On reflection, we should have visited Ground Zero to see the 9/11 memorial on the way to Lady Liberty but having hop-on, hop-off tickets made it easy (if somewhat time-consuming!) to take the same route a second time in order to get there the next day.
We all had reservations about the museum which offers guided tours by those who lost someone or who were involved in the rescues or, indeed, were among the survivors of the catastrophic events of 9/11.
For me, the smattering of single white roses – only about six around the whole monument that day – and the few inscriptions of a female name followed by ‘and her unborn child’ offered the most poignant reminder of what had actually happened in that black hole. It was good to see how even the youngest visitors were being encouraged to show respect. Conversations were quiet and there was no running around. Even so, it was hard to take in just how many had lost their lives in such a small area.
I love the effect of the new skyscraper which has an ethereal quality reflecting the sky and appearing almost non-existent. It will be interesting to see how the buildings yet to be constructed will add to the ambience.
The remainder of the ride back to Central Park, past the UN Buildings and the shops, a short-ish walk back to the hotel and a few minutes’ nap and we were ready for the theatre…..
Our final trip on the Grayline came the next morning when Somjit and I decided to travel north round Central Park, past the Dakota building where Yoko Ono lives and where her husband, John Lennon, was fatally shot, through Harlem to the Guggenheim Museum with its inverted ziggurat form and an exhibition on Italian futurism: I’d never heard of the movement but thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and was delighted to find a fantastic cafe bar in the basement which offered just the kind of light lunch we needed in very calm surroundings before hopping on the bus again to meet the others at the Empire State building.
I had wondered if we should do both the Empire State and the Top of the Rock, but have no regrets about doing both. The views are different and each has its own uniqueness.
I had been frustrated not to catch a good view of the Chrysler building with its distinctive roof from the Rockerfeller, but from the Empire State it was clear.
Queues were long and it took a while to get to the top: we were even asked to walk the last six floors and I was pleased to manage it without too many stops! It was worth the effort!
By the time we had had a few minutes at the top, Hannah was anxious about tickets for the evening, so off they went to the tkts booth to see what was available. Holly had gone down in the morning only to discover that the only tickets available before 3p.m. were for matinees: we wanted another evening show.
Get tickets they did, so almost as soon as we were back at the hotel, we were all off in a taxi to our second Broadway show.
Living the Journey 