I'm sat in my hostel, just coming back from 'New York Pizza Suprema' which is a little pizza cafe just round the corner from me on 8th Avenue. New Yorkers love their pizza; and this particular place was the only pizza joint to score 10/10 from a local blogger who visited every single place selling pizza in New York! They are very proud of that and everywhere you look, it reminds you of it! I have had a great couple of days, seeing the heart of New York on foot and on water. The weather has got slightly milder at about 10c. I think we sent the cold weather to you back home... Sorry. New York is a work hard, play hard kind of place. It's the home of the so called 'American Dream' I guess. It really is the city that doesn't sleep. Public transportation runs 24 hours a day here and bars and clubs don't close. Americans talk about 'finding yourself', with New York being the place to do it.
I started Sunday by taking a Grayline ferry ride down the Hudson River. Like I mentioned, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are closed off due to hurricane damage, so this was my only way of getting close! The boat started on the west side of Manhattan and went clockwise round the southern side and then under some bridges. First off, I got great views of the financial district and downtown New York passing the huge skyscrapers. The skyline of New York is very impressive. The boat passed the derelict Pier 54, which was the exact location the Titanic was supposed to dock. Instead the Carpathia arrived here with the survivors. A little further along I saw (one of!) Leonardo Di Caprio's apartments, right on the bay. As we continued along the river, to my right was New Jersey and Hoboken (the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.) It was at the southern end of New York that I could see the big gap in between the buildings. The guide explained this was the location of the two towers. We passed Battery Park City, which is where the ferries leave to Staten Island and Brooklyn. From this side, the views were amazing once again. We then went under the famous Brooklyn Bridge. It's a traditionally old fashioned looking bridge, made of Bricks by the look of it. The guide said New Yorkers didn't trust it at first when it was built. So the architect walked a parade of Elephants across it, to assure them it was safe! The Manhattan bridge soon followed which is a far more modern looking bridge, but still over 100 years old! Finally, the Williamsburg bridge (which by this point I had switched off to bridges). I can't tell you a thing about it. Do you even care? Williamsburg however is a part of Brooklyn which is supposed to be very fun. I may take a look if I get time! The boat turned round at the UN Headquarters/Chrysler building and made it's way back down the river to the statue of liberty. When we got there, I was surprised at how big it was! It's visible from quite a distance and it really does it's job in standing out. I learnt it was donated from the French (random...where's our gift, apart from watching Zidane) to America. The statue resembles the Roman Goddess of Freedom. At the bottom of the woman, is a broken chain symbolising freedom to the people, as well as a welcoming sign to immigrants from abroad. I took 172 photos of the same thing before the boat shot back to where we started. I spend the remainder of yesterday visiting Chinatown (the 387th one so far on my travels.), Little Italy which was lovely (good New York Cheesecake!) and Rockafeller's (great Lego shop!).
This morning I decided to visit Grand Central. I think this was the equivalent to Waterloo in London, but it had a bit more character. The building itself appeared very old and was a beautiful sight from outside. Parts of New York have very nice architecture (Union Square) springs to mind. Inside there is the main concourse, where the daily commuters stroll through in a hurry, just like Waterloo's. Further inside was a huge corridor with various off shoots to trains and subway platforms. Outside one restaurant, people were talking to walls and giggling as there friends heard them from the opposite side. Now, that look like gobbledygook I know. I have done some research and apparently this called a whispering gallery. If you whisper in a certain spot, it can be heard in another spot close by... News to me, I thought St. Anne's had been let out. My favourite part of the station was the dining concourse. The were various food outlets and loads of restaurants to choose from. I got a chinese meal which was lovely and sat watching people come and go (always fun). It sounds a bit odd visiting a station, but it's a lovely building and anyone else who has been to New York will know it's worthwhile.
I then caught the subway downtown to the streets that held the 9/11 Memorial sites. There is a tribute center, as well as visitor and preview center. I had already booked my visitor pass prior to leaving home, so I took the time to walk around the area where it happened and have a look around. Just seeing the wide open space was enough to upset me. I still remember the day so well. I was 9 years old, with my friend Carl at after school Football club and Mum picked us up. She told us something had happened in America and when I got home, I watched the TV for hours and hours. It's without doubt the biggest news event of my lifetime so far. I have visited memorials etc in the past, but none of them have been in my lifetime so I have struggled to connect with them. This however, felt so much more 'real' to me. I started by the entrance to the memorial by walking down the street a little. Here I saw a street corner with a poster of all the firemen who lost their lives. Flowers, badges, notes and pictures were still being placed there. Even 12 years on. A little further up was a huge display against the wall, with drawings of the emergency services attacking the blaze on the towers. It listed all the names of the lives lost and in big writing above said: "Dedicated to those who fell and those who carry on. May we never forget."
I entered the Memorial and picked up a guide. The guide leaflet introduced you and explained how they are still building the main museum. Eventually, there will be hundreds of blossoming tress and a large museum within the memorial. However, they have finished the two pool's which are in the exact location of where the towers stood. This particular model was chosen from a number of different options, when deciding how to pay tribute to those who died. I read the leaflet in full and then headed for the south tower pool. It's incredible. It was beautiful - and soothing - and calm. The exact opposite of the day 12 years ago. I was quite glad I was alone as I wouldn't have been able to talk. The place was almost silent. People approached the pool and said nothing. What can you say? The names of all that perished are engraved in bronze around the edge of the pool. The names are next to friends or colleagues they worked with, as requested by their families. I walked round the whole pool and took some pictures. I went over to the north pool and wandered by all the names of the people inside the towers at the time it fell. It was so surreal. It was very harrowing and very upsetting. It had a strange atmosphere, but I'm glad I got the chance to see it.
I cant really describe how I felt after. I felt guilty almost... That I was walking freely around... It kind of felt rude. Being a tourist, coming to a scene of mass destruction. I guess those feelings are natural, but it was about paying respect. I came out very philosophical, appreciating all I have. It certainly makes you realise that life is far more important than what you think of day to day. I walked out after a good 40 minutes and gave a $10 donation as I left.
A popular phrase Americans use for 9/11 is: 'We Will Never Forget'. After today, I know I will never forget too.
