Day 1: Financial District
Wall Street
On the first day, we traveled from our hotel to the Wall Street metro station with the ultimate goal of visiting Liberty Island. As we needed to burn some time, we strolled around the Financial District. The metro station, like all other stations, featured tile art including the name of the station.
Leaving the station, our first goal was to reach the Charging Bull. We failed horribly and ended up at a nice Christmas tree in front of the New York Stock Exchange instead. Additionally, we stumbled across the “Fearless Girl”, which reminds us that in most companies, gender diversity is still a work in progress.
After a bit of research, we finally found the Charging Bull, where we figured out that Americans take standing in line very seriously—even if it is just for a photo at an attraction.
Strolling Around
Our search for food led us past a few rabbits
to the Tin Building. This used to be an old fish market but has been renovated into a food hall with groceries, meat, and a lot of good-looking cakes.
After re-charging, we went to see the Oculus, Ground Zero, and One World Trade Center.
From all that walking we needed a snack in between, so we visited Eataly. The overall market was very impressive, but the actual food (Pesto Al Genovese and Cacio e Pepe) was not comparable to actual Italian food.
Liberty Island
Our ultimate goal, visiting Liberty Island, lay ahead of us. We booked our tickets upfront at Statue City Cruises, which claims to be the only official vendor. We picked the Crown Reserve tickets, which provide access to the crown itself but do not cost extra. All you need to do is go with your purchased tickets to the Battery Park ticket booth to get a wristband.
At Battery Park, there were many people trying to sell tickets. According to the police, they try to scam you, so take care to avoid them. After a security check, we were ready to board the boat that travels to Liberty Island first and Ellis Island afterwards . The crown tickets were fully worth it (if you are not afraid of heights) and provided an astonishing internal view of the statue. Ultimately, you get a nice view from the very top of the New York skyline.
Going down, I found a pair of eyes. Maybe you can spot them as well ;).