New York City - Days 4 & 5

day 4:

we started off the day with some shopping in Chinatown. it was the hottest day of the week by far and we really only survived an hour or so before melting. seriously, this pregnant lady thought she was going to die. we stopped for an italian lunch in Little Italy. mmmmm....

one of the best parts of the day was relaxing with our feet in the fountain at Washington Square Park. we spent so much time there just talking and people watching. the water felt so good and the atmosphere was perfect. plus, it was slightly hysterical watching so many people slip and fall into the fountain.

that night we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge... 

wandered the most amazing waterside park...

and kayaked in the river. 

the view was unreal. 

and watching it from day turn to sunset and then night... I can't get enough of these pictures!

final stop for the night: juliana's pizza. so good!

day 5:

friday was our last day. we went to the Grand Central Terminal, there were so many people and it was huge!

of course we had to try out the infamous bakery. 

the cronuts were really good but the absolute best was the bottom left picture, I can't remember what they were called but they were amazing! the magdeline's were slightly disappointing in comparison to the ones Tristan and I ate in France but they were still good :)

our last destination before heading to the airport (always an adventure...) was the 9/11 memorial. it was amazing to see how much is still being rebuilt after all these years. it feels like it was so long ago... back in 5th grade... but it just goes to show how extensive the damage was. it was quite amazing to finally see it all in person. and they've done an amazing job making it a gorgeous memorial.

I'm not going to lie, it was another really hot day... and this was pretty much how I felt by the end of it...

but then I got off the airplane to the best surprise ever!

thank you mom for the most amazing girls trip! and thank you ashley for being in charge of making sure we didn't get lost, I'm so glad it wasn't me trying to figure out the subway schedule :)