2 Days in New York City

After flying completely around the world, I flew in the New York city airport to meet my dad. I hadn't seen my dad in person in a year and I was ecstatic to see him. I almost teared up in the airport. My dad is an expert in history so I was able to use him as my personal tour guide. My favorite part was just riding the bus and talking to him about what I saw.

New York City is a real metropolitian place. There's something for everyone there: people having full conversations with garbage cans, beautiful art exhibits, thin crust pizza, and very cool architecture.

My first day in the city I was too tired and jet lagged to do anything. My dad was kind enough to bring me dinner and we ate in the hotel room. We stayed at NAME and it was perfect.

Day 1: Empire State Building, MET, Central Park, Pizza and Washington Square

On our first day, we took the train into the city and walked around. My first major site was the Empire State Building.

Next, we took the bus to the MET Art Museum. On the bus, we drove by Macy's, the Trump tower and St. Patrick's Cathedral. This is the picture I took of St. Patrick's in the rain.

The MET was a very cool experience. Every room surprised me with an amazing masterpiece. I loved getting to chat my dad about some of our favorite pieces.

After our time at the museum, we walked over to Central Park. It was a nice break from all the business of the city.

Since I've spent a lot time working in libraries, I always make a point of visiting the library. New York City library is definitely one of my favorites.

Next stop was a quick stroll down Times Square. It was raining so there wasn't much to look at, but it was an interesting place to people watch.

For dinner, my dad researched the best place in New York City for thin crust pizza. The rain calmed down enough so that we could sit outside and enjoy our thin crust. We ate in Greenwich village at Numero 28, just across the street from "Our Lady of Pompeii."

To finish off the day, we went and sat in Washington Square.

Day 2:

We started the day off by visiting the 9/11 memorial area. It was a sobering and beautiful place. I enjoyed reflecting on how our country has changed after the attacks.

Next, we walked over the ferry and took it to Stanton Island. We opted to this because we wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, but we didn't want to spend a lot of money on tourist ferries. The ferry to Stanton Island is totally free and it takes you close enough to view the statue. You don't get the chance to see Ellis Island, but the ferry is a good chance to watch locals in action.

Our next stop was Chinatown. Since I'd spent the last 2 years living in China, I felt it was appropriate to pay homage to the country. It was hot, crowded and busy. We walked up and down the streets. My dad shopped casually and I oggled all of the food menus. We ended up having a nice dim sum meal.

By the end of the day, I was so exhausted and jet lagged that I wasn't capable of much. We ended up wandering around and just taking in some of the sites.

For our final stop, we had an early dinner at Katz's Delicatessen. It was the most expensive sandwich that I've ever had and it was also probably the best sandwich that I've ever had. It was delicious.