The Big Apple

Our church chartered a bus for a day trip to the Big Apple as part of a Multiplying Gifts Campaign. We were accompanied by a bunch of fun loving Christians aboard the cleverly named bus, "Bounce Along With Bill" (Bill being our good natured bus driver with a sense of humor). 

Our day in NYC began with an adventurous ride upon the subway all the way down the line to the World Trade Center and Battery Park. It was a surreal moment to be actually standing at ground zero and looking up into the empty space which was once filled with beautiful statuesque architecture and life.

We moved onto Battery Park, a 25 acre public park at the southern most tip of Manhattan where we could view the Statute of Liberty. One of New York's best kept secrets is the Staten Island Ferry. It is a "free" 25 minute ferry ride upon a spacious barge equipped with lots of seating, including a snack bar and cocktails! The ferry takes you across the Hudson River to Staten Island. From the ferry, you get the perfect view of the lady herself as well as a breathtaking view of the city.  

Hopping back on the subway, we headed into "Chinatown", an ethnic Chinese enclave in lower Manhattan that is known for good shopping, lots of street vendors and cheap prices. This is where we did most of our shopping for the day and where the girls found their souvenirs. 

We then headed back uptown to Times Square, took in M&M World and the flea Market on Broadway. The highlight of Nature Girl's trip to NYC was, "getting her picture taken with Elmo". He is quite the celebrity, you know.

We all dropped till we shopped, err I mean, we shopped till we dropped. Literally, the day long trip zapped every ounce of energy I had in me, but it was well worth it!