Five days in New York – Itinerary for a family trip PART 3

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Itinerary

1- Ground Zero - WTC Memorial

2- One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower)

3- New York City Hall

4- Brooklyn Bridge

5- D.U.M.B.O.

6- Trinity Church

7- Wall Street

8- Staten Island Ferry and Statue of Liberty

9- Katz's Delicatessen

On our third day, we drove to the most southern part of Manhattan and start with something that raises recent pains around the world, namely leaving on the subway next to Ground Zero - WTC Memorial.

Ground Zero - WTC Memorial

This memorial of the World Trade Center, in memory of the victims of 9/11, is beautifully done, beautiful, and a form of demonstration of unique respect in the world.
It is located in the place where the Twin Towers used to be, and it is incredible to go through that space and feel the enormous respect for the weight of recent history. A beautiful place but that leaves the open heartache of innocent people who lost their lives on 9/11.

Besides the WTC Memorial, there is also the National Museum of September 11, which we did not visit. If you want to know more information about prices and times of the Museum, you can consult his site HERE.

One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower)

Something we also did not visit inside was the Freedom Tower, again for economic reasons (we chose the Empire State Building, as you can see on our first day in New York by clicking HERE).
But this building is really impressive. In addition to being the tallest building in the United States of America, it is one of the tallest and, very beautiful indeed, being impressive to admire it from below. With a blue day and full of light, like what we were lucky to have, it was wonderful to see.

Although we have not done it, it does not mean that you do not do it, and many people we've talked to even recommend that you go up to the observatory, where you can have 360-degree views of New York City.
It is true that it is not cheap, especially for those traveling with family like us but, whoever recommended it very much. We also recommend that you buy tickets online in advance to avoid queues. You can see HERE the official website to see prices, schedules and, if you wish, to buy the tickets online.

Another issue that we did not know at the time of our trip, which could be very good for saving money, is the possibility of, on Tuesdays, on Priceless's website (click here to see) to buy two tickets for the price of one, what results in huge savings of money.

New York City Hall

When we think of New York City Hall there is a tendency to imagine something huge, grand, like many of the buildings in this city. But in this case, despite being a very beautiful building, it is not grandiose, and in the midst of so many skyscrapers, it even becomes small.

However, despite not being majestic, it is a very beautiful building, with amis of 200 years and which is a historical landmark of the city and the country. We did not see the interior but the exterior is very beautiful and is right next to the Brooklyn Bridge, our next goal of this family trip.

 See this cool video (not ours) to find more about the tour.
Around New York City Hall has a delightful garden, where we took some time to relax after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in two directions.

Brooklyn Bridge

Anyone who wants can do this subway crossing and just return from Brooklyn to New York and enjoy the city skyline but, we wanted to make the crossing on foot in both directions.
This bridge is beautiful! Famous for having already been the stage of several films, this 1883 league joins the districts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. At the time of its inauguration, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world, and its towers were the tallest buildings in New York. Today, this bridge captivates by its beauty and fascination, and is another of the experiences you can not miss on your trip to New York and has the benefit of being completely free.

If you want, as was our case, to walk both ways, get ready to walk about 4 kms and, if it is the case of a family trip, baby strooler will work, as was our case.

D.U.M.B.O.

When arriving in Brooklyn, we recommend that you do not make your return journey immediately. Instead, take a look at the Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass (D.U.M.B.O.). This area, which is underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, will allow you a beautiful view of Manhattan but your interest is not only left out, it is very worthwhile to discover the contrast between the old and the modern that installs each more in this area of ​​the city.
It was here that, overlooking the city, we decided to buy food and have a picnic overlooking Manhattan.

Trinity Church

After our return through the Brooklyn Bridge and a well-deserved rest in the park next to City Hall, we headed towards Wall Street but first we passed Trinity Church.
This beautiful church makes more of an impact by staying where it is, next to the hectic world of Wall Street. It has a very beautiful architecture on the outside and inside is also beautiful, although we liked the exterior more. The curious thing is that, next door has a cemetery, which you can visit, something that we just saw from the outside.

Wall Street

Another stroll you can not miss while strolling through New York is walking through your Financial Center. This is another activity you can do for free in New York and what a unique feeling. In fact, this is what the city conveys to us, several unique and special sensations, and here you will feel the power, the ostentation of being in the biggest financial center in the world and, just imagine the millions that are being negotiated with you is something that will perplex you.
It's worth taking a stroll through the middle of the buildings here, but of course do not forget to stop by the Federal Hall, located just in front of the New York Stock Exchange building. This is where George Washington was sworn in as president of the United States when New York was the capital of the United States of America. You will see that it is not difficult to find the place, because you will find there the statue of George Washington on the staircase of the building.
Another experience you will want to do, however strange it may seem, is to run your hand through the balls of the Charging Bull. It's really weird but, they say it's lucky, and as luck is something that never hurts, we went to the queue to wait for our turn for this very unusual experience.

