OY! KRISTEN

While we were staying in New York for the month, I lucked out because my friends came to visit :) It felt like a little piece of home, having those girls come and stay for a few days. I love New York so much and I rarely get to share it with friends and family back home, so I was a little giddy to share all my favorite spots with them. And they brought ideas for places they wanted to visit, too, so we went all out and explored and ate everything. It was so much fun (and to be honest, in retrospect I probably walked too much), but at the time the adrenaline was running mile-high and I was just going with it. There's something radical about the second trimester of pregnancy. It really makes you feel like you can fly. We did so much over the course of our few days together that I'm going to have to break it up into a few posts, because otherwise, it's like picture/restaurant recommendation overload. But if you're gathering ideas for an upcoming NYC trip, then make sure to check back here every day this week, because it's going to be New York-centric!

We started this day by driving into the city and parking right next to our old building on the Upper West Side. We showed Everett where we used to live (when I was pregnant with him!) and then hopped on the subway and took the quickest route to Brooklyn, our starting point for the day's events.

Showing Everett our old apartment building.

I know this is a dweeby picture but I don't care. We lived here! We loved it!

I instagrammed this photo last week because these boys were so into the boat watching. It was adorable.

We lost this cute little hat on this particular day :(

I promise he's not as close to the edge as it seems in the photo.

So I've shared before about walking the Brooklyn Bridge here and about eating the AMAZING Juliana's Pizza here, so I won't tell those kinds of stories twice. But all I can say is - do both of these! Get to Juliana's when they open, because then you won't have to wait too long (the line is way out the door for hours), and make sure to get any of the pizzas with scarmorza cheese. You won't be able to forgive yourself for missing it. Everett scarfed so hard and ate more than anyone. He's so my Italian baby.

After our carb-loading we trekked across the Bridge. I'll admit that it's a little annoying on Saturday to walk the bridge because it's so crowded, but the views are really special and not to be missed. Where else do you get to see that particular skyline of Manhattan? It's a stunner.

Vanessa brought one of those trendy Instax-polaroid cameras (I don't know what they're called actually) and Everett went nuts for it. He really likes getting his picture taken these days, but to have the immediate gratification of seeing the photo develop really did something for him. She was sweet to spend so much of her film on him during the trip. He showed everyone that we met his pictures, and would clutch them while we walked him in the stroller. Also, he called her "My Nessa". I almost died.

After walking across the bridge we wandered even further south to the waterfront, through Battery Park, and then wound our way up to Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place. We needed to rest our feet, so we grabbed some drinks and stretched out on the lawn for a bit. This is the perfect spot to take in views of the Statue of Liberty, although if you really want to get up close and personal, you can jump on a free ferry ride down to Staten Island to get a bit closer to Lady Liberty (we did that here).

Note: If you're going to Hudson Eats to really eat, I recommend the brisket at Mighty Quinn's Barbeque, the 5-spice pork belly sandwich at Num Pang, literally anything on the menu at Black Seed Bagel, and the citrus squeeze juice at the Tartinery. Whew, I'm glad I got all that off my chest.

What I love most about this city is that it is a thousand cities in one. It can mean anything to anyone - frenzied, fantastic, mesmerizing, shocking, comforting, challenging, intoxicating, inviting. I've been to a lot of big cities but there is nowhere quite like New York. I think it takes a long time to get the feel for the city - for first-timers it can feel overwhelming, too fast-paced and too crowded. But it grows on you in this sneaky, alluring kind of way. The food is best here. The skyline is exotic. The energy is addictive. The possibilities are infinite. It's truly a dreamer's city and I can't help but get re-bitten by the bug every time I set foot on this maddening island. Isn't it strange to feel most at home in a place that you don't actually call home? That's the magic of New York. It's the greatest city on Earth.

This was not the end of our day but I will split this post in two since we did so much. More tomorrow on wandering through West Village and up into Chelsea :)

P.S. - If you can't hardly wait, check out other NYC shenanigans and recommendations here :)

Ground Zero, 9/11 Memorial & Battery Park Esplanade.

