The Concrete Jungle

NEW YORK. The city is buzzing with a tangible energy. People flow in and out of Central Park, up and down 5th Avenue, through revolving doors and on and off trains. SoHo, Chelsea, Chinatown, Little Italy, Flatiron District, Financial District, Midtown, Lincoln Square. We thought that Washington had too many neighborhood names, but New Yorkers are defined by where they hail from.

We were on Manhattan the two days that we stayed, with a little dabble in Jersey City (worth it). I cannot wait to go back and spend some time in Brooklyn since we had to pull that off of our list considering the amount of time that we had to visit.

We drove up in the Great East Coast Storm of the Holiday Season (capitalized to emphasize the disaster in news reporters' voices that morning). Aka: a lot of rain and a little snow, but only a few accidents on the main road within a four hour drive.

First we stopped at the 9/11 Memorial north of the Financial District (where we stayed). The memorial was one of the best executed that I have ever experienced: two large gaping waterfalls running into the bottomless ground constructed on the foundation of each destroyed building. It was beautiful.

Then, of course, to Chinatown for dirt cheap pork and chive fried dumplings (4 for $1, but obviously we bought 16), Bloomingdale's for their holiday displays and $100 NYC ornaments, the MACY'S DAY PARADE (Nick Jonas anyone?), Central Park, FAO Schwartz and their giant floor piano and millions of addicting toys (even for adults!), St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, Times Square, etc. etc. etc. and a million pictures (none of them of us, ha):






St. Patrick's was gorgeous, even in the midst of restoration. There are thousands of candle offerings available, one of my favorite things. I love the physical symbol of quiet prayers that each flame represents.






Setting up the treeeee!




Why is it so entertaining to watch people fall on their butts? This second rink is in Bryant Park- half an ice-skating rink, the other half filled with local shops set up in little greenhouses, so cute.



// We finished up our trip with a drive to Jersey City and a ferry to Ellis Island (pictured below) and Liberty Island.


Jersey on the left, NY on the right. It was butt cold.


All in all, a good amount of NY sampling happened. An amazing city!

FOOD //
Prosperity Dumplings, Chinatown
Halal Chicken Over Rice, Food Cart, Rockefeller Center
Lombardi's Pizza, Little Italy
Carmines Italian Deli, Jersey City