Staten Island Ferry and the Statue of Liberty

Finished our tour, we wanted to see another of the major brand images of New York, and all of America: the Statue of Liberty. And, in this case too, we came across the traditional monetary and temporal issues, which went through the decision whether or not to go up to the Statue of Liberty.
To make this decision, we have tried to read and reread the maximum amount of information and experiences of other travelers and, although many people love the visit and climb to the Statue of Liberty, we also saw many people complaining about the huge waiting time and, some disillusionment with the visit as a whole. As for this case, we ended up not being able to give our opinion, because here too we took advantage of lower some costs in our trip with family and, instead of going up to the Statue, we just pass next to it on the boat.

And here is some wonderful news, is that you can make this delightful boat trip, next to the Statue of Liberty totally free! Let's tell you how you can accomplish it.

So the way you can board the Statue of Liberty for free is by using the Staten Island Ferry, which leaves every half hour (see the exact location on Google Maps from where you can take the Ferry).
Well, to use this free means of transportation, there is not much to be told, as it is easy, fast and cheap. To do so, you only have to go to the designated location, but prepare, as you approach your destination, you will be approached by vendors who claim to be selling "the true tour of the Statue of Liberty."

It is true that, through this option, you will not be able to visit the Island of Liberty and Ellis Island, where the Immigration Museum is located and which was the port of entry for thousands of immigrants in America. In this free option, you will only pass by the Statue of Liberty but, it is a wonderful tour.

After we were sympathetically grateful but rejected the various offerings from the vendors, we arrived at the embarkation place, where many people pile up but, as we easily noticed, the boat is large and has several options to sit and rest throughout the trip. Here we leave the tip, when you leave Manhattan, try to sit on the right side of the boat, as you will have the best views of the Statue of Liberty, doing the opposite on your return trip. However, the ride from Manhattan to Staten Island passes closer to the Statue of Liberty and it is on this route that you will have the best photo opportunities.
Another tip that we could not fail to give is also linked to the possibility of taking photographs, especially of New York City as it moves away in the water. For this you will have to route to the back of the ferry and take advantage of taking fantastic pictures of the city. Also, in this part of the boat there is no glass, which allows you to take the best photographs also of the Statue of Liberty.
Finally, another tip that has to do with the time of the trip. We did not intend to stroll around Staten Island, just use the Ferry to stroll along the Statue of Liberty, so after the first trip (which took about 25 minutes), we intended to return to Manhattan again. We were able to catch the return boat immediately upon our arrival, so it was given to maximize the time of not having to wait another 30 minutes. But, if you want to do this, we suggest that, before the boat stops, approach near the nearest exit and go directly to the place of embarkation (next door). If you go fast, it is possible, if not, you will have to wait about 30 minutes for the next boat.

Schedules
As we mentioned, the ferry trip is free, roughly every 30 minutes throughout the day and the journey takes about 25 minutes. If you want to know more about the schedules, see HERE.

Address of the terminal:
Whitehall Terminal located at 4 South Street, Manhattan

Nearest Underground Station:
Whitehall St, line N and R).

Katz's Delicatessen

As the day drew to a close, we had to look for where to have dinner, and we had already planned where to eat this meal, which was the place known for the best pastrami sandwiches in New York. For those who do not know, pastrami is a lean, seasoned lean beef that is very popular in America, and Katz's Deli pastrami sandwiches are by far the best in New York.

This historic establishment, which has been operating since 1888, has always been one of the landmarks of its zone and, at the moment, of the whole city but it was probably one of the best romantic movies ever made famous in the world. The movie we are referring to is "When Harry Met Sally" and, in particular, the famous scene of feigned orgasm with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.
Well we wanted to know the space and know the food, and we are obliged to say that we loved it !! It is true that you will have to deal with a queue to get in (after all, we did not wait long, about 15 minutes). But, the service is very cordial, all very friendly. The place is full of history and it makes you feel like it would be in old New York.

 The size of pastrami sandwiches is huge (they are not cheap either, must say) but, it is a delicious taste, totally different from the meat we are used to eating in Portugal. It comes with pickles and mustard, which makes a perfect combination.
Briefly, we strongly recommend the visit to this place, if not for the passion for the movies, that is for the food and environment, because you will love everything.

You can see on their OFFICIAL SITE more information about prices, times and address.

After this wonderful dinner, we finished our day and headed to the hotel. Tomorrow would be another day of adventure.
We hope you enjoy our itinerary for the third day in New York. If you want, you can see our fourth day of our family trip in New York by clicking HERE.

Do not forget to leave your comment and recommend our Non Stop Family blog, we would love to know your opinion and feedback.

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1 comentários

  1. GiGi Eats27 de outubro de 2018 às 19:42

    Love your itinerary!! My husband LOVES NYC and would love to move there. I am on the fence because I lived on the east coast a long time ago and was NOT a fan! That being said, we did go in 2016 for Hamilton in November. It was cold cold col but also I did have a lot of fun because my husband is the best! And Hamilton was amazing too!

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