Soaked in NYC

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My birthday and our 33rd wedding anniversary!! We wake up at 8 am (5 am Tucson time) and Ken goes to Starbucks to pick up some lattes. I jumped in the shower. We have tickets to visit the 9/11 Memorial at 10:30. We asked the concierge the best subway route and he writes it down for us. We head to the subway and follow his instructions and he forgot to tell us one transfer…..I quickly realize it, we get off at the next stop and get back on headed back to where we should have gotten off for the transfer to WTC. I am nervous now because the tickets say you must be on time. It is starting to drizzle as we exit the subway and at first we are confused as to what direction to go. We quickly see signs directing you to the entrance to the Memorial. We get there in time and get in line. Security is tight and they go through your bags. We had to show our tickets at least 4 times. We arrive and it is beautiful. Lots of trees and ivy. The water pools that are the footprints of the Towers are so breathtaking. It’s much bigger than it looks on TV yet when you think of all the people in the buildings it seems small, forgetting how tall they were. We took lots of pictures. Everyone is quiet, not much noise, no goofing around. I found a perfect oak leaf on the ground from one of the many trees, so I put it in my purse. Not sure what I will do with it yet. We left after about ½ hour and quickly walked through the visitor’s center which is mainly a gift shop.
We then walked to O’Hara’s bar, a block from WTC. We visited there on our last trip to NYC in 2004. The bar is famous for becoming the waterhole and restaurant for the rescue workers after the towers fell. The building was a disaster but survived and quickly got the business up again to be of service. They have binders of pictures of the aftermath, letters from visitors over the years. In fact, there is a tradition that when a firefighter or policeman visits the bar, he will cut off his patch and staple it to the wall of the bar, in honor of the service O’Hara’s provided during the cleanup. We love coming here. We were there around 11:30 and as the local lunch crowd came in, you could see the warmth and friendships that exist with the owner and staff.
As Ken and I were looking through the books again, a young man in his early 30’s is glancing over at us. Ken and him started a conversation and he shared with him that he should be dead. He had an interview scheduled for 11:30 am in one of the towers on the morning of 9/11. He had flown in and was on his way to WTC when the first tower fell. He shared that he has struggled since, feeling guilty that he survived. He ended up getting the job a few months later and has been in NYC since but has a lot of emotional issues lingering. He said that he felt sick to his stomach as glanced over at the pictures we were looking at. He has tried to move several times, but can’t leave yet; not until he feels at peace with what happened. His name is Michael. We have no idea how 9/11 affected so many people in so many ways.
As we leave O’Hara’s it is starting to rain very hard. We both have rain jackets and an umbrella. We take the subway, headed to Katz Deli. Again, we took the advice of the bar tender and we got off earlier than we should have. Now we are walking in pouring down rain, we are absolutely soaked but we just keep going. It is also hot and humid…..I’m sweating like a pig, my new shoes are soaked, but I won’t complain for now. Just keep walking. About a mile later, we reach Katz’s Deli which is packed. Ken found a table while I order our corned beef, sauerkraut, mustard on rye, pickles and fries. The place is so amazing. It’s huge and efficient and very good!! We sat next to the table where the famous scene from "When Harry Met Sally" took place.
I dread going out in the pouring rain again. I’m soaked, hot and tired. We decide to hail a cab and fortunately find one quickly. We get back to our hotel, take all of our wet clothes, jackets and shoes, put on warm pjs and get in bed. We sleep for 2 hours!! When we wake up it is still pouring so we doubt that the Yankees will play baseball tonight. We were so excited to see them play the Red Sox and to see the new stadium. We can’t find out anywhere if it is cancelled. I called Justen and he said ESPN thinks they will be able to get it in during a 3-4 hour period when the rain will slow down. So we decide to get ready and head to the Bronx. As we are waiting for the subway we see a big rat down on the track. We get on the subway and it is already filled with baseball fans. If you have been on the subway, you know how hot and humid it is. Each stop more and more people get on until we are smashed up against one another. The guy next to me has garlic breath. I bend my head down to cover up my nose with my shirt and to take deep breaths to try and relax. I am in this position from 34th st to 161st st. Sweat is literally soaking my whole body. Miserable! We finally get out and it is still raining. We get in the stadium, which is beautiful just as they announce it is cancelled due to rain. We get a beer and go to our seats anyway and pretend that we are watching the game! We meet a young couple who are visiting NYC to participate in the Honor run, an annual 5K in honor of all of the police and firemen who lost their lives in 9/11. We give our tickets (rescheduled to Sunday) to them as they have firemen friends that would love to go to the game. I don’t feel sad anymore now that I know who will be sitting in our wonderful seats on Sunday.
Ken buys a Yankees hat and we head back to the subway. We get back to our hotel and decide to go to Brendan’s again for dinner. We share a salad, soup, chicken pasta, wine and an apple tart with vanilla ice cream (it is my Birthday!). Back to our room and time for bed. It has been a fun, emotional, soggy day.

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Photos

9/11 Memorial
Names of all of the victims created in a flag

9/11 Memorial
Names of all of the victims created in a flag

9/11 Memorial
Ongoing construction

9/11 Memorial
Footprint of tower....deep waterfall

021
Names of victims

The Survival Tree
http://www.dnainfo.com/20101222/downtown/911-survivor-tree-spreads-its-branches-over-world-trade-center-once-again