New York City Adventures, part II

Peter had a few hours before his flight to Rochester on Saturday afternoon (11/9/2013), so we took the time to visit the 911 Memorial, just a few blocks from the hotel.  Our prior visit was long before, when there were still just massive holes in the ground surrounded by chain linked fencing where the Twin Towers once stood. The memorial is a stunning, yet somber use of the two former buildings' foot prints; two massive pools with 30 foot waterfalls descending into a center void. Victims' names are inscribed on the panels around the outside of the pools. We were able to find the name of our former neighbor, Tom Duffy, who died on that fateful morning in 2001 as he waited for an 8:30 AM business meeting to begin. Tom showed up early for his meeting that morning and missed the phone call at his hotel informing him that the meeting would be delayed. Tom sadly left behind his beautiful wife, Cindy and their two sons.

I couldn't resist the chance to catch the US Navy Seamen as they observed the memorial gardens with the Survivor Tree standing just behind them. To see the story of this incredible addition to the memorial, please visit: Survivor Tree Story

As Peter headed toward JFK, Jesse, Alexa and I braved the NYC Subway system in search of one of our all-time favorite Manhattan eating establishments: The Carnegie Deli!  The food was as consistently delicious as ever, of course.

Corned beef on Rye                 

Our next stop was a must-visit-while-in-New York: FAO Schwartz & Co.  Although it was just a few blocks away, thanks to NF, Jesse has a difficult time walking for any length of time.  We were able to explore the store and the underground Apple Store before he began to poop out. :(

At this point, we were deciding what to do next. It was only 6 PM, so too early to head back to the hotel, but getting dark, so options were limited. We considered the observation tower on the Empire State Building, however, with the sun setting, thought better of it. We also thought about a museum, but Jesse's fatigue was setting in and became very apparent as we made our way toward Bloomingdales.  As he rested in the shoe department…what? There was plenty of seating there. It had absolutely nothing to do with Alexa and I wanting to check things out; that was just a bonus. ;)

We finally decided on a movie; the Book Thief. Since I had read the book, several years ago, I knew the kids would enjoy the story. It was an accurate representation of the events presented in the book and we found it quite well done.  By the time we headed toward the subway station, we were spent, but I was proud of myself that I was able to manage to get us safely back to the hotel, all the way downtown.