Day 35,36 New York City, NY

New York City! There's so much to say about this vibrant city that I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll start with New Jersey.

 

We got to New Jersey the evening before we were going to go to NYC so we decided to go to the Liberty Park and see the Statue of Liberty from the NJ side. The park was huge with a big walkway along the water and lots of benches to sit and enjoy the view. Other than some occasional runners, the park was pretty empty. We hadn't really thought about it, but of course we could only see the back side of the statue which was a little disappointing. However we did get to see the Manhattan skyline from a distance and had to just sit and stare in awe as the setting sun lit up the sky with pink and orange rays hitting the buildings. It was also interesting being so close to the city, but not hearing or feeling any of the noise and chaos.

The next day we got to experience all of that starting with the bike ride into the city. I really didn't want to take the bike in, having been to NYC a couple of times and knowing how people drive there. But Alex insisted so the next morning we were off to pass through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then through the Lincoln Tunnel. Now I would just like to say that riding a motorcycle through the Lincoln Tunnel is a horrible idea. Traffic is always bad, no matter what time you go, so you're pretty much moving a couple miles an hour. Which means you almost get to walk your bike through the tunnel. Also it's really hot down there. Really hot! So here we are, barely moving, I'm in my motorcycle jacket (because there's no way I'm riding through NYC without protective gear) and I'm really claustrophobic. It felt like driving through hell.

 

But once we got into the city, we ditched the bike and spent the whole, entire day just walking around and seeing everything there is to see. We started with Times Square where Alex gave a Smurf a hug. From there we headed over to Rockefeller Center, where they were setting up for 'Fashion's Night Out' which we didn't even know was happening that night. We got to walk down the red carpet though to 5th Ave where all the high end stores like Gucci, Tiffany's, Marc Jacobs etc. are and we felt pretty high class, not gonna lie...

 

Then we walked from 59th to 23rd just to go to a Italian restaurant that was a recommendation of a friend who knows good food when she has it! We thought we were just going to a restaurant, but we didn't realize we were going to be transported to Italy for a couple of hours. Eately is basically a gellatoria, a cafe, a butchers shop, a bakery, a dairy shop, and a grocery store all in one big building, with authentic Italians working there so everyone is speaking in Italian around you. I felt like I was right back in Italy and I loved it! We headed up to the 14th floor for some fine, Italian cuisine.

 After we'd stuffed our faces with delicious portabella mushrooms in a nectarine sauce and quail cooked to perfection, we headed back downstairs to get the best gelatto I've had since I was in Rome and one of the best cappuccinos I've ever had in my life. Which we stepped outside to enjoy in front of the Flatiron Building.

 

Next we headed back to the upper end and had to stop at a Scandinavian store, where I attempted to speak to the worker in Finnish only to have an awkward moment when she looked totally confused and then told me she was from Iceland. She looked and sounded so Finnish though! Oh well... She offered me a Marimekko purse for about a fourth of its original price, so of course I had to get it.

 

After that we went into Grand Central Station and stood with all the other tourists taking pictures. The locals must really get annoyed by that... Oh and did you notice the bride in the picture? I was about to congratulate her when I figured out that she's not a real bride, because a. she's missing a groom and b. her hair wasn't really styled at all. Definitely just a photo shoot... Thankfully I realized it before I had another embarrassing moment.

After that we took a little nap in Central Park. Now I've been to Central park twice before, but this was my first time in the summer and there's something pretty incredible about Central Park in the summer. Hundreds of people come there to have picnics with their families, play baseball, roller blade, run, paint, read, sleep and so much more. You can't help but just feel happy and relaxed to escape the hustle of the city and enjoy the beautiful nature around you.

Alex wanted to blend in with the locals and bought a hot dog at a stand in the park, but he said it was actually completely gross.

From there I insisted we go to Serendipity because I wanted to try the drink that Kate Beckinsale ordered in the movie Serendipity (which was actually filmed in the actual restaurant). Now I'm not usually the cheesy, have to see places where they filmed this or that type. But this drink looked so good in the movie that I had to try it. They call it 'frozen hot chocolate' and it tastes exactly how it sounds. It was delicious! This was Alex's response to the drink, and my response to his expression. Clearly I married a troll.

By the time we left the restaurant, Fashion's Night Out was starting and 5th Ave was completely packed with shoppers (since most of the stores where having huge sales) and lots of models. They were easy to spot because they were all wearing Fashion's Night Out shirts and heels and stood a good foot above the rest of the crowds. We fought the crowds to get back to Times Square where we caught a movie. By the time we got out and headed back to the bike, it was almost midnight and the city was just as crowded and busy as it had been in the evening. My kind of city! I could've easily kept going all night, but we had to get the bike before midnight. All in all we walked about 11 miles and were out and about for about 14 hours. It was a long day to be sure, but definitely worth it. We were planning on heading back into the city the next morning, because there was still more we wanted to see and do, but the exhausting day caught up to us and we decided to be lazy until we headed up to Boston.

 

We'll definitely be back to the city that never sleeps though...