New York Day 2: New York by Ferry

This morning we had tickets for a 1030a visit to the 9/11 Museum but we wanted to eat breakfast beforehand somewhere close to the museum. I wanted Mom to give the subway another try. Unfortunately, although it was very convenient, it still required way too much walking and stairs. We made it back down to the financial district but I could tell that would be our last subway ride. Before walking over to the museum, we dropped into Stage Door Deli for some breakfast.

Mom got her NYC bagel and I got a ham/cheese breakfast sandwich. And of course, the all important Coke for both of us!

We walked the couple of blocks over to the museum.

There was a long line waiting to get in but we were able to go right to the front with our pre-purchased tickets.

I got Mom all outfitted with her wheelchair and audio tour.

The exhibit was very well laid out and pretty easy to follow along with the audio tour.

The survivors' staircase. These outside stairs were the last remaining structure standing above ground at WTC. These stairs were used to evacuate thousands of people from the towers before collapse.

Of course our favorite exhibit of the day was the exhibit on the dogs of 9/11.

A special part of this exhibit was a follow up with these dogs 10 years later, compiled in a book called "Retrieved." It takes pictures of the dogs working at the WTC site and compares them to the same dogs in 2011 showing their aging.

Some of the condolences and memorabilia left at the WTC site.

There was a special exhibit on Flight 93, the flight where the passengers fought back against the hijackers and crashed into a Pennsylvania field, giving their own lives to save the lives of many others. This exhibit played the cockpit recordings as well as voice mails left by passengers calling their loved ones for the last time.

Outside the museum, in the locations where the WTC buildings once stood are the memorial fountains.

We spent almost four hours at the 9/11 museum. It was emotional but very well done. We were tired and hungry at this point so we decided to take an Uber back to the hotel to rest and get a snack. We waited for our Uber in front of St. Paul's Chapel. For almost a year after 9/11, the chapel was used as a base for rescue workers and volunteers serving food and providing supplies and shelter to those in need.

We arrived back at the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon watching some TV until it was time for our dinner adventure. Tonight was birthday celebration night and I had booked River Cafe, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Brooklyn known for its food as well as the view. The one drawback? We had to take a ferry to get there. We took an Uber over to the ferry terminal where we had to wait in line, outside in the cold, for about 30 minutes for our ferry to arrive. Once it did, we boarded for the short trip. The ferry was very nice, clean, and enclosed from the cold.

There was even a snack bar inside. It was mostly filled with commuters. And us.

After a few stops to let people on/off, we arrived at the Brooklyn pier.

Ice cream shop on the pier.

Even on a hazy, drizzly night the view of Manhattan from the pier was gorgeous.

The River Cafe was also right at the pier and was beautifully lit and decorated for Christmas.

Mom started with a glass of pink bubbly. All of my pics inside here are terrible because they were taken so quickly. They had signs asking to refrain from taking too many pics.

Dinner was a three course, price fixe affair. Mom's first course was a pear salad with burrata.

Mine was octopus with zucchini and potato.

While we waited for our courses, we were entertained by the group of gentlemen sitting across from us. They spoke with heavy NY accents, wore lots of gold pinky rings, and paid their tab of a few thousand dollars with a wad of cash. To be fair, we were also admiring the amazing view behind them.

For our main course, Mom got the strip steak.

I ordered the venison loin with mushrooms and carrots.

For the dessert finale, I got the goat cheese cheesecake.

And Mom got the Chocolate Brooklyn Bridge.

We were able to take an Uber back over the bridge directly to our hotel rather than rush to get the last ferry of the night. The River Cafe gave us an unforgettable evening.