NY, NY (Part 4, THE FINAL NY POST)

Sunday morning found us taking a (relatively) early train downtown so that we could make the most of the daylight hours as this was the day to really "see the sights". And as luck would have it, it was the one day we were there that had really nice weather. Mid-60's, still and no rain.

Our first stop was the Donut Plant on the north side of Chinatown. A small, nondescript storefront, but by the looks of the press on the wall, noted for excellent donuts.

Kelly and Ben recommended the raised variety (vs. cake). So we sampled a few.

 

I waited until we were on the ferry to eat mine (this photo was taken on the subway) and the glaze was getting all gooey and messy (vs. kind of crunchy). But it was still a good donut. I just should have eaten it sooner ...

From there we hoofed it to the Staten Island Ferry ...

so we could ride (for free!) past the Statue of Liberty.

We also saw the skylines of Jersey City, NJ ...

and Manhattan.

After disembarking from the ferry, we took the subway to Brooklyn to attend the Brooklyn Flea Market ...

held right beneath the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge.

A few noteworthy things for sale:

A bowl and picture frames made out of bike chains ...

and bowls made out of LP records. Then it was off to Front Street Pizza in Brooklyn for another slice of NY pizza.

This one wasn't as good as the first. Then it was off to Ground Zero. Just thinking about the tragedy made my eyes well up with tears. There is a display in the church, St. Paul's Chapel, just a block away from where the Twin Towers used to be, that didn't have even one window broken that day. Amazing.

Inside are many artifacts, including this cross made from some of the ironwork from the building. Very moving.

Hundreds of patches from the firefighters and police officers who helped with the rescue and cleanup.

Letters from children ...

And photos of some of the many who perished.

The actual site is under construction and not much is visible. It's surrounded by a chain link fence with signage all around and the hole is being filled with the memorial. But it was still obvious that a big chunk of downtown Manhattan was missing.

Then we walked over to Wall Street ...

where we saw the New York Stock Exchange.

In the late afternoon we stopped at Levain Bakery for one of their famous 6 ounce (and $4!!) cookies.

This one is chocolate chip walnut and was delicious. It was several hours before it was gone. We walked through Central Park after the sun went down (it was still pretty) and walked onto the grounds of Tavern on the Green, which was all lit up with lights.

On the way to dinner we walked by many street vendors (who are EVERYWHERE) selling roasted chestnuts.

My last NY meal was at Pop Burger ...

which was across the street from the famous toy store F.A.O. Schwartz.

Pop Burger was a fun little place.

The burgers came in pairs, so my sister and I split an order and we each ordered fries. I must say, I think those were the best fries I've ever had. So crispy and crunchy. Delicious.

We walked past Carnegie Hall on the way to Times Square ...

where we also saw the Ed Sullivan Theater.

We passed Bryant Park on the way to the subway, where there are lots of little freestanding shops. It's also where they hold the final show for the TV show "Project Runway". When we got home, most of us had one last "Renee's Cookie".

I didn't have room for one more thing. I really felt like I ate my way through NY! But I enjoyed every bite. :-) Monday morning brought a very early wake-up call and a return trip to the White Plains airport. And of course, it was a beautiful, clear day. :-(

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'd return in a NY minute. :-)