New York's Financial District
Last full day in NYC!
After a good night's rest, and no dinner because we were pooped, it was off to the streets. We were picking up stuff we wanted to bring home as gifts and snacks, while exploring one last place.
Williamsburg - Sweatshop
A few blocks down from our Airbnb is Sweatshop. It appeared to be an Australian coffee shop. Tam doesn't drink coffee in the morning, but I do! I had some kind of toast and he had something with bacon. Delicious. We were going to have a busy day so we had to be on our way!
Subway Sidenote + Detour
We took the subway on a weekday during rush hour. Holy crap is it the most congested thing I've ever experienced. I wouldn't compare it to being packed like a sardine because we were closer and tighter than that. When I say we, I mean everyone I shared that subway with. The experience was definitely suffocating to say the least.
While heading to the Charging Bull, we walked through a church I remember once going to. I couldn't remember why. Though, I had been on a Hamilton kick and we were entering the lottery for the tickets. Funny because we stumbled upon this.
Hamilton's Grave
Complete with newly placed flags.
Financial District - Charging Bull
I've been here before, but Tam hadn't. We took some pictures before heading off. I know the status has faced some controversy recently because of the little girl next to it. I think they're both cool as standing works of art.
Financial District - World Trade Center Memorial
We headed over to the World Trade Center Memorial. We weren't really interested in taking a tour. The last time I was here was when I was 13 or 14, on the cusp of becoming a high school freshman. I only saw the beginning stages of the memorial being built, with the cavities in the ground. I didn't know what they would become until today.
The placement of the squares are meant to reflect the exact locations of the World Trade towers that fell. Loved ones lost have their names etched in stone around the perimeters. From them, falling walls of water trace the square, all flowing towards the middle.
From here, we went into the Oculus. Without repeating the story, I made some small chitchat with a man who has worked with the WTC Memorial since its inception. He shared with us something that felt like a secret:
Only near the equinoxes do the shadows illuminate the fallen towers.
Upper West Side - Shake Shack
Last one
How could we not?
We also walked through Central Park, which definitely was not snowed in like the last time we saw it.
Upper West Side - Levain's Bakery
We wanted to try these giant cookies we saw in a Youtube Video. We were lucky to have a short line at that moment, since the small shop filled quickly afterwards. Tam was salty about this place because the lady forgot to pack some of us cookies. I don't forget.
Midtown - Nintendo World
Everyone who knows and talks to me everyday also knows I had been flipflopping over the idea of getting a Nintendo Switch. At Tam's insistence, I followed the Nintendo World twitter to see when they would stock it. Today was one of those days. We waited in line for 2 hours to get me a Nintendo Switch.
Was it worth it?
HELL YES IT WAS.
Duh.
Like Charging Bull, the last time I was at Nintendo World was when I was 13 or 14. The amount of Nintendo branded stuff was awesome! I basically was living my childhood in this moment. The store is red and white, very much like our favorite powerups. It's also very brightly lit and has console stations so people can engage with the games.
My credit card got declined when buying the Switch. The cashier warned me it might, since it literally is the only Nintendo storefront in the world and is frequently marked as fake. Also, I was spending more than $500 which is the daily limit on my card. It was fine, I used my debit card so I could secure my purchase. I also picked up some cute swag for my friends because HELL YES NINTENDO.
Times Square - Paul's on Times Square
My mom's friend, Gigi, joined us for dinner again, bringing along her nieces. We were on hour 10 of our day with no break in between, but it was worth it.
With this final meal, we signed off from NYC! Our flight was the next morning, and as fun as vacation is. I was glad to be going home.