The Big Apple - Day Three

LeBron James joined us on day 3 😉

We had breakfast at the counter of a nice, little diner

We were able to find out the locations of where some of the scenes of the movie Elf were filmed.  Cadence was totally onboard to recreate the scenes.  She did a great job.  It was so fun!

We strolled through a small park

Flatiron Building

Our initial intentions were to visit the 9/11 Memorial and that was it.  We weren't sure how the kids would handle learning all of the details of 9/11 in the museum.  After we visited the fountains and paid our respects, Colin asked if we could go to the museum.  He was asking a lot of questions and seemed very interested.  We found a kiosk for tickets and saw that there were some available in a little over an hour.  

One World Trade Center

The fountains were calm and serene

The Survivor Tree:

"In October 2001, a severely damaged tree was discovered at Ground Zero, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present. Today, the tree stands as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth."

"The 60ft high slurry walls, named for their method of construction, are subject to immense soil and groundwater pressure due to their close proximity to the Hudson River. Originally, these walls were laterally supported across the site through the basement floor slabs of the World Trade Center."

"The Survivors' Staircase was the last visible remaining original structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site. It was originally an outdoor flight of granite-clad stairs and two escalators."

The museum was beautifully created.  There was a nice balance of informing everyone of the events of that tragic day as well as honoring the lives that were lost.

Next we checked out the Charging Bull of Wall Street.

The breeze from this fountain was refreshing!  It was really hot that day.

We could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Next up, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge.  We underestimated the length of the bridge, and it was so hot outside, that once we reached Brooklyn, we took a subway back.  Initially we thought we could cross the bridge back into Manhattan at night to see the skyline.  The bridge was very crowded with a bunch of people taking photos and selfies for social media!

Next stop was Grand Central Station.  It was neat to see.  Not too much going on since it was nighttime.  I think we also checked out Chelsea Market, but couldn't agree on where to grab dinner.