Next it was on to Ellis Island. The processing room was very interesting. If there was any reason to think that you were sick or mentally ill, you were sent back where you came from. Very scary idea. If you wonder if your family passed through you can find out on the website ellisisland.org.
The 9/11 Memorial was very emotional. For me it was also a lot of memories of being in Buffalo NY when the planes hit and trying to get home. The original plot of land is 16 acres and the World Trade Center was seven buildings. Ten buildings were completely destroyed by the airplanes, only eight have been rebuilt to this date. Two of the World Trade Center buildings are on hold until they see how rentals go. They have not yet been able to fill all the existing rentals. All the names of those who died are on the edge of the waterfalls. The names are not alphabetical, they are grouped by who worked together. That is something that the families requested. It is really a cool place. We also learned that a rose is placed each year on each victims name on their birthday. It has been a hard ride for New Yorkers. Our wagon master also told the story of her son's college roommate. He was of Spanish descent and "could look" Middle Eastern. Two weeks after 9/11 he was beaten to death by a gang of guys just looking for a fight. So sad, very few of the tour group could go to the 9/11 Museum as we were warned that it was a very emotional space. This day really made us all think about the lives we live today.
This was a memorial to the rescue workers near the 9/11 fountain memorial.
St Paul's Chapel is a small church very close to the 9/11 site. They provided all of the rescue workers with food and the pews of the church to sleep on. That is the place so many people donated to and also left memorial items. Most of them have now been given to the Museum. So many people working together to help in any way that they could.
We also visited the Financial District. Streets used to be open to everyone and you could just walk into the Stock Exchange, but since 9/11 it is very guarded and really no access without a lot of advance planning. Street names all have a story behind them. Wall Street was in fact named for a wall that the Dutch built through the middle of the now financial district. Remnants are left in the sidewalk.
New York City's Vietnam Veterans Memorial is also very moving. It is a beautiful place with every New York City soldier who lost his life's name in the glass. They also engraved some letters from soldiers into the glass. It was a time of unrest in this country and these letters were wondering why they were fighting so hard in Vietnam when people at home were not happy about their lives.
We had a fabulous dinner in Little Italy at a place downstairs called Fino Restaurante. Four courses and all very good.
We ended the evening with a trip to the to of The Rockefeller Center, The Roc as it is known locally. Great views and beautiful night. It had been a misty, cloudy, rainy kind of day that totally lifted by the time we went up to the 70th floor. Amazing that you can feel the building swaying in the wind.
This is our last night in New York, we leave tomorrow with kind of a bittersweet feeling. We know that the big city life would never be for us. On to Pennsylvania tomorrow.
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