Last day in NYC: Central Park, Shopping, and Dinosaurs!

 We had a great last day in New York. Times Square and some of the city walking are definitely an assault on the senses. But all in all, we really enjoyed ourselves. We hired a bike to cart us around Central Park, we did some Museum sightseeing and found the blue whale and the dinosaurs, and succumbed to a bit of shopping.  Brooke had her first BLT, then we sadly left for the airport--an hour and a half drive to go less than 3 miles. Great place to visit, but wouldn't want to live here! Brooke was overwhelmed with the crowds, but loved the experience.

Brooke and Mich together: The Statue and the 9/11 Memorial/Museum

7 o'clock in the morning. We woke up and got ready to see a famous worldwide monument. It was pouring. We took a subway, which was about two blocks' walking distance from our hotel. After our intriguing subway adventure with business people in suits, we reached Battery Park. This was the place where we would take a ferry to see the statue and Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty, standing high into the clouds, was such an amazing sight to see and a great experience. We managed to get great pictures on the boat and had a great time exploring and learning about the history of the statue. The view from the pedestal was great! And the sun came out just in time.

After exploring the Statue of Liberty, we took the next ferry go see Ellis Island. Ellis Island used to be a place where immigrants from all over the world would stop in search of a new life in America. They would get tested for their health, mental state, and if they were intellectualy fit. We took an audio tour and Aunt Michelle and I looked around the museum on Ellis Island. After we finished looking around at Ellis Island, we took the ferry back to Battery Park. It was then time to get some lunch.

We took a short walk to Hudson Eats and got barbeque food. I tried a spicy chicken sandwich that was a little too spicy. We also got some not so yummy broccoli salad. Knowing broccoli, I thought it would taste anything but sweet! I took one bite and almost threw up. Aunt Michelle told me that I had to eat my veggies, so every bite I took, I gagged. Then she let me have the s'mores bread pudding for dessert!

The 9/11 memorial was nearby where we were eating, so we took a short walk towards it. I couldn't believe my eyes... it was massive! We walked a little further and saw the reflection pools in the same outlines where the Twin Towers used to stand tall, but now will just be a memory. On both of the reflection pools were marble slabs along the rims of the pools. They had the names of all the people that died on 9/11. I've learned by Aunt Michelle that beside some names had a little hole. This is for when that person has a birthday, their family members or friends put a white rose into the hole to celebrate and honor the person.

Michelle will talk a bit about the last part now. Brooke and I had timed tickets to go inside the 9/11 Museum. When we entered of course I was nervous that the artifacts, video footage, and sounds might be too much for Brooke to handle. I didn't know if I could hold my composure, either. I decided using the app and/or taking a guided tour was unnecessary, as the artifacts shown were beautifully displayed, and next to each artifact was a volunteer telling a story. The most captivating story was about a squeegee. A small group of men were stuck in the elevator on the 50th floor I believe after one of the planes hit. When they could not push out of the ceiling and finally were able to pry the doors open, they realized they were in between floors at an area that was not meant to stop. So they hit sheetrock and concrete. All they had with them to get out was a squeegee because one of the men was a window washer. They took many many minutes scraping a small hole where so they could each fit through and get out. This must have taken quite a long time and they actually all survived. The way the woman told the story was lifelike and I'll never forget it.
The picture of every one of the almost 3,000 people that were killed was displayed on huge walls with high ceilings and there was a reflection room where you could sit and listen to each person named and described by a friend or family member. Of course this is where I started to tear up as sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and friends talked about their loved ones in a brief way so that anyone visiting the museum could listen.
We were at the museum from 2 to 5:45 and didn't even notice the time. We skipped probably a good third of the museum including two large sections that we just ran out of time for. It will be a place that I'll have to go back in the future. It was a very special day.

Written by Brooke: Food and a view?

I've always wanted to come to this place after I saw it on Instagram.

As you can see, this place looks very fattening. But, it is worth the calories.

Here's Aunt Michelle living with the apes.

There was a lot of traffic and people as expected.

The city that never sleeps. (Time Square)

Here I am outside the New York Public Library.

This famous statue was outside the New York Public Library and Michelle had to take a picture.

Grand Central Train Station

The Magnolia Bakery is recommended place if you want a sweet treat.

This is the amazing view that we got before the clouds came in to ruin it.

Here I am at Top of the Rock.

This was the starting point of all of the clouds wanting to be in the picture.

St. Patrick's Cathedral was an exciting learning experience.

Atlas holds the world on his shoulders.

We saw many clothing stores but Versace was Michelle's favorite.

This was the place where I tried dumplings for the first time.

These are handmade ramen noodles in the soup, and the daoxia noodles I'm pointing to are also from scratch. I hated the honey and fresh ginger iced tea--too bitter and hurt my throat.
Overall it was a good day. The crowds can be overwhelming!