Day 4: Doing the Tours Right!

You thought I forgot, but i'm not done yet with my New York trip summary!

This morning my mom and I were determined to do things right, and not get stranded anywhere. Armed with our informational pamphlet, we checked the times of the bus departures, made a more concrete plan of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see, and boarded the bus. Once again, we rode through Times Square, but this time my mom and I stayed on the bus until we hit our main target for the day: Harlem.

Our ride into Harlem

Soon we reached Harlem, and I took some pics of notable landmarks such as the Apollo Theatre.

Harlem is home to one of my mom’s absolute favorite restaurants, the Red Rooster, owned by chef Marcus Samuelsson. Normally, I am rather disappointed by hyped restaurants, especially those owned by world renowned “master” chefs, but this restaurant did not disappoint at all.

Décor inside of the restaurant

For a starter we tasted the cornbread, which was scrumptious, and one of the few savory corn breads I can say that I enjoyed. Then, I ordered macaroni and collard greens, while my mother ordered the chicken and waffles. The macaroni and collards was as good as it sounds, it was as satisfying as any good home-cooking, and I had enough for leftovers to share with my mom for dinner that night. The chicken and waffles was also very well done, with the tender chicken covered in a savory sauce placed over the thick, fluffy waffle. A notable aspect of the Red Rooster is the flavors of its foods. The flavors were all so very distinct and different, making use of different seasonings, garnishes, and other food additions that I was very unaccustomed to. They were powerful and added to the foods in ways that you would not initially expect. I cannot applaud the Red Rooster enough, and while I am not a professional food critic, I have to say it was a good, good meal!

After the Red Rooster, my mother and I decided to work off the food through shopping. We just went to Marshall’s, and then before being picked up at the bus stop, perused through the Malcolm Shabazz Market. We also engaged in another guilty pleasure, and walked the sidewalks to look at all the beautiful brownstones lining the streets. The best part about Harlem was how “calm” it was. I felt like I was transported to another world, and the surroundings, including the brownstones maintained so much of the character and atmosphere that I imagine was there during times such as the Harlem Renaissance. It was definitely a great stop on our trip.

Once picked up by our bus, we rode around for a while as the tour completed itself and made its way back Uptown. With the rest of our afternoon, my mother and I decided that it was necessary to go on a bike ride through Central Park. I must admit, the situation got a little “bumpy” but it all worked out, and we made a new friend. So, crowding the streets, there are people advertising bike rentals, some are aggressive and rude, while others are helpful and pleasant. Turned off by the rude bike rental peddlers, and convinced of the efficiency of the CitiBikes, that’s where my mom and I went. After thirty minutes of waiting (after we had paid for bikes, and found to our dismay that one of the last two bikes left at the bike docks wasn’t even working) my mom and I relented and went to a friendly guy that had helped us out, but was also advertising bike rentals at his shop. This honestly proved to be so much more convenient, and I suggest that you look into these bike rentals versus the CitiBikes. There are some inconveniences with CitiBikes, like having to re-dock every thirty minutes, and of course the peak hours when not a bike can be found at any docks and you might have to wait around for 30+ minutes.

A few things I learned while riding in Central Park: There are rules. These rules are known and I broke a few of them. First of all, when you get on a path, you can’t just turn back whenever you want. You’d best be prepared to ride out that whole thing until you arrive at an exit. Secondly, the bikers in the park are very intense, and will gladly tell you “to get out of the way.” So be prepared for all that, and you’ll be fine. There’s also hills, lots of them, so know that you’ll be sore in the morning and your thighs will be crying.

 Otherwise, I enjoyed my ride, my mom conducted a phone call while I listened to Spotify, and by the time we were done, we had worked up an appetite for dinner. With leftovers from the Red Rooster, we trekked over to the Merci Market around the corner from the hotel and purchased two chicken breasts and some drinks, grabbed plates, and shared out chicken, collards, and macaroni for our last dinner in New York.

It was an enjoyable day, we ate well, shopped well, and worked it all off. This was a trip that I thank God for, He has really come through for our family, and to be able to have a wonderful vacation as such was something I am incredibly grateful for. Strength and love,

Kaylah