Head Out Program (HOP) to NYC

Our plans for the early part of summer sure did not go the way we planned. The change in plans started with our sad trip back to WashPA for Tom's memorial service and continued with our ongoing issues with Opus. Because of the RV problems, we did not make it to New England. We ended up spending almost three weeks in Pennsylvania because we were uncomfortable driving to Connecticut and Massachusetts. The one thing we did not want to miss was the Escapees Head Out Program (HOP) to New York City and the Hudson River Valley. We did  make it to that and it was fantastic. The Hop included two days going into NYC and two days in the Hudson River Valley. We did way too much for one post so this one is about our time in the city.

It was close to a two hour ride from the RV park to Manhattan during the morning rush hour. This was our first view of the skyscrapers, including the new World Trade Center, near the Battery. 

The city sure is booming with many new buildings going up. This is the view from New Jersey showing  the new development on the Westside of Manhattan. There are four or five new residential tower going up in an area that used to be industrial. 

The first day in the city we went to Liberty Island and the 9/11 museum and memorial. Our first stop was Battery Park where we were greeted by Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian who in 1524 explored the North American east coast including New York Bay for the French.   

The Staten Island Ferry sailing passed Governors Island and Castle Williams. The Verrazzano Narrows Bridge is in the background. When the double deck bridge opened in 1964 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 4,260 feet long.

We took the boat from the Battery to Liberty Island for an up close look of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. The statue was a gift of friendship from the people of France in recognition of the United States as a symbol of freedom and democracy.    

We did not get to climb up the pedestal or the crown because tickets to do that are very limited and reservations must be made far in advance. It was strange being at this symbol of welcoming to immigrants from around the world considering the times we are living in today. 

My Lady Liberty holding the torch welcoming all to the United States.

We only stopped at Ellis Island to drop off and pick up people on the way back to Battery Park. Thousands of Eastern European immigrants passed through here from 1900 to 1954.

The new One World Trade Center rises high above lower Manhattan. The building including the spire is 1776 feet tall. 

The beautiful New York City skyline from the boat.

For lunch we had our choice of several food trucks in a park near the World Trade Center. Great food at a very reasonable price, especially for New York.

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street.

The skyline of lower Manhattan at 8:30 AM September 11, 2001 just minutes before the planes flew into the twin towers. 

 The National September 11 Memorial Museum states that the mission of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, located at the World Trade Center site, is to bear solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The Museum honors the nearly 3,000 victims of these attacks and all those who risked their lives to save others. It further recognizes the thousands who survived and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath. Demonstrating the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at the local, national and international levels, the Museum attests to the triumph of human dignity over human depravity and affirms an unwavering commitment to the fundamental value of human life.

There is an excellent film that covers the events of that day and what happened after that. The flags are of the 90 countries who had citizens killed in the attack.

A model of The Sphere. The original that was in the plaza between the Twin Towers was damaged, but survived. It is now in Liberty Park overlooking the 9/11 memorial. 

The Flag of Remembrance which honors the victims of the attack was created by Mindy Kombert and Sherry Kronefeld. An image of each person who died that day was placed on the flag in shades of red, white and blue. The blue field and stars was reserved for uniformed first responders.  

The Impact of Art: Peace and Healing after the 9/11 Attacks. Here is a link to the story about the creation of the mural.

This is the steel beam that was struck by the plane that flew into the South Tower.

The museum is built in the foundation of  the two towers. This was where the beams were attached to the bed rock.

A piece of the TV antenna that was on top the North Tower.

One of the firetrucks that was crushed when the towers collapsed. No photos are allowed in the In Memoriam exhibit and the September 11 Historical Exhibition. Some of  the accounts of the day in these exhibits were very difficult to read and hear.  

The Foundation Hall has remains of the original World Trade Center including the slurry wall and this Last Column that was the last one removed from the rubble in May 2002. It has the names and numbers of many of the units and people who worked to clear the rubble. There is also an exhibit on the struggles those who worked at the site after the attack had to get the government to cover their health issues.  

The 9/11 Memorial is on the footprint of the Twin Towers. They have the names of each victim and the companies and city departments where they worked. On their birthday a rose is placed on the name of the person.

One World Trade Center over the 9/11 Memorial.

Another way the victims are honored.

These are the words of the memorial's designer, Michael Arad, about the flow of water in the memorial. “In what we ended up with, you can see each strand of water as it goes over the edge of the weir, appearing as separate, individual streams as it falls. By the time it reaches the end, the clarity dissipates, and it becomes a woven tapestry of water. I think it speaks to individual and collective loss — bringing together many lives into one".

On our second day in the city we went to the Empire State Building, Time Square and to see The Lion King. This is the Art Deco entrance of the Empire State Building.

Looking down on the streets of the city and Macys, the nation's largest department store. 

The Empire State Building was built in 1930. The building was in a race to be the tallest along with the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street, two other going up at the same time.  At a height of 1,250 feet it was the tallest building in the world for forty years until 1971 when the North Tower of the World Trade Center was built. With the antenna it reached a height of 1,454 feet. Originally, the mast was in place to anchor airships.  

The buildings being built on the Westside that are pictured above from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. 

The skyscrapers at the south end of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in the harbor. In the foreground is the Flatiron Building that was built in 1902. At the time, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city. It takes its name from being triangular like a cast-iron clothes iron. 

The Statue of Liberty from the top of the building. I put the phone up to the telescope to get this picture.

Looking out across the East River and Roosevelt Island. The tallest building on the right is the United Nations and the one of the left is the Chrysler Building. 

Looking north at Midtown Manhattan with Central Park in the background. Many of these buildings are residential.

The Crossroads of the World, Time Square. It is really one of those places you need to see to believe. It is so big with so much within the surrounding buildings like a canyon in the city. 

You see people from all over the world including this couple from WashPA. The tower behind us with 2018 at the top is where the ball is dropped to ring in each New Year.

George M. Cohan who published over 300 songs including, Over There, Give My Regards to Broadway and You're a Grand Old Flag.  

Looking down on Time Square from the Lobby of the theater. Across the street is the huge ABC billboard that advertises shows and runs the latest news headlines.

We saw the The Lion King. The show was fantastic, especially the African animal costumes. This famous poster for the show was designed by the cousin of our tour guide, Keaton. Very Cool!!

Of course, no pictures were allowed during the show. This is Sarabi and Simba.

I found this picture on line of two of my favorite characters, Timon and Pumba.

Giving a shout out to our Escapees HOP hosts Jim and Lisa who put the whole thing together. Our tour guide Keaton (right) was great keeping everyone up to date and informed about what we were seeing and guiding us from place to place. 

This post only covers the two days we were in the city. The next post will be about our tours of the CIA, Roosevelt home and museum and West Point in the Hudson River Valley.

We have made it back to WashPA and are settled in for a three month stay with a lot to do.