Daytime Wrap Up: NYC (Day 1)

Here's a wrap up of today's daytime events for our faithful followers...

We started out a little later than usual, but didn't know that visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island would take a gazillion hours. Not really a big deal, except that some of our other plans for the day got pushed back. So here are a few points of "interest" from our journey to the islands.


(Above picture notes the amount of Latvians in each state according to the census...how come that wasn't a question on this year's census?)

Tip #1: On the way to the Statue of Liberty, go to the top deck of the ferry, but don't bother sitting since everyone and their mom stands up even on benches and blocks your view. You're better off standing along the right side rail.

Tip #2: Be prepared for a serious security check, and allot an extra hour to this visit.

Tip #3: Be sure to check online how to get tickets to go into the Statue (even the base of the Statue), because only a small number of people had these magical tickets. The rest of us had to observe from the very bottom of the island. (This magical ticket also requires that you stand in an additional line once you reach the island).

Aggravating Observation #1: Dad and Mom texting and checking smart phone constantly, while on vacation with children. Even their small children were telling them to hurry up. Dad was writing a message on Facebook, and only looking up in order to not trip on the way to the back of the boat. Then told his kids to move so he could continue entertainment on phone.

Aggravating Observation #2: Line of people at concessions on ferry, and different Dad with family decides to cut in front of everyone in line while yelling over shoulder of person paying for snacks for the family. Later daughter asks for Milky Way, and again he cuts the line, buys a Milky Way, and gives her a half eaten one (the other half being in his mouth). Noted that he knew he was cutting because he pointed out that the line was gone to others looking for snacks.

Aggravating Observation #3: A ridiculous amount of people that apparently have no manners, and can not even say a simple 'excuse me'.

By this time we were slightly aggravated, but there were some pleasant people along the way.

Pleasant people #1: Big smiles from passing strangers.

Pleasant people #2: Teenagers that said 'excuse me'.

Pleasant people #3: A super well behaved group of teens- 4-H Clubbers (unlike another raucous group we saw earlier).

Pleasant person #4: The guy that served us our 'the reason Americans are fat' loaded fries (cheese, bacon, sour cream, chipotle sauce) for lunch. Super smiley and super friendly. He said he ate the same thing the day before, and fell asleep in the basement of Ellis Island for 3 hours.

Pleasant person #5: Lady that offered to take our picture, while we were trying to take a selfie. Too bad it was completely the wrong angle we were going for.

*******

We then made our way up to the World Trade Center sight. We didn't really get to see it though, as the sight is surrounded by a fence. They're currently building a memorial, which will nice to see in the future.

Afterward we headed up to Times Square- very cool and very fun! We checked out the southern section of Central Park, and then grabbed a few slices of pizza before heading to the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. Really awesome views of the city all the way around. Three different levels, inside and outside. A must do if in NYC.



(Note the Latvian flag to the right of the US flag)


We then strolled back into Times Square (this time viewing it in the darkness of night), and sat for a bit enjoying the scene. Really neat cafe tables set up in the areas that used to be open streets. Very Euro feeling.



So that, in a nutshell, has been our day in NYC up to this point. Stay tuned for more!

Side note: We made it to over 1,000 hits! Thanks guys!