September has been a very busy month, so much that it's making my head spin. I will not get into all of it, but I do want to share some memories and experiences that I had while visiting New York City this past weekend. It was my first time in the Big Apple, and it was more than I could have even imagined!
Justin and I headed up a week ago today after work. We stayed with some friends in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn who so graciously allowed us to crash with them. They were also great hosts, and were able to show us around!
We only had 3 full days in NYC, so we got started right away! [So much to see, never enough time!]
|| Friday, 09/18/15 ||
We took the Subway (an experience in itself) to Manhattan. Fueled up with some bagels and smoothies, and headed straight to Ground Zero- the September 11th Memorial site.
The new Freedom Tower, which is an insanely tall building.
This building is the fire station that first responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ground Zero is the most somber place I have ever been to. Such a sad day for America.
Next, we trekked a few blocks to see the Trinity Church, which was built in the 1700's.
Up Next: Wall Street.
We also walked (what felt like) 5 miles to go catch a boat, so we could take a tour on the Hudson River!
After day 1, we were exhausted. We walked 11 miles on our first day, but still managed to make it to dinner on the water in Chelsea that night, and walk even more miles around on the High Line to Manhattan.
|| Saturday, 09/19/15 ||
We were still so worn out from our adventures the day before, that we decided to stay in Brooklyn for the day. (No Subway, yay!)
First stop: Donuts at a cute place called Dough.
Yes, they were as good as they looked. I earned it!
We then cabbed to Williamsburg (near Brooklyn) and went shopping, ate some street food, saw some amazing views, and went to a bar for some Brooklyn beer! We tried to go to Brooklyn brewery for their beer, but the line was incredibly long. We decided to just get said beers next door from the brewery, which obviously works!
Such a fun afternoon, and we made it back home in time to watch the Georgia game (and yes, they did win against South Carolina)!
After a few hours of rest and relaxation, we met up with some more friends that night at a place called Battery Harris in Brooklyn.
Once again, after this night, we crashed again! We had an early day the next day...
|| Sunday, 09/20/15 ||
.....We went to the Falcons/Giants football game!
2 trains and the Subway later, we made it to the Metlife stadium in New Jersey just in time for kick-off.
Although we were in forbidden territory, and heard some Giants fans verbally fight with Falcons fans (New Yorkers... whew!), we won the game! The stadium was silent as the Falcons won in the last minutes of the game. Let's just say the train rides home with Giants fans was an uncomfortable, but awesome, experience!
We didn't have time to change once we got off our train at Penn Station, nor did we have clothes, so we hiked all the way to 5th Avenue and Times Square in our Falcons gear. Yes we got looks. Maybe we were also a little brave. Some New Yorkers were not too happy seeing us, haha.
We were even late to dinner with our friends because of it, so we hurried to the Subway and took the train into the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We had a nice dinner in the Essex area, where the food was delicious, the drinks were half price at happy hour, and the entertainment included playing some 'Friends' trivia.
Afterwards, we grabbed ice cream sandwiches at a place called Melt, and headed back on the Subway to Brooklyn. This was our last night in the city that never sleeps, but we sure needed it!
Overall, this trip was an AMAZING experience. If you've never been to New York City, go. You don't even need a reason, you will find many once you're there. And once you leave, go again. There is so much to do, see, and experience in this city. If you grew up in a small town like I did, your scope on things change. You see the most interesting people. You get to experience the Subway (rats and all). You get to see children playing in the streets because they do not have a front yard. You get to see the homeless and the rich, and you get to see the bright lights.
I cannot wait to go back. There are still so many things I need to do, see and experience. This trip was just the tip of the iceberg.
Until next time............
XOXO
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