This was a day to tour around the ‘hood (as I like to call it). We started the day off by going to the 9/11 Memorial, walking around the Financial District, and stopping for a light lunch at Adrienne’s Pizza. I have written about the Poulakakos family in a previous blog. Peter (a Georgetown graduate) opened Adrienne’s Pizzabar (named after his mother), re-opened his father’s restaurant (Harry’s) that closed in the ‘90s, and also opened Ulysses. These three places appear to encompass most of the block on Stone Street. Need I say it was excellent? Don’t I always say that?
After lunch, we walked around the Financial District and then took the Financial District tour with Richard, the tour guide who has now become a friend. As usual, we started off in the Oculus, walked underground to Le District, through the area of the 9/11 pools, and then to the Stock Exchange. Richard is a wealth of information, and the ladies enjoyed the history and the stories he provided.
Since this was the third time I heard Richard’s stories, you would think I would remember more, but he mentions many names and companies. His stories are incredible, but I have too many to retain. The fourth time’s a charm, which will be in April.
After the tour, we had time to prepare for dinner in Brooklyn, so we returned to their hotel. What I really love about their hotel is that there’s a bar. It is small, comfortable, and the perfect stop. We had a drink as each of the ladies went to their room one by one to freshen up.
Pierre took a ferry from the Upper East Side to Pier 11, which is very near where we were; I need to explore this. He met his mother and Cecile so they could take a car to the restaurant while the rest of us walked the Brooklyn Bridge arriving at Ceconni’s in record time. It was a beautiful night, and the Manhattan skyline is so picturesque. On top of that, we were all very proud of ourselves for doing the walk. We had a drink at the bar to celebrate our accomplishments. And dinner, as usual, did not disappoint.