The Statue of Liberty is THE symbol of freedom for our country. We took the subway to Battery Park and bought our tickets. We waited for over two hours to board Miss Liberty, the ferry to Ellis Island & the Statue...but the wait was pleasant because we ate hot dogs & honey-roasted nuts from carts parked right next to the line. Sweet! There was a group of paramedics from France in line with us and we enjoyed hearing them discussing whatever they were discussing in French. Anything in French sounds great. We finally got through security, which is just like airport security, and boarded the boat for the tour. Awesome! It was a windy day and we were both a little queasy from the motion of the boat and the hot dogs, but we were happy to have experienced the Statue of Liberty up close.
After refilling our MetroCard (more on that later), we hopped on the subway again and rode up to the site of Ground Zero. I really can't describe how it feels to be there. We watched people rushing by and most of them don't even look over at the giant hole that Shelly and I couldn't take our eyes off of. There is a church with a cemetary right across the street. In the days after the Towers fell, St. Peter's Church became a refuge for those wanting to leave flowers at the gate and a place where firefighters and police officers could rest and find comfort. There is a memorial inside the church where friends and family members leave photos and personal objects in memory of those who lost their lives that day. The National 9/11 Memorial is under construction, as well as a new World Trade Center tower. Cranes and construction everywhere.
Ground Zero cranes
9/11 memorial inside St. Peter's church
St. Peter's church
rebuilding at Ground Zero
There is a cross about a half block from Ground Zero, an iron crossbeam found in the rubble. It was temporarily located to its present location and will be moved after completion of the Memorial.
Literally a stone's throw from Ground Zero (and in view of the new tower being constructed), is the controversial mosque site. I could not stop myself from walking over there. It is guarded by NYPD. Our country was founded on freedom of religion and the mosque issue will resolve with this principle being upheld, but I don't believe the motive for this proposed mosque site is based on religion. I accept that not everyone will agree, but a religion truly based on love and having the intention of promoting peace and healing would choose another site.
proposed Ground Zero mosque site
After leaving the Ground Zero area, we took the subway to Greenwich Village to buy Firefighter calendars (you gotta see these guys!) and visited one of the FDNY stations. The door to the firehouse that is home to Squad 18 was painted to commemorate the U.S. bicentennial in 1976. Many stations painted their doors, but this one is the only FDNY station to still have their bicentennial door. Shelly and I came bearing gifts of hats & t-shirts from our North Lake Tahoe Fire/Rescue guys. They welcomed us and opened their door and took pictures of us with their truck!
Squad 18 truck
Guys receive gifts from North Lake Tahoe Fire/Rescue
Squad 18 lost seven firefighters on 9/11
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OK...let's get back to the aforementioned MetroCard. I have a bone to pick with the NYC Transit Authority. The fare for one ride is $2.25. When you buy a MetroCard with multiple rides, there is always $0.20-$0.50 leftover on the card - not enough for another ride. Not a bad deal for the New Yorker who will refill the MetroCard until the "leftovers" add up to another ride...but a rip-off for the visitors who won't use up those leftovers. The city is making some nice pocket change on the leftovers. I'm just sayin'.
Our last day ended with dinner at Lavo, but that is another story. You will have to talk to us in person to get those details!
