New York City: Day 8

Our second last day in New York was the hottest day we experienced while we were there – it was 33° C! We woke to clear blue skies, and decided it was time to walk the Brooklyn Bridge (we later regretted this decision as we wiped beads of sweat from our foreheads and begged for shade). We grabbed a quick breakfast at Starbucks and took the subway right to the Brooklyn Bridge.

NYC tip: Starbucks has free WiFi! We paid for a data package especially to use Google Maps to track subway routes and subway stops, but anytime we were near a Starbucks we’d use their WiFi instead to save some money. I’d highly recommend getting a special data package from your cell phone provider if you plan on using your phone while you’re there – I’ve heard horror stories from friends about coming home to $500+ cell phone bills because they didn’t buy a data plan.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was such a blast. You get to take in the most stunning views of the Manhattan skyline with the new One World Trade Centre! Plus, it’s such an iconic bridge that it feels pretty surreal to be walking underneath the towers that you’ve seen in so many movies, tv shows, photographs and works of art.

The areas of shade under the main towers were a much-needed break from the hot sun. There were some serious entrepreneurs on the bridge in these shady areas – guys with camping coolers shoved full of icy cold beverages just raking in the cash from overheating tourists such as ourselves – genius! Halfway across the bridge those beverages were looking really good…

After we crossed the bridge we made our way down to Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO for a little relaxing by the water of East River in the shade. We saw about four different wedding parties taking their wedding photos by the water with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop, and realized that we were celebrating our two-week wedding anniversary on that day! It felt perfectly fitting to watch all these brides taking their photos knowing that it had been me in the white dress only 2 weeks before.

We wandered around Brooklyn for about an hour trying to find a subway stop that my iPhone told me existed but never found it, so we hailed a cab instead and took the Manhattan Bridge over to Union Square for a late brunch at MESA grill, which is Bobby Flay’s restaurant! We stuffed our faced full of mimosas and southern style breakfast – a blue corn buttermilk waffle for me and jalapeno eggs and buttermilk biscuits for Husbie. That waffle was probably the best I’ve ever had because it was savory and sweet all at once so it wasn’t sickly sugary like most waffles I’ve had. YUM!

We kept our eyes peeled like grapes hoping to see Bobby Flay peek around a corner or peer through the porthole on the doors to the kitchen, but no luck, DRAT. Our second celebrity stalking attempt was foiled, so we paid for our brunch and strolled over to Union Square park for a shady break or cat nap in Husbie’s case!

We then walked some more (the most common form of transportation throughout our trip) up Broadway towards the Flat Iron district to behold NYC’s flatiron and then onwards to Macy’s to take a ride on the original wooden escalator. Macy’s required a map and a crap ton of patience to navigate through the hoards of people on each floor. Husbie bought some fun bright socks and then we got the heck outta there.

We took the subway home and freshened up for a night on the town to celebrate our final night in New York. Imagine descending into a hot subway on the hottest day ever. It was sweaty as you know what.

After showering and getting gussied up we went out for a fancy seafood dinner at The Blue Ribbon in Soho, which was absolutely delicious and apparently where all the chefs go to hang out once their own restaurants are closed (so a great place for late late LATE night adventures). Like a true New Yorker, I walked a kilometer and back to this restaurant…IN HEELS. I don’t know how they do it! I had salmon and Husbie had lobster – an entire lobster – which required a discreet iPhone “How to eat a lobster” infographic search and lots of giggles on my part. We finished the meal with a crème brûlée to share and the last of our bottle of white wine. I think the only reason I could walk back home after (or more accurately weave) was because of that bottle of white wine!

Lessons Learned: York Street subway station in Brooklyn does not exist, and you can dress us up but you can’t take us out.