Not Your Typical Tourists (#Blogmas: Day 30)

My family is a bit unique. Whenever we go out to travel, we don't exactly plan our trips. We don't make it a point to visit the typical tourist attraction. But today we decided to try and act like typical tourists. So today's agenda was hopping on the Subway to take it all the way down south to see the Statue of Liberty.

A snapshot of the New York City Subway. I feel like I'm in an episode
of How I Met Your Mother. (The conductor is as indecipherable as Lily says)

It was SOOO cold out but we had fun hugging each other for warmth.

Trees in winter tend to have an eerie quality to them

We planned on taking a ferry over to that small little island where the Statue of Liberty stands but once we got there the lines for the tickets was hella long. It was lunch time so we were quite hungry at that point and decided to buy some hotdogs and eat them while we stood in line. We waited for quite a while before we found out that the tickets on sale weren't for that day, and any tickets meant for that day had sold out long before. This is why we should plan our vacations properly.

The ferry we would've boarded if we bought tickets in advance

But oh well. We gave a collective shrug and decided to walk around the area, taking in the sights as they come and find some place to warm ourselves up.



Located by the pier, some globe-like sculpture and a war memorial.

More eerie looking trees.

A restaurant/bar place located by the sea.

There are so many skyscrapers here I can't even tell which ones are iconic.
 

My Sis and Dad (he's wearing a beanie - not quite pulling it off)

Overexposed, cuz even tho it was super cold, the sun was super bright.

 

My sister took control of the camera for a bit.

A rare picture of me not looking like a derp.
The wind was insane and so I put my hoodie up.

Again, proof that my sister knows her angles and takes
better pictures than I do.

We decided to go and check out the 9/11 Memorial because it was relatively nearby, but the line to enter the Museum was also hella long (as much as i like being touristy i hate travelling during holiday season)

 

Part of this long 9/11 mural.

"Dedicated to those who fell, and to those who carry on."

An illustration of the towers being hit.



One of the Infinity Pools that mark the spot where the World Trade towers used to stand.

More building shots.

This reflective building looked pretty cool.

 

Night starts to fall on New York City.

The New York Museum of Natural History (i think) that reminded us of Night in the Museum.

A food truck we stumbled upon that sold the best Belgian waffles.

Although things may not have gone to plan and we failed to be touristy, it was nice to just take our time to soak in the feel of New York City and stumbling on that waffle truck was pretty lucky. It was cold out which made trying to eat them interesting, but they were delicious and a nice end to a really long but enjoyable day. It's our last night in New York City, but looking back on it, we spent the best time together as a family. We braved the cold together, ate some amazing food, and had a lot of laughs and new experiences.

 

 

Now I must turn in early, because we fly back to San Fran tomorrow and then the day after marks the end of my second American adventure as I endure a long-haul flight back to Indonesia. SIGH I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO LEAVE. I shall miss being wrapped like a burrito in my brother's tiny apartment.

 

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES NEW YORK. I'll definitely be back soon.

 

--Karin Novelia, Caught Between The Moon and New York City