My Not That Exciting but Perfectly Fine Life

What a sobering experience it was to stand across from where the Twin Towers once stood and imagine the chaos and tragedy that was experienced right where we were standing on 9/11. We couldn’t see the ground where they were working because they had a fence surrounding it. All the buildings next to it looked like they had been repaired and in good working order. The area was busy with people – just like any other part of the city. Not far from Ground Zero was Trinity Church - the beauty and serene setting of the church invoked me to quiet my spirit. I could have spent more time in the grave yard. There’s something wonderful about spending time in grave yards. I can’t explain it.

Down the road a bit there was a temporary memorial. This sculpture stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center for three decades. It was entitled “The Sphere” and was conceived by artist Fritz Koenig to symbolize world peace. While it was damaged during the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11, it stands here as an icon of hope and the indestructible spirit of our country. If you look down to the far right of the picture you can see an eternal flame. It was ignited on September 11, 2002 in honor of all of those who we lost.

We thought about going to Ellis Island but by the time we arrived at Battery Park where the Ferry launches off, we realized it would take us a good three hours or more to visit Ellis Island and we didn’t want to spend that much time there. So, we admired Lady Liberty from afar and also enjoyed this photo opportunity with a look alike right there in the park.

We also took a moment to observe the memorial honoring all the fallen men and women who served the U.S.A. and are buried in the American Coastal Waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There were slabs of concrete that had name after name listed on them.

Wall Street

We walked right down Wall Street. It was quite an enjoyable experience. It was kind of surreal to be standing right next to the New York Stock Exchange – a place I normally only hear about on TV. Federal Hall was down this pathway as well as a great view of Trinity Church. The street was alive with activity - lots of street vendors and tons of people. Actually, that could pretty much sum up New York.

It rained a couple of the days we were there…actually it rained/snowed one of those days. We had one simply gorgeous day and for that we’re thankful. So, the day we were to see Central Park, it was raining. The men were out with the horses and carriages non-the-less. We didn’t ride in one, but they sure looked fun. So, my view of Central Park was a bit gloomy, but hey, I got to see it!

Brooklyn Bridge

I was also delighted to see the Brooklyn Bridge. It reminds me of Spot Collin in the movie Newsies. If you’ve never seen it, rent it. But be forewarned…it’s a musical. So, they do break out spontaneously into song. It was one of my favorite movies growing up though. The Brooklyn Bridge wasn’t that far away from South Side Sea Port where we dined for lunch. They had a little mall we walked around in, but it wasn’t much different than what we have here.

Well, it certainly lives up to its name – grand it is indeed! I wasn’t able to get any really good pictures of the inside because of the lighting, but everywhere you looked there was marble. The ceiling was so tall and grand with chandeliers and the USA flag hanging down. It was breath taking really. We used the facilities there and happened to enter the restroom as they were cleaning it. We were very pleased they only chose to clean half of the restroom at a time – how clever! They had a wonderful food market as well. There were booths of everything from fruit, veggies, bread, and seafood, to even a variety of spices. We trekked out to see the trains and found that they were quite boring and looked old and dirty. But hey, whatever gets you from point A to point B, right?

Overall Impressions

I loved the diversity represented there. It didn’t matter where you were, there wasn’t someone far from you who was jabbering away in another language, and almost everyone had a foreign accent.

I noticed that no one paid attention to anyone else – accept the locals had an uncanny awareness of when it was safe to cross the street even when the light said differently. It wasn’t uncommon to be walking down a sidewalk and see people listening to their iPods in their own little world or in a group of people doing something crazy. It doesn’t matter –nobody seems to notice if you do something crazy. You can yell out I LOVE NEW YORK CITY! And no one bats an eye.

The taxi drivers are as crazy as Bolivian taxi drivers. They weave in and out of traffic as if they can do it in their sleep. All I can say is I’m so glad I wasn’t behind the wheel on those streets!

While the city has a beauty all of its own, I missed the beauty of the great outdoors. And I got tired of fighting the crowds and being around people all the time. Guess that goes to show I’m not a big city girl. Not to mention, everything there was a pretty costly. Was the trip worth it? Absolutely! Would I go back? I don’t know. I feel like I got to see a ton. The only real draw would be a Broadway show. But if I want to see another show, I think I’ll look into a traveling one or go to Chicago.