New York City with my Girlie, Day Three: Friday, December 9, 2016

The day began with a cold shower, which certainly had me wide awake and ready to get out and begin this third day of NYC explorations. Knowing where you want to go to eat breakfast is a very handy thing, as we never had to give a second thought to where we were going to find this first meal of the day. Today's selections at 'Le Pain Quotidien' were a croissant with ham and gruyere for H, and steel-cut oatmeal with bananas, walnuts and maple for me. How lucky we felt to begin our day together this way, and how fortunate I also felt when my latte counteracted the chilling effects of my morning shower!

Our tummies pleasantly full, we made our way to the subway station at Columbus Circle and proceeded to purchase our single ride tickets, or at least, this is what we attempted to do. The metro card machine issued us the first ticket without a problem, but then, after having input my request and money for the second, the machine declared that it was no longer giving single ride tickets and simply gave me a receipt, without returning my money. We stood slightly aside from the turnstile, unsure of how to proceed. There was no staff working a ticket wicket, and only one of us currently held a metro card that would see us through the gates. Just as I was wondering if I should somehow sneak over or under the turnstile (I couldn't make H a criminal, after all), an older gentleman approached us, obviously reading our perplexed expressions correctly, and offered his support. We told him our predicament, and he pulled out his own metro card and offered to swipe me through! Some people might hold the assumption that kindness is too often lost in big cities as folks are thought to keep to themselves and personal interactions are limited to bustling bodies breezing past one another as everyone goes about their own business. Much like my Mom and I did while in San Francisco, H and I found that people in NYC seemed to go out of their way to be kind and helpful to us, and we couldn't have been more grateful or buoyed up by the faith in humanity that they confirmed.

Alas, the ticket issue was not our last foible on this subway ride. Intending to head towards the South Ferry, the street numbers that we saw on the walls as we pulled into each station should have been going down. When I looked up and read "79th Street" on such a wall, I quickly realized we were traveling in the wrong direction, and H and I jumped off at the next stop. This was my own mistake, as I just hadn't noticed that we'd gotten on the train on the wrong side of the street. Columbus Circle, as you might recall, is a busy, multi-street intersection, so the mistake was a fairly easy one to make - that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! We once again found ourselves adopting what must have surely looked like a fairly befuddled stance, as we were trying to figure out how we could get to the other side of the tracks without having to exit the station and pay yet again upon reentering. And again, a kind man came to our aid. He listened to our plight and told us to get back on the train in the same direction and to get off at the next stop, which offered access to both sides of the tracks. We followed his advice and, splickety-lit, we were good to go and heading down to the South Ferry terminal where we were looking forward to seeing Lady Liberty. Though these small obstacles may have cost us a little bit in the way of time, I believe that the lost minutes were more than made up for in the fantastic lesson that was learned: it's okay when things don't go exactly to plan, as is bound to happen now and again when traveling. There's always a way to solve a problem, and sometimes the experience can turn out to be a memorably positive one. As a Mom, I was rather pleased that H got to see this play out first hand.

Once at the southernmost end of the subway line, we made our way to the Statue Cruises ferry, proceeded through security (every major attraction that we visited during this trip required a thorough security process), and we boarded the ferry that took us to Liberty Island. I have taken the free Staten Island Ferry that cruises past the Statue of Liberty during a previous visit to the city, but I had never gone right to Liberty Island. Doing so was one of the top to-dos on H's list, and the attraction was also on our City Passes, so this was an exciting first for both of us! The ferry ride was great, allowing for both a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline behind us and of the apparently ever-growing Statue of Liberty as we approached the island, her stalwart figure looming before us. There is a definite air of romance about her when you consider the thousands upon thousands of immigrants whose first view of their new homeland as their ships approached New York Harbour was this colossal copper symbol of freedom, Lady Liberty welcoming these new arrivals with her torch held high. The day was cold but clear and absolutely beautiful, the blue skies providing a lovely backdrop for our views. We walked around the island together and grabbed a bite to eat, and then boarded another ferry that took us back to Manhattan.

