New York City - Day 2

We woke up in New York City on day two to 42 degree rainy weather.  I was under dressed and had to change clothes after breakfast before heading out with Lawrence and the group, minus our New York couple who were off visiting Jyoti's father in Queens.

We set off about an hour after the kids headed off to their conference.  The rain was coming down harder and Lawrence and I were the only ones with umbrellas?  "What is that?" Lawrence asked when I pulled out my tiny $13 Target purse sized umbrella.  He snorted at it and told me it wouldn't last the day in the wind.  I was determined to prove him wrong.  I didn't.

On the agenda was a trip to Ground Zero. We started off walking, but Lawrence decided to give us the experience of taking the train so we popped down into the underground and Lawrence showed us how to buy a Metro Card

Apparently the night before someone had been injured on the tracks, and so Lawrence warned us about staying behind the bold yellow line.  I mentioned seeing an episode of Elementary where someone was pushed on to the tracks and how at the time I had questioned why people stood so close to the tracks.  Today no one was even close to the yellow line so I chalked that up to television liberties.  (Uh, foreshadowing....)

We got off the subway and John bought two umbrellas from a street vendor selling them for $5.  I had to hear about that great deal the rest of the rainy, cold day as my little purple poka-dotted umbrella blew inside and out at whim.  The wind was very gusty at times and it was cold enough that those of us who had gloves wore them.

We had to ask directions on getting to Ground Zero and when we got there we had to turn around and go back several blocks to the building where they passed out tickets.  The tickets are free, but donations are welcome.  We each gave the $10 donation (and more) to receive a commemorative bracelet and headed back out into the rain for the walk back to the memorial.  It seemed longer this time, but maybe that was because the rain began coming down harder as we walked.  Once at the memorial you have to go inside another building where all of your belongings, coats, etc. are checked like the security at an airport.  When you pass that you give someone your ticket and head back outside to take what seemed like a two mile walkway to the memorial.  It was all worth it when we finally got there.

Without saying a word to each other we spread out and went our separate ways.  I stood at the corner of one of the monuments with the names of some of the firefighters engraved.  I stood in the rain and just remembered that day.  I didn't even know I was crying in the beginning, but as I had wound my way through the maze of streets to get here I had been thinking of all of the people that day running those very same streets as the horror unfolded around them.  I tried to imagine the cloud of dust and pieces of building and god knows what else fluttering down among them as they ran.  I remembered where I was that morning and then the rest of the day; holed up in front of the television with a friend, whose husband was out of town like mine, while our children played innocently in the next room.

I stood there for quite some time.  I felt guilty taking a photo as if it were sacrilegious somehow, yet I felt like I needed to let the world know the power of this memorial (because the world reads my blog?). I eventually joined the rest of the group who had one by one wandered over the still-under-construction museum.  We stood there for some time thinking our own thoughts, talking about the moment, remembering that day.  Eventually we went inside another building where items are sold that benefit the New York City police departments and fire departments.  In there was the story from the beginning on one wall that stretched out around the room to the ending, the capture and death of Bin Laden, covering the last wall.  A powerful video played on a giant screen with some of the survivors and some family members who lost talking about how they and we must all go on with our lives.  It was just powerful.

Our mood was somber as we hiked out of the area.  We took another subway ride and then we walked some more.  We visited New York University where we all agreed we would not send our children.  We had lunch and warmed our insides with hot coffee and soup at another New York City deli.  This time I was starving and ordered the Corn Beef Reuben to share with Lawrence along with the soup.  The food in New York is so good, the best food I've ever had hands down.  Maybe it was because of all of the exercise, but my mouth still waters just thinking about the food.

We walked around the city until almost three o'clock.  We visited St. Patrick's Cathedral which was open despite restorations.  We walked around Greenwich Village.  We walked past the Plaza Hotel where dog walkers were returning the pets to side entrances.  We went into the park near NYU and we walked past a couple of museums.  At the end of the rainy afternoon we hopped the subway and rode into Grand Central Station where we all retired to our rooms for naps, showers, and warmth.

That night we had less than an hour to feed our kids and have them back down in the lobby for a dance at the conference.  They were out partying until ten o'clock.  I stayed in my room where I pried open my eyes with toothpicks and read until the girls (I had an unaccompanied girl - no parent with her - in our room) returned and we could go to bed.  All three of us were out by eleven.