I Happen to Like New York {Part 2}

I would start day 2 pretty much like day 1...with a good breakfast. There really isn't a shortage of food options in NYC. Some neighborhoods have a lot fewer, or more expensive, or less delicious options, but you can always find food. We love using Yelp for good suggestions on what to eat in certain neighborhoods. With lots of customer reviews you can generally find something close and quite delicious in any neighborhood.

-Once you feel well-fed you are ready to finish off the touristy stuff on your to-do list! Today start out by heading down to Canal Street where you can buy yourself (and everyone else on your list) an I (heart) NY t-shirt. Here you will find plenty of cheap souvenirs and you are able to barter with most of the vendors in the area. The more you buy, the more you can save. But, BEWARE of really bad knock-offs, especially with the perfume and handbags. There are some good fakes out there but they are pretty tough to find and even the savviest of shoppers end up getting pressured into buying some pretty awful (and super fake) stuff. In my opinion, its way more worth it to save up your pennies and buy the real deal...right across from the World Trade Memorial (see below) there is a store called Century 21 where you can get high-end designer brands for a fraction of the price. Still pricey, but definitely more affordable AND you get the genuine article. None of this Choach or Channel stuff. 

-After walking down (or up) Canal Street, you can head uptown on Broadway and see SOHO (the area SOuth of HOuston). This is a great neighborhood where you will find shops, boutiques and flagship stores for lots of famous designer brands. It also happens to be a great spot for celebrity sightings...in case you are into that kind of thing. If you want to know more, just visit: www.sohonyc.com, where you will find all the information you will need on this chic neighborhood. 

-Once you have gotten your retail fix, you can head back into Chinatown for an authentic dining experience. Our personal favorite happens to be Shanghai Cafe Deluxe (100 Mott St.) where the soupy dumplings and lo mein are fresh and you can feed 2 for under $15. Don't expect great service...just enjoy the food and the experience. Once you have found something to eat (or not) continue downtown to see the 9/11 Memorial Fountains as well as One World Trade Center. A museum also opened in the Spring of 2014. If that is something you would like to see, I would definitely suggest getting tickets in advance because the wait to get in can be quite long...or so I have heard.

-After visiting Ground Zero, you are ready to see the Statue of Liberty. You can see her pretty well from Battery Park city, but I recommend taking a ferry to get a closer look. You can buy tickets in advance to actually go to Liberty Island which includes passage to Ellis Island as well. It is a fun experience but also takes a good chunk out of your day...and if you want to go to the top of the crown, you usually have to buy tickets months in advance. Another option, which is my favorite, and totally free way to see her from afar is by taking the Staten Island Ferry. They leave every 30 minutes and you get to rest your feet! When I started doing this 10 years ago, it wasn't as well known and you could always get a good look at the statue. Now, more people seem to be savvy on the idea of saving time and money so sometimes you've got to elbow your way in for a picture or two. Once they start letting you on-- head to the right, in an orderly and civilized manner (of course), and you shouldn't have a problem getting a prime spot. The back of the ferry is also awesome for a great view of the lower Manhattan cityscape. Staten Island is mostly residential, and unless you have some friends you want to visit, you probably want to hop off the ferry and hop right back on.

-Once you arrive safe and sound back on Manhattan soil, I suggest taking a bike ride. There are lots of companies you can rent bikes from in this area, usually they charge anywhere from $10-$20 per hour. But, in 2013, NYC jumped on the bike-share band wagon (finally!) and put little stations with rentable Citi Bikes all over downtown and parts of Brooklyn (and some expansions into Queens and uptown coming this year) where you can rent the bikes for a flat fee of $10 for 24 hours. Now, unless you have a yearly pass the bikes are only yours for 30 minutes - but we are usually able to find another station and re-rent another bike pretty quickly. It sounds tedious, but after doing it once or twice it becomes easier and it is a fun way to see more of the city aaand its a lot quicker than walking. The closest bike stations to the ferries are located at either Bus Slip & State St. or South St. & Whitehall St. (map of stations found here: www.citibikenyc.com/stations).  I really love riding around the South Street area. South Street Seaport used to be NYC's big fish market, but has since turned into a dock for boats and a shopping center. Although there isn't much there besides water taxi tours and shopping it's a great place to find a bathroom - which doesn't come easy in Manhattan, trust me. You can also get great views of Brooklyn and the bridges of downtown Manhattan - great spot for pictures! If you want to get cheap tickets to a Broadway Musical or Play you may have heard of the TKTS booth. There is a booth located in Times Square, but the lines can be pretty brutal. We have had great luck at the South Street Seaport booth (on the corner of Front and John streets) where the same shows are available at a heavily discounted price. Just remember, tickets are for shows that night or matinees the next day and they aren't open all day. Visit their website for more information: www.tdf.org.

If you wanted to, from here you could ride your bike across the Brooklyn Bridge or take a more adventurous ride through the city to the Williamsburg Bridge. Both letting you out into cool parts of Brooklyn. Williamsburg is great for food and people watching, while downtown Brooklyn gets you Grimaldi's pizza - delicious whole pies, no slices and expect a wait - and Barclays Center, if you really venture in. Both places will provide you a place to return your bikes and public transportation close so you can get back to Manhattan fast.

If you didn't see Times Square last night, now is the time to make a quick stop and enjoy some of the city's finest people watching.

Are you tired yet? I'm exhausted just talking about it! If you are looking for some more local experiences - look at my breakdown of day 3.