NYC, Part 2

On our second day in NYC we planned to just take the ferry and then walk in the city without taking subways. The Staten Island ferry dropped us off in Battery Park and after we got off, we just started to walk. It was a little chilly that day so starting off with Starbucks was a must. From there we walked to Freedom Tower. We didn’t go inside, but even just walking by it was eerie, thinking about the events of 9-11. Even though there were crowds of people walking by, there was a strange silence in respect of what happened there. 

Some of the best food in the city comes from food stands, in my opinion. A NY gyro is what most of us ordered, with lamb of course, because it is simply divine and a real treat.  Also, we justified our pigging out with the fact that we walked for 5-6 hours that day. ;)

We walked into Battery Park city where we found a really ritzy mall that we used the bathroom in (ha) and walked around a little bit. 

That night was definitely one of our best memories of the trip. My dad and younger sisters stayed home with all the little kids (quite the job; I’m so thankful for them!) and the rest of us headed to Canal Street (tourist shops in Chinatown), Little Italy, Grand Central Station and Times Square. It was such a memorable night! One of the Pastor’s sons who knows the city in and out took us all over and we could have never seen what we did in one evening if it wasn’t for him. We shopped, ate dinner in Chinatown and dessert in little Italy at the best little dessert shop, Ferrara. I definitely recommend it if you are ever there!

One thing that most people do not know about Grand Central Station is that in one of the corridors there is something called a whispering wall. It's a square/dome type room, and if two people stand at either corner opposite of each other and speak in a normal voice, one can hear the other person clear as day. The sound travels up and over, giving you the sense that a speaker is right behind you. You can only say a few words at a time, simply because you laugh at how weird and phenomenal it is all at the same time. Once again, we were so thankful for our "guide," because we would have never known this without him and it was one of the highlights of our evening!

We arrived in Times Square at midnight and of course it was almost as bright as the middle of the day. I haven't been there in so long, I forgot about how huge all of the screens are and how much there is to gawk at (insert tourist face here). We walked around, took pictures, and of course could not leave without getting Starbucks!

New York is truly a beautiful city, and while I would never choose to live there, I do love visiting. But better than all of the sights, sounds, NY accents and food was the precious time spent with my family. Living so far away has never gotten easier--if anything, it's gotten harder--but that has caused us to cherish every moment together which I really appreciate.

 Coming home from vacation is a strange feeling--being rested and exhausted, all at the same time. I think our exhaustion was probably caused more from all of the carbs and sugar we stuffed into our bodies than anything. ;)

 Update on Recent Happenings: House hunting is still, well, going. We put in an offer on a beautiful home on an acre of land but it was not accepted, so we figured it was not God's will. We're still busy packing, while also keeping our house clean for showings, so it's definitely caused some stressful moments but over all we are doing well! Hope you all are enjoying your week!