During the day we walked, took the subway and used the hop on hop off bus tour. All 3 were great ways to get around the city – we never took a cab, except for the car hire to get to and from the airport.

Our tour guide was really funny and kept it real on our first day of the bus tour. He was full of great tips and hints – like how long line ups are when you see them and where to get the best hot dogs.

The streets were filled with people selling stuff. When the weather was hot – water, when it rained – umbrellas.

Our tour guide told us about the Tiles for America that were created after 9-11 to honor people who died on 9-11. I did some zoom photos of these and found them and the idea very moving.

Our guides all talked about apartment prices a lot and they were out of this world! Some for $900 a week!!

We loved exploring the city and walked through many different neighborhoods.

This was the Chinatown Starbucks – we didn’t eat or drink here but it was a cool building!

We got the chance to walk on the Brooklyn bridge when we got tired of waiting for the hop on/off bus to have a seat. I was really nervous because I’m not a huge fan of bridges or tunnels. I was glad that I did it and have the pictures to prove it!

There was a huge police and fire person presence in the city – we often saw fire trucks and police cars all around the city. The most somber part about seeing the fire trucks was seeing the names of their fallen friends who died on 9-11.

We can upon this funny little diner and just had to take photos.

It was a bit of a rainy day on Sunday and we made our way to the Guggenheim by subway. Fortunately, it stopped raining long enough for us to get there and stopped raining when we left!

I found out after taking a few photos that they prefer that you don’t photograph inside but the guard said it was okay since I wasn’t using a flash and not taking photos of the art. So I was happy with the few shots I took.

I like the motion in this one…

Our last day we walked in Central Park – I felt really relaxed and enjoyed being in the park.

The American Elm trees were really beautiful and were protected from people in the Park.

There was an incredible Alice in Wonderland sculpture in the park – unfortunately some kids were playing on it but I think the photos turned out and I got a few pictures without the children’s faces so I was able to use them.

It was an amazing trip and I was really happy with everything we got to see and do. I am definitely missing NYC but also happy to be home!

Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Alice in Wonderland statue, American Elm, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, downtown New York, Elm tree, Empire State Building, FDNY, Firemen, Flat Iron Building, Guggenheim Museum, Little Italy, new york apartment, New York City, New York City Fire Department, Pop Diner, street vendors, Tiles for America

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