Police Ponies are Cute, Ghostbusters Landmarks Are Great, and Other Universal Truths

It’s supposed to rain for the next six days, so I knew I wanted to spend the day outdoors. And voila: Free kayaking!

I signed a waiver, grabbed a life vest, and hopped in a kayak to paddle around the Hudson River (the launch point is at Pier 26).

It was a peaceful afternoon bobbing among the waves and ogling the Manhattan skyline. But then the wind picked up, and paddling suddenly became a lot more difficult. Point of pride: They had to rescue a bunch of boats. But not mine! Fortunately, I am not a weak kayaker. 😊

After my kayaking adventure, I walked five minutes up Moore Street to the famous Hook & Ladder Company 8 building featured in "Ghostbusters." So many NYC locations have been used in movies that you’re bound to come across one while strolling pretty much any street.

Next I walked down to the Financial District, which I’d visited previously when I went to the 9/11 Museum and had my Battery Park carousel adventure. This time, I went inside the Oculus at the World Trade Center, which is a very artsy-looking building that is both a transportation hub and a large shopping mall.

I also visited the New York Stock Exchange, which left me wondering if there *was* a stock exchange hiding under the enormous “CHEWY” advertisement. I don’t want to think about how much the company must’ve paid for that slot.

Then I headed back to Midtown, where I walked by the Empire State Building on 34th Street.

In obvious news, the Empire State Building is tall. Like, can't-see-the-top-while-looking-straight-up-at-it tall. I’m still undecided on which observation deck – Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, or One World Observatory at the World Trade Center – I want to go up to, but rest assured I’ll pick one at some point. I need to be up in one of the other observation decks to get a good view of the Empire State Building!

Also of note: Poketeria is on 36th Street. You know what that means: Sushi donut, the sequel! Just go ahead and reserve one for me now when this craze hits Indy. If we’re nitpicking, though, it's really more of a sushi bagel (It’s like an everything bagel made of rice and raw fish).

This evening, I walked around Midtown and checked out some of the famous landmarks at night. Here’s some neat East Village Street Art I came across. It’s not by Banksy, but it’s Banksy-esque.

I also strolled past Madison Square Garden, which was hopping.

Another fun surprise: Police ponies near Times Square!

I headed to Grand Central on 42nd Street, and this time, I went inside. It reminds me of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, especially with its soaring windows.

The restored Celestial Ceiling is neat – I also spotted the dark patch the restorers left when they cleaned it up in 1998 and discovered that the tobacco-stained, sooty ceiling was actually teal blue.

My next stop was the United Nations Headquarters on First Avenue. I walked by the Chrysler Building on the way there, which is gorgeous at night.

The U.N. Building itself isn’t the most fun part of the experience – on the walk there, you pass all the streetside parking spots reserved for ambassadors and consuls.

Many visitors to Manhattan moan about accidentally taking express trains when they want local ones (the express trains skip non-major stops along a line), but if you actually live in New York, they’re fantastic when you want to get home quickly without stopping every two streets. It also helps that I live close to two major stops on the D/F/M and 4 and 6 lines: Broadway/Lafayette and Bleecker.

Last, but most definitely not least, I’ll end with today’s food adventure, which was epic. This duck shawarma with scallion and fig garlic whip from Ilili Box on 44th Street edges out Indikitch’s chicken tikka masala for the best dish I’ve ordered in NYC. LOOK AT THAT DUCK HEAP.

Duck is excellent with plum sauce, but the Ilili Box garlic whip is even better. It’s like a whippy cloud of tangy, Caesar-ish mousse for the meat. Think Cool Whip for duck.

Will definitely be making a return visit (it’s right by all the Broadway theaters!).

As I mentioned, it’s supposed to be gloomy and wet this week, but fortunately NYC has no shortage of museums to explore (and many have evening hours that are conducive to post-work exploring). I’d also love to see “Kiss Me, Kate” with Kelli O’Hara and Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical,” anyone?) at Studio 54 before it closes June 30.

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