New York, New York! (Day 1-2)

June 20-26, 2012

New York City!!! This trip was taken by my cousin, Allison, and me. We had a Delta flight out of Detroit to LaGuardia. Once landing at LaGuardia, we had to wait about 10 minutes for a gate, which seems to be a regular occurrence. The luggage was quick to arrive at baggage claim – by the time we exited the plane, used the restroom, and walked to baggage claim it was there. For the first time ever, the airport had someone checking your ticket with the luggage tags! Next came the fun part…waiting in the taxi cue for a taxi. The line was pretty long, but we finally got our taxi and headed to our designation. A word of caution - be sure to only take a taxi from the taxi cue! There are “gypsy” or unlicensed cabs that solicit at airports and other areas where getting a taxi is difficult. “Gypsy” drivers typically give you an upfront rate, only to then change it once you are riding.

We stayed with another cousin and her husband for our entire stay – which was nice since we do not see them often and it saved us some money. They live in Lower Manhattan, the Tribeca neighborhood – which is an acronym based on “Triangle below Canal Street”.

June 21, 2012

9/11 Memorial Site

The morning started out with a trip to the 9/11 Memorial. Note – you will need to get tickets in advance (timed reservation), which is not a big deal at all in the morning. The place to get tickets is a few blocks away from where to enter the 9/11 site (at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site), or you can order them online prior to your visit. The ticket is free, but they would really like a donation, which will be used to develop and sustain, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Of course, once you get to the tour location you must go through security. The lines were not too long and they were just the standard metal detectors. Currently, you can observe two waterfalls and reflecting pools, which each are one acre in size and stand within the original footprints of the original twin towers. There are many trees planted in the plaza, along with the lone surviving tree from 9/11.  There is a 9/11 Memorial Museum under construction in the plaza.

St. Paul's Chapel

The next stop was the St. Paul’s Chapel, which escaped destruction when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed across the street. Many of the workers that helped with 9/11 spent there down time at the church receiving care and resting. The chapel (1766) is Manhattan’s oldest public building in continuous use. Back in the day, George Washington worshiped in the facility. The chapel now serves as a museum and as a place of worship. There was some exterior renovation work occurring during our visit.

Trinity Church

The journey was continued to Trinity Church, which like St. Paul’s is undergoing renovations. The church is in Gothic Revival architecture. The church that stands there now is the third Trinity Church to be constructed at the site. The first was built in 1698 and was destroyed in a fire; the second was opened in 1790, but was torn down after being weakened in severe snow storms during the winter of 1838-1839. The current church, when built in 1846, was the highest point in New York.

Charging Bull

The next planned destination was the Federal Building, but along the way we stopped at the Charging Bull (a.k.a Wall Street Bull or Bowling Green Bull), which was surrounded by foreign tourists that were rather rude. After waiting a bit we were able to get some photos of the Charging Bull.  It is said that the bull is a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity. Per the artist, Arturo Di Modica, there are five editions of the bull. In 2010 a similar Charging Bull was installed in Shanghi and in 2012 on was placed in Het Beursplein, Amsterdam. After seeing the bull, we had lunch at a nearby Cosi restaurant. It was okay and less than $10.

Federal Hall NM

Federal Hall National Memorial was a bit of a disappointment.  A tour is offered, and we took it. The tour was a joke. It lasted about five minutes and the guide just explained the history of the site, which you could have read and learned a lot more information about the site. I would recommend on visiting the hall whenever it convenient and not wait around for the tour.  The original hall was built in 1700’s as New York’s City Hall, later served as the first capitol building of the United States of America under the Constitution, and was also the site of George Washington’s inauguration.  The current building was constructed in 1842, as the Customs House and is in Greek Revival architecture. The Independent Treasury System was established at the hall in 1862 and the Federal Reserve System in 1913. There are displays throughout the hall, some which are interesting – like the bible that George Washington was sworn in on. You should probably allow about an hour to see and read everything at the site.

African Burial Grounds NM

The last planned destination for the day was the African Burial Grounds National Monument. You must go through security at this location. The site was not very busy at all the time we were there. There is a drinking fountain available at this site (Federal Hall did not have any working ones). There is a 20-minute film available to watch, which they will show if you request them to. The film was very informative and there were many nice displays available within the facility to observe. There is also an outdoor portion at this site. The outdoor area is just around the corner from the building and represents a portion of the area where bodies were unearthed back in the 1990’s. The bodies found on site dated back from the 17^th or 18^th century. There is a neat sculpture with different symbols of faith and African heritage. An hour would be adequate time to see and read everything that the site offers.

We headed back to the apartment to relax and get out of the heat. Later in the evening, we went to Blue Smoke for dinner. We were able to walk up and get a table right away, despite the fact that the place was very busy. Blue Smoke serves mostly BBQ food. I had the pulled pork platter and Allison had the Texas Salt and Pepper Beef Ribs. I thought my meal was just okay, but Allison really liked what she ordered. It was about $50 for the both of us, without getting drinks, but including tip.