Cafe Lalo

New York City has some great eats. In fact they have so many it can be hard to choose. One place that I knew we wanted to visit and eat at was Café Lalo.

Café Lalo is the eatery featured in one of my Mother and I's favorite films, You've Got Mail.

Café Lalo is home to one of the most famous scenes in the movie. It's the Café that Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and her internet friend NY152 agree to meet at for the very first time. Unbeknownst to Kathleen, NY152 does show up by has his friend check her out first. The scene goes on from there but I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen the movie.

Since You've Got Mail came out in 1998, I'm happy to report that Café Lalo is still open for business. In the restaurant world not many places stay open for decades but this NYC landmark is going strong and is still serving people daily. When I knew we were going to the city, I knew this had to be one of the places we made time to stop at.

 

While they are known for their amazing desserts and cafes, we actually went there for breakfast and it was fantastic. They also had all of their desserts on display and if it hadn't been 9:00 a.m., I would have inhaled a piece of their double chocolate cake I saw in the display case.

Only a short walk from the subway this restaurant is located at 201 West 82nd Street. After you finish eating you can walk the short distance of two blocks to Central Park. That way you'll be burning off some of those calories you just consumed! And for all my fellow You've Got Mail lovers, here's a look at the wallpaper in the bathrooms at Café Lalo...

Lady Liberty



Another big landmark we wanted to see during our time in New York was the Statue of Liberty. We didn't want to just pass by it on a ferry ride, we wanted to be able to get off the boat, walk around and go inside. Before we set off for New York, we got online and did our research. To go to the Statue of Liberty and to be able to walk around, you need a ticket from the National Park. When going inside there are two different types of tickets- The Crown or the Pedestal. We chose to do the Pedestal which takes you to the bottom of Lady Liberty's sandaled feet.

 

The ferry ride over provides you with some amazing views of the city.

 

Once you begin to get further from the city, Lady Liberty comes into view. The ferry boat actually passes it to park on the far side so you get to see if from all the angles.

 

 

Once you get off the boat and enter the base of the Statue you go through an area that houses the original torch which was on display until the remodel.

 

You have two options on how to get into the pedestal. You can either take the stairs or an elevator and then one flight of stairs. We chose the elevator because we had already walked a lot that day. Once you get to the pedestal entrance you must go outside to see the grounds and the view of the statue from that vantage point.

 

At the pedestal, this is where you would begin the climb to the crown if you chose to do that. We chose not to because it's 200 vertical round steps which you can see the way down. For my husband that's a challenge because he doesn't do well with heights.

 

 

 

We really enjoyed visiting Lady Liberty for a few hours and had a great time. The ferry ride was freezing and the line to get on the ferry to get over to the island was a little crazy but we had a great time!

NYC Financial District

Located in New York City's financial district, the Charging Bull is an 11 foot tall, 7,100 pound bronze statue sitting right in the middle of the street.

 

People come from all around to get a glimpse of the Charging Bull and to touch it. Apparently it's really good luck to touch is on the balls and on the horns. The bull symbolizes Wall Street and is a New York staple. It's been featured in several movies including Hitch, Inside Man, The Other Guys and many more.

 

 

So many people have came to touch the bull that the bronze has worn off in several places. He obviously gets a lot of love from people daily.

 

 

 

Recently the city gave the Charging Bull some company and added an addition statue facing the bull. She is known as the Fearless Girl who stares down the charging bull. She was originally placed there before International Women's Day but has since been left up as a symbol to show that women are strong.

The next time your in NYC swing by and see these iconic statues. It was very busy the day we were there but it was also a holiday.