Time to Say Goodbye... Already...

     I can't believe that this is my last post for this blog. This was my last full day in New York, and one that I found to be a bit more slow than the other days (in a good way).
     The first thing on our to-do list was to get food. With the advice and recommendation of Justin (thanks Justin!) we went to Smorgasburg, a weekly vendor fair that has some delicious food. Apparently, the location of the fair changes for different seasons, so if you plan on checking it out, make sure to google "Smorgasburg" and find out the location. For the next couple of months, the fair is in Williamsburg, which is across the East River. We took the subway to the "hipster" part of New York.

Welcome to Smorgasburg!

We had Colombian food for breakfast/lunch

And also got mango lemonade

Don't they look so good??

The view of Manhattan from Williamsburg

There was also Blue Bottle Coffee. Apparently this is only available in a handful of cities in the country. So we had to try it ^^

The ice cream is bomb too! (Ice cream sandwiches and fruit popsicles)

In the subway, there were live performers. You gotta love the banjo and the fiddle.

     After Williamsburg, we headed back to Manhattan towards West Side to get on a ferry and circle Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. We took the cirle line cruise. There are multiple options: 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours, and 3 hours. We chose to do the 1 hour one. I have to say, even though it was short, we still saw a lot of the major sights (as well as the Statue of Liberty). The ocean breeze from the rivers and the Atlantic Ocean weree nice, since today was such a hot day.

Welcome to Circle Line Cruise

Our ferry

The tall building is the World Trade Center Memorial

The Statue of Liberty

Ellis Island

Hello Jersey!

     Afterwards, we visited Time Warner Building. It was a very fancy shopping area with easily recognizable landmarks.

I've seen that globe before....

Trump Hotel

New York has a way of defining hipsters.

     We walked through Central Park. Even though we had done this before, because it is so large and because there are so many pathways through the park, there are still many things to see. (We wanted to see if we could find the locations of the scenes from Home Alone 2, but we weren't too successful.

We are back at the park!

The view across the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

Say "cheese"!

     We walked through Central Park to get to the Guggenheim Museum. The building is in the upper East Side, so we got to see the "rich" neighborhood. The building of the museum is very "artsy." You wouldn't miss it. However, the time we could go in was later than we had anticipated, so we couldn't/didn't go in. We at least had the chance to go through the gift shop, which gave us clues as to what pieces were on exhibit at the museum.

     Carmen decided to go out on her own and check out Lincoln Center, so the rest of us decided to do a "fancy" dinner. We went to Scarlatto, an Italian restaurant in Time Square. It was actually a very nice place for us to sit, eat some meat and veggies, and watch the tennis match. (So sad Roger Federer lost.) There is athree-course meal for $29.95 which made it even better. Although, if you get a drink (not alcohol, but soda) refills are not free. Just a warning...

Fancy table setting

First course: Salad

(This was pretty filling)

Second course: chicken and greens

There are large pieces of chicken under all them greens

Third course: dessert!

Cream and strawberries

Coffee and chocolate

     After dinner, Ivana went off to enjoy her last musical of the trip. Angie, Ellen, and I were able to get some rest. (It was something I really needed. I realized that during this trip, because I was so into getting so many things done and visiting so many different places, I was exhausted to the point of getting very dizzy and mentally unaware.) So the rest proved to be very effective. Just being able to rest my body for about an hour did wonders.

     Having gotten some rest, Angie, Ellen, and I headed out to Time Square, to be tourists for the last time. We purchased souvenirs for ourselves and for family and friends. We also experienced rain in the city. There were thunderstorms and on-and-off rain. With the rain, I'm glad we didn't go anywhere too far. We were able to come back to the hotel fairly dry.

See all the tourists at Time Square. 

You can also see a poster of Roger Federer ^^

We are having fun at the Disney Store in NYC!

     Again, I can't believe that this is the last full day. It was a trip I will always remember: one that was so short that the stay felt surreal throughout, but also one that was jam-packed with things to do and see.

A Typical Friday in New York

     Our day started like any other New Yorker's day: exercising at Central Park. Well, we didn't really exercise; we walked. Actually, we just took in the sights. It is a wonder how such a large city with so many buildings can have such a large park smack in the middle of it. There are multiple bodies of water that make beautiful scenes: nature in the foreground, city in the background. If we had more time, I really would want to be like a New Yorker and really exercise in Central Park.

