Friay in NYC Solo

The next 3 days I was solo in the big city, as opposed to the first three with Marko and Gary.
Friday for me started about 7am.  After quickly getting ready a walked to the Empire State Building and got in line about 7:30am.  They don't open until 8am but I wanted to be first/early in the line.  I succeeded.  At 8am the line began moving.  Once you made it through the metal detector, then you bought your tickets.  I yo-yo'd back and forth about doing the typical 86th or paying extra to do the 102nd.  I stayed with 86th as I assumed the view wouldn't be different enough or better enough for the extra $20.  I acknowledge I am a cheapskate, but am also perfectly ok with that.

In the entrance to the building on the 1st floor

What I learned--- opened in 1931 and at that time was the tallest building in the world-- out doing the Eiffel Tower.  From start to finish it took 1 year and 45 days.  The Empire State Building held the title of world's tallest from 1931 until 1972 when the World Trade Center was completed.  It is currently the US's 4th tallest and the World's 23rd tallest building.

The colorful outdoor flood lights were added in 1964.  In 2010 the building went green with 120 of the $550 million dollars of renovations being to make it a green building.
We went from floor 1 to 80 where we bought tickets and then 80-86 where the observation deck is.  Amusingly my ears popped once on the way up and twice on the way down!

The elevator

Views from the 86th floor

NEXT TOPIC IS THE 9/11 MUSEUM.  SINCE I HAVE A FRIEND WHO I KNOW IS SENSITIVE TO THIS TOPIC, A FRIEND WHOSE LIFE CHANGED ON THIS DAY AND OTHER FRIENDS WHO DON'T LIKE READING/SEEING SAD THINGS  I FEEL IT BEST TO WARN ANYONE WHO MAY NOT BE INTERESTED  TO FAST FORWARD UNTIL YOU SEE THE NEXT LARGE BOLD RED PRINT.

Then I took the Metro to the World Trade Center area.  I was still very interested in the official 9/11 Museum, so that is where I went.  My ticket allowed me to enter at 10:30am.  They have entrance times on your ticket as a form of crowd control which I thought was good.  The museum just opened on May 21, so it is extremely new.  It was a lot to take in--- A LOT.  It started off plenty spacious but filled with sad artifacts (don't know the proper wordage for such items). 

No Day Shall Erase you from the memory of time

Behind this wall:  In a space between the two Twin Tower footprints at bedrock, visitors will see a wall behind which the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York will operate and maintain a repository for the unidentified remains and a small work space. In addition, there will be a private viewing and seating area solely for victims’ families adjacent to the repository this private area is in addition to the “Family Room” that will be located in the Museum Pavilion, with views of the two Memorial pools.

What was....

What happened...

Fire fighter bought this "project bike" but never got around to making it run and usable.  After he died 9/11 his fellow fire fighters finished his project he never started.  It was almost like therapy to them according to the display.

An urn with every victim's name

the time square new years ball in honor of the victim's that year

huge quilt designed in memory of the victms of 9/11

Another piece of wreckage

One of the tributes from ground zero

I never thught of the destruction to things/people/equipment outside of the twin towers.... until this

A lot of the memorial didn't allow photography.
There was a victims portion with pictures and stories and small computer like stations where you could look up a specific person.  Most of the ones I saw gave a brief history of that person--- where they worked w/i the building, how many kids/spouse/sibs, a few photos and even their hobbies.
Then there were two short movies showing--- documentary may be more accurate.  I watched one of the two.  The line took about 30 minutes.  Here is a vague mini version of the video 10 year time lapse- click on the time lapse, although all the options are pretty neat!
The largest portion of the Museum was like an awkward maze-- with one entrance and one exit (not including emergency exits).  It was very extensive starting with a "before" section and a picture from a 7am shot of a weather/web cam of the normalcy---- a gigantic time line complete with "breaking news" news clips of audio and visual of each step, articles of wreckage, lost hope of people jumping, recordings between rescue workers that went quiet and you knew what that meant, destroyed emergency vehicles, every imaginable item in between.  It went from that horrific day to the memorials made at ground zero and the clean up phase and the rebuilding phase and even a section on making the link and the connection of the terrorists and how they began their plan etc.  It was A LOT.  I know I keep saying that but it was.  I stayed at the Museum from 10-1:30--- Entering at 10:30, leaving at 1:30ish.

 

THIS SECTION IS OVER, AND NO MORE 9/11 REFERENCES.  WE ARE HEADED TO LUNCH, BIKING, AND OTHER FUN.

I was starving and emotionally drained.  It was lunch time.  I got brave and tried a chicken gyro from a food cart.  Too much, too messy, but edible and filled me up.  It wasn't bad and I didn't catch any disease eating on the street ;-) haha

Then I just walked and explored by foot-- see what there is and where it is and all by foot so I didn't miss anything.  I was in what is considered "down town" or "lower Manhattan".  There were several landmark map/info signs and I hit all the landmarks listed minus museums because I'd had enough Museums!

I walked to the Pier and found the Naval Museum--- basically you tour the old boats.... I toured them just fine outside of the old boats for free ;-)

Then I saw the sign for Brooklyn Bridge.  It was a given, I was skipping across that bridge!  And then it got better I saw a booth with the sales reps wearing "I biked across the Brooklyn Bridge".  Oh yeah, I was renting that darn bike and was riding across the bridges!  My plan was to bike Brooklyn and Manhattan and return the bike at the two hour mark, which was completely do-able and realistic.... until I couldn't find the return station in time.  So I kept it until close because the fee for 3 hours and until close were almost identical.  I rode the Brooklyn, Manhattan and George Washington Bridges alng with a park in Brooklyn, China Town, Little Italy, all over the Piers and all throughought lower Manhattan seeing ever building on that map, that was considered a point of interest.

It was super hot--- the hottest day of our trip of course, and of course I'm wearing a black t-shirt.  It was exciting, adventurous, hot- but so fun!  Near the end of the bridge riding I bought this to rehydrate with

Mango is sweetly delicious and juicy and so worth that $3 price after biking the bridges

Since I was going to be 10 minutes beyond the two hour mark thanks to traffic detours and one way streets confusing me, the riding continued for 3 more hours. 

This is called supper: Waffles and Dinges--- that ONE place Marko wanted to try in NYC--- haha I loved it at least.  This is called an "ice cream sandwich".  I chose to fill my sandwich with gingerbread ice cream and strawberries.

I rode my bike to the Statue of Liberty/Battery Park.  I had a caricature made of Jayna.  Anthony had one made when he was 2, so this was long over-due.  I got a good deal $10 for the drawing and the matting.  The artist used a photo on my phone to create it.

Of course I was entertained by plenty of people watching--- I liked watching the helicopters land and this Statue of Liberty was unique...

 I rode many of the trails-- it takes you to Central Park.  And just before I was finished riding I found the New York Information and Technology Building....

And Paula and Answering Service friends- this one is for you---  I saw the RR Donnely building in New York City while you answered RR D's phones in Lynchburg!

I made it back to the hotel about 9.  Showered and went to sleep early since the boys were still picking locks and learning computer security stuff.... that I know nothing about and quite frankly couldn't care less about but will pretend to listen and comprehend as they chatter about it.