Summer 2003 Northeastern US Roadtrip

Day 10 - New York City, NY

One of my favorite days on this trip was today. Liberty Island and Ellis Island made my imagination run wild.

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I always have this image of Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes finding the statue laying on the beach.

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Ellis Island made me think of what a scary feeling it must have been to come to this new country full of opportunity and be among the masses of people clamoring to get in, always hoping you will be not be turned away but will be allowed to come in.

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We saw a play performed at Ellis Island about that topic. Very well done.

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The weather was great for sightseeing, overcast and low 70s. We walked from Battery Park past the Federal Building and Wall Street to the World Trade Center site.

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Words cannot describe the feelings upon seeing this massive hole in the ground after having watched the buildings collapse less than two years before. Even JJ could relate closely to this one because he had watched the events on TV, too. Ground Zero Web Cam

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The proposed site plans are in the Financial Center next to the site. I don't think a final decision has been made on rebuilding designs yet. The building on the right is being torn down one floor at a time.

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The beams from one of the towers found in the shape of a cross has become the temporary memorial at the site. What looks like cloth blowing in the breeze is actually melted steel. This cross was found as is and mounted in concrete and is lit up at night.

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42nd Street got big Jim Walker, he's a straight shooting son of a gun. Jim Croce on my mind as we walk through Times Square.

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Also couldn't stop singing Huey Lewis' Heart of Rock and Roll. You know, New York, New York isn't everything they say and no place I would rather be. Where else can you do a half a million things all at a quarter to three.

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Day 10

Thursday, July 10th New York City, NY written 11:00 PM

Got a birthday message from Karen and Patsy this morning left on Venus' cell phone. Happy birthday to me.

Caught the #1 train to Battery Park and got tickets at Clinton's Castle, named for a former Governor not Bill or Hillary, to Liberty and Ellis Island on the ferry. JJ earned a patch for Cub Scouts at Liberty Island working the questions in the book. Was a gloomy, overcast day, temperatures about 70 degrees and misty rain at times. Was a refreshing change from the intense heat.

Ellis Island was extremely interesting and educational. Spent six hours or so touring both sites and the ferry rides. There was a military man with a rifle guarding the Statue. Not what you like to see. We then walked from Battery Park past Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, where George Washington took his first oath of office as president, and on to the World Trade Center site. Amazing! A man was nearby talking facts about the destruction and proposed reconstruction. Went into the Financial Center Building and saw the proposed model of the memorial and new buildings. Saw steel girders in the shape of a cross from the original building erected as a temporary memorial on the site. Courtland Street Subway station is still closed but is the only station still affected. Walked around and caught the #2 train to 42nd Street and walked around Times Square again. Saw the filming of a movie, "13 Going on 30" on 7th Avenue. Ate steak, reasonable prices, at Dallas BBQ, three floors of restaurant space. Decided to stay in NYC another day and go to Coney Island tomorrow, assuming HoJo reservations allows us another night

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