As we begin our last full day in the Big Apple, it would be neglectful not to mention the city’s subway system. We use it quite frequently on our excursions across Manhattan. The superlatives for this transportation system go on and on: it’s one of the oldest, biggest, and most-used subways in the world. Officially opened in 1904, it was long a dream of city planners, and above-ground blizzards during winter made the idea even more compelling. It is one of the most vital, yet underappreciated, institutions of New York City.
We use the subway to reach the “Open Table” restaurant in Manhattan for breakfast. The presentation of our French toast is better than the taste…and the price.
It would be difficult to visit New York City without some encounter with 9/11. September 11, 2001 was a traumatic day for both the city and the country. So, on our last full day in the city, we make it a point to visit “Ground Zero” and the 9/11 Museum.
The museum is poignant-even though there are not many public remnants of the twin towers that have survived…a few bent girders, crumbled steps, remains of a television transmitter.
Perhaps the most memorable such remnant is the “Last Column”. It was the final piece of steel removed from the site. Recovery teams marked the column so that they wouldn’t lose its location. From that time, other recovery teams as well as families with missing members added markings and memorials to the column. Years later, it was placed in the museum’s basement-underneath “ground zero”.
But the 9/11 Museum is mostly about loss and honoring the dead from that tragic day. There is a sad collage of missing persons from the towers and there are two memorial pools which cover the footprints of where the towers once stood. The victims’ names (there were almost 3,000 dead) cover the walls of the pools.
While loved ones may be irreplaceable, buildings aren’t. New York took advantage of the loss of the twin towers, not only to demonstrate American pride and determination, but to modernize the site. The result was One World Trade Center, also known as the “Freedom Tower”. At 1776 feet (deliberately set to the year of the United States Declaration of Independence), the tower is the tallest in the country and the seventh tallest in the world. One World Trade Center (just like the twin towers) hosts prestigious office spaces. They must see clouds when they look out of the windows.
Also new to ground zero is the “White Eagle Oculus”. This weird winged building serves primarily as a train and subway hub. It also houses a mall with countless upscale shops. Strange, but why not?
In the early 1990’s, during construction of a federal office building on Duane Street, the skeletal remains of over 400 individuals were found. These turned out to be the bodies of 17th and 18th century Africans who were numbered among almost 15,000 people buried in what was then known as the “Negroes Burial Ground”. The discovery brought to light the former history of African slaves in New York, and in the next decade (after a considerable political fight), the site was rendered into a national monument. Sadly, the African burial ground is small and swallowed up by the surrounding city. There is not much to see here.
After the African burial ground, we meander around the city for quite a while. Among other places, we spot St. Patrick’s Cathedral, built in the late 19th century and home to so much history. We also see Radio City Music Hall. As a child, I went on bus trips with my grandmother, parents, and siblings specifically to see the Christmas show there. I still remember the Rockettes high-kicking in their red Santa suits.
We sit for a while near Rockefeller Plaza admiring the skaters. In wintertime, the Plaza turns into an ice skating rink back-dropped by a large Christmas tree-a national tradition dating back to the 1930’s. Today, the rink has been converted to roller skating. Our attention is particularly riveted to a portly boy who repeatedly falls and cannot seem to master the sport.
Nearby sit the NBC Studios (AKA “The Rock”) at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Continuing our walk, we stroll through Bryant Park and its myriad of chess players. This 19th century park covers about ten acres and is privately managed.
Right around the corner from Bryant Park is the main branch of the New York City Public Library. Opened in 1911 and featured in the beginning scenes of the “Ghostbusters” movie, this library branch has over 2.5 million books and even extends for miles under Bryant Park. That’s lots of room for ghosts to explore.
Our mission now is to find the Empire State Building. We travel to Fifth Avenue between 33rd and 34th streets where it is supposed to be located, but damn if we can find it. Then suddenly, BOOM!, it’s there. Reigning for almost 40 years as the tallest building in the world, it now seems to be just part of the scenery. At 1,454 feet, the Empire State Building is only the world’s 54th tallest building. Quite a demotion. Even King Kong might be inclined to find another building to climb.
We’ve been on the move all day, and that can work up an appetite. We see a place where we can do something about that in Chelsea Market. Situated in the heart of the meatpacking district on 9th avenue, this was the home of Nabisco’s “Oreo Cookie” for many years. The cookie was invented and first produced here early in the 20th century. We have a hankering for Spanish food this evening; but, alas, even with dozens of food vendors, the pickings are slim. We have to settle for eating Asian an the Ayada Thai restaurant.
I had always wanted to see the Brooklyn Bridge-especially after viewing one of Ken Burns’ early documentaries about it. Well, I am in luck because my girlfriend wants to see it too. So we take the subway to the edge of Manhattan and start walking again. Even though it is now raining and we can’t walk completely over the bridge, it is thrilling.
The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 to great fanfare. At that time, it was the first bridge to cross the East River and (at almost 1,600 feet) was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It set new standards for the combination of utility and aesthetics. The nighttime views of Manhattan’s financial district are out of this world.
It’s our last morning in New York City; but we still have a few tricks up our sleeves. One of those tricks is the “High Line”, a 1.45 mile-long elevated greenway that runs roughly parallel to 10th Avenue. It uses a former railroad spur and was inspired by a similar project in Paris.
The High Line is mostly narrow, but very green. Flowers abound in planters on one side or another and, at times, it seems as if you are walking between skyscrapers-because you really are!
We are running out of time, and our last stop is a peek inside of Grand Central Station. Inaugurated in the second decade of the 20th century, Grand Central is the largest train station ( based upon platforms and tracks) in the world and one of the most visited.
The Beaux-Arts interior is beautiful. We are particularly taken by the starry ceiling full of constellations-although it is supposedly backwards!
During our few days in the Big Apple, we didn’t see everything worth visiting. Who could? Still, we managed to see and do quite a bit, and at our own pace: a Broadway show, City Hall Park, a harbor cruise, Ellis Island, the Battery, Red Hook, Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History, the Roosevelt Island Tramway, the 9/11 site and museum, the African Graveyard, the Empire State Building, Chelsea Market, the Brooklyn Bridge, the High Line, Grand Central Station, and much more. Of course, that still leaves a whole lot to see and do; so maybe we’ll have to return to the Big Apple some day and try to do the rest!
Musical Finale: “New York, New York”-Frank Sinatra