Day 3 was American Thanksgiving. I started the day by making the lemon curd for the meringue.

The day was rainy, dull and very chilly. We thought about going to the parade, and finally decided that we would enjoy it more on TV, without being frozen and drenched. So, we snacked on fruit, cheese and crackers in the comfort of my friend’s cozy living room, which also gave us more time to catch up.

By noon the weather had cleared and the kitchen was in full throttle mode for Thanksgiving prep, so I headed out on my own to soak in more of the city sights and sounds. Times Square was super cool after the rain. I spent some time trying to get some pictures that did it justice.

I thought of the Hop On, Hop Off bus, but when I got back to Times Square, I decided to head over to see a bit more of the Christmas Market at Bryant Park, that we had just scratched the surface of yesterday.

The skating rink was very tempting, but they had to scrape the water off of it because of the rain. I thought a fall on that wet surface (with unfamiliar skates) would likely put a damper on the rest of the day. So, I decided to just explore all the little huts/shops. The only thing I bought was deep fried cheese curds, which I definitely enjoyed!

The market was much bigger than I had originally thought and it was lots of fun seeing all of it.

I took the subway back to 86^th Street and from there walked to Central Park. It was dreary and because of the weather, getting dark in the park, so the photography opportunities were not easy without a tripod. I took a few photos and enjoyed my walk through this part of the park.

Back at my friend’s place, I finished the meringue and helped with the final food prep and packing up to take next door. It was fun to meet her neighbour and some of her family. They had lots of stories and welcomed me with open arms. The meal was beautiful and my first American Thanksgiving was very enjoyable.

Today was the day I had some of the true NYC cultural experience…I got to see two rats!  One, just as I was leaving the subway station, I almost stepped on it!  The other, just down the street from the apartment, running along the railing outside one of the brownstones!  Yuck!