The Harvill Life...Take 2!: NYC Birthday Trip (Part IV -- Manhattan w/Kabs!!!!)

Woke up from actually getting over 6 hours of sleep and started planning one of the most amazing days of my LIFE.

BACKSTORY: I have been friends with the amazingly awesome Kabat since around the time I got pregnant with Braden (in 2007)...possibly even before then. Meeting up with her in NYC has been on my XF bucket list (yes, I have one...what? did u just meet me?) for forever as we have been through so many wonderful things together. Online, granted, but still together.

I told my housemates that I planned a meetup with her that morning. Most of them knew of her, but Lindsay generously agreed to come with me because she wanted to hang out with us, too. Plus, this meant I didn't have to traverse the NYC subway/public transit system alone , for which my husband (and myself, TBH) was very grateful.

That is how a couple of hours later, Lindsay and I ended up on the NYC subway together discussing TXF so intensely that we very nearly missed our stop at Grand Central Station. It happens.

Kabat came out to meet us in the subway station before we went inside so I could experience the beauty and architecture within.

JUST...WOW.

CROSS IT OFF THE BUCKET LIST!

Kabs (aka "The Best NYC Tour Guide EVER") then took us to this great little deli for breakfast where I had my (wait for it) FIRST REAL BAGEL! I am not even kidding, guys. Yes, I have had a bagel that you can buy at a grocery store that is like buying bread. But I have never, ever ordered a bagel. Let alone a NYC deli bagel. Lindsay and Kabs (along with the guy behind the counter) were quite amused at this and so helpful in my decision making. I have never enjoyed feeling more inept at anything in my life because it's how I ended up with such a good choice! LOL......In the end it was a regular bagel, toasted, with strawberry cream cheese that was the best thing I ate on the entire trip.

MY FIRST BAGEL :)

We passed through Times Square again.

And met some very sweet NYers along the way who saw us trying to take a photo and offered to take our picture for us with the Empire State Building in the background.

From there we went down to the World Trade Center which was something I was extremely anxious about. Just walking down those streets I remember watching on the news, covered in dust with mass chaos and fire trucks and ambulances and police cars and triages......it was overwhelming and the three of us told our stories of what that day was like in our lives from 3 very different parts of the country.

This building is so beautiful, but seeing it just makes me remember WHY it is there in the first place.

We went in to see the fountains and I did not take photos of it because I didn't feel right about photographing and posting something that is akin to a cemetery for thousands of friends and relatives of those that were killed. I did, however, take a 10-second video of it and the building to share with my kids for when we talk about it every 9/11 just so to better illustrate the magnitude of what happened there.

After that, we went towards Wall St. which had us passing by Trinity Church where Alexander Hamilton's tomb is.

Then we passed by the famous "Bull".

IT WAS A LITTLE CROWDED

Photo Courtesy of Lindsay Lee

This is also where I stopped in a little shop to get the kids' souvenirs.

All of this walking was done to get to Battery Park so I could see the Statue of Liberty!!!!!!! We only had one hour to get back to Brooklyn and head to the play, but I got to see it!

It's there in the background!

I also FaceTimed this moment with my sweet boy before we moved on :)

BATTERY PARK & THE PIER

Then we walked as fast as we could towards the subway that would take Lindsay and I back, since Kabs wasn't going to the play (since she went to a previous performance). But I still snapped photos LOL.

When we made it to our train, things got really really sad as we all realized this meant we were separating so we took some pics to remember it all by....