New York in a Nutshell

Tuesday 5/12/17

Yesterday was a fairly busy day so we decided to relax today… NAT. No time for relaxing when you have a city to see and an itinerary to follow. First up was the financial district. Rory, like the intrepid traveller he is, managed to navigate the NYC subway (which is actually pretty confusing) and in no time at all we were charging towards the Charging Bull. Unlike the many tourists who were clambering all over the bull, I was more interested in the Fearless Girl.

Installed in March of this year the sculpture was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors to advertise an index fund that comprises gender-diverse companies that have a higher percentage of women in their senior leadership positions. She’s come under criticism with State Street being accused of “corporate imaging” and a number of men, including the Charging Bull’s creator, have asked that she be removed. She was meant to be there for a week, she’s now been given a year and I completely echo the sentiments of Mayor de Blasio who tweeted that “men who don’t like women taking up space are exactly why we need the Fearless Girl.” Whatever the motive, I say let her stay and let every little girl stand beside her with her hands on her hips and a smile of defiance on her face.

We made our way to Wall Street which is literally a street, had a look around and then headed to the sea front that we followed to Battery Park. The wind picked up, the waves were crashing on to the promenade and we caught our first proper glimpse of Lady Liberty. Not content with this fleeting glimpse we boarded the ferry and set off for a close up. Despite the rough sea and the grey clouds, we got a good view of lower Manhattan and in no time at all we were disembarking and heading towards the lady herself.

Dedicated in 1886, she was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. Representing Libertas, a Roman liberty goddess, she holds a torch in her right hand, tablets noting the date of the Declaration of Independence in her left, broken chains lie at her feet and for the millions of arriving immigrants she represented freedom. There’s an interesting museum located in the bottom of the pedestal that details the design, construction and relocation on the statue. It certainly wasn’t easy and money was tight – so much so that a fundraising campaign began. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer promised to print the name of every contributor in his newspaper the New York Work, no matter how small the donation. People from all over America sent what they could and cent by cent the money was raised and the pedestal completed.

Naturally our booking was so last minute that we weren’t able to go up the crown (only a limited number are allowed up each day following the 9/11 attacks) but we went to the top of the pedestal and this was probably high enough for Mr “I’m not afraid of heights, I just don’t like the wind” Rory. To be fair, I almost had a wobbler climbing the stairs but the view was worth it. We also caught a glimpse of Ellis Island which was our next stop on the ferry.

The admission to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is all included in the ferry ticket and it is so worth it. Ellis island in particular is vast. It details the history of migration from the very first visitors to present day. We spent quite a lot of time looking around each exhibit and I would recommend a few hours – there really is so much to see and read! It’s hard to comprehend the number of people who passed through this little island and made their way across the country in the hope of a better life. There are first person accounts of the mixed emotions people felt as they arrived, leaving everything and everyone they knew behind.

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From Battery Park we made our way to the 9/11 memorial. Located at the World Trade Centre site, the twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. They sit within the footprints of the Twin Towers and contain the names of every person who died in the 1993 and 2001 attacks. Despite their size which could be considered imposing, they are simple and peaceful and really quite beautiful. We spent some time reading the names and trying to make sense of what happened sixteen years ago. The memorial is also home to the 9/11 museum which we planned to visit later on in the day so we grabbed some lunch at Shake Shack, explored Tribeca and eventually made our way back for our timed entry.

In total we spent around three hours in the museum and I can honestly say it is the best museum I have been to. There was a perfect mix of information and emotion. Rory and I both felt that there was a certain nearness to the events that we haven’t experienced before. We have been to some emotional and defining historic sites across the world but they were somewhat removed, having occurred before we born or when we were too young to fully understand the significance. The events of 9/11 are so recent and at the time, so all encompassing. I distinctly remember coming home from school and seeing the news on TV. I remember the days that followed and how every conversation centred on the events in America. We have followed the hunt for Bin Laden and watched as America rebuilt the area, the city and I suppose the country.

The museum is full of first hand footage and accounts of the day. There are so many stories and personal accounts from the day. Some of the most moving have to be the answerphone messages from the passengers on the plane to their loved ones. One particular story of a paraplegic man named John Abruzzo comes to mind. Dependent on a powered wheelchair, John was on the 69^th floor. Despite urging his colleagues to go on without him, they used an Evac+Chair to carry him down the stairwell and to the lobby where they lifted him through a broken widow shortly before the building collapsed. While at times I may disagree with the American approach, be it their choice of President, the current stance on gun control measures or their inability to correctly pronounce aluminium, I cannot fault the bravery of the people of New York city on that day. I have such respect for the first responders and for the normal people who did everything they could and risked their lives to help not only their colleagues and friends, but complete strangers.

Leaving the museum, we encounter some torrential rain, took shelter in the World Trade Centre station, stopped off in Wendy’s for a quick Frosty and finally made it back to the hotel. It was a long day and while we only explored a small part of the city, we had such a varied and interesting day - we really did get to see the essence of New York and  it is a day I will never forget. I cannot recommend the National September 11^th Memorial & Museum enough – if you do one thing in New York, visit this extraordinary place and listen to the extraordinary stories - it truly is a must see.