Today started a little later, but very similar to yesterday. First we headed back to Staten Island to pick up the sauces for Steffi.

Then we decided to take the "hop-on hop-off downtown" bus back to Times Square and switch to the "Uptown" bus. Unfortunately, we had to wait 30 minutes until a bus finally came. It was so overcrowded that we quickly decided not to get on and instead went to a National Geographic exhibition.

The whole thing is called Ocean Odyssey. This is a dive into the world's oceans, without getting wet or having to peel off your cozy clothes. This is a purely virtual tour - the only real water here is a small fountain in the stairwell. There are no real animals/corals here either, but instead plenty of monitors, projections, and staff who explain everything to you. There are many small individual rooms where something different awaits you each time. We liked the seals and the kelp forest best. It's a place where you can learn a lot about our oceans, and you're casually informed about environmental protection without it being intrusive or preachy.

After this exciting experience, Steffi finally wanted to eat a burger. She's been here for so long and we haven't had one yet. So we ended up across the street in a small diner and ate delicious burgers.

Stuffed to the brim, we made our way back to the hotel. Quick makeover, because today is Christmas after all and you treat yourself a little. Since we're not at home this year, we decided to give ourselves a nice shared experience for Christmas. We gave each other tickets for the Harlem Gospel Choir at the Sony Hall on Broadway. On the way there, we passed another Christmas market and took the chance to stroll through it.

As mentioned, the concert was in the Sony Music Hall, which turned out to be a kind of restaurant with a stage. We were there early enough to get a nice elevated spot with a good view further back. About 20 rows sat in front of us, which didn't bother us at all. Since only the speakers directly on stage were turned on, the music wasn't too loud for us, so I could even enjoy the concert this time without hearing protection. After about an hour, the choir took a short break. Steffi took the chance to run to the bathroom. A few minutes later she comes back with a big grin and tells us that there was singing in the stalls to her left and right. When she came out, she found that it was the singers themselves. The remaining women from the choir were standing in line for the toilets. They have to go somewhere too. The concert lasted a total of 2 hours and the choir clearly had fun on stage and included the audience in the show. After the concert, all the singers were still at the exit and available for conversations, photos, and autographs.

After that, we headed back to the hotel. It was already after 10 PM and tomorrow our train leaves for Washington D.C.

Good night.