NEW JERSEY & NEW YORK CITY (PART II)

agirltraveling
Apr 10, 2016
6 min read

The next morning, we decided to go on an adventure to Chinatown. We had been there before, but we still decided we wanted to go again. Last time we went there, we saw a lot of stores in which you could buy fake and not fake brand items at a cheaper price, and that’s what we were looking for. We used the subway to get there. Once we got there, we walked for about a half hour to 45 minutes, and we did not find the shops, we only saw food stores. I usually look up for the address, but this time I totally forgot and we were lost. All the signs were in Chinese, there were only Chinese people, we looked like total tourists, there was no one we could ask for directions, so we though we were going to leave. But, we could no find the subway entrance and once we found it, my subway card decided not to work at all. So, even though we did not find what we were looking for, it was good to be there. We saw a different part of NY, we saw a lot about the Chinese culture and while we were walking, we saw a small part of Little Italy too. If you like Chinese food or Chinese items, going to Chinatown is a must. So, I just recommend that if you decide to go to Chinatown, find out the address and how to get there, so you won’t get lost.

We decided to go and bike around Central Park. We had talked about doing this since we were home and we were very excited. When we arrived at Central Park, there were 2 options of bike rental. One was the Citi Bank Bike Rental and the regular bikes. The Citi Bank was a bit confusing and not very pleasant rental, because you would pay $10 for a whole day of bike rental and every half hour you had to put the bike back at one of the many stations around the city, wait 2 minutes and then you could continue riding; if you did not want to stop, you could pay $4 for every half hour you were not going to stop. I understand why they do it, but it’s not convenient. We wanted to bike around, grab some lunch and stop at different points through out the park, but this way that was not possible. So we decided to go with the normal bike rental. We started to make the line to pay and get the bike, and there were about 3 men talking (almost yelling at us) that that bike rental was very expensive, that they would give it much cheaper, and were offering discounts and we, politely, said no, and they would continue to talk to us. So, we left the line, we were in a very bad mood, so we decided to go to The Shops at Columbus Circle, which was just across the street to have a coffee and something to eat.

We ate at the Bouchon Bakery; we order some blank and iced coffee and a salmon sandwich. Thank God it was good, we needed something good to happen, our day was not going as planned.

We then moved on to Sephora. I really wanted to go there, because if you are a Beauty Insider Card Holder (which is free), on your birthday month you get a gift from them. I got a small eyeliner and lipstick from Marc Jacobs. Besides that I wanted to get a contour kit and I had read that in Sephora you could get 15-minute mini makeovers for free , there are different options, including contour, eye shadow, lips and so on. So I decided to go with the contour, so I will learn which is the best and how to use. It was a very fun experience to get a bit of my makeup done by a professional (who btw was super nice) and as you may know contouring your face can be a work of art.

So after being glammed up and not angry with the bike guys anymore, we decided just to take a walk at the park instead. We entered the park at 8th Ave and 59st (which is were Columbus Circle is at). We walked at the park, the weather was, surprisingly very good, we sat down and had a hot dog, we saw the ice skating rink, and while we walked we got to see all the nature the park has. We exited the park by the zoo, which is at 5th Ave (http://visit5thavenue.com). This avenue is a must see, you will walk by all the very expensive and exclusive stores, like the American Doll Store, Henri Bendel, Cartier, Gucci, Saks Fifth Avenue; but you will see 2 very importunate buildings too. The Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and just across of it is the Rockefeller Center and Atlas Statue. You can go to Top of the Rock, which is the observatory at Rockefeller. You will go up 70 floors and have a 360º view of Manhattan and you can also grab something to eat at the top. The price is $32. During this trip I did not go here, but I have been before, and it was great. We decided to go before sunset, and stay there until it was completely dark, and it truly is a very good moment to be there.

Next day, was our last day in NYC and my birthday!!! We went to Union Square. It’s located at Broadway and 4th Ave. It’s a park, surrounded of stores and restaurants. In this part of the city you can find most of the retail stores including, Marshall’s, DSW, Nordstrom Rack, K mart; but you can find regular clothing stores too. Union square is close the Flat Iron District, where we can find the famous Flat Iron Building. Because of its triangular shape it’s considered a groundbreaking skyscraper. Right in front of the building is a small plaza, called the Flatiron Plaza, where you find chairs, tables and a small food store; and you will see people siting here, having something to eat and taking pictures of the Flatiron. Just across the street you have Madison Square Park. Due to the fact that we were leaving NYC that day, we did not enter the park, but I know that the park has restaurants, such a Shake Shack; a special area for dogs, a playground and WiFi throughout the park. There is even a calendar with the upcoming events at the park.

So, it was time to go back to hotel, pick up our bags and head to NY Penn Station. From past experiences we knew that Penn Station was a crazy station, even more with luggage (as I said before), so we decided to leave with time. We walked to the station, bought out ticket to Newark Liberty International Airport and in less than 20 minutes we were sitting at the train. That day’s experience was way more pleasant than the others, which made us happy because we were tired. The train departed, and after a half hour later, we were exiting the train at the airport station. We then transferred with the airport AirTrain to station P4, where the hotel’s shuttle took us to the hotel (the same one were stayed before) and we went straight to bed.

And so, the last day of the whole trip came. We went back to The Mills at Jersey Gardens, got the last things we needed, had a small lunch at the hotel and left for the airport.

Due to the fact that we were arriving home at 10:30 pm we decided to have an early dinner at the airport (reason why we had a small lunch at the mall). Last time we were there we went to an Italian restaurant, so we though we should go back there, but to our surprise it was closed for remodeling. Next to it, there was a sushi restaurant, called Sushi Bar, so we decided to have dinner there. It was a very good experience. They had a very technological way to order, they had iPads on the tables, in which they had the menu flight information and more, and then you select the items you wanted and then you swipe your credit card, and done, the food is getting prepared. We though it was a very innovating idea and were talking about it for a long time. When we finished our delicious sushi, we started walking to our gate, and we realized all the restaurant at the airport had the same ordering system. Points to Newark Airport. I don’t know if other airports have this system, or any other restaurant elsewhere, but it’s great and for sure this is the future.