Tour Around Manhattan

While we were in NYC, we had an itinerary, but because of weather problems (the power went out at the Statue of Liberty during some storms, so they shut down the ferries for 2 days), our plan changed several times.

One benefit of those changes was that instead of more free time in Times Square (which we really didn't need), Christina and Tony (our bus driver) took us on a bus tour of some famous sights - different neighborhoods like SoHo, TriBeCa, Greenwich Village, etc. and she pointed out where all of the famous people live and where important events happened (where John Lennon was shot outside of the Dakota Building). I LOVED the bus part!!

Anyway, on a more somber note - here are some pictures of the Ground Zero site:

We didn't get a great view from the bus, but it was amazing. And I guess there's a building next to where the Towers were that is empty and looks half-torn down.....well, it is....and it still needs to be fully taken down because of the extensive damage from 9/11. The reason for the 9-year delay?? They are STILL FINDING BODIES IN THERE as they do demolition! WOW.

For one of the nights, we had dinner in Little Italy at a place called Puglia's. It's an old restaurant that has been in business since 1919!

It had great atmosphere and the servers and employees were all Italian - very authentic.

Some of you might've seen the video that I had on my facebook page with people waving their napkins to a song - this is a picture of that little ditty. It was a song that the 'entertainer' for the evening is known for - The Napkin Song. So cheesy, but so funny as well.

Here's my dinner - spaghetti wth A meatball, but a very LARGE meatball!

I just loved the atmosphere - a small, Italian joint in the middle of New York City - how perfect!

And here's Jorge, the entertainment for the evening. I guess he's pretty famous around NYC - even has a proclamation from the mayor!

Another part of the bus tour was a little jaunt through Harlem. Below is a picture of Spanish Harlem - only one part of Harlem.

The rest of the pictures below is just "regular" Harlem. I just couldn't help but sing the Jefferson's theme song while we drove through this area.

Apparently this is an up-and-coming area and even Bill Clinton has rented space for his offices in Harlem. It's getting trendy to live here.

And we drove by the famous Apollo Theater.....