After a busy day in Mid Manhattan seeing all the landmarks that make New York City iconic, I would visit Lower Manhattan on my second day in the Great Apple 🍎. 

For this day, I had big plans that I couldn’t simply achieve because I woke up a bit later than usual. After almost a whole week of walking around non-stop, I was exhausted. Nonetheless, my main goal was to visit the Brooklyn Bridge, and that I did. With only three days in New York City, I feel like I saw a lot. 

Subway connections to Lower Manhattan were a bit frustrating, as I would think there would be more trains available than they were. After all, it was a Saturday. I believe there were some issues with faulty trains and the time it took me to get to Lower Manhattan was more than I had estimated. It was a bit frustrating to find that the City Hall has a fence all around, so you can’t get a clear view of it when it’s closed. Moving on, I headed to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a bright, sunny day with comfortable temperatures. The view was amazing, and I felt relaxed despite all the people around. 

Once in Brooklyn, I sat down on a bench at the nearest park, had a quick lunch, and then went to my next stop: Liberty Park. 

My initial plan was to take the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and then come back to visit the World Trade Center. However, I arrived at around 1 PM to Battery Park and the waiting time for the security check was 2 hours. I figured that I would be coming back at around 5 PM or 6 PM, and that would make it difficult to visit the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Museum. I chose to not make the boat trip, see the Statue from afar and walk up to the 9/11 Memorial.

I followed Google Maps to the former place of the Twin Towers, where now there’s a fountain and the names of all the victims of the terrorist events of September 11, 2001. I was 10 years old when this happened -would turn 11 the very next day- but I remember the news clearly. It’s a heavy atmosphere and there’s a sense of loss that you can feel when you are there. It doesn’t feel like it’s been almost 20 years, it feels like it was yesterday and I know that the images of the news that day might never leave my head.

I wanted to visit the museum, but Google Maps sent me to the “wrong” museum a few blocks away. It’s a smaller place where people who were first responders often go and talk about their experience. I realized I was not in the main museum after I paid my entrance ticket, so I walked around and listened to the story of a first responder who worked for a private ambulance company. He lost coworkers that day and his story is just one of the many that evidence how hurtful events like this can be, and how they leave a permanent mark.

I can only say that experiencing moments like this should only motivate people to spread love instead of hate. To not judge an entire group of innocent people based on the acts of a few. Love and compassion should always win. War -to me- will never be the answer. War has no winners, only losers on both sides. Innocent lives who pay the price of others’ mistakes. When I visited the Dachau Concentration Camp in Munich, I had a similar emotionally-heavy experience and it only pushed me to be more open than ever to diversity and tolerance. I never want to allow thoughts in my head that can have even a minimal trace of hate towards others and their beliefs. 

After visiting the memorial, I walked around the area of Wall Street, entered a nearby church and then went back home. Another long way of frustrating subway connection would await and over an hour would go by before I was in Upper Manhattan.

On my way back I stopped to see the new Vessel building. Its peculiar shape has attracted plenty of visitors since its opening in 2019. It was almost dusk so I sat down for a bit to catch a break before I made the tricky connection back to the main line that would take me to my hostel. There is only one subway line that gets you to the Vessel, so naturally, it gets crowded and I felt like the ride frequency was not the best.

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After the Vessel I would grab a quick hamburger, eat it at Central Park and head back to the hostel. The next day would be my last one in this hectic city and the forecast indicated cloudy and rainy weather. Maybe it was time for a museum? 💭🎨

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More about New York City in 3 Days:👇

After 4 amazing days in Montreal, I took a flight to New York City, the city that never sleeps. Most likely one of the most famous cities in the world, I felt like I had to see what was all about. Tons of movies have been filmed there and its iconic landmarks made my bucket list a long time ago.

I arrived on a Thursday early afternoon and would leave on Sunday night. That could be counted as 3 days. I had made an itinerary for myself to take the most out of my time there, instead of just wandering around. I used Super Shuttle to get from La Guardia to my hostel, HI New York City, and instead of waiting for my room to be ready, I began sightseeing. 

Here’s how I saw New York in 3 days, and how you could too. 🗽

I walked around the north side of Central Park where you can see some beautiful views of the city skyline. I was surprised that the trees where mostly green or yellow, instead of the typical colorful Fall I was expecting. As night began to fall, I took the subway to Times Square. Broadway street is possibly one of the world’s most famous streets and the billboards light up the whole place. It was hard to take photos, but some friendly tourists helped. I liked how lively the city was, making it clear that, day or night, New York City is pretty much awake.

I went back to my hostel to get some rest, as the next day would be full of activities. 

I woke up early to head to my first stop: the Empire State. It’s called “the most famous building in the world” and well, it comes with the price of its tagline. Around $40 will get you to floor 86, which is more than enough to get a view of the famous New York City skyline. The wind was super strong and after taking photos all around – and asking a tourist to take a photo of myself – I went down through the stairs. My best advice is to go there as early as you can, because the line can get long and the airport-like security takes time.

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Wherever I go, I am always looking for old buildings and Grand Central is a staple. It’s beautiful inside and out. Inside, there was an expo of polaroids, which brought even more life to the iconic train station.

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I believe this is the prettiest building in Manhattan. I took a break at the small park nearby to rest and feel that New York vibe. I read you can go inside for free but as a I didn’t have much time, I moved on to my next stop.

It was curious that such a modern city would have a cathedral like this and I am glad I visited. It is outstanding and conserved. It was a little weird to see the US flag hanging from a pole on the Cathedral, but well, it’s the US of A.

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The iconic ice rink and the flags was like getting lost in any typical New York-based movie. Despite it being mid-October, the Christmas decorations were already being placed where the famous tree would be located later. If I ever go back to New York City, it will definitely be during Christmas time.

Radio City Music Hall 🎵

I went back to Central Park, this time to visit the south side where the famous Hotel Plaza is located. I just loved this park and the life and peace it gives to what could be otherwise a dull and ever-busy city. I took the time to eat yet another NYC-style hot dog and that gave me enough time to ponder the idea of attending a Broadway show. I had enough time to go back to the hostel, change and be on time to buy a last-minute ticket. A colleague had told me that if you go last-minute, tickets prices are usually lowered. I decided to take the chance. 

I arrived there around 50 minutes before the play would start and scored a ticket at almost half the price. I made the line just in time to get in without much hassle, find my seat and enjoy the show from the beginning. What a masterpiece! The Lion King on Broadway is a visual and musical experience that I believe anyone can enjoy, whether they have seen the movie or not. Aside from the impressive custom design and the super talented actors, I was astonished at the creativity to portray some key scenes of the story. There is a reason why this play has been running on Broadway for so long and I recommend it to anyone.

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During my second day I would explore Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Stay tuned for next week's post.