The next day we went at a more leisurely place. We had the hotel shuttle take us to the train station and took the subway down to Trinity Church. It is a massive church at the end of Wall St. It's kind of disappointing to see these churches diminished by skyscrapers surrounding them.
We walked up to the World Trade Center site. I'd been there back in 2004 and it looked quite different. Before it was still so raw and only an excavated hole and you could really feel what happened there but now it looks like any other construction project. We both recounted our tales of where we were on September 11 and it's hard to believe I was only a sophomore in high school when that happened. We walked around Wall St. where all the business men in their fancy suits and shiny suits were running around.
Above: Note that the street sign says Wall St.
American Stock exchange above and New York Stock Exchange below. I didn't really catch what the difference was between the two.
I would have loved to go into the Stock Exchange and see all the activity but I don't think it's allowed. Right across from the New York Stock Exchange was Federal Hall (another NPS site). Federal Hall has a statue of George Washington outside and it is where he took his oath.
I may not love massive cities but there's something to be said for the history of New York that is evident in many of its buildings. However, something is lost in translation when there is a Walgreen's or Subway on the ground floor. We walked up to the Brooklyn Bridge which was very cool. We walked out on it and I was very impressed and enjoyed reading the plaques with all the information.
We got on the subway and went up to Chinatown for lunch. I wasn't sure what subway stop to get off on but as soon as we took a whiff we knew we were in the right spot. We wandered around trying to find a place and ended up in Little Italy. It was funny how the atmosphere (and smells) completely changed in the span of a block. We didn't want to be too exotic so we settled on sweet and sour chicken and sesame chicken. It was very good and very filling. We sat near the window and I was a bit peeved at all the children running up and staring at me eating. Creepy. We then met up with a friend of Jess' from high school in Central Park. We saw the Alice in Wonderland statue and the Balto statue and I recognized several sites from the movie Enchanted.
I have no idea what those statues had to do with New York or Central Park but there they are. It was getting late in the day and the light was very nice and the park looked beautiful.
The last time I was in Central Park I couldn't stand the smell of all the horses plodding around but there's not nearly as many horses in the winter so I enjoyed it much more. It was nice to see trees again and not feel penned in by buildings.
We walked up to the World Trade Center site. I'd been there back in 2004 and it looked quite different. Before it was still so raw and only an excavated hole and you could really feel what happened there but now it looks like any other construction project. We both recounted our tales of where we were on September 11 and it's hard to believe I was only a sophomore in high school when that happened. We walked around Wall St. where all the business men in their fancy suits and shiny suits were running around. 
Above: Note that the street sign says Wall St.
American Stock exchange above and New York Stock Exchange below. I didn't really catch what the difference was between the two.
I would have loved to go into the Stock Exchange and see all the activity but I don't think it's allowed. Right across from the New York Stock Exchange was Federal Hall (another NPS site). Federal Hall has a statue of George Washington outside and it is where he took his oath. 
I may not love massive cities but there's something to be said for the history of New York that is evident in many of its buildings. However, something is lost in translation when there is a Walgreen's or Subway on the ground floor. We walked up to the Brooklyn Bridge which was very cool. We walked out on it and I was very impressed and enjoyed reading the plaques with all the information. 
We got on the subway and went up to Chinatown for lunch. I wasn't sure what subway stop to get off on but as soon as we took a whiff we knew we were in the right spot. We wandered around trying to find a place and ended up in Little Italy. It was funny how the atmosphere (and smells) completely changed in the span of a block. We didn't want to be too exotic so we settled on sweet and sour chicken and sesame chicken. It was very good and very filling. We sat near the window and I was a bit peeved at all the children running up and staring at me eating. Creepy. We then met up with a friend of Jess' from high school in Central Park. We saw the Alice in Wonderland statue and the Balto statue and I recognized several sites from the movie Enchanted. 
I have no idea what those statues had to do with New York or Central Park but there they are. It was getting late in the day and the light was very nice and the park looked beautiful. 
The last time I was in Central Park I couldn't stand the smell of all the horses plodding around but there's not nearly as many horses in the winter so I enjoyed it much more. It was nice to see trees again and not feel penned in by buildings.
No comments:
Post a Comment