far as Macy’s and Herald Square. The remainder of our afternoon was spent popping in and out of the shops, dodging the rain, and of course finding more places to eat yet more cupcakes.
It was soon time to make our way to the Flatiron building for a rendezvous with a friend of mine, who is currently interning in the city (I know, I’m jealous too!), plus two more of her friends who were visiting from home. The five of us enjoyed a great evening gorging on pizza at Tappo on W 24th Street and catching up on life and our various travelling tales. Sad to say it was not long before we were saying our farewells and for us that meant heading back to the hotel for our last sleep in the city.
Three days had gone by far too quickly and I’m already missing New York – I have no doubt that I’ll be back again very soon!
