NYC Part 4

I'm really at a loss for what to write about (which also explains the lack of comments on other people's blogs). I had started a post earlier today where I questioned whether I was having a good day because I wasn't sure, but I lost interest after two paragraphs and deleted it. So I'll do a post that doesn't require looking deep inside to pull the words out, I'll finish up with the NYC pictures.

These are from our second day in Manhattan. We ended up sleeping in later than I had wanted so we didn't get into the city until nearly 1 pm. That didn't leave us with enough time to do all we'd wanted to, but we still managed to do a few things, including doing a hell of a lot more walking.

After arriving at Penn Station, we made our first foray into the NY subway system to reach our first destination of the day...Ground Zero. We didn't take pictures because it is simply a fenced in construction site now and most of it has already been built up to street level. Near the new Trade Center Path station they do have a timeline of the events of 9/11 as well as photos of the devastation and photos of the towers when they stood tall & regal. The one photo that stood out most for me was one that was taken from of all things, an airplane or possibly a helicopter. The only thing that is visible is a glorious blue sky and the top 40 floors or so of both towers bursting through the clouds that are blanketing the entire rest of the city. It's an amazing photo. Wish I had a copy of it.

While there is little physical evidence remaining of what occurred on that spot, there's a somber feeling that hangs in the air. It's so palpable that it's hard not to break into tears. I don't believe in any gods or life after death or anything of that nature but I did get the sense that I was walking on hallowed ground. I was all for rebuilding on the site until I actually went there. I'm now of the opinion that the entire site should be turned into a memorial, that they should not place any new buildings where those two once stood and fell.

This is the only photo we took in that area. It's the steel beam that was left standing in the shape of a cross after the buildings collapsed.


We then crossed West Side Hwy which provided a full view of the area. We sat there, mostly in silence, for about 20 minutes. Occasionally one of us would mention how we felt they shouldn't be building there or wondering aloud about what it must have been like to actually be there that day.

After that we walked to Battery Park in hopes of catching the Circle Line out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the line was unbelievably long so we opted not to wait in it. These pics are as close as we ever came to either, and that's with the zoom lens.



This is the statue that once stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center. I don't know where it was in relation to how the buildings came down, but it's amazing that it wasn't completely crushed.


These next two are part of a World War II memorial. The second one contains the only picture of ugly, fat me in New York and it was purely accidental that I ended up in it. I was on the phone with the ex at the time and didn't realize the kiddie was taking pictures of the walls. There is another row of walls, each with names etched in them, that don't appear in the picture. They were off to the left.



The name says it all and no, we didn't take the ferry. Didn't have any reason to head over to Staten Island.


From there we hopped back on the subway and headed to the Upper East Side to try and do some shopping and to visit Central Park. We stopped in Bloomingdales, which was a total waste of time. We didn't see anything in the entire store worth buying. The clothes and shoes were horrendous, even the clothes by the famous designers were stuff neither of us would be caught dead in.

One of the things on our "must do" list was to stop at Serendipity, since I've heard nothing but raves about their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. Plus the place is featured in one of our favorite movies...One Fine Day with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. The wait for a table? Nearly 2 hours. You basically put your name on the list, go off shopping and then come back.


The Sneetch loved the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and so did we. That alone was worth the trip to NY. Glad they sell the mix for it, we bought 4 bags.


We wandered around the area, going into various stores. Or are they called boutiques cuz they're all designer clothes? Doesn't matter, we didn't buy anything. The kiddie was hoping we'd find something at designer Betsey Johnson's store (which just happened to be a few doors down from Serendipity), but they didn't have anything there that they don't carry at her Chicago location.

After that we headed into Central Park. We should have taken a carriage ride because we'd already walked at least 20 miles that day, but no...like fools we just kept walking, resting only briefly to take a couple of pictures.

Since it was getting dark, we headed out to find the nearest subway station in hopes of getting back to our hotel earlier enough this time to get to the hot tub and pool. No such luck. We'd just missed the train out of Penn Station and had to wait a half hour for the next one.

The next day of course was the show and then we flew home on Monday. Definitely want to go back to NY and spend more time there. It's a nice place to visit, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to live there.