FRIDAY:
Kelli and I woke up early and went to the 911 memorial and museum. We got to the memorial pools around 8:30am and had the place to ourselves. We were able to walk around without facing crowds of people, which was nice. Our tickets to the museum were for 9am.
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| Memorial Pool. Brian David Sweeney was a passenger on Flight 175 when it was hijacked and flown into the South Tower. |
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| Weeks after 9/11, a single Callery pear tree, which became known as the Survivor Tree, was discovered buried in rubble at Ground Zero. It was burned and badly damaged, but it still showed signs of life. Workers rescued the tree and it was transported to a park where it was tended to and cared for. Over the years, it grew from eight to 30 feet tall, sprouting new branches and flowering in spring. It was returned to the 9/11 Memorial plaza in 2010. It is a living symbol of hope and resilience, which is the ability to recover and bounce back after facing change or difficulties. |
The museum was... a lot. It was a lot to take in.
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These words are part of a larger art installation in the 9/11 Memorial Museum created in 2014 by artist Spencer Finch, titled “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning.” Every one of the 2,983 watercolor squares is its own shade of blue – one for each of the 2001 and 1993 attack victims – and the artwork as a whole revolves around the idea of memory. Our own perception of the color blue might not be the same as that of another person. But, just like our perception of color, our memories share a common point of reference. |
One thing I *didn't* like about the museum was that there were so many things to see and no direction about which way to go. I wish they had arrows or something on the floor guiding people through the exhibits. I also think that would help with traffic flow.
After a while the museum takes a toll on you and, towards the end, I had to start skipping over some things. I think I was in there for around two hours, but I imagine you could spend more than a day there if you really wanted to read and see everything. (They also have audio tours and private guided tours)
After the museum we went to lunch at El Vez which was about a 5 minute walk. I don't particularly care for Mexican food to begin with, but this place had decent reviews and I think the other girls liked it. It was "fine" for me which I think would equate to being good for other people. (HA!)
We had ticket reservations for the Statue of Liberty express water taxi at 2 pm. I think at this point it was raining/sprinkling just a tad. It was a little cloudy for my liking, but you can't control the weather! (sigh) This particular tour was only about 50 minutes - and you don't get off at Ellis Island or walk the grounds at the Statue. (We knew this going in and it was part of the reason we picked this tour)
I liked the tour, but the audio on board was just background noise. It was too loud (at least on the top deck) so you couldn't hear anything. I didn't particularly mind one way or the other -I just wanted to see Lady Liberty. Overall, I would recommend this tour if you're looking for a quick and easy way to see the Statue.
When we got back on land we walked to Funny Face Bakery. (About a 2 minute walk from the pier) OH MY GOODNESS... They had really good fresh baked cookies! I had a sprinkle cookie and it was delicious. (Later on I also tried chocolate chip and smores!)
I'm so glad we had Kelli with us because she is the one who suggested all the food/bakery places and photo spots!
We had such a nice time exploring and I think our itinerary was pretty solid! It was a great second day in New York!
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