Arriving in the Big City

The last stop on our tour of the Hudson Valley... the one and only New York City.  I adore this one-of-a-kind-full-of-chaos place.  I hope one day to live in this bustling town, for a limited amount of time, of course.  I love how exciting it is here, it is filled with so many wonderful things to do, to see and to eat!  When we arrived in the city, we were met with a thick, low, ceiling of fog that enveloped most of the city.  Luckily, I had taken lots of pictures last time I toured the town CLICK HERE to see those pictures, and a much younger looking me! 

We took a little stroll through central park

One thing that I was looking forward to seeing was the 9/11 memorial.  Construction had just barely begun when I visited in 2010, so I was excited to see how far it had come in just three short years.  It's beautiful, somber, and peaceful all at the same time.  That day has etched itself into history and into all of our minds.  Reading the names of the people who lost their lives that day, made those tragic events feel a more real.  As I walked around the fountains, I thought of their families, I thought of all the calls home made from the planes and the loving words that were spoken, I pondered what that day would have been like for the thousands of New Yorkers that were so close, and all the firefighters and policemen that heroically answered the call.  While it is extremely heartbreaking to think about, I personally think it is important to remember and acknowledge those people, so I was grateful for the opportunity to visit the memorial.

Roses are placed by the names of people who would have been celebrating birthdays on that day.  I thought that was beautiful.

"Trinity Root"

This sculpture is made of bronze encased roots of a 70 year old sycamore tree that was across the street from the twin towers.  The tree absorbed the shockwaves, which a physicist has compared to those of a small nuclear bomb, and was laying in such a way as to shield historic St. Paul's Chapel at Trinity Church and its ancient tombstones from falling debris. The tree, which even took a hit from an I-beam, seemed the only positive story that came out of the tragic events that day... Titled the "Trinity Root," the 13' high x 20' diameter bronze sculpture of the "tree that saved the church," graces the corner of Wall Street and Broadway as a symbol of hope and renewal.  The Trinity Root 9/11 Memorial has been quietly embraced by the approximately 1.5 million visitors from both the city and around the world.

Tonight was our farewell dinner.  Our Hudson river tour had come to an end, and it was time to say goodbye to all our fellow travelers.  We began the evening by having drinks and appetizers in the lounge at our hotel in Times Square.  We had a perfect view of crowded square from 8 stories up.

Then we headed up to the 39th floor to have dinner at The View, the only rotating restaurant in New York City.  I was so excited, I had never eaten in a rotating restaurant before and I was thrilled to get to experience what it's like.  It's fun, and I loved it.

A map of the buildings we floated past throughout the night