Exploring New York City with Jadon Smith

10/Sep/2021 – My Visa expired in December 2020. Due to Covid-19, I was not able to go to India and renew my visa. Instead, I applied for an extension from within the United States. 8 months passed and still, I have not received any decision on my visa. So my work authorization ended and I am not working till I get my extension.

It was a beautiful sunny day. So I took Jadon to New York City. In this post, I share what we did on that day.

First Stop 33rd Street PATH station

We are living in Jersey City. New York City is just one/two train stops away from the place we are living. There are many options to reach NYC, including ferries. To reach the library on 42nd street, it is better to take the PATH train to 33rd street and walk from there. So we onboarded the PATH train and reached 33rd street.

K-Town

From 6th avenue PATH Station, we walked along 32nd street to 5th avenue. This street is packed with restaurants. Usually, this place will be crowded. But due to COVID-19 and it was a weekday, it was less crowded. Jadon enjoyed looking at the restaurants. He liked the ice cream shops, cake shops, and bubble tea shops.

Empire State Building

Next, we reached the empire state building on 5th avenue. Usually, you can enter the Empire State building lobby for free, but if you want to go to the top you need tickets. The lobby is so grand and I wanted to take a picture with Jadon. But due to COVID-19, entry was restricted and so we were not able to get into the lobby. So we just walked around that block and clicked few pictures.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Then we reached the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library at 42nd street, 5th avenue. Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is the main library building and many tourists visit that building. Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library is located just opposite the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

I like this library very much. This library has a huge collection of books. I liked the architecture of this new library. We dropped some books. Jadon spent some time in the kid’s section. He don’t want to read the books, instead, he wanted to play with the other kids. Then I checked out few books for myself whereas Jadon wanted to get books for him. And I said “NO” :-). We are about to leave the country and so I returned all the books. However few books attracted me and I wanted to read them during the remaining days.

Lunch at McDonalds

We grabbed chicken burgers at the McDonalds shop located on 42 nd Street. This is my favorite Mcdonald’s restaurant and whenever I am near 42nd street I will go to this McDonald’s restaurant. Seating was not available. We walked to the main public library, took a seat, and finished our lunch. There are many chairs in front of the library during summer. The weather was very nice and we enjoyed our food. This is the first day where Jadon finished his burger.

New York Public Library – Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

We then entered the main public library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building). We visited all the floors. Jadon really liked the building. Particularly the thinking Einstein doll in the store. Jadon fell asleep as we were walking through the floors. I needed a place to rest. The hall on the third floor was a perfect spot to sit and take a rest. Usually, this hall would be crowded.

Bryant Park , the carousel & the fountain

Jadon was not able to sleep comfortably in his stroller. So I needed a more comfortable place to sit down. Bryant Park just steps away from the Library. So we went to Bryant Park. Grabbed a chair, and put Jadon to sleep on my shoulders. There was a live music performance, so I enjoyed the live performances while Jadon was sleeping.

Next, I took Jadon to the carousel at Bryant Park. This is the first time Jadon is riding a carousel and for me too in NYC.

Next, we visited the famous Bryant Park Fountain. Jadon got excited when he saw the coins thrown in the fountain. He also wanted to throw a coin. I and him were really happy to throw a coin in the fountain. Yes, you have to experience that happiness.

Bus Travel to South Ferry Terminal

We still had time. And don’t want to reach home early. Jadon always wanted to sail in the Staten Island Ferry. And this is a very good day to take him on the ferry. Time Square on 42nd street may get crowded, so did not want to go there.

We took the m55 bus from 42nd street to the South Ferry. This is my favorite bus route. Instead of riding a train and staring at dark tunnels, you can enjoy the NYC streets when traveling on a bus. The bus will take you through major streets in NYC, like 5th avenue, china town, broadway.

Usually, buses will be less crowded compared to a train. I and Jadon are the last persons to off-board the bus.

Staten Island Ferry

Finally, we arrived at the South Ferry Terminal. Jadon wanted donuts from Dunkin Donuts. So we bought some to eat on the ferry. The terminal will get crowded.

Usually, people will rush to get the best view on the ferry. Tourists might think that the ferry will be full, and I also thought like that when I first visited NYC. I have never seen an overcrowded ferry. Always there will be seats and places to enjoy the view.

Sometimes to get the best view, you have to onboard the ferry last. I always onboard last, less crow and you will find the best views, as long as you don’t want to stare at the Statue Of Liberty.

Finally, I and Jadon made it to Staten Island, enjoyed the views, and returned to NYC.

Battery park and the sea glass Carousel

It was about to get dark. We found the sea glass carousel was operating in Battery Park. I thought Jadon will not like it (based on his Battery Park Carousel experience), but to my surprise, he wanted to ride in those beautiful fishes. We had a fun time on the carousel.

Charging Bull

If you are ever visiting, you will notice the Charging Bull is always crowded. But during late nights you can see the bull is lonely and waiting for the next day.

We had a great time around the charging bull.

9/11 Lights

As we walk from the charging bull to the World Trade Center, we noted the lights to remember the 9/11 incident.

Oculus and the World Trade Center

Finally, we went to the Oculus Buiding. It was a little late and all the shops were closed. So we did not want to spend time there. We took PATH back to Jersey City and reached our home around 10:00 pm.