Oh, our gleeful exploration of this fabulous city continues. There is SO MUCH to see, and now that the weather is beginning to cooperate (I'm nervous to even type that, I don't want to spook it), Stevie and I are finding our way around a bit more. We had our dear friends Elliot & Lena in town, and we hit this city with them BIG TIME. Even when they're "just wanting to relax", those two know how to radically experience a city to its fullest. Perhaps you remember when they visited us in Boston?? Yeah, they're wild. And wildly fun. They know New York way better than us, so it was a blast following them around as the tour guides :)

The 9/11 Memorial.

We went downtown to the financial district and visited Ground Zero, where The Twin Towers once stood tall, at the National September 11 Memorial. Although the museum isn't open until May, this recently completed outdoor plaza was designed to honor the those who were lost to the horrific terrorist attacks that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. There are two sunken waterfall pools in the exact location of where the towers once stood, and the names of all the deceased are engraved around the pools.

It's a little bit haunting. A pensive place to reflect on those tragic events. The screeching sounds of the city are drowned out by the rhythmic fall of the water, and for a moment, you become a little bit numb. This lands marks the spot. Right here. Where planes smashed and people leapt to the ground from their burning buildings and where rubble and ash and smoke swallowed them up whole.

I'm sure most of us can still remember it like yesterday. I was in 8th grade gym class during 1st period, and Coach Cope sat my class down on the bleachers and explained that something terrible had happened. We didn't totally understand what a terrorist attack was, or why someone would target our country. I know, how naive right? So much has changed since then. But it's true. The rest of the day at school was basically a wash, we watched the news in every class and my teachers wept. Do you remember where you were when you found out about the attacks?

The Survivor Tree.

This is an incredible story. The callery pear tree you see (above), was originally planted in the 1970's in the vicinity of buildings 4 and 5 in the World Trade Center complex. The tree was severely damaged after the 2001 attacks and found in a pile of rubble, blackened trunk, snapped roots, probably completely charred and lifeless. The tree, 8 feet tall at the time, was transported and replanted in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The park's staff nursed the tree back to health and today, it stands over 30 feet tall in its newly replanted location at the 9/11 Memorial site. Every day the tree is freshly decorated with artwork, prayers and small tokens of gratitude by visitors of the park. It also comes with it's own armed guard. Seriously. And this callery pear stands vibrantly on its own amongst hundreds of white oaks in the plaza as The Survivor Tree.

Freedom Tower.

If this building could talk, I think it would say, "DON'T MESS WITH US AGAIN." To me, it just looks like a giant middle finger to the rest of the world. It is so flipping humongous, standing leagues above the rest of the downtown highrises. When you look directly at the building, you might not think that it looks very tall. But then when you look again, especially as it relates to the dozens of other neighboring skyscrapers, you're kind of dumbfounded at its sheer colossal-ness.

Battery Park Esplanade.

Just a hop, skip and jump away from the the WTC site is the Battery Park Esplanade, a lovely walkway down by the water. Battery Park is at the tip of the island of Manhattan, where the East River and Hudson River combine. You can walk or jog along the wide path along the water and see the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn and New Jersey, all within one view. It's pretty amazing. You can also get a hot dog from a cart. Well, that's everywhere in New York. But I feel like it's just epic to take a bite of a delicious corn dog with yellow mustard while staring at Lady Liberty.

Finisher.

What a day. It felt really good to really soak in these moments of the city, the flavors and culture and landmarks. To be able to differentiate the silly from the serious and know that each serves a specific purpose in this town. Because there is a lot of silliness here. You have to appreciate that for what it is and at the same time, not get too enraptured by it. But for all the ridiculous there are equal amounts of seriousness, lending great importance to this city. While visiting the 9/11 Memorial is perhaps not the most fun you could have when touring NYC, it is seriously significant, time-worthy and valuable. And on the way home from this experience, you might find yourself actually using your thoughts instead of fiddling with your iPhone. So prepare yourself for that kind of reflection. Because you know what? It's good as gold.

Do you remember where you were when you found out about the 9/11 attacks?