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Published: July 20th 2007
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Today was a HUGE day. We were both VERY tired from the day before, and all the drama of gettting to NY. To make things worse, the clock in our room was over 2 hours ahead...we didn't notice as we were so zonked...so we set the alarm, and woke up thinking it was 9:45am. It wasn't until an hour later, that I realised our mistake...it wasn't even 7:00 yet! WHOOPS! We tried our best to get a few more zzzz's, but it wasn't very successful.
At 10:45 the lobby rang to inform us that our Apple Greeter had arrived. This is a great idea if you're coming to New York, and it's only available to visitors. You can book your own personal tour guide of the city (someone who lives in NY) to show you around. We got Marty...a great guy with a passion for history - right up our alley. He explained the grid system of NY and the subway, and then we were off Downtown, via the metro, to Battery Park.
This is one of the best locations in the whole city to see the Statue of Liberty (especially if you haven't got time to wait
hours for the Circle Line Tour - the best way to see it is via the Statton Island Ferry - but we don't even have time for that). A few facts about the statue - her crown has 7 spikes that represnt the 7 continents of the world, and the 7 oceans. She faces towards a hill where soldiers are buried who fought for the country - not towards the immirgants as they arrived. Liberty faces Liberty - she holds the Declaration of Independence in her left hand and the torch (representing liberty) in her right. The statue was actually a gift from France (and also built there). The French admired the Americans for breaking away from the British and wanted to show a gesture of this admiration - hence the statue.
Along with Liberty, you can see a lot of interesting memoribilia regarding immigrants that came to the US. There are also many statues in the Park that commemorate the soldiers who have fought for the country, so it's a good mix of American history all in the one place...plus it's very pretty (Dutch inspired landscaping). Marty guided us through the park, giving us a rich and vivid
account of New York's history. We soaked it up like sponges!
In a nutshell, NY was settled by Indians around 6000 years ago. They found the islands very handy for trading with each other, and commuted using canoes. The Dutch arrived next, and although there were struggles to start with, eventually they co-existed peacefully. The Dutch have given a lot to this city, according to Marty - dollars, the right to sue, liberation of women and government. Before the British arrived, the Dutch had established the foundations of NY, which was originally known as New Amsterdam.
The British did cause a few waves, but eventually both countries came to an agreement - the style of government would remain the same while the Brits took over everything else. But the city was really built on the millions of migrants who moved here...Irish, Polish, Greek - you name it - they came here. It was these migrants that made the city what it is today - the architecture, the streets, the culture. New York is such an interesting place - it has everything.
After Battery Park, we headed down a section of Broadway - which is the longest street
in NY. It was originally an Indian Trail. It is the only street in Manhattan that cuts diagonally through the grid of streets - to pay respect to the indigenous people. From Broadway, you can see loads of interesting architecture - including Classical and Art Deco. We stopped briefly, opposite the beautiful US Customs House (an example of Classical architecture - inspired by the Greeks and Romans) at Bowling Green Park - the first public park in Manhattan. The New Yorkers used to come here to play bowls, and it is flanked by the Titanic's old Headquarters. Just before reaching the park, there is an old church where people from the Titanic were actually taken on first arriving to America. It mostly housed girls - and the view was, unfortunately, obsructed by roadworks. Bowling Green park is a cute little place to rest up, before tackiling the world's greatest financial district - Wall Street. Had Marty had a premonition? Iz was in his element!
On the way to Wall Street, you pass plaques placed in the cement that acknowledge the people who have had ticketek parades held in their honour - Howard Hughes and Robert Menzies were among the
honourees. We also came across Trinity Church - a beautiful old building right in the heart of the city, with a very serene graveyard. Some of the stones date back to the 17th century. The church felt the blast of September 11 even though it is quite a few blocks away, and a tree in the cemetary was uprooted. A bright red sculpture of tree roots can be seen as you pass through the gates of the church - commemorating the day. We also passed traditional Brownstone Buildings on the way to Wall Street. These buildings are covered in sheets of stone, that is actually very easy to carve...however it detoriates quickly.
The Stock Exchange has also changed dramatically since the bombings...guards now patrol the area with machine guns, and cars are not allowed to drive down the street. As a tourist, it is impossible to get inside the building, so you have to make do with the view from outside. From Wall Street, it is only a short walk to the site of the Twin Towers. A lot has happened in the years since the bombings - none of the photos or messages remain on any of the
fencelines that surround the site. One of the 7 towers has already been erected...however progress seems mighty slow. You can look into the pit where the towers once stood, and still see the massive gash in the ground.
There is a fire station directly opposite the towers - all of the men from this station who went into the towers that day, died. A plaque commemorates their bravery. Saint Paul's Church is also across from where the towers once stood. This place became a base where the injured could be treated...within the first 3 days over 3000 people passed through this tiny church's doors. It has photos and tributes to the hundreds of people who helped. It is very hard to imagine the towers standing in the empty space today - and imagining that over 3000 people lost their lives there.
Marty left us to wander around the site alone - his knowledge of the area was amazing and we both learnt so much. It was a brilliant start to our Big Apple Adventure. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to relay ANY of the information in this blog - so thanks Marty!! To finish the day,
we headed back to our hotel, and took a walk (or rather moved with the crowd) down to Times Square. The lights here are BIG and BRIGHT, and the crowds are HUGE! There was a quiet line of faithful people who stood out however - they were waiting for the release of the latest Harry Potter book. Sadly, I was too tired to join them. It had been a huge day, but one that will stick in our minds for years to come. We'll take another bite tomorrow!
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