Day 3 Itinerary Summary
Statue of Liberty
Century 21
Brooklyn
Central Park
Vice Versa
Statue of Liberty: Reserve early. Saturday was the most beautiful day of our visit! Sunny and 72 degrees – perfect for a morning ferry ride to Lady Liberty. It wasn’t till we arrived on Liberty Island that we realized how lucky we were to have tickets to the crown. We overheard a park representative say that only a few hundred crown passes permitted each day & they were sold out through August [4 months out].
Go Early. We knew we wanted to spend the afternoon doing other activities, so we chose to hop on the first ferry of the day. Going early & arriving early are two highly recommended tips (by me) and the website. There are 3 options for your statue visit & all are reasonably priced: grounds, pedestal, crown.
Crown = Climb. The theme of our NYC trip was HUSTLE! This is not a trip for those who don’t like to walk, climb, and maneuver. Even the earliest ferry of the day comes with an element of herding –> literally, the staff herded visitors like cattle! It’s wonderful to sit on the open-top boat, but you will save yourself 15 minutes of frustrating shuffling to exit if you stay on the main deck. When it comes to visiting the Statue of Liberty, comfort stops after the elevator ride to the pedestal. For those lucky crown-pass holders, brace yourself for a narrow & winding 5-10 minute climb to the top! Here are some photos of my mom in the stairway…
We chose to skip Ellis Island (you can add this stop when purchasing your tickets) in exchange for an afternoon in Central Park but enjoyed the incredible views on the way back to Battery Park.
We had to wave the white tourist flag after making a beginner’s mistake on the New York Subway. Don’t miss the very important North/South/East/West train labels. My mom & I added an hour to our ride after making this mistake. We were 5 stops into Brooklyn before realizing we had gone the wrong direction. OOPS! At least we can say we made it to Brooklyn while in New York. haha
Central Park: My relentless prayers and optimism paid off and we enjoyed sunny weather throughout our entire visit. It looked as though all of the city was waiting for this epic break in New York’s unfavorable weather streak. There is no way to fully grasp how HUGE Central Park is. With Home Alone & You’ve Got Mail as my only reference, I wildly underestimated the size of this colorful oasis. We only walked half (starting around 81st St.) and were totally amazed by how such a lush place could exist within America’s greatest concrete jungle!
A toast to our next adventure! We wrapped up the day with a fine Italian dinner in Hell’s Kitchen at Vice Versa. There is no way to go wrong with this menu. The service was superb & the relaxed atmosphere with courtyard views was just what we needed. Recommendations: Seafood Risotto – 1/2 portions are perfect for ladies saving room for tiramisu!
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