A Tale of Two Towers

According to my dashboard weather forcaster, it’s 85 degrees and supposed to be a high of 88 in NYC. And partly cloudy.  Well.  There is not a cloud in the sky, which, I might add, is a very perfect blue, and it feels about 90.  But I’m not complaining because I love it and as long as I have comfortable shoes and clothes on, you won’t hear me complaining. I’d much prefer the heat to rain and snow.  It’s summer after all, and what’s summer in NY without some nearly 90 temps?

Continuing on to a less cheery note, this September, for those of you who have been living underneath a bridge, is the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.  Yesterday our group visited that site, and it’s amazing the work and planning they have done since that day, building a memorial to honor those who lost their lives.  Although I was only in 4th grade at the time, I do remember it quite vividly and I remember the following months as well and the newscasters and the banner on the bottom of every news station for the next two weeks that read “America Mourns” or something to that effect and the nonstop analyzing every broadcaster did.  And it was remarkable how we as Americans banded together and became more united, in my opinion, than before.  I actually visited the site seven months later when my family took a trip to NYC during Spring Break after my mom completed the Boston Marathon.  It was still a giant hole in the ground, much of the buildings and sidewalks were still covered in ash, and we weren’t allowed to take pictures from the double decker site-seeing tour bus we were on.  The Statue of Liberty was still closed and I don’t think it was until a couple years (or maybe months?) ago that they opened up the crown once more for the public (our group was supposed to be able to go up there when we visited Liberty Island, but whoever booked our tickets didn’t get us those; they only allow 250 people a day and, naturally, they go fast).  Regardless, seeing how far we’ve come in 10 years is astounding and kind of emotional, and I found myself getting chills – despite the heat – upon reaching the site and seeing all the busy construction in progress.

Freedom Tower that is just about halfway finished.

Construction being done on more buildings for the memorial.

Hmm...something appears to be missing, don't you think?

Walking through this shopping center in the World Finance Center and came across some random palm trees.

The part of Manhattan we were in was Tribeca and some of the buildings were gorgeous.

Damage you can still see to a building from the attacks.

More damage to a building from the attacks.

Another view of the half-finished Freedom Tower.

Construction to the World Trade Center memorial museum, due to open in the fall for the 10th anniversary. They looked a little behind, but maybe they're right where they should be.

We also visited St. Peter’s church which was basically right across from the two towers and, considering its proximity, should have received the most damage and been completely torn apart.  It looked hardly touched afterward.  Imagine that.

That was another thing.  There were SO many memorials still inside of people bringing pictures and little tokens of the ones who lost their lives.

And outside there was this graveyard (yes, graveyard. I learned in 6th grade that a graveyard is attached to a church – as morbid as graveyard sounds – and cemetery is completely on its own) that was SO ANCIENT! I loved it. Over half the tombstones were corroded so horribly that you couldn’t even see the names and it just looked like a shapeless piece of rock.  The other half had names that dated as far back as mid 1700’s!  It was creepy, but so incredibly beautiful at the same time, if that makes sense at all.

This was some tomb, but the words were in French.  BUT, taking French in school, I was able to decipher some words and understood the jist to be that it was some general or earl who helped the Americans during the American Revolution?  And then helped the French during their own revolution a few years later? Something along those lines.

Really. It was just this ancient church in the middle of a busy intersection right across from the construction of the World Trade Center towers.  As if time had stopped for this small plot of land, but the rest of the world kept on moving around it.

St. Peter’s Church. (above)

St. Paul’s Church (below). Also, for some reason – maybe I’m just tired – but every time I try to type the word “church” I type chuch…and forget the “r.”

Recognize this style? Alexander Calder! Who knew GR had ties to NY?

New York Stock Exchange on Wall St!

Wall St. is really this tiny little street that I don’t think cars can even get down.  I knew we were close when we were around the memorial because there were good looking men in business suits popping up everywhere…

Can’t really remember what building this was, but it looked like a huge justice court house or something.  With a giant statue of George Washington in the front. Of course.

One of the Donald’s many “Trump” buildings. There’s also one I saw in Columbus Circle by the south entrance to Central Park.

TIFFANY’S!!!

Giant doors.

Does anyone else get this song stuck in their head every time they think of the phrase “Breakfast at Tiffany’s?” or just the word “Tiffany’s?”  I do. Every. Single. Time.

I don’t know how much much of this stuff cost because, quite frankly, I didn’t want to ask and face the threat of my heart stopping in shock.  But there were really pretty “old fashioned” (in quotes because they were all bedazzled with jewels and stuff) keys that I could probably find somewhere else super cheap.  But, then, it wouldn’t be a Tiffany.

I don’t really know what the Cosmopolitan Hotel is, but it was big and it looked kind of important.

Tribeca Barnes and Noble (above a Whole Foods, which is FANTASTIC and EVERYWHERE here in New York).  Enough said.

Apparently it’s supposed to be ninety tomorrow and Thursday.  Once again, as I said before, I’m not complaining.  I love this heat.  It’s really not that humid or maybe I’m too in love with this city to notice or care, for that matter.  Give me a water bottle, some comfortable shoes, and I’ll be fine.