Ground Zero
Had a great time with my sister. Went to the shore, Reading Terminal Market, a family dinner and NYC to see the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. Taking a 5 y/old to NYC was quite an adventure. I had no idea that it would be so difficult because my girlies and me..well..we go everywhere together. But it was hard for the 5 y/old. We drove to Liberty State Park in Jersey City, caught the Ferry to the Statue and then to Battery Park to see the eternal flame and sphere. I had no idea that the sphere was there and it is not to be missed.
I haven't been to NYC since 9/11 and we have all been wanting to see Ground Zero. I'm not sure why but it's a personal need to see it. We have been there in the towers. We watched the attacks and watched the buildings come down. We sent whatever aid we could to the rescuers, the survivors and the victims families. We prayed and watched the cleanup. I was personally offended by the attacks, and enraged.
It's hard to describe the scene. It's hard to size it up. It's 6 stories deep and 4 acres of utter destruction that has been cleaned up. The subway running right through that hole. The cut steel foundation supports dotting the sides of it. It's huge but it doesn't look that huge until you see the stairwell over on one side and a set of doors on another. They look tiny and then you realize how huge it is. It smelled odd. There were hundreds of people with us there and many languages could be heard. Subdued and sober. Many people just quietly staring. I have the utmost respect and feel gratitude to the people who cleaned it up. Respectfully separating the human from the steel and broken glass. God. What a hard, hard thing to do.
We left in a bit of a funk. Agitated. Well - the sun was getting close to the horizon and we had no idea where the water taxi place was. How were we going to get to the other side of the Hudson?! We walked to North Cove and it was beautiful. What a beautiful place, parks and playgrounds - just wonderful. We walked for what felt like a mile or two and found the Water Taxi. I loved the Water Taxi - and so did the 5 y/old (and the 8 y/old and the two other 40-somethings)! It was fast, it only cost 5 bucks and the kids rode free. Bada-bing-bada-boom - on the Jersey side in no time. Our funk was cured with a cold beer and some grub and we were on the road back to Philly.
Now that I know about the Water Taxi - I will go to NYC more often. I'm scared to death to drive in Manhatten - not that driving in Philly or north Jersey is a piece of cake...
I feel bad about the 5 y/old. She was very whiny and didn't want to hold hands. She wanted to be carried everywhere, which is out of the question with our old backs and legs. She wasn't too fascinated with the Statue - but she was fascinated that someone spit gum onto the side of the ferry and wanted to take a picture of it. LOL! At the eternal flame and sphere in Battery Park she thought that she could just take a beautiful picture and poem that someone had left in remembrance. Couldn't understand the flowers left in the fence around Ground Zero. It had to be explained that many innocent people were killed that day and the people who love them and miss them leave something that has to stay there to show that they are not forgotten. They will never be forgotten.
I haven't been to NYC since 9/11 and we have all been wanting to see Ground Zero. I'm not sure why but it's a personal need to see it. We have been there in the towers. We watched the attacks and watched the buildings come down. We sent whatever aid we could to the rescuers, the survivors and the victims families. We prayed and watched the cleanup. I was personally offended by the attacks, and enraged.
It's hard to describe the scene. It's hard to size it up. It's 6 stories deep and 4 acres of utter destruction that has been cleaned up. The subway running right through that hole. The cut steel foundation supports dotting the sides of it. It's huge but it doesn't look that huge until you see the stairwell over on one side and a set of doors on another. They look tiny and then you realize how huge it is. It smelled odd. There were hundreds of people with us there and many languages could be heard. Subdued and sober. Many people just quietly staring. I have the utmost respect and feel gratitude to the people who cleaned it up. Respectfully separating the human from the steel and broken glass. God. What a hard, hard thing to do.
We left in a bit of a funk. Agitated. Well - the sun was getting close to the horizon and we had no idea where the water taxi place was. How were we going to get to the other side of the Hudson?! We walked to North Cove and it was beautiful. What a beautiful place, parks and playgrounds - just wonderful. We walked for what felt like a mile or two and found the Water Taxi. I loved the Water Taxi - and so did the 5 y/old (and the 8 y/old and the two other 40-somethings)! It was fast, it only cost 5 bucks and the kids rode free. Bada-bing-bada-boom - on the Jersey side in no time. Our funk was cured with a cold beer and some grub and we were on the road back to Philly.
Now that I know about the Water Taxi - I will go to NYC more often. I'm scared to death to drive in Manhatten - not that driving in Philly or north Jersey is a piece of cake...
I feel bad about the 5 y/old. She was very whiny and didn't want to hold hands. She wanted to be carried everywhere, which is out of the question with our old backs and legs. She wasn't too fascinated with the Statue - but she was fascinated that someone spit gum onto the side of the ferry and wanted to take a picture of it. LOL! At the eternal flame and sphere in Battery Park she thought that she could just take a beautiful picture and poem that someone had left in remembrance. Couldn't understand the flowers left in the fence around Ground Zero. It had to be explained that many innocent people were killed that day and the people who love them and miss them leave something that has to stay there to show that they are not forgotten. They will never be forgotten.
posted by Grizzly Mama | 23:35
10 Comments:
I really want to go there, too, and your post reinforced that desire. Just have to wait for a business trip to the area, but there's nothing specific on the horizon.
I don't think driving in Manhattan is all that bad. It's no worse than Philly or DC, and not nearly as bad as Boston.
I am so glad that we went Abe and I hope that you get an opportunity soon.
I usually skirt waaaayyy around Boston when I drive up north. As I was checking out the streets and traffic in Manhatten I was thinking that it was quite like Philly. We've driven in DC several times....so. What's stopping me?!
The only thing that we have to fear is stopping me, I guess. Fear. Of course.
So glad to hear that the IFC will not be allowed at Ground Zero.
Thanks for sharing that... I hope you post some photos (not of the gum on the boat).
I used to drive all over Manhatten, it was FUN! I didn't do it much downtown during the day, solid gridlock.
But at night you get on the wide Avenues and bob and weave around all the doubleparked cars.
I had a game where I could go from Washington Square to Central Park on 6th Avenue without stopping... Made it once or twice without killing anyone.
Put up a photo for you on my main page.
I will post a photo or two when I get the film developed. We forgot the digital camera so we had to take pics the old fashioned way. I Promise - no gum pics.
And thank God the stupid, communist-inspired "International Freedom Center" has been nixed from Ground Zero by Pataki, and they've folded up their tent and dissolved in a big pout, yeah!
Indeed!
Sounds like you had a great time. When Krip and I went to NYC two years ago (combined honeymoon and visiting British Embassy for visa), we went to Ground Zero. It was so weird because there was just nothing there. Very empty...and that's how we left, feeling very empty.
I'd like to go there again. The last time I was there was in 1975. Donna and I delivered a load of household goods to an apartment on W. 26th street. We were leased to Bekins Van Lines. We came across George Washington Bridge and had to go down Broadway through Manhatten. There was a garbage collectors strike on at the time and the road was very narrow between piles of garbage! It took almost two hours to get from 178th to 26th.
I'm hoping that we all made a small difference in their nixing of the "Int'l Freedom Center".
Alice - we all sort of felt down afterward, too.
CA - I remember hearing about the garbage strike - man - that must have been a terrible, stinking MESS! It's a beautiful city now. Much cleaner compared to Philly. (which isn't saying much, I concede)
Tshsmom - I think that we must have contributed something by standing with the 9/11 families. I'm SO glad that the IFC is history. Actually I wouldn't care if they wanted the IFC somewhere else - just not Ground Zero.
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