previous - next

June 18, 2006 - Sunday, 11:00 pm

We stepped off the train at like 4th and as we stood talking to a local decided that the trains were not going where they were suppose to go and we decided to try to walk into Little Italy. We ended up walking through some of Chinatown as we made out way through an area that wasn�t quite as flashy as say Time Square.

Fire Station and Chinatown as we walked towards Little Italy

We decided that we were walking through the Equipment and furniture area of town and eventually arrived in Little Italy, where we sat down at the first restaurant we saw and ordered some dinner. The restaurant was Il Pilazzo. We sat outside on the sidewalk and a crowd was standing in the street in front of us, and it became apparent that they were standing in the street watching some sporting event. We thought perhaps it was the World Cup Soccer game, and when we asked the waiters that were standing near our table intently watching what has happening on the TV screens across the street, �What is the game?� They responded, �Zero to one�. We looked at each other thinking, �Alright� hmmm�. A couple ladies at the table next to us confirmed that it was the World Cup. We asked who was playing and they said, Italy. Duh!! LOL!! There were gasps or a cheer depending upon what was happening in the game. We sat there until our feet stopped hurting.

Little Italy

After we finished we headed out of Little Italy and once on a more major street, caught a taxi to take us down to the Twin Towers site. It was nearly 5 pm by the time we reached the side of the World Trade Center. We wandered around the perimeter of the site to the west side, and then headed down by the harbor.

World Trade Center Site

We sat on some benches and looked out at the harbor. The statue of liberty was in view, though a ways out in the harbor, next to Ellis Island. We sat there a long while and then headed back to catch the subway back to Penn Station. We walked back to the Rector Station and headed back to Penn Station.

Statue of Liberty

Sitting at the Harbor looking towards Newark, New Jersey

The stop we exited at Penn Station wasn�t near enough to the actual station for us to make our way underground into Penn Station, so we went back up on the street and walked down to Penn Station. It ended up that we went back a couple blocks from Penn Station and picked up a couple postcards. By the time we dragged back to Penn Station. Pick up some bread and some water and went to wait for the train back to Princeton we could hardly walk. Our feet were blistered and most of the muscles, at least in MY legs would hardly move. We sat on the floor waiting for the Track number to come up for the train to Trenton. We sat there about 15 minutes, when suddenly the crowd started to move in mass. Obviously the track number had come up and everyone was heading to the track to get on the train. We followed the crowd and found a seat on the 8:03 pm train. Exhausted we sat on the train trying to stay awake and headed back to Princeton. We arrived back at the station in Princeton about 9:10 pm, just under 14 hours after we�d left there!!

Sunset in New Jersey from the train

I could hardly walk as we exited the train. After sitting for almost an hour on the train, it felt like rigor mortis was setting in.

What an amazing day! It was like walking into a completely different world. There is a different flow to life here. The trains like the blood veins of the city, people moving through their day, on and off the trains, heading to the park or weddings, shopping trips and site seeing. It was hot. A breeze on the streets, stifling as you descended into the subway and waited for your train and just beginning to take the edge of the heat as you sat on the air conditioned trains and moved about the city to the next destination. It was surprising to see that even the locals seemed perplexed when the train they were on ended up going to an alternate destination. Many people pouring over the maps posted on the train trying to figure out where to get off. At least we knew it wasn�t just us who hadn�t been there before who were confused by the train schedules.

Sunday we just laid about the hotel room. We could hardly walk. :o) We grabbed lunch at a restaurant in downtown Princeton called Winberies. We drove around looking for a theatre and went and saw �The Break-Up� which was pretty good. Then we had dinner at �On the Border� and back to the hotel for a a soak in the hot tub by the pool.

It was a great weekend in New York/New Jersey!!!