We arrived in NYC around noon and hired a car to take us to our hotel on 28th street. Our cab driver was nice at first, but by the end of the car ride he was quite pushy about converting my mom and I from Christians to Muslims. He offered me a Koran, but I politely declined. I was very happy to get out of the car and check into our hotel room! After checking in, mom and I walked up 7th avenue, grabbed lunch, walked through Macy's on 34th street (would definitely like to spend more time there on our next trip), then walked up to 42nd to see Times Square. Times Square was ok to see once...it's one of those places that it's nice to say you visited, but I don't need to go back. It was dirty and full of tourists. After Times Square, we took the M42 bus to Pier 83 and hopped on a 3 hour Circle Line Cruise that took us around the whole island of Manhattan. This was a great experience and the perfect way to see the Manhattan skyline and the statue of liberty. I recommend everyone do this once. After the cruise, we took a bus and train to meet Julia and her mom and sister at Cafeteria. This was a great restaurant, and everyone's food looked delicious. I was so happy to see Julia again! .
On day two, we got up early. This was our most ambitious day! We took a train to Grenwich Village then walked to Washington Square Park. Don't miss Washington Square Park, it is beautiful!!! We walked through part of NYU's campus then shopped a little in Soho. My mom and I loved Soho. They had beautiful couture shops with such a fun and funky vibe. From Soho, we walked to Little Italy and had lunch at one of their little cafes. After lunch, we walked to Chinatown in search for a few knock offs. We had a rather interesting experience that was scary at first! I guess I pictured street vendors selling fake purses and jewelry, but since it's a no no, they have to be a bit sneaky. A man walked up to us and said "Louis Vuitton" and I said yes. All of a sudden he took off and we followed him for blocks. He turned the corner, whispered into a womans ear, and we started following her. My heart started to pound and I told mom that no fake Louis was worth going into some back alley!!! The lady took us to a van that she would not open unless we picked a purse from a pamphlet she gave me. While standing there a guy with a satchel full of glasses and a different woman with a purse full of fake Tiffany jewelry appeared out of thin air. It was crazy!!! I scored a pair of sunglasses and got the heck out of there. We headed downtown to the financial district and to Wall Street. I loved downtown! After the financial district, we walked to the lower east side along the East River and it's redeveloped seaport district. It was at this point that we bought a new pair of shoes because our feet were screaming. We found an Aerosoles shop and bought new sandals with some padded soles. This was our best purchase all week! We then took the ferry to Brooklyn to eat New York style pizza at a famous pizzeria called Grimaldi's. They prepare their pizza in a coal fired oven, and it was amazing! I can't wait to take Michael back to Grimaldi's. After pizza, we walked back to Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge. This may have been my favorite experience! The Brooklyn Bridge is amazing! Here are pics from day two. 
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