New York day 2

We had a nice walk through the city this morning, heading to The Strand Bookstore. We came across a farmers market in Union Square Park along the way. It was a really nice market - only small but with some really nice looking food and art & craft. We then made it to the bookstore, which is a bit overwhelming - 4 levels of books! There is a level devoted to old, rare and classic books which was really interesting. The other three levels have a mix of new and used books. I think you would need a lifetime to browse through the whole store.

We jumped back on the subway and then onto the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry runs every half hour, 24 hours a day and is completely free. Damien had seen a tip on the internet to catch the ferry for one of the best views of the Statue of Liberty. The ferry goes pretty close to the statue and everyone crowds the side of the ferry to take photos (except for the locals who sit around looking bored).

On Staten Island we grabbed a slice of pizza for lunch and had a bit of a wait for a bus to take us towards Fort Wadsworth. We hadn't really planned on doing anything on the Island - we had taken the ferry just for the view. Fort Wadsworth is the old forts and batteries that protected the narrow entrance to Upper Bay. It was interesting to read about how the fortifications and defenses were updated over the years. One of the interesting defenses was a string of mines that could be dragged across the bay and set off from the shore. The were also some great views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge which connects Staten Island to Brooklyn.

We headed back into Brooklyn for the afternoon/evening. We had a bit more of a browse before finding a nice bar on Smith Street. We settled in a had a few drinks and some nachos for dinner. We sat at the bar and chatted with the Barmen and another couple about our trip. It was a really nice relaxed place and we had a great night. For dessert Nadia bought a couple of slices of cake from a few doors up. I think we made everyone at the bar jealous!