We woke up somewhat early the next morning to get ready and head for brunch. We arrived at Junior's down the street for some delicious Classic Eggs Benedict, fresh fruit, and world famous Egg Cream. Junior's also has some of the best cheesecakes in NYC, so if you're here be sure to grab a slice.

Then it was off to the subway station to purchase Metro cards. Once in hand, we swiped to get through the subway turnstiles and we were in for an underground adventure all the way to the bottom of Manhattan. We then transferred to a bus to take us to the South Ferry. We hopped onto the free ferry to sail pass the Statue of Liberty. Here's the view of Manhattan's financial district from the boat:

The round trip to Staten Island and back took about 1.5 hours. Then we mapped our way to the World Trade Center. Still under construction but still magnificent. 

And the very emotional and thought provoking visit to the 9/11 Memorial Site at Ground Zero.

Onto Chinatown!

Where we stumbled upon a movie being filmed!

And Prosperity Dumplings. 

The number one dumpling place outside of China!

Peking Duck Sesame Pancake. More sandwich than pancake.

From Chinatown to the famous Katz's Deli

Then onward to the famous Big Gay Ice Cream shop. Where I had an ice cream cone called the Salty Pimp, it was seriously the best cone I've ever had. I love Wisconsin's frozen custard, but the Salty Pimp was a dipped vanilla cone sprinkled with sea salt and ribboned with caramel. I didn't even get the chance to take a picture it was soooo good!

We hit the Subway train back to Times Square (got lost a few times but with the help of friendly locals we found the right train)! We did some more souvenir shopping and then stopped in at the R Lounge right above Times Square to enjoy some fancy bar bites and cocktails. 

Cheers to NYC!



I can now cross off #26 on my Bucket List. Up next: My First Timer's Guide to NYC. Filled with all of the details, information, and advice for anyone looking to travel to New York City for the first time.