New York City, Part 2 - History and Solemnity

 

Yesterday's post featured the High Line Trail in Manhattan.  Though I posted about the High Line first, we actually visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on Saturday, and then the National 9/11 Memorial and High Line on Sunday.

Saturday was a "washout."  It rained all day long.  It wasn't pouring, but it was definitely raining.  We took the ferry from Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan to Liberty Island and toured the Statue of Liberty and its museum.  Kali and I had visited the statue decades ago, but our friend Trijntje from the Netherlands had never been there.  We were able to get up to the base of the statue at the top of its stone pedestal, but we couldn't climb to the crown because the "crown tours" were sold out through April.  The fact that we couldn't climb to the windows in the crown was fine because the weather was so foggy that we couldn't have seen anything anyway.  The image heading this post is from the museum, which displays is a full-size replica of the statue's face.   I took the image from the opposite side of the building and only captured a part of the face; I liked the effect.

Considering that it was rainy and foggy, this image isn't half bad

The stone pedestal supporting the Statue of Liberty is a work of art in itself.  Though the pedestal was completed in the 1870's, it has a very "art deco" gestalt that appeals to me immensely.

From the statue, we cruised to Ellis Island and spent about three hours in the restored immigrant processing facility.  It was fascinating.  Kali's grandfather and father passed through Ellis Island when they immigrated from Italy; we have a copy of the ship's manifest with their names.  My ancestors may have passed through Ellis Island, too; I don't have any information about my family's origins
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On Sunday morning, we took the subway to the National 9/11 Memorial.  I couldn't predict how I would react when we approached the site.  But as the dramatic and sombre memorial pools came into view, I choked up and began to tear.  It was very moving and sobering.

Our friend Trijntje (left) and Kali at the South Tower Pool

The pools (located in the footprints of the two towers) are beautiful and appropriate remembrances of the victims' their names are inscribed along the edges.

The South Tower Pool at the 9/11 Memorial

We went inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum and spent two hours there.  The building is large, spacious, and airy - except for the gallery where most to the story behind the attacks is presented.  There, the space is tight, dark, claustrophobic, and unpleasantly crowded.  I don't think the effect was intentional; instead, I think the designers did a poor job anticipating how popular the space would become.  I heard many people sniffing and sobbing as we toured the exhibit; it was very moving.

The new One World Trade Center will open in May

Outside the museum, we gazed up at the new One World Trade Center building, the tallest building in Manhattan at 1776 feet (with its antenna).  Personally, I wouldn't want to work in the building; surely, it's a target.

National 9/11 Memorial Museum (right) and the "bones" of a new transportation hub under construction (left)

It was amazing to me how the site of this tragedy has been transformed in only 14 years.  From the 9/11 Memorial, we went to the High Line, as I described in my last post.

We had a good weekend New York.  it was great to see our friend (whom we had last seen 12 years ago), and the city is always exciting.