Staten Island

This is my desperate attempt to catch up on the last month of life. Here goes. One Saturday in the city we planned to make a trip to one of the biggest tourist sites:

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

Once we made it to Battery Park we soon found that the wait would be almost five hours.

No beuno.

We opted for the FREE Staten Island Ferry ride instead.

Best. Decision. Ever.

Lady Libs herself.
I had been to both Ellis Island and Liberty Island years ago with the family so just passing by was good enough for me.

The ferry ride was only a half an hour and all I could think about was one of my favorite movies. How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, anyone?
We knew we wanted to grab some lunch but had no idea where to go. We started walking around and ran into some friendly fireman that let us take some pics with their truck.

They suggested we put on their helmets. As Karly went to put on a helmet she saw a furry creature scurrying around and gently dropped the helmet. The guys didn't believe her at first. But sure enough, the little rodent was burrowing inside.

Our new friends told us about this yummy Mexican food restaurant, Beso, that's just up the road. We had all been in search for some chips and guacamole .

Who knew, Staten Island would be the winner.
We were in heaven. Needless to say, it satisfied our Mexican food fix.
Thank you FDNY.
Before catching our ferry back to Manhattan, I wanted to check out a 9/11 Memorial for all of the Staten Islanders that were killed on that horrific day.

Each person had their own plaque with a personalized silhouette on the side. Each one had the name, birthdate, and workplace of the person. This was the first memorial to be built after the tragedy.

I saw multiple plaques with lipstick kisses and it just got to me. People lost their loved ones. They ranged from secretaries to fireman, executives to janitors. I found this memorial so real. Right next to the memorial is a baseball field for the Staten Island Yankees, a minor league team. The stadium overlooks the Manhattan skyline. Not a bad place to play!

We got back on the ferry and explored the financial district.
The NY Stock Exchange is right in the heart of Wall Street.

We went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum and saw the plans for the final memorial which is set to open on September 11, 2011, the ten year mark.

After the financial district, we were all a little beat. We decided Pinkberry and Barnes and Noble at the Shops at Columbus Circle was just what we needed.

It was a great end to a wonderful girls weekend!