So, we woke up the next morning a little hazy. But we had plans to visit Jen's Uncle Thom for lunch at his place in Chelsey. So off we went!
Turns out, we hit the jackpot! Being a costume designer in New York, Thom had the most amazing apartment ever! Featuring brick walls, hardwood floors, paintings he did himself, a winding stair and a rooftop garden, part of me wishes we could have stayed for more than just lunch! We had great conversations though, and he pointed us in the direction of our next adventure: the high line. The high line is an old strip of train tracks that were renovated and turned into a public park. Here we were planning to meet up with my Aunt Judy, who works at the New York Library. I had heard about the site from her, as she had taken my father here when he came to visit.
It was great to see my aunt, and I have to say, I would recommend seeing the high line to anyone! It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. A great view of the city, a wonderful way to meet new people, and most of all, a great way to spend time with the people you love! They even had a snow sculpture contest...
This one was the winner :)
After walking up and down the high line, catching up with my aunt while Jen and her cousin Lee strode behind us, Jen and I realized it was time to take our leave. We were going to be staying in the city tonight with our friend Kelsey, and we knew she had some great plans in store for us!
Here's Kelsey:
Hilarious, outrageous, a fashion photographer, an insomniac in the city that never sleeps. That's pretty much all you need to know :)
After unloading our things at her charming 7th floor apartment, we set off to visit my childhood neighbor Dani, and her boyfriend Henock.
"Where do they live?" Kelsey asked.
"Brooklyn."
"WHAT? We should have left an hour ago!"
Apparently it takes an hour to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Oops.
But turns out all was well. When we finally arrived at Dani and Henock's amazing apartment in Brooklyn, just off a cobblestone suburbanite street, we were greeted with hugs and wine-- my two favorite things!
We spent a lot of time reminiscing about Michiganders, and how different they are from New Yorkers. Everything conflicts-- sense of humor, sense of urgency, sense of socializing... And apparently it was nice and refreshing for Dani, Henock and Kelsey to meet fellow Michiganders and connect in a way that they hadn't been able to in a long time. Jen and I were glad we could help!
After that, Dani and Henock wanted to take us to one of their favorite restaurants: Frankie's. Unfortunately, there was a pretty long wait, but Dani and Henock urged us that it was definitely worth it, so we put our name on the list and went next door to a local bar.
Dani and me
Jen and I thought this was so cool-- they served Founders brews! Founders is a local brewing company from my hometown, and it was wonderful to see something from home in such a big city!
After lifting our spirits at the bar, we went back to Frankie's and were seated just 5 minutes later. The meal was incredible, and I have to say it's a must if you're ever in Brooklyn!
Afterwards, Kelsey was planning on taking Jen and I to the clubs, but we realized quickly that our energy wasn't up to snuff, and neither was our attire. So we ended up just going back to Kelsey's, and enjoying a good night's sleep!
The next day was the final day of our trip. And we thought, what better way to end our trip than to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (for real this time)?! So that is what we did. And when we got off the subway, we made sure it was the right stop this time. And how could we miss it? It was a beautiful ferry station, with obvious signage and a wonderful view:
When we boarded the ferry, we saw an even better view of the Stat Lib:
And our first stop was at the site of the Statue, where we could go up to the top of the pedestal, and visit the museum exhibit.
Finally, the next and final stop on the ferry was at Ellis Island. Perhaps the most shocking thing I saw at this exhibit was the site where people stayed... the dormitories:
I also was deeply touched by this quote:
One thing that was disappointing was when we asked the help desk how we could look up our ancestors that may have come through Ellis Island. We had heard there was a book. However, we were told that unlike the movie Hitch suggests, there is no book. Dang it, Will Smith! :(
Finally, it was time to go home. And how perfect that when we were waiting for our last subway ride to the airport, an amazing band should be playing across the platform:
Our plane back was filled with knitting and laughing about all that we had done in just a few days. I would definitely recommend everything we did, and must admit that I truly believe every American MUST see New York! I'm already planning a trip to visit again this summer... :)
