Latest Adventures...

Having had an introduction to the city with Shelley a few weeks ago, this adventure was must less daunting...

Randilyn and I went to Manhattan to see the lights and become better acquainted with the big city! My friend, John, was really nice to give us a walking tour of lower Manhattan and the financial district...

-New York Stock Exchange (the lights on the pillars were even lit at 8am!) on Wall St.
-Ground Zero (under construction)
-Battery Park (looks out toward Ellis Is. and Statue of Liberty)
-Brooklyn Bridge (we opted not to walk it due to low temps, wind, and lack-o-warm-armor)
-The Bull (I hope this is representative of our economy soon!)

After warming up inside for a bit, Randilyn and I took off to ride the free Staten Ferry past the statute of Liberty to Staten Island. In the ferry terminal, we enjoyed the benches as a place of rest. Had we put out a mug, we may have made some money while we took a nice 45 minute nap among strangers. So... we were tired.
With brighter eyes, we journeyed back and went to China town and Little Italy. If I were a local, that's where I'd consider going for fresh produce. Parts of it reminded me a bit of Guam with all the dried fish and other food items in open-air containers sitting in the middle of a small crowded market. When I improve my Chinese, I know where to go... China (not China town- haha).

Next stop... uptown to Central Park. There we met a couple friends and went out for pizza.. New York pizza. It was tastey, which you can appreciate coming from one who does not care much for pizza... this was good. Fresh thin crust with a thin layer of fresh mozzerella, sundried tomatoes, topped with slices of prosciutto and fresh basil leaves. (my only caution is waitresses... don't take offense if some don't treat you equal to their other customers... nothing personal)

After lunch.... Central Park. I love the pedalling taxi tours (bikes with little buggies attached to take people around the city, or in this case, around Central pk.). We walked a few miles as the sun was going down and ended up by the Great Lawn and hopped on a nearby subway to go back downtown... another quick break from the cold was needed.

Back up to Time Square for our evening's last hoorah...
-Rockefeller Christmas tree all lit up
-5th avenue windows (includin Sak's which was, in my opinion, only second to Bergdorf Goodman's window displays)
-Time Square (warmed up [kind of] and had some food at the ESPN sport's bar while watching Sam Bradford, OK, receive the Heisman 2008 award)

To Port Authority where we caught the last bus up to NJ where we'd stay the night at cousin Rich's house.... 20 hours of adventure wore us out, and we were soooo happy to be welcomed by the Skeen's home with comfy beds!

Rise and shine... enjoyed better sleep than any train, subway, bench, or bus afforded all day! Rich and Jess, Jonah, Mirit, and Asher were so much fun to visit with in the morning! The kids are so cute, and they're home is beautiful in a neighborhood of great history. Rich gave us a neighborhood tour... I've seen some beautiful and unique homes, but none quite like these. I love it!

Rich and Mirit escorted us into the city where we toured a piece of their old stomping ground on 14th Street and then went to church at a local ward on 14th street on the 4th floor. NYC is a unique place in the way they manage to convert the space within buildings that have been around for decades so as to make them useful in modern society.

Soon it was time to depart from the island and catch the bus back to DC. Home sweet home.