|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Our
family trip to New
York City | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | <<click on the photos for a larger view of the picture>> This was the Tucker family's big trip to New York. There wasn't much advance planning because we wanted to let the city guide us. The main stops on our schedule were going to be a trip to Ground Zero, (the World Trade Center area), on Saturday and a Mets baseball game on Sunday. Other than these two preplanned stops, we were going to let New York be our guide.
We arrived in Manhattan mid-afternoon on Friday via yellow taxi cab with Katie bravely taking the front seat. She announced after a rather mellow ride into midtown that she didn't want to ride in the front seat of a cab again. We had originally been scheduled to arrive on Friday evening, but were able to take an earlier flight, leaving Winston-Salem around noon. After getting settled in our rooms at the New York Hilton, Andrew, Katie and I stopped by the Theater Ticket desk to see if there were any specials for the evening. The specials they were offering didn't seem like specials at all and Katie was disappointed when it appeared we would not be attending a Broadway show during this visit. I had other plans. We headed out of the hotel and hadn't gone a city block before we stopped for our first of many New York hot dog on a street corner.
Soon we were in Times Square where the first stop was the TKTS ticket booth and the discounted day-of-show theater tickets. We saw that Beauty and the Beast tickets were available for that night at a 50 percent discount. We ended up with Orchestra tickets. Now it was time to explore the square and we encountered our first "street entertainer." The street entertainers proved to be one of Andrew's favorite things on this trip. The first one was a "silver" mime, who wasn't exactly impressed with our offering, but he got over it fairly quickly. Then there was the cowboy standing in the middle of Times Square wearing cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, a guitar and his whitey-tightie skivies. He was either promoting a play or just being New York weird. You make the call.
We had told Andrew and Katie about the huge FAO Schwartz toy store in New York, but we also encountered the mega Toys R Us store in Times Square. This store is so large that it has a working Ferris wheel built right into the lobby of the store. After taking a ride on the Ferris Wheel we checked out the entire store, but held off on purchases until the invasion of FAO. However, it was hard for Andrew to pass up the huge Spiderman display. After wandering around Times Square for a while we decided it would be a good idea to have dinner at ESPN Zone and hang out in Times Square until it was time to head to the Theater. Following the show we walked up Fifth Avenue where Katie spotted Sak's Fifth Avenue (thankfully it was closed) and we stopped in front of Rockefeller Center for a photo before heading back to the hotel for the evening.
On Saturday we got a special treat. A friend of ours had arranged for a New York City fireman to meet us at the hotel and personally escort us to Ground Zero. Thanks to Patrick Cleary for taking the time to show us around the World Trade Center area and for the special VIP treatment. He took us on the roof of Ladder 10, Engine 10, the firehouse built to protect the World Trade Center. From this vantage point we were directly beside Ground Zero and were looking directly at the final iron beam that was to cut down soon, signaling the end of the recovery operation. Being inside the firehouse was very solemn, This station lost several of its members in the attack and there was a small memorial to the firefighters posted there as well. Pat shared his recollections of that day and what it meant to be a firefighter in New York during this time. He recalled what it was like coming across the Brooklyn bridge while New Yorkers were fleeing across on foot and what it was like and what it sounded like when the buildings came tumbling down. He said fate had a lot to do with whether you lived or died that day. Firefighters who were able to exit the building and turned left lived and those who turned right did not. The firemen had lost communications inside the building when one of the towers collapsed, knocking out their radio system in lower Manhattan. Firefighters who encountered police officers escaping the building had a better chance. The police were receiving word from aerial support telling them the second tower was listing and they should evacuate As we stood on the roof of Ladder10, Engine 10 we saw damaged buildings all around us. There was a building to our left that must have been 50 stories tall. It was draped in a black construction material and Pat said the building had been determined to be structurally sound, but it looked like a giant monster had shoved his foot right through the middle of the building. You could also see where the construction workers were builiding a new tunnel for the New York subway system. Across the site was the Verizion Communications building, which was heavily damaged and not yet reoccupied.
