Tourists and New Yorkers

Sunday, November 27th, 2016

New York, New York 

It’s around 9am EST and we are both slowly waking up for the day. Sarah will be moving to her new apartment in Queens next week so she is starting to pack up bags of non-essential items. Our plan is take a trip over to her new place to drop off a few things and get her keys from the property manager. After a brief discussion we decide to have breakfast in Brooklyn before heading out. 

Sarah picks a place called Father Knows Best. We sit a at cute, little table by the window and enjoy a hearty breakfast along with some delicious coffee. Our server is super nice and I am becoming progressively charmed by Bushwick. After breakfast we walk back over to Sarah’s, gather some of her things and call an Uber to Queens. Our driver seems very New York and watches impatiently as Sarah and I load up the black of his car. Soon we are dropped in a neighborhood called Sunnyside. It is so cute here!

As we walk into the front of Sarah’s new building we immediately run into the property manager, who is setting up a Christmas tree in the lobby. He is very talkative and nerdy with a thick New York accent. He could have easily been a character in Seinfeld and I can not get over the fact that he lives in the building! I guess this is what people would call a “super”. Sarah’s new life is going to be like a sitcom and I am secretly jealous. 

Eventually, we take a very slow elevator up to Sarah’s new apartment. It is freaking awesome. It has dark hardwood floors, large windows and is filled with sunlight. We talk a little bit about her decorating plan and eventually head out for a quick walk around Sunnyside. We walk about half a block and end up on the main street for this neighborhood. It has such small town charm that I can not believe we are only a few miles away from Brooklyn. 

Now that we’ve had a glimpse at Queens we decide to head over to lower Manhattan so that we can take the ferry out to Staten Island. I am excited to see the views of the city, be on a boat and, most importantly, sit down for a little bit. This city is all about standing and walking!

It proves to be surprisingly easy to get tickets and walk right onto the ferry. It’s a little crowded, but we have no problem getting seats with a nice view. As the boat takes off we run to the back with a small group of tourists. We are all frantically taking pictures of the Manhattan skyline. Sarah tries to get a few pictures of me and the skyline but ends up getting pictures of other people. 

Once we are sufficiently far from Manhattan we spend a little bit of time wandering around the boat. From the portside we are able to get a great view of the statue of liberty and the late afternoon light makes everything incredibly picturesque. I even get a few shots of myself in the afternoon light, one of which goes straight onto Facebook as my new profile photo. 

Once we reach Staten Island, we decide stay on the boat for the ride back. We grab hot drinks from the snack cart and enjoy the view of the setting sun. 

Back on dry land, Sarah suggests that we spend some time exploring the south side of Manhattan. We start out at the financial district, which is completely empty except for a small herd of tourists. Sarah points out a bronze statue of a bull and I quickly realize its anatomical correctness. I am giggling at the bull along with the other tourists. 

Our next stop is the 911 memorial and I have no idea what to expect. The last time I was here was in 2003 when there was still a large hole in the ground, overrun with construction equipment. As we approach, I see a large, flat black fountain that flows into the ground. It doesn’t matter where you stand you can not see the bottom of the fountain, it just looks like its in flowing into the opposite wall. I am really impressed by the artfulness and respect of the monument. To my surprise, I can not think of any criticism. 

Our next stop is the new train station next to the memorial. It is also beautifully done and looks like a modern art museum… with a dash of shopping and snack carts. 

It’s starting to get dark and cold so we decide to stop for dinner. We open up Yelp and quickly decide on a place called the Malt House. We have no trouble getting a table and are seated against the furnace, which is extra cozy. We both order dinner and drinks and are very happy with our meals. This restaurant is so warm inside that we have peel ourselves out of seats to head back to Brooklyn. 

By the time we get back, it’s starting to get late. We opt for a nightcap at Sarah’s house. She has to work tomorrow and goes to bed somewhat early. I stay up and watch the new episode of Game of Thrones on my iPhone. 

Tomorrow is my last full day in New York and I am already sad.