Photos by Maria Ngo
I'm starting to feel more comfortable about getting around in New York. Not 100% confident yet, but more comfortable - it's out of necessity that I'm taking the subway as it is the quickest way to get to the various sights. I have had one go at it yesterday and got slightly lost, but today, I am going to be taking it to the southern end of Manhattan. From Pennsylvania Station to Wall Street Station. Only 5 stops and 15 minutes ride.
One of the challenges of the subway is the myriad of entrances and exits! Finding the correct entrance from ground level is easier than finding the exit closest to where you want to be for your destination once you reach your stop. You have to know which line you want to be on before you enter the subway because you can't change platforms to a line going the opposite direction once you go past the gate or turnstile. This was quite unlike the train stations I am used to in Melbourne. Another difference is the 'grace period' in Melbourne's train system - you can enter and exit (tap on and tap off) within a few minutes and you won't be charged for it.
With my Metro Card safely tucked away in my jacket pocket for easy access, I descend to the bowels of New York one more time to be confronted by the rush and crush of New Yorkers heading to work. I don't quite feel like a fish out of water until I discover it is a turnstile. I don't know how it operates. The people in front of me (visitors to New York) are also having trouble. I give up and as I have already paid my fare, in order to get through, I end up shoving myself behind a slim young lady and encroaching right into her space to get past the turnstile. LOL!! I don't know what she thinks but she doesn't say anything.
It is a smooth trip apart from that one incident. Upon arriving at Wall Street Station I have no idea which exit to take. And as you know, GPSes do not work underground. So I just pick one and hope for the best. Once I emerge from underground I am still uncertain of my exact location. I walk around a bit until I find an intersection and locate my position on Maps. Because of the tall buildings all around, the GPS signal can bounce around a bit and cannot be relied on to give you an accurate lock. You still need to be able to have some basic map reading skills the old fashion way.
After orienting myself I start to relax. As I still have a bit of time to get to the meetup point, I decide to check out the water front view before heading to the meeting point for the Wall Street Tour. The meet up point is in the atrium across the street from 57 Wall Street. Near Starbucks.
I locate our guide waiting with a sign by a pillar after a quick loo stop. There will be no toilet stops along the way. After welcoming us, she gives us a brief history of New York with the help of her folder filled with photographs and other useful information. Then its off for an information packed and brisk walk.
Wall Street itself consists of just 8 blocks. Lower Manhattan or Downtown Manhattan/New York can trace its history to 1624 with the arrival of the Dutch. The original inhabitants were the Lenapes. The Dutch West Indies company imported African slaves to defend their territory against the natives and built a fort here. They defeated the local inhabitants and massacred them. They signed a treaty in 1645. "The colony was granted self-government in 1652, and New Amsterdam was formally incorporated as a city on February 2, 1653."
In 1664 the English conquered it and renamed it New York after the Duke of York. The city was later renamed New Orange by the Dutch who regained it in 1673. However it was later ceded to the English in 1674 for Suriname.
The Lenape population do not fare well under Dutch or English rule and by 1700 there were just 200 of them left. A university is built under the charter of George II of Great Britain in 1754 in Lower Manhattan. It is named King's College.
The first organized resistance to British authority across the seas was in 1765 where the Stamp Act Congress met in New York City. The city later "became a haven for loyalist refugees, becoming a British stronghold for the entire war... the area also became the focal point for Washington's espionage and intelligence-gathering."
Our guide walks and points out some indentations in the wall of the JP Morgan Building. That was left intentionally to remind New Yorkers of a bomb that went off right in the street in 1920. The exploding cart killed more than 30 people and injured 300 people. The perpetrators were never caught. Prior to that day, traffic could still drive along this street.
At the Stock Exchange building I spy the Fearless girl.
She then takes us to another corner where we get a good view of the famed Delmonico’s restaurant. The first restaurant in New York - where a meal could cost you 2 weeks’ wages when it first opened for business in 1827 and where table cloth was used on its tables. (Incidentally, from my previous catacombs tour I remember that the Delmonicos are buried in the catacombs at Old St Patrick’s Cathedral.)
