Day 2 - Remembering 9/11

New York, of course, consists not only of our beloved Manhattan, there are five known boroughs. Apart from Manhattan, these are Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.

We limit ourselves on this trip to Manhattan but this morning we widen our horizon with a boat trip of two hours on the Hudson and East River. Before getting on board the boat, we take a group photo in front of the aircraft carrier Intrepid. This decommissioned  aircraft carrier is an Air and Space Museum and is home to the space shuttle Enterprise, a submarine and many other retired aircrafts.

Then we take the boat at Pier 86 for our mini-cruise. It's lovely weather for our trip. The sun is shining. The boat takes us from Pier 86 on the Hudson River all the way to the Manhattan Bridge on the East River and back. From the water we have a beautiful view of the skyline of downtown Manhattan.

I can’t count the skyscrapers. Lower Manhattan is a collection of concrete, steel and glass from which architects create works of art. Clouds and surrounding buildings reflect in the glass. The rehabilitated skyline will of course never be the same. How the disappearance of two towers leads to a completely different view. We round the cape of the financial district and then get a view of the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge which was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1883 with a span of 448 meters between the two towers. Never before was steel cable used in the construction of a suspension bridge. The bridge was built by the inventor of the steel cable.

Next to the Brooklyn Bridge is the equally beautiful Manhattan Bridge.

At the Manhattan bridge we turn around. We pass Governor's Island and Ellis Island, the location where the candidate immigrants got a first glimpse of the United States. Here they underwent a health examination (both medical and psychological) and they had to do writing and reading tests. Not everyone was admitted. Hence Ellis Island is also called the "island of tears". Before arriving on the islands, the first thing immigrants saw was Lady Liberty, the statue of Liberty. This gift from France to the United States, which includes work by Gustave Eiffel, is proudly standing in the harbor of New York  since 1886.

In 2009, the Hudson River was the scene of "The Miracle of the Hudson" when US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing after a bird strike caused the loss of both engines. The pilot chose the Hudson River above flying back to La Guardia, which he deemed impossible due to the low altitude at which the plane was flying. You can see why the pilot chose the river : enough width, no bridges over a great length and a lot of ferries around to rescue the survivors. At Pier 86, we go back  ashore. We take our bus and for the first time we are guided by Patrick van Roosendaal, Belgian and passionate New Yorker. He even wrote a book about the city " From tourist to New Yorker" He will be guiding us the next few days through his city with a heart full of passion, along with our guide Alan. We go straight to the financial heart of the city. The heart that bled so heavily on September 9, 2001: Ground Zero. Where once  the World Trade Towers stood, are now two water pools. Along the walls of those pools, the water flows in waterfalls. Tears have replaced the blood, the tears of all New Yorkers.

The names of the victims are engraved on the edges. The place feels serene, yet  I do get overcome with emotion when I feel the sadness of a woman next to me who lovingly touches one of the names. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on this site, unimaginable ... At the site of Tower 6 the Freedom Tower has been built.

With a height of 541 m it is the tallest building in the Americas. 541 m corresponds to a height of 1776 feet, 1776 the year of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. We walk past the monument of the firefighters. NYFD lost that day more than 300 men. Every firefighter who entered the buildings knew that he was not going to get out alive ... The horror of that day still haunts us today.

After a short visit to the Trinity Church, we continue to Wall Street. The Charging Bull attracts a lot of attention and a lot people  touching him. It is said that touching the private parts of the bull, would bring financial luck.  We take our chance J. We have lunch in Little Italy, in a trattoria where Caruso sang. It's party time in Little Italy. The streets are beautifully decorated, there are eating stands, game stalls, in short it's buzzing. It is the Feast of San Gennaro, the most important day of the year in Little Italy. In the afternoon we continue our exploration of downtown Manhattan. From Italy we quickly go to China. The people of Chinatown our sitting under the trees of a little park  playing games and cards, one more fanatical than others. In the background people are singing but … not in tune ... The Chinese community remains very by themselves. We take a turn to Soho, the trendy shopping streets which are housed in beautiful buildings with cast-iron facades. Each more detailed than the other. There are some gems.

From here we walk to the Meatpacking District. The slaughterhouses have been replaced by fashion houses, restaurants and cafes. We finish here at Chelsea Market, where the former biscuit factory of the National Biscuit Company (inventor of Oreo cookies) stood. The food hall testifies to an incredible taste with small shops, bars, restaurants, etc ... A beautiful work. Above Chelsea Market is the High Line. On this former cargo railway track, a green oasis is created. It is an oasis of peace in this overwhelming city. We walk above the city, above the main avenues, past the tall buildings. But we walk mainly in green.

It is wonderful to spend late afternoon  some time here. Then it is back to reality with the crouds on 7th Avenue,  from  Madison Square Garden and my favorite hotel "The hotel Pensylvania ' all the way to Times Square. For two years, there has been roadwork here, and with all those people it is not easy to look at both the giant screens and looking down.

We have dinner just off Times Square, at Hurley's. To end this fantastic day, we get a view of the beautiful illuminated city skyline when we come out of the Lincoln Tunnel on the way to our hotel in New Jersey. The city that never sleeps, sleeps indeed not tonight.