     Afterwards, we walked to the American Museum of Natural History. (It's right next to the park.) There were lots of interesting exhibits: dinosaurs, planetarium, mammals of different continents, animals found within New York, reptiles and amphibians, and ocean life. Not only is the natural history portion of the museum interesting, but learning about how the dioramas and presentations came to be are interesting too. We walked around and questioned which of the dinosaur bones were real and which were fake. As mentioned in earlier posts regarding museums, you must give yourself enough time to walk through and fully enjoy it. Otherwise, it becomes rushed. We had to skip the human portion of the museum... Again, I didn't get a chance to take too many pictures because I was busy enjoying the museum itself. (On a side note, as so many tourists were taking pictures of all the displays, I wondered to myself, "Does it matter if they have the pictures if they DON'T have the information and history to go with it?"

I spy the museum.

There it is!

 
     After the museum, we were all famished. So we crossed the street and had (what we thought was) some good New York hot dogs.

It was pretty good (that could have been my hunger talking). We had expected something a bit more lavish....

If you're hungry, make sure to get seconds. (Warning: if vendors know you are tourists, there is a likelihood that you will get charged extra.)

Salty pretzel and yummy chicken kabob hot dog

   
     After our little moment of being New Yorkers (enjoying a New York hot dog in Central Park) we headed off for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). This (along with the Natural History Museum) was included in our city pass, so we felt somewhat obligated to go. There were a number of Van Gogh's and Picasso's (which was exciting to see in person). However, that is only a part of the entire exhibit. While Van Gogh and Picasso may be considered "modern" (especially when compared to time periods such as the Renaissance) there are so many other art pieces under the label "modern." While I cannot deny that one mans trash can be another mans treasures (and that something I consider questionable others can consider beautiful) I found it difficult to enjoy the rest of the museum. If you are a fan of modern art, this place is for you. If modern art confuses you, then you might feel like you are wasting your time. I have a personal vendetta against modern art not because of the art form itself, but what it means to the people observing and participating in the art form. Our Western mindset teaches us that what we think is the only thing that matters. Therefore, when looking at modern art, the question becomes "How do I feel about this piece?" or "How does this piece make me feel?" While I cannot say that such questions are bad, I do ponder whether such questions cause us to be individuals or isolated. Do these questions allow us to think for ourselves or try to make us (the observers of the art) the masters of the creaters of the art? I apologize for my ranting about modern art. Again, everyone is entitled to their own likes and dislikes.

     Afterwards I ventured by myself to Lincoln Center, the place that oozes the cultural arts. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, Julliard, and plenty of other performing arts. While I couldn't enter into any of the venues, I still enjoyed the vibe of Lincoln Center. This could also have been affected by the events of Fashion Week, which took place right in Lincoln Center.

     My friend Justin, whom I had not seen is almost 6 years, lives in New York. When he heard that I was in town, he asked to meet up. It was great seeing an old friend. We had the opportunity to catch up, eat together, and share with one another our deepest darkest secrets (heehee just kidding ^^). He took me out for some sish kabob at this hole-in-the-wall restaurant, which turned out to be super delicious. He took me to Washington Square Park, where I got to see not only wierd street performers, but also the giant archway. In the night light, the white of the arch really stood out. While our meeting was short, I really enjoyed my evening with Justin. Like a typical New Yorker, I enjoyed an evening with an old friend.

Thanks Justin!

My delish sish kabob sandwich

There are so many people out on this Friday evening

Look at how it shines!

He even took me to Korea Town!

(Actally, rather than a town, it's two blocks)

We also saw the largest Macy's in the world

     Afterwards, I met up with the other girls and we headed to the top of the Empire State Building to have a beautiful evening view of the city.

     Also, I forgot to mention yesterday, in front of the Met, there was a war veteran. He was still a relatively young man who was apparently stationed in Korea. I was shocked when this veteran, an African American, was playing Korean folk and traditional songs and often singing along. It was very uplifting to hear music of the motherland being sung by someone who might not be considered Korean by blood but someone who definitely loves the country. Go you!

Tomorrow is our last full day in the city, so we better make it count!