New York City, Day Four

On Friday we planned all of our activities in Lower Manhattan.  We strolled tree lined cobble stone streets, browsed quaint shops and enjoyed the great weather.  Of particular interest during our exploring were Fanelli’s and Marie Belle.

Fanelli’s is a warm dark wood-laden pub on Prince Street which opened its door for business in 1847.  The food was surprisingly good and the service made you feel like you had been going there for years.  It is definitely worth another visit and we highly recommend it.  Geri had visited Fanelli’s on her previous trip to New York with Regina, but hadn’t realized its history.

Next up was Marie Belle’s.  Marie Belle is a great little cocoa bar on Broome Street.  Geri had visited Marie Belle’s on her previous trip and wanted me to try their amazing Aztec Iced Chocolate drink.  We enjoyed our iced drinks in the salon and examined all the ornate chocolates.  Needless to say, we bought a hefty some of chocolate.  I especially like to sprinkle their Aztec Iced Chocolate powder over vanilla ice cream.

It was a nice relaxing day, just what we needed to regroup.  But, the main event was still ahead.  Geri had reserved a helicopter tour of Manhattan!  We hailed a taxi and made our way down to the South Seaport, where the heliport is located.

We took New York Helicopter’s Liberty Tour.  The tour of the city was amazing.  The unique vantage point well above the city allows a clearer understanding of its density.  We flew over all the attractions the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and skirted along the edge of the city, we even got a peek into New Jersey, all while the helicopter pilot gave us an explanation of what we were seeing.  It was a truly amazing experience.  If you have never been on a helicopter, stop what you are doing, go to your local airport and go on a helicopter ride.  They are great.  Imagine the feeling of flying you have while dreaming, that’s a helicopter ride.

After the ride we were pretty pumped.  We decided to walk into the South Seaport area and find a place to have dinner and a few drinks.  As we walked along the cobble stoned streets we came across Jeremy’s Ale House with firemen sitting out front.  Geri and I looked at each other and knew that that was a bar we needed to visit.  The place was filled with New York City Firemen in kilts and US Navy Officers.  We made our way through the bar and found a corner where we could do some people watching.  It was the kind of place that served the beers in a Styrofoam cup.  It was a great experience and an interesting look, however small, into the lives of the legendary New York City firemen.

Just down the street from Jeremy’s was The Paris Tavern, are you sensing a theme here?  We hadn’t eaten yet so we stopped in for some chowder and fish soup.  Both were excellent and continued the amazing seafood we had during the trip.  The Paris was a nice relaxing place.  Over dinner we reminisced about another great day in New York.

Click here for pictures of our fourth day in New York City…