NYC Day 2: dipping our toes in Central Park, Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown

The next day, we woke up to a bright sunny day and decided to take the ferry to go to NY to really get the best view of the city. Approaching the city by boat made us feel its magnitude.

We then went to explore the area just south of Central Park.

:: Central Park ::

NY felt strangely extremely clean and there were very few beggars and homeless people... to the point that our girls noticed it! They compared it to San José and Montreal and said how much cleaner it was and how they barely saw any homeless people... It is actually kind of weird. It makes you wonder were they all are. My friend Lisa says ex-mayor Giuliani might have deported them all in rougher areas of town...

:: Getting fresh pressed beet, carrots, ginger and spinach juice right on the street! We love NY!! ::

We then went off to discover the Soho neighborhood, mainly a high-end fashion district. We wanted to stop for a bite at Olive's, but when I went in to check the menu on the big blackboard and pointed my camera at it and got yelled "No photo!", we decided against it. Very NY.

 

The next logical district to visit, especially with a grumbling tummy, was Little Italy.

We had gelato and cannoli at Ferrara Bakery and Café, one of the most famous spots in Little Italy.

The South end of Little Italy intermingled with the beginning of Chinatown and that gave rise to a very funny mix of smells...

We were quite excited to have found rambutans for sale, but also quite surprised when we found out about their price (75 cents EACH and no picking said the sign!! Those are the big red hairy litchis... We would get a huge bag of them for $4 in Costa Rica).

When we reached Columbus Park (still in Chinatown), there were many Chinese gatered to play games. Most were playing cards, but some of them were playing Chinese checkers. It was the real thing, not the American version that we know. It was an entirely different game and looked quite complex.

The girls loved New York much more than I expected. I thought they would be too young for it, but they enjoyed the city vibe a lot. On our way back we got to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. What a great way to say Goodbye to this amazing city...