We walk over to Stone Street. It was the first street to be paved in New York. One can only imagine what it was like prior to that with wave after wave of migrants seeking a better future for themselves. It is now a popular dining spot.
At another stop, she points out Fraunces Tavern. Where the owner turned out to be a spy for George Washington. There is a museum here which I would have loved to have had the time to visit. There is a lot of history here and she regales us with more information.
I get a close view of the famed Bull and wonder about the metal strips at our feet - she explains that they are official ticker tape parades that have been held in the street.
And of course, can one come to New York on a tour and not have Alexander Hamilton's tomb pointed out in Trinity Church cemetery? I make a mental note to visit the place at some time later if I have time.
The tour comes to a close near the 9/11 Memorial. Perfect for my next stop. Just at the corner of the Memorial, I see a few friendly NYPD officers and wondered if I would be bold enough to have a photo with them. Well, guess what.
I thank them for their time and for obliging me and then turn my attention to the Memorial. There is a solemnity about the place. There are two large rectangular pools of water which mark the footprints of the Twin Towers. The names of those who died in the attacks of September 11, 2001 as well as February 26, 1993 are inscribed into bronze parapets surrounding these Memorial Pools. Altogether there are 2,983 names - these include men, women and children. These include those on location, the first responders, the Pentagon as well as the five flights.
In the lawn area is a very special tree called the 'Survivor Tree'. It was found amongst the wreckage of the 9/11 attacks - its limbs were charred stumps but it still showed signs of life and leaves. It was transported to the Bronx and cared for until it was replanted in December 2010 here. Now each spring it bursts forth with beautiful blossoms as a symbol of resilience.
After a walk around the outside of the Memorial I join the very short queue to the Museum itself. There is much to see and experience in the Museum. The "Memorial Museum tells the story of 9/11 through media, narratives, and a collection of monumental and authentic artifacts, presenting visitors with personal stories of loss, recovery, and hope."
The museum was indeed a very moving experience and a very well designed, well thought through and integrated sensory journey. I leave with a better understanding and appreciation of humanity's capacity for compassion, cooperation and courage in the face of great tragedy.
The museum has indeed been a very moving experience and an architectural jewel - so well designed and well thought through to provide an integrated sensory journey. I leave with a better understanding and appreciation of humanity's capacity for compassion, cooperation and courage in the face of great tragedy.
It has also made me more aware of the importance of symbols as strong signs of hope and expressions of grief and recovery. It has also shown me just how much we need one another and rely on one another as community. None of us can live as Islands or lone rangers. We couldn't be the best version of ourselves by ourselves. We have much to give and also to receive.
It also impressed on me just how that only as nation a is founded on values that cherish the person as one made in the image of God and accords human dignity accordingly to the individual and with it systems that uphold and value integrity and true liberty can produce such a symbol of rebirth, compassion and rebirth.
I take a few moments to soak in the experience as I sip on a coffee from the café where I can see the trident and the city through the glass walls. The museum is best experienced over a few hours - definitely not something you would want to rush through.
There is a small museum before you get to the observation deck. The view is quite magnificent indeed. But the price, well, if this wasn't an inclusion in the New York Pass, I would not have purchased a separate ticket for it.
All in all, I felt quite pleased with how I had been able to get good use from the pass. A lot of research and planning had gone into creating my big list (with entry prices, location, opening times details) and then my short list of activities and sights I wanted to use my pass for. I had to forgo some activities e.g. bike ride through Central Park because of the timing and location of the other things I wanted to do. For example, as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island visit is rather inexpensive, it made more sense to buy a separate ticket for that than to use my pass for it. I used both a Google Maps saved list feature and Google sheet to work out my itinerary and activities to arrive at the best combination of activities to maximise my time and cost investment.
Speaking of the famed lady, that's where I'll be going tomorrow.
#wallstreet #manhattan #NewYork #9/11 #Sept11, #EmpireStateBuilding #Metrosubway #NY #NYcity #USA #9/11Memorial
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