New York City Day 2

Day two was the most hectic and busiest day out of the whole trip. With tons of sightseeing and walking, we were all practically dead by the time we reached our hostel.

The day started with an iced americano and breakfast from Starbucks. We then headed back to our hostel where the tour guide, Jerry, was meeting us at 10am.

Our first stop on the tour was the Brooklyn Promenade (the place where we went to the day before) and Brooklyn Bridge.

Instead of looking at Brooklyn Bridge at a distance, we actually crossed it!

It was definitely a spectacular view! The was also a nice breeze, which kept us cool under the sun.

There were a lot of people crossing it and you had to be careful of the cyclists! 

I'd definitely recommend you cross the bridge.

After arriving at the other end of the bridge - Manhattan - we made our way towards the 9/11 memorial.

I have to say, it was quite busy with all the tourists, but you really felt the solemn and calm atmosphere despite it.

The actual memorial was beautiful, with the waterfall all around the memorial square and the well that the water went into. 

There was also the surviving tree, adjacent to the One World Trade Centre. 

Wall Street was the next, yet brief, stop. It was very busy, with both workers and tourists. We quickly walked past the snake man and the Stock Exchange and made our way towards the Staten Island Ferry.

The ferry was the closest we got to the Statue of Liberty. It was free and fast and it only took 25mins each way. 

It was also a nice break from all the walking and the ocean breeze felt really good! We also got a nice view of Downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Once arriving back to Manhattan, we took the subway towards SoHo walking through China Town and Little Italy. 

What I didn't expect was how big NY's China Town is, it's double the size of London's China Town, as well as the proximity between China Town and Little Italy.

Although Little Italy was much smaller, it was packed with a variety of restaurants and the walls had various graffiti, which were very beautiful.

For dinner, we made our way to the East Village, where we had Indian. It wasn't exactly the best meal to have after a long day, but it was edible. 

There were definitely other restaurants in East Village that looked more appetizing, but I'll leave them until next time.

After dinner, by this time it was probably around 10/11pm, we took the subway again and to Grand Central Terminal.

It was very beautiful and elegant! The ceiling is amazing and just standing there was amazing. The photographs don't do this station justice haha

Our final stop of the evening was Times Square. The lights were so bright that when we were coming out of the subway, I thought it was daylight already.

Also, despite being already midnight, the streets were still busy and packed, as well as the shops.

Me and my friend got separated from the tour group, so be careful when you go there, and stick together! Luckily, we made our way back to the hostel with no problems at all!

Phew! Just writing about it and remembering what happened that day made me tired haha!

If you do stay at Hostelling International New York, I would definitely recommend this tour as we covered practically all the areas in Lower Manhattan/ Financial District :)

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