:: Pedantic Platitudes ::

:: Sunday, April 20, 2003 ::

Happy Easter! 'Twas another thrilling day of sightseeing, but today it was in New York City! Katie and I left at about 6 a.m. and went to Chinatown, where we boarded the 7 a.m. bus to New York’s Chinatown. Apparently, we made the normally 4.5-hour trip in a mere 3.5 hours; the driver drove really fast! I slept the entire trip, but once we got there, we went to the subway. I was glad they had the $4 all-day pass, which was a really good deal considering how much we traveled by subway. It took us a while to find it, but we took the yellow line to Ground Zero. It was such a powerful experience. You see all these images on television and in the media, but seeing the actual thing in person is mind-boggling. They had set up a viewing platform that had several signs explaining the history of the World Trade Center. There were also notices warning that all objects left at the viewing area would be removed, so we didn't see too many memorials. Still, many people had used permanent pen to write messages of condolence and solidarity on the metal fence. We walked around the site, which is basically now a huge pit with tons of construction machines at the bottom, and then headed to the World Financial Center, where we got to view the proposals for rebuilding the World Trade Center, as well as a full presentation and scale model of the winning proposal. I can't wait to see the plans brought to life.

We then walked along the peaceful park that stretched from the World Financial Center to Battery Park. It was like a boardwalk with a pretty railing and lampposts. We could see the Statue of Liberty standing watch over the water. At Battery Park, we saw all the people lining up to buy tickets to board a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. It was crazy how many people were lined up! We walked around the park and also saw the gold sphere that used to stand in the plaza of the World Trade Center. The art piece represents global unity. It sustained damage when the twin towers collapsed, but it held up, showing the resilience of world peace. It was an inspirational sight to see.

Afterwards, we took the subway to the Wall Street. We saw the New York Stock Exchange, as well as the Trump Building and the Federal Reserve. The buildings in the financial district were incredible because they were built decades ago, yet they were almost as tall as the modern day skyscrapers.

We made a brief stopover at Grand Central Station; from there we walked to Times Square. There were so many people in that area; it reminded me of Disneyland on a very crowded day. Katie decided at the last moment that she wanted to see a Broadway musical, so we tried to get tickets by waiting in the cancellation line at the theater where The Lion King was being presented. Unfortunately, the show was sold out, so we went and had lunch at the McDonald's next door. It was a "fancy" McDonald's (which, I admit, is very much an oxymoron). There were three stories of seating, and the walls had clips from Disney movies projected on them. The only downside was that the food wasn't very warm, even when I asked for a warm hamburger, and the prices were very high.

Following our late lunch, we walked through Times Square a little, taking pictures and shopping around. Katie found some "I (heart) New York" t-shirts that were an excellent deal, and I saw a huge advertisement for the Lifetime made-for-TV movie "Homeless to Harvard." We then boarded the subway to Central Park. We took a lovely stroll through the huge park in the middle of Manhattan. There were many people out and about, and it made me very happy to see so many happy and cute couples holding hands, having a picnic, or walking their dog. There was really green grass, and many flowers had been planted. I would have loved to spend the entire day exploring Central Park. We stumbled upon a big lake in the middle of the park, and there were people in rowboats on the water. Across the water was an island, and there were people exploring it. The whole scene truly reminded me of Disneyland and the Rivers of America. It made me smile to see all the people enjoying the beautiful day in New York City. These simple things are what make life so great.

It began to get late, so we walked to the nearest subway stop and took the 6 train back to Chinatown, where the bus would leave. The 7 p.m. bus was full, so we waited for the next bus, which came at 7:30. Again, I slept for most of the trip back, but this time it took us almost 5 hours to get back to Boston. We took the T back to the Harvard campus, and after working on some schoolwork, I went to sleep because I was so tired from a long day of sightseeing and fun!

:: SL 11:35 PM [+] ::
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