Part 2 of Statues, Skylines & Slices: Touring New York City with My Daughters
- Grant
- Jul 29
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 30
Day 2 continued – A Downtown Walk-Around
The ferry ride and views and tours of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were fun, informative and very much worth the time and price. It was emotional and I was glad to share this with Erin and Taylor.
After a quick ferry ride back to the Battery dock, my daughters and I decided to grab a late lunch/early dinner, at Fraunces Tavern (Fraunces Tavern - Fidi, Battery Park, Downtown, Lower East Side, Tribeca, City Hall, South Street Seaport, New York, NY), at the corner of Pearl Street and Broad Street, about a block from Battery Park. One of the best burgers I ever ate. I highly recommend Fraunces Tavern for the history and the food.
Be sure to visit the Fraunces Tavern Museum (Fraunces Tavern® Museum), next to the restaurant, also recommended to learn a little about the Revolutionary War, our forefathers, and the early years of our Constitutional Republic.
As we continue touring New York City, from Fraunces Tavern we walked up Broad Street towards the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Although I am told that the NYSE is actually located in New Jersey these days, the building was quite impressive as was the Fearless Girl (Fearless Girl - Wikipedia) defiantly looking up at the NYSE building, from across Broad Street.
A little backtracking to Broadway and Morris enabled us to get a brief view of the Charging Bull bronze statue (Charging Bull - Wikipedia). With all of the tourists and their children climbing all over the statue, we couldn’t get close enough for a picture. From the statue, a quick two blocks walk took us to the Trinity Church (Trinity Church).
Continuing about 5 blocks up Broadway and a left turn on Fulton Street took us to the Oculus (Oculus Transportation Hub | World Trade Center)… an incredible building.
A quick walk put us at the reflecting pools, the foundations of the destroyed World Trade Center buildings. Although many people are walking around, it is a solemn, emotional place, ingrained into our collective patriotic consciousness, and feels every bit that way.
Reflecting pool remembrance monument. Recovered building destruction on exhibit in the 9/11 Museum
Next to the reflecting pools is the entrance to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum (9/11 Memorial & Museum | World Trade Center), also very emotional. Definitely worth a visit, if for nothing else than to pay your respects for all who died that day.
From the 9/11 Memorial we took the subway back to Chelsea and walked to the Chelsea Market (Chelsea Market). Historic home of the National Biscuit Company, in the heart of the Meat Packing district, this repurposed industrial building is now home to numerous restaurants and boutique shops… something for every taste.
Since we had a late lunch at Fraunces Tavern, we decided to find a light meal at the Chelsea Market for dinner. We found Miznon (New York | Miznon NYC - Chelsea Market, Upper West Side | Israeli Restaurant in New York, NY), a unique taste with their interpretation of Israeli street food. I highly recommend Miznon if you are in the Chelsea Market area.
I recommend that you visit the Chelsea Market on your next visit to New York City.
Over 6 million domestic and international visitors annually can’t be wrong.
Day 3 – Circle Line Tour & Midtown Madness
For our last day touring New York City, Erin and Taylor made brunch reservations at Pastis (Home - Pastis New York), a very nice classic French bistro in the Meat Packing district. I’m glad we had reservations because the place was packed, even on Memorial Day. In addition to sharing a Melon and Prosciutto appetizer, I had Eggs Norwegian (eggs benedict with salmon instead of ham). Add a couple of drinks and some pastries and we had one of our best meals during our NYC trip. I recommend Pastis for your next brunch in NYC.
From Pastis, we walked west on Gansevoort Street to Washington Street and the beginning of the High Line and our walk to Pier 83, where we board the ship for our Circle Line cruise around the island of Manhattan.
Sections of old train tracks on the High Line; numerous street art; the Vessel at Hudson Yards
Our walk was about a mile and a half walk to the end of the High Line at Hudson Yards (Hudson Yards, Manhattan - Wikipedia), between 30th and 33rd Streets. There we stopped to see the Vessel (An Iconic New York City Experience | Vessel NYC), an amazing building. It was only a short walk from the Vessel to Pier 83 to catch the Circle Line.
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises who do the Circle Line tours (NYC Sightseeing & Statue of Liberty Cruises | Circle Line) have been serving their passengers since 1945. For sunny days, I recommend that you purchase a premium ticket. In addition to early boarding, it gives you uncontested access to cover from the sun on the top deck. The boat ride is very comfortable and goes counterclockwise around the island from Pier 83. Food and refreshments can be purchased on the lower deck. The ride is accompanied by a tour guide who points out important and interesting sights, often with interesting stories.
For me the bridges were the most interesting sights along with their many accompanying stories.
In addition to the iconic bridges, the Circle Line gives excellent views of Governor’s Island (Governors Island National Monument (U.S. National Park Service), the United Nations complex (United Nations | Peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet), and many of the Manhattan high rises.
After disembarking, the girls and I decided to walk east towards midtown on 43rd Street.
Our walk took us first to Times Square (Times Square NYC), then on to Rockefeller Center and the iconic golden statue of Prometheus (Rockefeller Center | NYC's Famous Cultural Landmark & Observation Deck) by going north on 6th Avenue, finally on to St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Live Stream | St. Patrick's Cathedral | New York, NY). After a brief visit in St. Patrick’s, we walked to the nearest subway station and took the train back to Chelsea. We went to our respective rooms, changed our clothes and rested a bit before our dinner reservation.
Our mid-town walk from Pier 83 - Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick's Cathedral
Taylor met us at our hotel, and we walked to the Waverly Inn (waverlynyc.com) in the West Village, for dinner. Although they have a very poor website, the Waverly Inn, located on the corner of Bank Street and Waverly Place, is an excellent restaurant.
Its popularity means reservations are necessary. We shared a Burrata appetizer, and I had a Ceaser salad and Rigatoni and Lamb Ragu for my main course.
I highly recommend you enjoy a dinner at The Waverly Inn the next time you’re touring New York City.
Everything was excellent!
Final Thoughts
Erin, Taylor, and I had a great time experiencing some of what New York City has to offer. In fact, while writing this blog, I came up with a list of about a dozen places and activities for my next NYC visit. Although Erin and I returned to Colorado, Taylor expects to remain in NYC for at least another year.
When I think about our three days in NYC and what stood out most, two things come to mind. First, the history and stories of our country. At every point in the 250+ year history of our country, it seems that New York City and the people of New York have played some role. From being the “temporary” capitol of a new nation to being the door to America and freedom for millions of LEGAL immigrants, to being a true microcosm of the “Melting Pot” that is the United States of America, that is New York City.
Second, I thought about all of the activities and things I missed, from great restaurants to incredible sights, there is so much to do and see when touring New York City.
Unless you are touring New York City for multiple months, I highly recommend that you create a plan for your trip and purchase tickets in advance for the more popular places and activities.
Your plan should include specifying your daily activities and determining your routes around the city. If you are primarily walking, bring good walking shoes, if you plan to use the subway a lot, buy a pass ahead of time.
Make sure to make reservations at the more popular restaurants too.
New York City is dynamic and fast-paced, be prepared, and you will have the time of your life!
Several opportunities for New York City tours and activities from Viator....
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