On Sunday, we knew we were flying home, but we tried to squeeze as many things in our short day as we possibly could. That included packing our bags for the airport, checking out of our hotel, taking the train to the city, getting some Christmas shopping done and visiting the 9|11 Memorial in lower Manhattan.
This was probably the coldest day we spent in NYC — the high was 38 degrees. We bundled up as best we could, but it was windy and the city is still in the shadows at 9 o’clock, so we were freezing!
Part of the reason the memorial requires tickets is because the Trade Center is still under construction. In addition to the museum, several office buildings are still in progress, as well as other parts of the business center.
The pools themselves are gorgeous. Even knowing what we were going to see could not prepare us for the emotion of being there in person… watching the water pour over the walls, tracing the names on the pools’ ledge.
The museum’s exterior is already finished, despite the construction going on inside. We could peer through the windows and see the steel braces from the World Trade Center buildings, but they were incredibly difficult to photograph. It was so neat to see those supporting the new museum — I can’t wait to go back when it’s finished.
I think one of the things I found the most reverent about the memorial’s design is that you can no longer step within the buildings’ footprints. It is almost as if it is hallowed ground.
You can also leave mementos on the names themselves and they are collected at the end of the day and will someday be displayed at the museum. I was surprised to see this pendant on one of the names and can’t imagine what it’s like for a loved one to visit and see the names of people they knew.
I was sad that it was so cold because I didn’t feel like 45 minutes was enough time to invest in something so important.
We walked back to the subway and passed Trinity Church’s St. Paul’s Chapel across the street from Ground Zero. This little church has survived so much history. It is beautiful to see nestled in the space between skyscrapers.
We stopped at Starbuck’s to warm up and drink some hot chocolate before walking down Wall Street to see the New York Stock Exchange, Trinity Church and finally made our way back to Battery Park to see the Merrill Lynch charging bull.
And even though it was absolutely CRAZY, we headed right back to mid-town in an attempt to capture that ever elusive photograph of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Although you either had to pay for a family photograph or skate on the ice rink to get the full front and center shot, I did manage a much better view than the evening before. I was excited, too, to see it both at night and during the day. I wish we’d had time to ice skate, but we were exhausted and still needed to shop and eat lunch before heading back to LaGuardia.
It was such a whirlwind trip and I’m sure there was much more we would have loved to fit into our trip, but it really was the best possible Christmas present I could imagine. Spending four days of uninterrupted time with my husband, no schedule and endless things to do was heavenly. I know it will probably be awhile before we can sneak away (or afford a trip!) like this again, so we really did enjoy every single moment.
