DAY THREE // On the third day, we were joined by Anna, who actually had just come back from a two week trip to Vietnam and Japan.
Our first stop was to have breakfast at a nearby spot called Momofuku’s Ma Peche. It was an interesting spot – the ground floor was a storefront that sold mainly baked goods and other little things. When you ask for the restaurant, the hostess brings you down a flight of stairs to the restaurant underneath. It was a neat little place, and had great reviews on Yelp.
Unfortunately, the place wasn’t that big of a hit for us. Anna and Rachell ordered something that had pork belly in it, because they absolutely love pork belly. But when they tasted their food, neither one could handle more than a few bites. I ordered a scone, and it was alright. Nothing special.
Now I’m curious. If you had ever gone to this restaurant, what was your experience and would you have ordered something different?
Afterwards, we headed to the Financial District for a (cold) day viewing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
.. after a quick stop getting some hand mittens and beanie hats! We were utterly freezing in New York! Mind you, it was in the middle of spring that we went!
After going through a security area similar to those of airports, we were told to wait in line until the next boat came to take us to Lady Liberty. And when it did, everyone was herded onto the boat like sardines.
The Statue of Liberty island is modest. First thing you’ll see is a tour guide booth that hands you a self-tour hearing device, which I think is really nice the city offers this to tourists.
While we chose to explore the main grounds of the island, there are options where you can pay to be able to 1.) go to the foot of the statue, 2.) go to the crown of the statue. Be sure to get your tickets way in advanced, though, as they tend to sell out pretty quickly and most likely if you try to buy on the day of, they will not have availability.
After that, we took a boat departing from The Statue of Liberty to Ellis Island. This is the island that the majority of immigrants from the late 1800s to early 1900s were taken to get examined, in order to see if they were deemed “good enough” to enter New York / United States.
The tour around the museum. Seeing these photos and the recounting of events that happened on this island was tear-jerking. The suffering that these immigrants went through just to live in the U.S. is astounding. And it happened for so many years!
Later on, we headed back to the Financial District and ate at this sort of hidden Irish pub and restaurant called The Dead Rabbit. We ended up getting there a bit too early so the restaurant part was closed, but we were able to sit on the bar and order off the restaurant menu.
I enjoyed their burger, but Anna and Rachell tried once more to get some pork belly in their belly, and ordered the Pork Belly Slider, which they claim to be amazing.
The spot where George Washington was officially inaugurated, now overlooking Wall Street.
Our last stop for the day was the Grand Central Terminal. Built in 1871 by the Vanderbilts, this building holds so much history to the railroad industry and ultimately, to New York. So many people walking in and out of this station on a daily basis, so many movies filmed here, and other little phenomenons like Improv’s Frozen in time. And hey, while you’re waiting for your next train, why not stop by the … Apple Store?!
Oh, New York.
