NYC with Amy

On our way north over the summer, Amy had planned to take a day off of work so she and I could spend the day exploring New York City together. Then she broke her foot. Walking around the city would be impossible.

We hadn't planned on seeing them again on our way south, but then we really missed them and it wasn't too far out of our way to visit again. This time Amy was freshly out of her cast. NYC was back on!

We took the train from Trenton to Penn station. Just walking out of the station is like walking into a whole new dimension where everything is brighter, louder, faster, and filled with yellow cabs. It's a bit overwhelming on your senses. I was reminded of my first introduction to the city 15 years ago. New York City is definitely an experience that you never forget.

As we were walking thru Times Square, someone approached us and asked if we wanted to be on the enormous digital billboard. Seriously?! Of course! They were promoting a new TV Series called Wisdom of the Crowd. They took our photo and then we waited, and waited, but then, there we were larger than life on a BILLBOARD IN TIMES SQUARE! How cool is that?!? Check that one off the life list! (I didn't even have that on the list!)

After enjoying our 15 minutes of fame, we continued walking to Central Park. A man driving a motorized bike rikshaw offered to give us a tour of the park while pointing out all the famous spots.  With Amy's leg being fresh out of her cast, we gladly accepted but not before negotiating a sweet deal.

As he drove us thru the park, he pointed out homes of famous people including Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Jerry Seinfeld. He showed us printed scenes from movies and T.V. as we were passing the real thing. Yes, these 90s teenagers, got a kick out of seeing the "Friends" fountain.  As our tour was ending, he showed us where John Lennon lived and died.

Next we took the subway to Chinatown and Little Italy. I always enjoy seeing the sights, sounds and foods there.

A solution to parking problems in the city? I have so many questions!

Below is a beautiful piece of artwork in front of a church. Look closely. It features the Lord's Prayer.

Our last stop was the 9/11 memorial and museum. The last time I was in New York City was right after 9/11. I was on one of the first flights when air traffic was resumed. I watched from the top of the Empire State building at night as the area where the twin towers once stood was lit up for the recovery efforts.

The Memorial upon our arrival.

As soon as you step thru those doors, you leave behind a loud, bustling city, for a silent, sober, reliving of America's worst day. The museum is inside the original structure...... It's a jarring combination of old and new, of destruction and restoration.

But first, some facts about the World Trade Center:

Of course 9/11 is what comes to mind when thinking of the World Trade Centers, but it wasn't the first act of terrorism carried out there. I overheard one of the guides say, "In 1993 a young woman, named Monica, was halfway thru her last day of work before beginning her maternity leave, when a terrorist bomb exploded killing her and five others and injuring around 1,000."

This is the point when tears welled up in my eyes, and continued for the rest of our visit.

A map showing the timeline of events that fateful morning walk you thru the moments of shock, confusion, realization and then sheer horror as what had just happened became clear.

Everyone over the age of 10 knows where they were that day, that instant they heard the news. I was driving to work when the first plane hit, I was at my desk when the second one hit. Working at a mutual fund company, we had TVs all over the place with market news on 24/7. Today was different. Today wasn't about the market. My husband, whom I had not yet met, was in Sarasota at Booker Middle School. Ring any bells? So was President Bush. My future husband was assigned to his security detail.

The remnants of a firetruck after the events of 9/11.

Last year I met Steve, a survivor, a NY firefighter, whose last day on the job was Sept 11, 2001. He was one of the first responders to arrive when the first tower was hit. Nearly his whole team was killed when the Marriott collapsed. He was leading four of them to a stairwell when it happened. They turned around and the last man in the line was just gone. The four of them were found in the only part of the hotel still standing, a stairwell that had been damaged during the bombing in 1993, Rebuilt and reinforced, it served as a shelter for the remaining four men, until they, themselves could be rescued.

Being here, seeing these things, hearing the stories is important. Make no mistake, there is evil in this world. But there is One who is greater. I choose to hold firmly to my faith and look forward to the day when our heavenly father will come for us and separate us from the evil.

On our departure, the memorial is lit for the coming darkness.

After the emotions that we were still feeling, it was a quiet commute home.

Subway, train, car, bed.

I fell asleep thankful for my life, and the opportunity to spend an entire day with my childhood best friend. A day I'll always treasure.

The Statue of Liberty

For some reason Asher has always been interested in the Statue of Liberty. He's seen it in Red Robin Restaurants, he's seen one made out of chocolate, out of Twizzlers, out of M&Ms, he's pointed it out on movies and print, and was super excited to see MGM's big statue on the Las Vegas Strip, but now he's seen the REAL one!

We didn't tell the kids what we were doing, just that we had a very special surprise. We somehow managed to purchase tickets, and wait among a crowd of people to load onto a ferry boat. The statue was visible from the dock, though a bit distant, so we kept the kids facing the opposite direction. As soon as the boat left the dock, I began recording and then told them to turn around to see where we were headed. Asher's reaction was priceless! 

Our first stop was Ellis Island where we walked the same halls my distant relatives first walked upon their arrival to the United States. Ellis Island was the busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 to 1954. It's estimated that nearly 40% of Americans can trace their ancestry back to those immigrants coming thru Ellis Island!

Immigrants had to answer 29 questions which were recorded by an immigration agent on the form below. It's such a tiny space it's difficult to read clearly. They had to have enough money to support themselves and pass a physical. If they were found to have a chronic contagious disease, mental illness or a criminal history, they would be sent back to their home country. This amounted to about 2% of the people coming thru.

This place also holds a very interesting collection of items that immigrants brought with them to America. They normally had very little room to bring personal items with them, so these would either be special sentimental items or something they hoped to make money with in America.

A camera- looks a bit different then ours!

The kids earned their Jr Ranger badges here. While waiting for the ferry, they found this giant leaf!

Finally it was time to take the ferry to Liberty Island!

A small model of Liberty Island that can be used by visually impaired to understand how Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty are designed.

The original torch, replaced in 1984, now sits inside the lobby for guests to see upon arrival.

If you plan ahead, it's possible to get tickets to go up to the crown, but they sell out months in advance. If you're impulsive like us, you may be lucky enough to get same-day tickets to the pedestal. Be ready to climb! The pedestal is 10 stories high, so be ready to climb all 192 steps to arrive at the viewing area (the stone part that sticks out just under her feet). It's 354 steps to the crown, so be sure you're up for that before booking!

A nice view from the pedestal.

Ferry boats bringing more people to Liberty Island.

The statue reaches 305 ft into the air. I always assumed she was painted green, she's not. She is made of copper. Add 30 years of rainy weather and she turned this blue-green color from patination.

See you later Lady Liberty!

Back at the ferry dock in New Jersey, we noticed this 9/11 memorial. 

The towers are built to line up to their original place among the Manhattan skyline.

Return to Ithaca

We have been to a lot of places in the last seven months, but there are only a few that we have truly fallen in love with. Ithaca is one of them. That was the whole reason we returned to the Finger Lakes area for our last 10 days (before heading to stay with family for the holidays). On this day we hiked the gorge trail at Watkins Glen again.

This time we hiked a bit further and found a second waterfall that you can walk right behind.

 We went up "Lover's Lane" to a bridge that crossed over 

the water and offered a unique view of the gorge and trail.

The kids found a toad and played with him for a few minutes before continuing down the trail. 

 Afterwards we returned for a second visit to Ithaca's Sciencenter. We were able to do a few things that we missed last time, like see the live animal exhibits and play on their enormously fun outdoor play area.

This is where Asher had previously coined the term "badseum" when it closed while he was still having fun. We prepped him a little better this time and he left without shedding a tear this time.