We walked to the One World Trade Centre after disembarking. The last time I was able to visit this part of Manhattan, Ground Zero was still under construction, and M and I walked around the fencing, immediately feeling an emotional pull at this tragic spot. The new One World Trade Centre, also known as Freedom Tower, is, according to Wikipedia, "the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Centre complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world." H and I stopped for some time at the Memorial Twin Reflecting Pools, a peaceful and beautifully appropriate homage to the 2, 977 people who died in the attacks on September 11, 2001, as well as the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing. The names of these 2, 983 victims are inscribed around the perimeter of these pools. We noticed the words "and her unborn child" inscribed beside the names of numerous women, and if I'd been able to hold back my tears before seeing this, I could do so no longer. 

One World Trade Centre, or Freedom Tower.

As we waited in line to enter the 9/11 Memorial Museum, I was naturally transported back in time to that fateful day on September 11 fifteen years ago. I had just begun the second year of my teaching career, and had my class of Kindergarteners out at the playground at Laurelwood Public School. A colleague came out with her class and whispered to me that there had been another bombing at the World Trade Centre in New York. This was the miscommunicated news that had reached us thus far, and we had no idea to what extent the damages were at that time. Once we returned inside the school, some teachers had gathered in the library where they were watching the news unfolding on a television screen. One of my colleagues who had family in New York City was particularly distraught, and we did our best to comfort her. 'Meet the Teacher' night was scheduled to take place that evening, but due to the tragic world events, the open house was postponed to a later date. My own parents were in the United States on this date. They were, thankfully, at the other end of the country, however it was a time when you wanted nothing more than to have every single one of your loved ones within your grasp, and we couldn't have been more relieved when they returned home safely days later. 

H and I were moved beyond description by the powerful displays in the museum. According to their website, "The 9/11 Memorial Museum serves as the country's principal institution concerned with exploring the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of those events and exploring 9/11's continuing significance. . . (It) tells the story of 9/11 through interactive technology, archives, narratives, and a collection of artifacts." We were amazed at the indepth and personal details shared about every single victim, giving a powerful sense of each person who perished on that fateful day. Needless to say, we left the museum hours later deeply touched and affected by what we'd experienced, and incredibly grateful for all that we have.

Our day already felt incredibly full, and so we opted to stroll our way up Broadway at a leisurely pace, stopping for a snack, and at any stores or sights that appealed, including the arch at Washington Square and at the iconic Flatiron Building. We halted our epic walk on Fifth Avenue for dinner at a great little find called Bubble Tea and Crepes, where we shared an energizing mango smoothie and were also excited to find a display of macarons, so we were able to continue the fun of our tasty daily tradition.

Washington Square welcomed us with a festive tree.

The Flatiron Building.

Day Three's macaron selections: Dark Chocolate and Creme Brulee.

We decided to fit in yet one more major point of interest on this evening (our third City Pass attraction on this day!), and so aimed for the Empire State Building, which beckoned just ahead of us. Having already seen the city from the Top of the Rock during the day, we were excited to view it from on high by night. We traveled by elevator to the 80th-floor observatory, and then up to the 86th-floor outdoor observatory, where the bitter wind had us taking shelter on certain sides of the building; going around a corner had me worrying that my sweet girl was going to get blown away! The lights of the city certainly made for a thrilling sight, and we had fun getting a bird's-eye-view of just how far we'd walked on this day.

The Empire State Building beckons us.

 

From atop the Empire State Building: One World Trade Centre visible in the far distance; the Flatiron Building can be seen near the photo's centre, sitting at the triangular block of Fifth Avenue, Broadway and East 22nd Street.

 

Our feet were very much ready to lead us back to our hotel after this, and we took a route that lead us past the New York City Library, as well as Bryant Park and Times Square, which were nice to see lit up at night. Sleep was most welcome at the end of this wonderfully full day!

In front of the beautiful New York City Library. Though we were beyond tired, the passionate readers in us would have happily gone in had it been open!

Times Square lit up at night.

My wonders: Have you been to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty? Have you ever visited any other iconic statues in your travels? The events of 9/11 were felt around the globe. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you learned of these tragic events? Have you been to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. If not, do you think you would like to?