New York 3

Day 67

Today started with another walk to Times Square so we could get the bus to the World Trade Centre Viewing Site.  We picked up tickets for the site and had time to spare so we went to St Pauls Chapel. 

After the towers fell, this tiny 18^th century Episcopal church became a relief centre.  Clergy counseled, cooks dished out meals and medical staff treated stiff muscles and burned feet.  Today it has been set up as a memorial and children have left notes of thanks and sadness. 

Around the back of the church there is a Bell of Hope.  Accompanied by an honor guard the Bell of Hope was presented to the people of New York from the Lord Mayor of London.  The bell is rung every September 11, and was rung on March 11 2004 when trains were bombed in Madrid and on July 7, 2005 when London’s subway was bombed. The ringing of the bell symbolizes the triumph of hope over tragedy.

We then went to the official Memorial Site where there is a tribute bike built by Paul Jnr in memory of the souls that perished on 9/11 and their families.  It is truly striking.

We then went to the Memorial. The 9/11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center. This 8 acre memorial features two massive pools set within the original footprints of the Twin Towers with 30-foot waterfalls cascading down their sides. Each pool is nearly one-acre in size. The names of the victims are inscribed on parapets surrounding the pools.

From there we took a cruise around the Statue of Libery and Ellis Island.  It was a beautiful day to be on the water and see the skyline of Manhattan from another perspective.  The Statue of Liberty was just as I imagined it would be.  Very impressive.