When we left the firehouse we went to another area on the site where construction had built a monument to those who lost their lives in the tragedy. Recovery workers had found a piece of steel in the rubble that resembled a cross. They used this piece of steel to built the monument which has become an altar for the families of those lost in the WTC. We were able to visit this monument up close on our early morning tour and stood beside the make-shift altar rescue workers had established in this area. On our way to the cross we passed a building that firemen had painted the word "triage" on with spray paint the day of the attack. Pat said the building was never used as a triage center. There wasn't the need for triage. After leaving the World Trade Center Ground Zero area we headed to Battery Park and our trip to the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately because of the events of 9-11 you can no longer go inside the statue. We were concerned that because of heightened security over the Memorial Day weekend that you would not be able to get onto the Statute of Liberty grounds either. Fortunately that was not the case.
We bought our tickets for the ferry ride over to the statue island and began the hour wait to get onto the ferry. Here we encountered more street entertainment during our wait. Thanks to these guys for helping to make the time pass quickly. Again Andrew was impressed by their abilities to entertain us. We had to pass through a processing area before going to the ferry boarding area. This was much like going through the security screening at an airport, but more intense.
In addition to passing our carry-ons through the magnetometer, we passed through the face recognition process. Luckily we were not detected as criminals! And then in addition to passing our bags through the security screener we also had to remove watches, belts, glasses and anything in your pockets. That was a little overkill in my opinion. I don't think I could put anything dangerous in the frames of my eyeglasses, but that's our government for you. You could see the heightened security presence, both at the statue of Liberty and in the ferry boarding area. You also saw what appeared to be military patrol boats and a Navy Seal team in the water as well. You couldn't tell from a distance, but there was some kind of small military-looking boat hanging around the larger patrol boat.
Upon returning from the Statute of Liberty we decided to walk back to the Ground Zero area to solemnly take in this area one more time. Now it's time for our first subway ride of the trip. We got our tokens and were standing on a platform for the ride back to midtown when Andrew advised that he had seen only lettered trains coming and going. We were trying to hop a ride on the No. 1 train to Penn Station. The tourist now asked for directions and found out we were at the wrong platform.
Once we got the subway ride figured out we were off to the Empire State building. We were lucky. It was a beautiful clear day and you could see about 25 miles from the observation deck of the Empire State Building, but first you had to wait. It was about an hour wait for tickets to get to the top and then about another 30 minute wait for the elevator to get there, but it was worth it. The temperature change was dramatic. It was warm on the ground, but once you stepped outside on the 86th floor, it was windy and cold. We worked our way around all four sides of the building. The West side of the building was warm. To prove it really is a small world, we met someone from neighboring Greensboro while in line at the ESB. After our view from up high we made what was supposed to be a quick run through Macy's. I said this was supposed to be a quick trip through the department store famous for the Thanksgiving Day parade. Andrew and I were waiting for Suzy and Katie rather than working our way through the Junior department when we discovered Katie was getting her first makeover...and it was at the cosmetic counter in Macy's Department Store in New York. It doesn't get any better than this for a teenager from North Carolina. After emerging from Macy's we're dog tired and it's late so we decide to take a cab back to the hotel. I am directed to the front seat.
Sunday is an easy day. We take the subway to Queens and Shea Stadium. We didn't have any problems with the subway this time. We walked from our hotel to the subway station at Times Square. I say we didn't have any subway problems, but if I were being honest I would tell you that we asked someone on the train if it was headed in the right direction before boarding. I am sure they were saying something about tourists under their breath.
On the way to the subway station we encountered a flea market...New York style. Seventh avenue had been blocked off and was filled with vendors and people. I am sure these are some of the same vendors who were selling their wares from briefcases and rolling boxes the night before. Katie purchased a quilted handbag from one of these fine salesman. It's supposedly a knockoff of some kind of high priced designer bag. She knew exactly what is was supposed to be. Me, I was lost in the confusion.
On the way to Shea Stadium the train travels through the international neighborhoods of New York (the subway is now above ground) and we got to see the handiwork of the New York graffiti painters.
The Mets shutout the Florida Marlins in the game, batting around and scoring their only three runs in the first inning. Traveling back into the city we decided to disembark from the subway at Grand Central Station. There are more than 100 train tracks in this station! Inside the terminal there was a display of the postings families had placed around the Ground Zero area looking for their family members.
We left the train station and headed down Park Avenue with a stop at the Waldorf-Astoria. We wanted to show Katie and Andrew the lobby of this famous hotel. Suzy and I have stayed there many times and the kids have heard us refer fondly to this hotel.
