Day two in NYC. Perhaps our most busy day started the same as day one; sleeping in followed by coffee and a bagel near our hotel.
We mentioned in the first post that the food was a little disappointing during the trip. Tuesday morning’s food was the most disappointing. Our day 1 bagel was good, not so much on day 2. We will not name the disappointing locations, but will talk about food that we liked by location. These bagels were topped with butter and scrambled egg. The flavors were very understated. Bagels were purchased each morning at 4 different locations. This was the only ‘meh’ bagel of the trip. We think if we’d asked for shallot cream cheese, this place would’ve been good too.
After sitting down for breakfast we headed toward Times Square to buy bus passes for the remainder of the week. The group utilized a tour bus on Tuesday to see the downtown sights. We chose to get off at the World Trade Center, then walk to Wall Street, and Battery Park. At Battery Park we took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The ferry returned us to Battery Park just before sundown where we caught a tour bus back to Times Square for a short 3 block walk back to our hotel.
The 9/11 museum is not open on Tuesday’s so we took a walk around the area and took in the memorials erected to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001 and to celebrate what was not destroyed on this infamous day in our history.
One obscure feature that survived the collapse of the twin towers is 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. Each year, the 9/11 Memorial gives seedlings from the Survivor Tree to three communities that have endured tragedy in recent years.
St. Paul’s chapel is a structure that survived the Twin Tower collapse.
St. Paul’s Chapel, constructed in 1766, is the oldest church building in Manhattan. Located less than 100 yards from the World Trade Center site, the church became known as “The Little Chapel That Stood” after it survived the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11. It is widely believed the church was protected by a giant sycamore tree that was planted in St. Paul’s graveyard.
In the tragic aftermath of 9/11, St. Paul’s Chapel became a haven for rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero. More than 5,000 volunteers worked long hours at the church, cleaning, serving hot meals, and providing comfort to all who came to the church for rest and refuge.
Next stop, after a ten minute walk was Wall Street. Scott suggested that we touch the bull’s nose for good financial luck. Lately, we’ll take as much luck as we can. The markets have been brutal the past two years.
When we arrived at the bull statue, there were two lines for people to touch the famous NY Stock Exchange bull. One to touch his nose, that’s the one we stood inline for. Plus one to touch his testicles, this one had more people in line! To our surprise, these lines were not monitored by anyone in authority, the visitors to Wall Street were politely, orderly and calmly controlling each line.
With faith that our investments were now protected by the Wall Street bull, we proceeded on a five minute walk from Wall Street to Battery Park. There were few crowds at any of our stops on Tuesday, including the line to buy ferry tickets to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and back. Cost of the ferry; $24.30 each.
We mentioned the TSA type security is used at many locations in NYC. So far it occurred during our day one visit to the Empire State Building. Today we were screened at St. Paul’s Chapel and now to get on the Lady Liberty Ferry. There would be another TSA style security check when we get off the ferry at the Statue of Liberty. Understandable considering that Lady Liberty is our most recognizable symbol of freedom.
The ferry dropped us off back at Battery Park just before sundown where we picked up the bus for a long trip fighting evening drive time traffic back to Times Square and and a 2 block walk back to our hotel. We had just enough time to change clothes, find something to eat at an Irish bar near our hotel, and get to Al Hirschfeld Theatre in time for the 7:00 production of Moulin Rouge.
Broadway! Day 2 of the trip to NYC will result in R Dub’s first time at a Broadway show in NYC, and what a choice for a first…Moulin Rouge! Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, gets her back, then the twist. R Dub had seen the movie, but the Broadway rewrite is better. Modern music is featured, all ‘written’ by the show protagonist Christian which sets up tongue in cheek moments as he reveals new songs that we all know and love!
Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular… Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. A theatrical celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and—above all—LOVE, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical; it is a state of mind.
It had been a full day up to this point, and the show was magnificent. Great dancing, and great vocals and a campy story line. However, there was more to do and see during our first night on Broadway!
After the show we were hungry and looked for a spot for a late night meal, and did we ever. Jasmine’s Caribbean Cuisine. The food was great, LOTS of flavor exploding with each bite..and of course we enjoyed potent potables with rum and citrus juices. We split an order of Jerk Chicken and two apps; crab cakes and calamari.
Final stop before heading back to the hotel on foot? In the same neighborhood as Jasmine’s, maybe two or three doors away towards Times Square was Don’t Tell Mama. Don’t Tell Mama is a piano bar that features a piano player who takes requests and three singing bar tenders who can really bring it.
There was a group of tourists in the back from Fond du Lac, WI. As a busy and great day 2 draws to a close, we realize that it is a small world.
Ron's Ramblings 