〈2025-01-08〉New York Trip🗽：Day 3

Today I got up early and went to see the Statue of Liberty. I had to go through a security check like at an airport before getting on the ferry, but I got through it quicker than I expected. I was impressed to see the Statue of Liberty from the ferry, but the wind was really cold and I ran away from balcony afterwards. When I arrived at Liberty Island, I went straight to see the Statue of Liberty. It was very big, but for me it wasn't beyond my imagination and I was rather impressed to see her backside, which is not usually photographed. After that, I went to the Statue of Liberty Museum until it was time for the ferry. I realised that I could borrow a Japanese audio guide for free on the way, so I delayed the ferry for one more hour to listen to the audio guide's explanation. I learned that the statue is much bigger than it seems, as it is  exhibited with a torch that was used in the past and the face of the Statue of Liberty.

I then took the ferry to Ellis Island. This is the island where the US Immigration Service was once located and is known as the ‘Island of Hope’ or ‘Island of Tears’. The former buildings have been turned into a museum, and here, too, it was possible to borrow an audio guide in Japanese. As you know, I like taking my time to visit museums, so here again I delayed my return ferry by an hour, although time was not enough. I don't know why but I had imagined that the Immigration Department at that time treated immigrants poorly, like a prisoners of war, so I was surprised to learn that they were surprisingly generous, with volunteer interpreters available for immigrants who couldn't speak English and hospitals.

After returning from the island, I walked to the Brooklyn Bridge. On the way, I visited Charging Bull and Wall Street. I later learned that the Charging Bull was a statue that was installed without permission and was temporarily removed by the police, but was brought back at the request of the citizen. It is said that touching the testicles brings good luck with money.

The Brooklyn Bridge was also walkable across, and cars drove under us. I thought it would be cold because of the windy weather, but it was not so cold on the bridge. On the other hand, it was very cold when I got to Brooklyn. I went to a famous photo spot in Brooklyn where I can see the bridge between the buildings. There was a girl who also seemed to be travelling alone, so I approached her and we took photos of each other. Afterwards, I couldn't stand the cold and tired feet, so I went into a café called usagiと __ and had a  matcha latte. The shop was stylish and the latte was delicious. I wanted to stay more, but I didn't have enough time, so I took the underground back to Manhattan.

I went to Katz's Delicatessen, arguably the most famous restaurant for tourists in New York City. The ordering process is very special, and although I had studied it beforehand, I was intimidated because I couldn't understand the native speaker's English. (But I can work in English even with such English skill😤) The meat was thick and very satisfying. But it was so fatty that I had to add a lot of mustard because I got bored of the taste. I'll have half of it for breakfast tomorrow.

I then walked to a cosmetic brand called Glossier in SO-HO. (On the way, I opened the door for women who had a lot of luggage and she said thank you, which made me happy haha) To be honest, I had never used Glossier cosmetics before, but a lot of people had mentioned it on their vlogs, that's why I went. The shop assistant was cute in pale pink coveralls . The perfume smelled really good and I was thinking a lot about buying it, but I gave up because I didn't have the money (I still want it).

Next, I walked to the 911 Memorial Museum. After showing my ticket and going through security, I was told something by a staff, but I didn't understand and couldn't find where the exhibit was. I went to the way that go to exit (once I left, I couldn't enter again) and was confused, but the security guy helped me. I guess because I was desperately trying to tell him that I hadn't gone outside yet, he told me it was okay and told me where the exhibit was and about the audio guide, which really helped me. Since coming to New York, I hadn't experienced much kindness from people, and I felt self-conscious about not understanding English well, so his kindness almost brought me to tears. I knew some of what happened on 911, but I wasn't born then, so I had a lot to learn. The actual building wreckage and phone records, especially the photos taken the morning of September 11 and after the incident were impressive. I regret that I didn't have enough time here as well, so the second half was a bit of a rush. After going outside and to put my hands together in front of  Ground Zero, I took the subway back to the Times Square area.

I went to a famous pizza shop called Joe's Pizza for dinner. It was very popular, with a line that stretched outside the restaurant. I bought only one pepperoni pizza, but I was full because American pizza is very large and I had a late lunch.

Tomorrow is mostly my last day in New York, so I want to spend it without regrets.

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