So, surprisingly, I didn't sleep great. It takes around 20 minutes for the travel kettle to boil, then M and I play knock and run, covertly slipping notes underneath each others door's in order to synchronise expected time of departure for breakfast. We decide on an 8am breakfast. Weather is going to be mild and a good day for sight seeing.
Body doesn't feel too bad but eye lids feel like they are weighted with lead. For breakfast, I request scrambled eggs on toast, they emerge looking suspiciously like an omelet... this is a running theme, NYC apparently does not know how to scramble. After breakfast, we head for Macy's and their Christmas window displays.
We take in the wonders of the windows then head... down town, (I think... H can correct me,) for Ground Zero. We don't have tickets yet, although free, they need to be pre-booked but I stare in awe at the gaping hole in the sky line. Still in shock at the massive hole in your eye view, I read that there are 3000 labourers, daily working on the site from all around the world, I then proceed to read some of the places the labourers hail from, included are Dublin and Copenhagen. I'm proud of them.
We head for Battery Park in order to catch the ferry to Ellis Island. On our way, the park is now the permanent home of a piece of sculpture whose home was once the World Trade Centre for 30 years before the Towers fell. The damaged sculpture was pulled and rescued from the wreckage, as are we all. It is beautiful still , and lit next to it, is an eternal flame to keep it warm in it's new home of Battery Park. It amazes me that this sculpture survived that horror.
Ellis Island itself, is amazing. Amazing seems too simple a word. I have visited before, but it never fails to amaze me as I look at the artifacts and listen through headphones to the peoples stories through the voices of the actual people. I listen to Welsh voices and look at actual tickets from the port of Liverpool, my home town, and I imagine, travelling all that way with the one hope that I would be allowed in. Only 2% were disallowed but can you imagine the devastation of not being allowed in after 8 or more weeks at sea to get there with the hope of a new life?
After a few hours on Ellis, we caught the last ferry back to Battery Park. I headed alone for the top deck. I think the top deck is a must, I was only prevented from riding out on the top because it was so packed and I'm not good with crowds. Heading home... I had a bench to myself and watching Manhattan shrouded with fog was something I had never seen before. It was cold, but it was colder the last time I was atop a ferry, heading to, or from Ellis, so all is well.
We headed out of Battery to try to hail a cab. It was busy with hoards of people everywhere. We pass somewhere which is beautifully lit with fairy Christmas lights and I plead with the group to run across the road to take a picture, at the same time, we notice that the area is awash with police.
M and I cross the road and I take my picture. One NYC policeman is right by me so I ask him; "Anything going on tonight?" He looks at me in that way I've become accustomed to while they translate in their heads. "No," comes the response. "Is it normally like this?" "Yeah." Comes the NYC reply. "But there are a million police officers over there." I'm told that; "they're waiting to go off in different directions." "Ohhhhh, it's the start of shift?" "Yeah." New York policemen are economical with their use of words. It was 5.05pm. It was really good to see such a strong contingent and I wish we had that amount of police visibility at home, it was truly comforting.
I'm missing conversing with you and one other person. Can't help but convert my time and wonder what you both are up to. I miss you both... a lot.
Ellis Island was spectacular. For anyone going to NYC, I would put this at the top of their visitors list. I've been before but the human stories cannot help but permeate your soul. It so devalues those claiming asylum these days. In 1924, for some, if they did not make it through Ellis Island and on, into the USA... they were prepared to jump to their deaths rather than return to their home country and the life they had left behind.
We headed back to the hotel for 45 minutes before heading out for dinner. On the way to dinner, I had my picture taken outside the New York Central Library, this is the venue in which Carrie and Big did not marry and in which Jake Gyllenhaal took shelter from the next ice age in the "Day After Tomorrow." We wandered through Bryant Park to watch the ice skaters and marvel at the Christmas Market.
We headed on up to Times Square then Carmine's. Carmine's is an Italian Family Style restaurant and I don't even think that the website (http://carminesnyc.com/about/index.php) does it justice.
We, well, H and I, (M had beer and J is T Total,) indulged in a delicious red wine, salad to start followed by lasagna, the like of which I have never tasted. Put it this way... lasagna will never be the same again.
After the meal, we headed back to the hotel, I hit the shower to save time in the morning and with the wine, I slept soundly.
On the way home, we pass Rat Man. Man walks past us, wearing a trilby and a pink rat and green a rat, I am not kidding, one on hat, one on his shoulder, obviously an exhibitionist. I wonder if he takes that route every night, just to have people stop and stare?
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