We slept in a bit and went to the diner for breakfast, enjoying never-ending coffee and omelettes. Yum! We started walking south when the deluge hit. And I mean deluge. Wow, it has been a long time since I've been in rain like that! We decided to take a detour to go to the New York Library to check out a photography exhibit and to dry off and warm up. It's around 60 degrees and windy so it's quite cold. SO glad I checked the weather and brought my raincoat and fleece. I'm getting good use out of them!
We stopped for a tea to warm up on the way and to hopefully wait out the worst of it (it didn't work) and somehow managed to head north and backtracked several blocks. When we realized what we did, we both burst into laugher. Laugh or cry, right? We had gone backwards a good 6 blocks in the pouring rain. We finally gave up as we were drenched and hailed a cab.
Thankfully I brought a fleece and my raincoat, which doesn't get much use in Phoenix. I had nylon hiking pants on, figuring they would dry quickly and they did. Though the water spread so while my legs were rained on, as soon as I sat in the cab it moved and my butt was soaked. That's a great feeling!! Oh yeah.. :)
We ran into the library and enjoyed the exhibit, then made our way south again. It finally cleared up a bit and we wandered, then grabbed some pizza near Grand Central before continuing south. I love NYC pizza, where you fold it in half and it stands straight out-- the sign of a good pizza! yum. We grabbed the subway and since the rain subsided for a bit, decided to visit the 9/11 memorial.
I have so many emotions surrounding that day, and it's one I'll never forget. I was living in Boston then, and had been on one of the flights to LA just a few months before. I came here three months later and remember seeing the large gap between the buildings and feeling such a sense of sadness and horror. The nation lost its innocence then.
The memorial is beautifully done. It's a large square, showcasing the outline of the two towers with concentric waterfalls inside, and stone etched with all of the names of the victims around the base. There are some white roses pressed into some of the names. People were pretty quiet and somber walking around.
We decided to skip the museum and wandered north towards Greenwich Village and Washington Park. I have an obsession with the French pasty, macarons, which I first got in Paris, and for a long time, they were only found in NYC or LA before the trend spread. We decided to duck into a cafe to warm up and grab some coffee and aaaaahhhh! the sound of angels singing-- they had macarons. Yum. They were a little stale (happens so quickly with them) but so good! I have been obsessed with these since my trip so was happy to indulge.
We wandered through part of the village then through Washington Park, taking some pictures of the arch before heading north and east over to Union Square. We walked through the little street market that is always there and part of the park, then grabbed the subway back towards out hotel.
The weather was a total wash-out for a while but improved to heavy clouds and a light mist. It turned out better than I'd hoped for this morning and I think we were lucky! We got a lot done considering.
We're laying down for a few and will head out in a bit to see a movie (it's supposed to pour again tonight) then grab dinner or maybe get some pizza. We'll see. I do love NYC pizza!!
Instead of 'za we decided to go back to the village to Cafe Espanol for some tapas. We missed happy hour by ten minutes, but that didn't dim our spirits. We were walked to the back of the restaurant and sat near a group of six who were hilarious! Probably ten years older than us, they were celebrating a birthday and were hilarious wearing party hats. What fun! We talked to them a bit while enjoying a small pitcher of sangria. We got some really great tapas and so enjoyed it! The place was wonderful and the wait staff amazing. They got amazing desserts and the waiter made a big display of lighting their creme brulee on fire so we had to do it. yum!! It was so much fun and tasty.
By the time we left it was drizzling, but not too bad. When we got off the subway though, the deluge started again. Thankfully we only had a few blocks to walk so didn't get too water-logged. I'll say though that even though today was partly a wash-out, it's still so amazing to be in NYC! It's my second city and I love it.
Did I mention the bathroom?
I giggle every time I see this shot! How funny is this???
We planned to see a movie and spent so much time at the restaurant that we missed it. But neither of us felt like we really missed out. What a fun night!! I am having such a great time and wish I could stay a few more days!!
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