...we get up, pack up and head out to take the boat for the cruise around Manhattan. We are a little distracted so we get lost a lot and pass through Times Square on the way...we take the cruise - weather is patchy but we do get some sunny views and I'm overjoyed to find my favorite guide still narrates the trip...we enjoy our last hours in Manhattan, our last Starbucks coffees and our last Mexican food...we try one of NYC's best cheesecakes in a bakery n...

...we get up early to catch a 10am gospel choir church service in Harlem - the singing is impressive especially among the faithful and everyone is asked to contribute some money, which is also impressive. Smart!...we visit the Central Park with my dad and L and find a statue of a Polish king, Wladyslaw Jagiello in it. Described as "king who drove back an aggressor" the king puts a smile on our faces....we meet a lot of chipmunks jn the park and they are not shy a...

...I am only slightly hungover and we spend the morning at home...we walk around Manhattan a bit, find the High Line as crowded as ever, subway system as confusing as always and weather as cold as usual on this trip...we see the Flatiron building and are amazed by the number of young people begging in the streets. They seem healthy and strong. What's wrong with this city?...we visit the NYC public library in great rush just before closing and we barely have t...

...I get up early to take the car back to Manhattan. It is pouring rain and traffic is slow....I pass through a tunnel to get to Manhattan and am appalled to learn this till station has neither card nor cash payments. They simply take a photo of your license plate and send you the bill. With a surcharge of $15 apparently as a penalty for not having the EZ-pass - the electronic toll tag mounted on your windshield...I get stuck in traffic in midtown and arrive 2 ho...

...we get up very early and try to get some energy from the motel's awful breakfast and terrible drip coffee...we drive to D.C. and get there surprisingly quickly...I am surprise by how clean, neat and organized the city appears compared to NYC. It is after all much smaller and the nation's capital...we park the car and line up to visit the White House - the premier attraction we came here for...we go through innumerable security checks and passport contr...