The last full day in NYC and still many things on the want to see list, so we have a full agenda! After breakfast, we headed to the subway a different direction than before. When we got off the subway, we were in Soho.

When I was looking into all the things I might want to see in NYC, I came across a blog that mentioned the Ina store. In the blog it didn’t say much about what this store was, but it was intriguing to me for sure. That name is really important in my life and there was no doubt that I was going to have to find this store!

My mom’s name was Ina and she had passed away earlier this year, at the tender age of 99. She knew I was going to take this trip and she was very excited for me to have this opportunity. She had gone to NYC when she was younger and told me how much she loved it, especially the time she spent simply exploring the city. One of the many interesting things she had done in her life was becoming a “Welcome Wagon Hostess” and she had gone to New York for training.

Upon further investigation, I discovered that the Ina store was a consignment designer store!  So, my hope was that there might be a belt or some small item that I liked, and that I could afford… but I had to go!

We got there and found out that it didn’t open until 12 (which we actually noticed when we were planning but forgot), so we explored the area. Found a sweet little store that sold kid stuff called Little Moony. It was family owned and the woman designed the clothing and her mother sewed the clothing. They also had a lot of miniatures, toys and books. I bought a few things for the grandchildren. Found an amazing gelato store and the girl that worked there was just a doll. She even gave us a treat to share. Noticed Christmas Trees for sale that weren’t 4 feet tall that had a $99 price tag! And the flower store that spilled out onto the street, even though it was November. And finally, a jewelry store we almost passed by that I decided to go in at the last moment…which ended up costing my friend the price of a beautiful bracelet she couldn’t say no to.

Then on to the Ina store. It had a variety of items, most of which I wouldn’t be caught dead in, but a few nice things. But it was a really cool shop. Even the cheapest things were well out of my price range but, I was happy to share my reason for being there with the clerk, and get a few pictures in the shop.

After leaving there, we walked to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was about a mile to the bridge, but we walked through some of Chinatown on the way. Chinatown was cool and we visited a couple of souvenir shops and found some things to bring home as gifts.

Just over halfway across the bridge, we decided that we would turn around and head to the next adventure. It was very crowded on the Brooklyn Bridge; lots of vendors and tons of people. It was absolutely amazing to see the city from this perspective. You walk above the cars and can view city stretched out as far as you can see on both sides.

 

   

I can’t imagine what it would be like on a beautiful day in the summer! Spectacular and wall to wall people, I’m sure!

After leaving the bridge, we took the subway to the Staten Island Ferry. We met a family from Nebraska, originally from El Salvador and my friend took them under her wing to get them on the right subway and then onto the ferry. It was cloudy, but no precipitation on the way over, but on the way back it was SNOWING! Seeing the Statue of Liberty was breathtaking, especially with the city in the background.

 

A couple of times on the subway, and now on the ferry, we saw young children selling candy bars, etc. My friend explained to me that they were refugees and that is the way their families survive.

We took the subway, once we got back to land, to go to Ground Zero. Amidst the city, the peacefulness of Ground Zero, was stunning. In the shadow of the Freedom Tower, the water monument with all the names of the victims was calming. It would be interesting to see it during the daytime, but I was glad to have had the evening vantage.

The Oculus is a very unique building, inside reminding me of the ribcage of a huge animal and outside looking like a bird taking flight. I am not sure if my description is even close to what the architect had in mind, but I had never seen a building like it. It housed a shopping mall, a little outside my price range from the couple of stores I ventured into. There was a little roller skating rink area in the central area that you could view from several levels. We did have to ask how to get out of the building, and finding the restaurant we finally decided on, was also a challenge.

But, Eataly was definitely worth the search! An Italian market and restaurant all in one, with open kitchen areas where you could watch pizzas being created as you waited to be seated. I expect that view influenced many, not just us, but pizza was definitely our choice. We shared a beautiful salad and scrumptious bread to start and then shared a delicious pizza. We were stuffed, but the apple tart with gelato was calling, so we shared that before rolling out of our seats!

 

 

 

We headed home on the subway, one last time. Once we got home I had to pack as I had a morning flight home. The city has been amazing, but the farm is calling me back.

Time passes. Life changes us. We become a mirror of our experiences, but some friendships pass the test of time and separation. This trip was a dream trip for me, seeing NYC in all her glory, but the highlight was the reconnection with my beautiful friend. We have both lived through hardships and happy times. We have travelled very different paths. We had very many years, separated by time and space, me on a farm in Canada, she in the biggest city in the world. But we laughed, hugged, and reminisced, recharging a friendship that we won’t let time or space define as we go forward.

New York City, I hope to see you again someday. Thank you for this adventure!

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