Since this is a storied series, I want to link the first 2 installments here:  Journey to New York -  Part 1,  Journey to New York -  Part 2.

And the next installments, Taking on New York - Part 4 and Taking on New York - Part 5.

Day One:

Sleeping in humidity just like Louisiana and 80+ degrees without A/C was miserable.

I could not wait to shower and leave!

Except, I am weird as hell about my showers yall. Weird.as.hell. They have to look and be clean clean clean, I don’t like to touch the walls or curtain, the front of the tub is gross to me. I’m weird.

So, using someone else’s shower that doesn’t appear to have a clean home, freaked me out. A lot. I felt gross the whole time and could not wait to leave and go see the city!

First on the agenda is walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

The walk across was everything and more than I could have imagined. I am afraid of heights and I walked across a bridge, made of wood, over water, and over cars. And all I could think is “please never let this end. I want to be here with Trey forever.”

After going over the Brooklyn Bridge, it was time to take Lower Manhattan!

We took in all the pretty things at Tiffany’s, the hustle of Wall Street, Trump Tower, and then spent some time in a beautiful historic church and graveyard. It was fabulous.

And then it was time for something I had been looking forward to for so very many months-meeting the Fearless Girl!

Meeting the Fearless Girl had me so emotional. I wanted everyone else to go away so we could have a moment and so I could feel all my feelings fully. But they didn’t so I politely took my quick portrait with her. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so polite.

We spent time in Battery Park, seeing the Sphere that was mangled by the collapsed Twin Towers.

Next we headed to the 9/11 memorial.

Seeing the spot where terror rained down on New York, America, and the World was crazy. The endless pools where the towers once stood, with the names of all the lost lives and the fire engines, and everything. It was so sad and solemn

After seeing the pools, we decided to go in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

We weren’t really planning to go, it was a maybe, because we had seen so much about it and lived it.

But y’all. Go. Do that. If you are in New York City, go.to.the.museum.

We spent about 4 hours or more inside and I cried for most of it.

We walked around reading about and viewing the pieces of the towers that were in the museum. That was surreal.

There is this room where you walk through the events starting with the morning before, all the way to a month or so after. You see TV News stations react and watch, you hear the voicemails of those on the planes, you see the videos and photos of people watching and running. God, it was so much. So comprehensive. It showed every.single.detail.

There was another room with pictures of every single victim.

They did an amazing job doing the victims justice. They told their story, real and raw, for all to see and know.

I couldn’t take pictures through most of the museum, but here are some.

So after crying for forever and not having lunch, we needed food. Bad. The sun was setting, we were tired, and so hungry.

Trey found a pub nearby and it was amazing! It had badges from fire and police from all over the world.

I asked the bartender if the Fearless Girl is ever void of a million people. He told me late at night it is. So, we head there on our way to the subway.

And I am so so glad we did. The photos are gorgeous, perfect, amazing, everything I could imagine and more!

There was another photographer there with lights setup and these rude tourists wouldn’t move. They'd taken their picture and were just standing next to the bull.
Like, move.

(Side note: all the actual New Yorkers were really really nice. But the tourists. Oh my gosh! They were some of the rudest people I've ever met! One family was walking 5 across on a sidewalk and nearly shoved Trey and I into the street because they wouldn't move (which continued to happen a lot). I just body slammed her with my shoulder because I was so sick of it!)

Trey, the other photographer, and I were all exchanging eyerolls and sighs. Finally he, the other photographer, just told them to move if they were done so we could get our shots.

And here they are. They make me want to cry.

My niece and nephew were so struck by them that they both asked for a print of the one to the right. Which makes me want to hold them and cry. Precious.

Sleeping in the heat was still mis-er-ay-ble. Sleeping on that bed was still nasty.
 

Day two:

Showering was still panic inducing. And that morning I think I have been bitten by a flea. WOO!

First stop, the New York Public Library.

So.much.swooning. See for yourself.

Trey looked up a few names that resemble Aker to try and find his lineage, I wandered around taking photos of pretty things and wishing I’d been part of the Gossip Girl party and Carrie Bradshaw’s almost wedding which were both filmed inside.

We went shopping at BCBG for funzies, strolled through Times Square (which was fabulous!) to get to Kinky Boots starring Brendon Urie (lead singer of Panic! At The Disco) as one of the leads at Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

It was amazing. Ay.may.zeeng. I love theatre. I love art. Trey loved it more than he thought he would. It was perf.

We hopped on a subway to Grand Central (MEEP) and to see Rockefeller and Radio City Music Hall. Walking around Rockefeller Center was fun! NBC Studios was there and the architecture was gorgeous.

Radio City was pretttyyyy, I wish we could’ve seen the Rockette’s. But, not enough time for everything.

We ended our night in Times Square again, just relaxing, avoiding going back to the AirBnB, and taking in the amazing energy and wonderfulness that is Times Square.

We headed back to our AirBnB, finally, and went to bed.

Not knowing that would be our final night in that dreadful place.