From the Waldorf was a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Katie was particularly impressed with this landmark church. An organist was giving a recital while we wandered through the cathedral. From St. Patrick's it was on to one of Andrew's favorite stops....the NBA store on Fifth Avenue. There is a full-size half-court basketball court in the store and Andrew got into his first game of New York street basketball in the NBA Store. The NBA store was closing, so the employees were urging is to leave, so we continued down Fifth Avenue and stopped in front of the Plaza Hotel where more street entertainers amused Andrew. From the Plaza we headed towards Central Park and walked through the Park for a while before deciding to turn around and take the subway back to our hotel. We decided to take it easy on Sunday evening and settle back in the hotel rooms. I then went out to Seventh Avenue and found Ray's Pizza for a genuine New York pizza, which we enjoyed back at the hotel.
Monday was reserved for the grand adventure to FAO Schwartz, an experience that took most of the morning. Andrew and Katie were enthralled by this most famous toy store and negotiated for advance birthday gifts. In fact there were so many purchases that we had to purchase an additional suitcase in order to get everything home. I, of course, suggested we have the store ship it to us in North Carolina, but no one in my party was going to have any part of this. Safely emerging from FAO (although a bit poorer) we headed back up Fifth Avenue for another stop in the NBA store (I bet you can imagine who drove this decision) and the headed to one of Katie's favorite stops...Sak's Fifth Avenue. The run through Sak's was fairly brief. Andrew and I took stations by the front door while Suzy and Katie roamed each of the 10 floors in yet another New York department store landmark After a walk through Rockefeller Center (the International flags have been changed to all American flags to celebrate Memorial Day) we decide to go back to the hotel and drop the packages. We're now going to take another mode of New York mass transit. We take the city bus to the USS Intrepid Air and Space Museum. It's Fleet Week in New York and there are several U.S. Navy ships docked at the 12th avenue piers. Many of the Navy ships were open to the public. Unfortunately the lines had been cut off by the time we arrived. We talked to many of the sailors we saw on the streets of New York during the course of the weekend. For some reason the enlisted men seemed much more approachable than the officers did. Naturally I was playing 1,000 questions with any of the groups we were conversing with.
The Intrepid also had a memorial to 9-11, and in fact the once retired aircraft carrier was pressed back into service after the attack when it became the FBI's home during the investigation. There is a mural in the hangar bay that had originally been painted to hang inside the World Trade Center. It now serves as the background to the memorial honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack. There is also a display showing what the streets around the WTC must have looked like when they were covered with dust, debris and rubble on September 11. We caught another city bus back towards Times Square for our final night walk through the square. The trip actually served the mission of purchasing the additional luggage. After the purchase it was back to the hotel to begin assembling our bags for the trip home on Tuesday.
On Tuesday morning Katie and I made the trip to Rockefeller Center to stand among the faithful outside the Today show. We didn't make it on the show, but Al Roker did come by and shake her hand. At the end of the show the entire Today Show staff/cast came outside for a brief appearance, but we didn't a chance to get up close and personal with anyone other than Roker.
When we returned to the hotel Andrew was ready to go to Madam Tussaud's Wax Museum in (you guessed it) Times Square, so we headed back to familiar territory (and the 15 block walk). The statues inside the museum are so life-like that you almost catch yourself apologizing for stepping in front of someone. Andrew's favorites, of course, were the sports stars and Katie liked the television and movie celebrities. Andrew took my picture standing beside George Bush, my favorite. After a quick second trip through waxland we hustled back to the hotel to grab our things and head to the airport. I wanted to leave plenty of time since I didn't know what the traffic would be like or how cumbersome the security checkpoint at the airport would be. At the front door of the hotel we had our choice of taking another yellow taxi cab, or for a few dollars more, a stretch limousine. I opted for the stretch. We are now beginning to come back down to earth and soon we would be back to reality and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. For some reason the pace seemed some much slower when we hit the city limits of our town. I think we all agreed that slower was better.
I can't put my finger on it, but this was the best trip I have ever had in New York. I guess it was because I was with my family and we had no schedule. At the same time New York seemed different. I think there may have been some good out of 9-11 after all, New York seems to have a different attitude these days. A change for the better. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
