Day 2 was a day all about patriotism. It was cloudy and cooler, constantly threatening rain, but we definitely didn't let it stop our explorations. Our first adventure was the boat ride to Liberty Island and a visit to Lady Liberty. We wanted to go up to the crown, but those tickets were sold out months before, so we settled for just visiting the island and walking around. It was really windy on the boat, and that's when I began to regret wearing a dress! Even with the clouds, the NYC skyline was really pretty. When we disembarked at Liberty Island, we walked around seeing the Statue of Liberty from all angles and enjoying the day. It started drizzling on us a bit, but we didn't let it spoil things.
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| Lady Liberty appears to be growing out of Steph's head |
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| Close... |
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| Closer... |
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| And even closer! |
Included in our Liberty Island ticket was a stop at Ellis Island. Neither Stephanie or I had been there, and it was fun to see it through the eyes of my State Dept friend. We took a free tour and got to learn all about the history of the island and all the immigrants who came through Ellis Island when it was open. The registry room (great hall), where immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations, was beautiful - I loved the two large American flags dominating the room.
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| The Registry Room (Great Hall) |
After heading back to Battery Park and stopping for a late lunch, we made our way to the 9/11 Museum and Memorial. This was a place that we both really wanted to visit, and we decided to do it on a day that we had no evening plans so we could spend as long as we wanted there. Good thing, too, since we spent over 4 hours exploring the many exhibits of the museum - and we still didn't see everything! I'm really not a fan of museums, but I can't say enough about how well done this museum is. It is informative, powerful, moving, and a poignant tribute to this sad day in American history.
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| The Survivors' Stairs |
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| "No day shall erase you from the memory of time." |
We left the museum and wandered around the twin reflecting pools. The names of all the victims of 9/11 are etched in the metal so that visitors can place flowers and tributes in them. It had rained a little while we were in the museum, and I thought the raindrops gave a sad, teary feel to the memorial. But as we walked around, the sun shone through the clouds and reflected on the water and the metal - so beautiful!
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| Freedom Tower |
We walked across the street to see the little church, St. Paul's Chapel, that was not damaged during the fall of the towers and was used as a respite by first responders during the rescue, recovery, and removal process, then took the subway back to Times Square.
Shortly after we made it to Times Square, the bottom dropped out and the rain that had been mostly threatening all day settled in. We got soaked even with our umbrellas - my poor shoes will never be the same! But we wandered around seeing several of the different Broadway theaters, including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Hamilton, Lion King, and the Great Comet - our show for the next night! We also did a little souvenir shopping before we had both had enough of the rain and decided to call it an earlier evening. We stopped for a quick bite at a deli across from our hotel - I had a Belgian waffle with powdered sugar and syrup that was so sweet I couldn't finish it - and then went back to the hotel room to warm up and plan the next day's adventures.
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| Josh Groban!!!!! |
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