We woke up to another beautiful day in the big apple, the sun was shining- Katia and I were rested and ready for our last and final day in New York. We crawled out of our comfortable bed at the Essex House, got dressed and made our way down to where again? Starbucks! Since it was our last day we had a scheduled check list of places we wanted to visit. We decided to take a stroll around the west side of the city, we didn’t want to miss seeing the Empire Hotel or the Opera House! Our first official stop was at the American Museum of Natural History. Katia and I share a love of museums and really enjoy learning so what better way to do this than to visit such an iconic place- I’ll also add that it was pretty cool to see the museum because both Katia and I love the movie Night at the Museum. There are several things I’ll remember from our visit, getting to see a replica of Lucy in the basement, learning more about evolution, seeing all the African animals, the ocean animals and the stairs, there were a ton of stairs. I definitely got in a good leg workout being there, we took the stairs because there were so many kids and families in the elevators that the stairs always seemed like a faster option.

As our visit to the museum came to an end we found our way back to the main entrance. We hopped onto a subway headed for downtown, our next stop- to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty herself. I absolutely love New York’s subway system, we got around everywhere we needed to go so swiftly and painlessly, there was no traffic, I could sit and enjoy the ride, text, listen to music and relax. We arrived downtown and hopped off at Battery Park. There were a ton of tourists and several roasted nut vendors in the park. Katia and I knew we had to try the roasted nuts so we bought a couple bags, boy were they delicious! Walking toward the water seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time I have to say was beyond cool, I was actually a little starstruck. Getting to see such a historic landmark was something we really enjoyed and appreciated.

It was the afternoon now, it felt like the day was slipping right through our fingers, saying that we had fallen in love with New York City was a HUGE understatement. Everything about NYC was enchanting let’s just say that. After sitting in the sun at Battery Park googling over Lady Liberty we snagged some lunch and hopped back onto the subway to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

I’ve never seen a bridge like the Brooklyn Bridge before, first off it was huge, there were cars going in both directions, people walking, people running, riding bikes, selling pictures, taking pictures, basically there were a lot of people. I think walking the bridge was one of my favorite memories from New York because it was so awe inspiring, I had fun snapping pictures of different view points from the bridge. It was a lovely walk, Katia and I were both glad we made a stop there. It was exciting to see and great exercise.

Brooklyn Bridge, check, next on our list of to do’s was to stand in the middle of Grand Central Station. I had no idea it would be so beautiful, so big, so grand. There were shops and restaurants inside and of course many people moving quickly trying to get to their destinations. I think we stood literally in the middle of Grand Central for at least ten minutes just watching the crowds of people moving, I could probably sit there for hours just people watching. My favorite part was that the ceiling was painted with the constellations, just like the sky. However we were on a tight schedule so we had to keep moving. Katia and I wanted to see the Alice and Wonderland statue in Central Park. A hop on the subway and were back in Central Park, I really enjoyed strolling along the paths, again watching people go by, seeing the cute dogs and soaking up the sun that was hitting our faces. I found it so fascinating that inside Central Park it was so quite, so serene, it’s mind boggling and really awesome that within this crazy city of Manhattan sits a beautiful and lush park of beauty and calm. Did I also mention we bought a couple more bags of roasted nuts? They were so good! There was quite the crowd at Alice’s statue, it was really fun to see it none the less, growing up that movie was one of our favorites!

By this time it was time to start thinking about heading back to our hotel to get ready for our last dinner in NYC. As we walked back through the park toward our hotel we ended up at the Central Park Zoo, since we were there we figured we should probably check it out too! I always enjoy getting to see cute animals.

Our legs were tired, our hair was a little windblown and our cheeks were a little rosy, we set aside an hour to touch up our makeup and change into dinner clothes. At the recommendation of a friend we made dinner reservations at Il Bastardo in the Chelsea neighborhood of NY, we’d heard their ravioli was to die for. I’ll just say that it was. We delighted in a fun dinner with our friend and fashion designer Noel Jean. Whenever you put three girls and delicious food in one room it’s usually a good combination, we all shared interesting conversation and laughs.

Dinner was over which meant we had to go back to our hotel and pack to return to Seattle. It was a bittersweet night as we were excited to go back home and see our dad and brother but sad to leave this new shiny city we had fallen so deeply in love with.

All I know is that it is very likely Katia and I will be returning there very soon. The best part about this whole trip was that I got to share it with my best friend, other half and sister Katia. The memories, laughs, conversations and jokes we made on this trip are memories that will stay with us forever. Mollie and Katia will be in Manhattan again soon.