It was time for the Subway.... We quickly figured out the ticket purchasing, and made our way to the correct train.
Our first stop was the Staten Island Ferry to do a Statue of Liberty drive by...
The view as we pulled away from port...
And there she is!
We sat/stood on the upper deck... it was nice and breezy and had amazing views!
(Meridith & Mom)
Luckily, we were able to get off the ferry, walk up to the station, go back in, and board the same ferry we came on so we didn't have to wait for the next trip... it was a quick turnaround!!!
A quick photo op with the 3 sisters...
and then a nap...
We got off the ferry and then walked toward Wall Street... along the way, we came upon a large bull in the street, where tons of people were standing and posing with it's backside.. so we thought... WHY NOT?
The history behind the bull via wikipedia...
Charging Bull, which is sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a 3,200 kilograms (7,100 lb) bronze sculpture by Arturo Di Modica that stands in Bowling Green Park near Wall Street in Manhattan, New York City. Standing 11 feet (3.4 m) tall[1] and measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) long,[2] the oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination which draws thousands of people a day, as well as "one of the most iconic images of New York"[3] and a "Wall Street icon"[4] symbolizing "Wall Street" and the Financial District.
...I would also like to note that rubbing the nose, horns and testicles of this bull are said to give you good luck! However, we only made it to the bull's backside.
Our story... there were so many people waiting to take their picture with the backside of this bull, that we had to plan our attack for our opportunity... Angie came diving in from behind the legs, and Meridith and I dove in near the um... backside. Crazy thing, while Mom was struggling to get up front to take our picture, I kid you not, the number of cameras that came out and started taking our picture was freakishly scary. Did we resemble celebrities? Possibly. Or perhaps they just heard the Wilson girls were in NYC, and they just happened to be so lucky to see us in the Financial District.
Watch for our photos to soon be appearing on buses all over Asia....
Up next, Wall Street...
I sent a little text message to Nick, telling him not to worry if he sees any unusual activity on our credit cards, we were just doing a little shopping at Tiffany's... his response:
The credit cards have been cancelled.. effective immediately.
Ground Zero was our next stop.
The morning of 9/11, I was in surgery watching an appendectomy as a nursing student when the surgeon asked one of his nurses to turn up the radio. We then heard the announcement that a plane had flown into the first tower. After the surgery was complete, our nursing instructor sent us home, where I proceeded to be glued to the TV for the next several days.
Back then we were still dating.... Nick was stationed at Quantico, but was scheduled to be visiting the Pentagon that morning, so of course after hearing about the plane hitting the pentagon, I began to panick. Fortuntately for him, there were not enough buses to take the group of Marines that were scheduled to go on the trip, so they cancelled their Pentagon trip. It was several hours before I heard from him later that day.
Where were you on 9/11?
There was a lot of construction going on at the site, so it was fenced off.... but we spoke with one of the workers, and he was nice enough to fill us in on what was going on.
The tower farthest to the right was built after 9/11. They started building it 7 years ago and it was completed 3 years ago. The building to it's left is going to be the new Tower #1, if I remember correctly.
It was humbling to stand on that sidewalk and see how magnificent these buildings must have been. I could not even begin to imagine the events that took place on that day.
These are on the walls of the building adjacent from the site. Around the corner is Engine #2, and a memorial where we stopped in and saw an amazing tribute to the people who were involved in and lost on 9/11.
We stopped for lunch, walked through Trinity Church and Cemetery. Then headed home on the Subway. On this eventful ride we witnessed a lady riding on the subway with a pet bearded dragon on her chest... just enjoying the ride. Strange.
1 comment:
Looks like a fun time had by all!
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