NYC Day Two

 Hello Everyone,

This post is picture heavy to illustrate one very full day of touristy activities in NYC.  We started our day by walking to Saint Paul's church to meet our tour guide of the 911 memorial and grounds.  Saint Paul's church survived the destruction even though it was extremely close to the Twin Towers.

The old and the new.

The two reflecting ponds are the exact footprint of the towers.  The ponds reflect the absence of the souls lost in the attack and are so powerful and moving.

A white rose is placed each morning on the names of those who should be celebrating their birthday.

This is inside the Three World Financial Center.

I see a quilt pattern here.

This display is called Eleven Tears and was commissioned by American Express.  Their company lost 11 employees. A huge crystal is suspended above the pool of water and 11 drops of water.....tears...travel down metal cables creating a ripple in the pond.

The names of the 11 employees surround the pond and there's a brief description of each person.

Our tour included a trip to the top of the One World Trade Center building.  We were so fortunate the smoke from the fires in Canada had cleared before our arrival.

We could see the Statue of Liberty from the building.  

We could also see the Brooklyn Bridge. It probably took us a half hour to get out of the World One Center.  We kept getting lost even though we asked for directions.

The 911 memorial was so somber and reverent.

This is the Survival Staircase as many evacuees used this staircase to flee the devastation.

We saw many examples of twisted metal throughout the displays such as this firetruck.

I loved this display and the quote.  This display depicts the color of the sky on the morning of the 911 attack.  There are 2,983 watercolors each with a unique shade of blue.

After our 4-hour tour we were mentally and physically exhausted.  We headed to O'hara's bar and restaurant which is located next to the closest fire station to 911.

Many firefighters have left their patches to be placed on the interior walls.

This is a copper plaque on the side of the firehouse.

Our next stop was an Uber ride to the Empire State Building.

It was overcast, but it didn't hamper our views.

And here we are at the top of the Empire State Building.  It was a sunset tour of the building, but I didn't take any pictures as the city lights started to turn on...my bad.

What a long, inspirational, and memorable day we had!  We took an Uber back to our hotel reflecting on our day filled with sights, sounds, imagery and a huge dose of patriotism. My sister, Gail, set up all of the tours in advance which is something you need to do to really learn about the area.  

It's been fun for me to relive our time in NYC while everything is still very fresh in my mind.  Tomorrow you'll see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Soon,

Lynn