Let’s continue the story, shall we? 🙂

Day 3: Another Busy Day

We started off this day by going to a particular spot in DUMBO, Brooklyn (Intersection of Front Street and Washington Street) from where we could get a magnificent view of the Manhattan Bridge. We then walked over the Brooklyn Bridge to get to NYC downtown.

Wall Street was our next destination. It takes about 10 minutes if you walk from the NYC side of the Brooklyn Bridge to reach Wall Street.

After taking some pictures there, we wanted to see the famous Raging Bull. Oh, my God. The rush to take a picture there was so bad that we somehow managed to get one with my parents in it. I ended up taking a picture with the Fearless Girl instead. 😀

We then made our way to the Battery Park from where you can catch a ferry to the Statue of Liberty located on the Liberty Island. When you purchase tickets online, they advise you to be there an hour before the ferry leaves – please keep that in mind and go on time! There was a long line even though we reached an hour early. It literally takes that much time to get through security (which is much worse than airport security btw) and on the ferry. The ferry ride was pretty smooth and about 20 minutes long. Do I really need to say how amazing the Statue of Liberty is? The picture says it all!

After this tour, we went to see the 9/11 Memorial. This memorial commemorates the 9/11 attacks and is located at the World Trade Center site, where the Twin Towers were originally present. While building this memorial, they followed the “Reflecting Absence” design. What this means is that they designed two pools with waterfalls that comprise the footprints of the Twin Towers, representing the void left by the 9/11 attacks. Personally speaking, I felt that this was very thoughtful. The Freedom Tower is right next to the memorial and you can get tickets to go to the top of this building.

 
Did you know that the Oculus is a 4 billion dollars train station? It replaced the PATH train station that was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. It’s beautifully built and connects you to New Jersey.

One more day to go!

Day 4:

When I was planning our trip, I realized that Central Park is a full-day thing. It’s 2.5 miles (4 km) in length and 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide. And guess what? We walked the whole length! Now, the park is filled with various small places that you can visit or just relax at. We started from the North end of the park with the Conservatory Garden. It’s divided into three smaller ones; each having its own style – Italian, French, and English.

While walking along the path, we visited the Shakespeare Garden. The flowers and plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s poems and plays are featured in this garden. Personally speaking, this garden is so peaceful that you can just sit and read a good book for hours!

The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre is for history lovers. This theatre is known for its Swedish architecture and designed for marionette performances. Hundreds of thousands of children and families around the world come here to enjoy original productions such as “Peter Pan” and “Cinderella”.

The Bow Bridge is one of the most iconic places in Central Park and is well-known for wedding photo shoots and ceremonies. Movies like “When in Rome”, “Spiderman 3”, “Enchanted” and TV shows like “Glee” and “Doctor Who” have shot some of their scenes on this bridge. For my Indian friends out there, one of the scenes from “Kal Ho Na Ho” was shot on this bridge. 😉

Heading to the south end, you’ll cross the Bethesda Fountain and the Minton Tile Ceiling at Bethesda Terrace. The ceiling was created in the 1860s and features about 16,000 tiles having intricate patterns that were handmade by Minton and Company.

As you walk up the stairs, you reach the photogenic Mall and Literary Walk. It features statues of renowned writers and is one of the largest and last standing American Elm trees in North America.

Our last spot was the Wollman Rink. It has been featured in many movies and TV shows because of the romantic backdrop of the NYC skyline. Skating here is a winter tradition for local residents and tourists.

As we had an early morning flight the next day, we decided to grab some dinner and make our way back to our AirBnB. Lots of packing was still left to do!

Things to keep in mind:

• The Empire State Building, Top of the Rock and the Freedom Tower let you go up to get an amazing city view. From my experience, choose one or two!
• When you plan your visit, look at the open hours of all the attractions before going. This will help you manage your time well.
• Personally speaking, spend a day at Central Park if you can. It’s huge and has so many small spots that you would like to visit. Look out for signs that say “scenic view” and make sure you visit those!
• Start from one end of the Central Park. I chose the North End because our Brooklyn AirBnB is easier to access by the metro from the South End. Plan your route according to where you plan to go next!
• STAY HYDRATED if you’re visiting during the summer. It’s very hot and all the walking can drain you. We also carried some granola bars to munch during the day.
• Carry an umbrella for the sun and rain.

This marks the end of a very memorable trip with my parents to New York! We covered a lot of places in four days but all the hustle was worth it. Sorry, Mom and Dad for making you walk around so much! 😛 I understand that this article doesn’t cover all of New York’s best spots but I hope that this will help you plan your trip better!