NYC has nothing to do with Apples
So, continuing from the previous blog,we reached Hilton Garden Inn, New Jersey, and we hit the sacks after dinner from an Indian restaurant( I know, I know, it’s not my fault that they booked dinner at an Indian reaturant even though we were in U.S ).
Honestly, I don’t remember experiencing jetlag, cause, I woke up at about the seven, the next day. You know what’s next: Breakfast (You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that food is an important entity in my life). The buffet was quite delicious with bacon, poached eggs, different varieties of bread, muffins, cereals ….okay, there was a lot. I specifically remember my brother telling me “First,feast your eyes, then your mouth”. Me, being me, paid no heed. I was in a eating frenzy, going back and forth between the tables. I knew I should have stopped, but then I saw a gentleman making waffles, and it aroused my curiousity. But, only the pancake batter was present, along with the waffle maker. I found myself looking at the machine without knowing how to operate it, when a friendly waitress came and showed me how to make one, and then smothered it with the most delicious toppings ever. Here is her work of art..
Sadly, I could not appreciate it, barely managed to finish it. Of course, it was tasty, just that I had had a breakfast before. Continuing, all of us boarded the Tour bus to NYC, with Nedhi, at the wheels(from previous blog). We started off with Wall Street, taking photos with the Charging Bull statue. What’s a Charging Bull statue? Here you go folks….
After some time we met the guide for the day, Berenise Flores, who was this affable lady who had immense love for NYC. She was really amiable and dynamic, moving from one landmark to the next, really wanting us to see as much of NYC possible. We saw the Rockfeller centre and Broadway from the bus. Then we all alighted to see the World Trade Centre Site-Ground Zero. It was the site of the infamous 9/11 incident, constructing 2 monuments to honour the fallen on that fateful day. Berenise also recounted her experience as to how she averted the tragedy due to some sort of premonition in her dreams. Would you believe that her job, that day, was to escort a group to see the World Trade Centre?! Missed it by that much (No hard feelings, Berenise). The site was packed with tourists and we took to our foot to explore the place. The site was beautiful, with gardens and pools. We saw groups of people, who came to commemerate the birthdays of their fallen friends, collegues, relatives. Here’s my brother in front of one of the gigantic pools, which was constructed where the building stood earlier.
By then, it was almost time for, you said it, lunch. Sadly, it was at another Indian restaurant named Zaika(creative, I give you that), but, the food was delicious. On the way, we caught a glimpse of the Empire State Building. Berenise then went on to explain what she liked most about India-Its actually food: Chicken Tikka Masala(Fellow countrymen, now you know how we are recognised, take pride in our food). After lunch, she guided us to the Battery Park, from where it’s a boat ride to Liberty Statue. We parted ways, after cordially inviting her to India. Then, we proceeded to wait in queue for entering the boat to Ellis Island and the Liberty Island.
The island itself was quite large, with a tiled path around the statue. The place was filled with tourists, we barely managed to experience Lady Liberty in all her Glory. As it was a hectic schedule, I did not get to enter the statue (guess that’s an adventure for another day).
After reaching back to Battery Park, Nedhi drove us to the iconic Times Square, where much of my time was engaged in window shopping and watching the awesome street performers. I mean, really, they are at another level, with all the dance-offs and acrobatics, it was really hard to take my eyes off them. We finally headed back to the hotel at New Jersey, after dinner at some place(I think Indian again,hmph).
Well, that’s it folks, NYC experience ends here. Hope you liked it, and well, see you next time(Still gonna take some time to complete).
P.S to all you folks who did not understand the title,do check out “Big Apple”.
To continue on with the story, please click the below link
https://medium.com/@cyriacbijun/all-aboard-the-maid-of-the-mist-8368e74a99b7
