New York is exhausting, exhilarating, intense, huge. I wouldn’t want to live where I’m camping and commute in every day. First, it would be expensive. Second, it would be soooo time consuming. I know people do it all the time. I used to commute into San Francisco from Concord. That was a gnarly commute, too. It is definitely a young person’s game.
Today, in an effort to cut several miles of walking to – and especially from the train, I rode my bike. I saw a marked path through the train yard and thought maybe there was a shortcut for pedestrians. So, I blew right by the guard shack and kept pedaling. I rode and rode….by cops, working dudes, guards. Nobody said a word. Eventually it became apparent that I was somewhere I shouldn’t be. I asked a guy and he informed me I was indeed in a restricted area! Of course! I turned around a rode back by all the guards and police. Again, nothing!
I swear I would be such a good spy. I get away with everything. Something about the way I look is not threatening. A random person should definitely not be able to ride a bike by guarded gates to train tracks. Even a fat lady on a rainbow cruiser! Just saying.
That adventure added quite a distance to my bike ride. So, since there doesn’t seem to be bike parking at the train, I locked my bike to a fence on the park side of a huge overpass to the station (what I was trying to go under). I crossed my fingers that it would still be there when I got back. I caught the train back into the city. I only had the 911 Memorial and pizza on my agenda. I decided to go to Lombardi’s because it was in the direction I was already going.
But, first a little subway mariachi music – wait until the end. The accordion player catches me taping him and I get embarrassed and quickly stop!
I only wanted a slice but somehow found myself sitting at a table being rushed into ordering — because they were going to close the oven doors???? I didn’t understand. I guess their oven is 1000 degrees and they cook pizzas in batches. If you miss it, your pizza will take a long time. I don’t know what I was thinking but I ordered a small pizza and a salad. It was not a small pizza by any stretch of the imagination! But let me tell you, it was delicious! Charred crust that was just perfectly chewy. Fresh mozzarella and great meat.
I could only eat two pieces. The server suggested I take the rest and give it to someone on the street. I swear…..I lugged that pizza all the way downtown and never saw a single panhandler. Not one. Another thing: I always heard that there was garbage everywhere in NYC. Not only have I not seen or smelled garbage, it is darn hard to even find a trash can. So far I’ve found New York very clean. Not urine soaked like San Francisco.
I like it. Everything about it. Living in Las Vegas prepared me well for the prices. I find it very easy to navigate. All I do is go to maps on my phone, put in where I want to go and select the transit option. It tells you exactly where to go, what mode of transportation to take – including train number and arrival time. It’s awesome!
I made my way to the World Trade Center and the 911 Memorial. The new World Trade Center is magnificent. Stunning.
Outside are the two reflecting pools. They’re beautiful each one is nearly an acre in size and are the largest manmade waterfalls in North America. The names of victims are cut out of the iron surrounding the pools. At night the names are lit from the pool beneath. It’s so thoughtful.
Then I went into the museum. I really didn’t know what to expect. The first part was the South Tower which holds artifacts like the last column, a piece of the huge antenna from the top of one of the towers, a fire truck from Ladder Company 3 who lost everyone. I watched a time lapse movie called Rebirth that showed the rebuilding – pretty spectacular. They set up cameras from three angles and left them there for the duration of demolition and rebuilding. The movie was shown on three walls.
From there I made my way to the North Tower. This is where shit got real. No pictures are allowed. You go in and it’s a maze of integrated video, art, graphics, recorded statements. It takes you through from the first plane, step by graphic step. It’s important that there are no photos. The things you see are incredibly disturbing. There are dark viewing rooms with video of everything. I lost it when I went into one and it was showing people jumping to their deaths in up close, graphic detail. Recordings of witnesses to this horror where playing over the images. It was very hard to watch.
There were personal items found and collected – everything you can imagine. Shoes, helmets, ID badges, notes, bicycles, car doors, pictures. They even preserved a portion of a clothing store where the clothes are exactly how they were and still covered with layers of dust and debris.
There was a room with a picture of each victim. Another room is in an area above the final resting place of so many unrecovered victims. The floor is clear (you can see the ground below) and on opposing walls are projected photos of victims, one by one, with audio of loved ones remembering them.
I’m very, very glad I went. I would recommend it to anyone. There’s a lot to see so plan on at least four hours. I left the museum and went back to the reflecting pools – because by now it was dark. I think they were more beautiful at night.
I then began my trek home. I’ve got to say, that bike saved by barking dogs! Woof! It was one of the best rides of my life! Almost all downhill. I think tomorrow will be Central Park and maybe one museum. I don’t know which one… The Met, MoMA, Guggenheim, Frick Collection? I don’t know. The Met may be too much. It’s after 1am and I’m still wide awake – something tells me I’m gonna get a late start….if I can even move! Fiddle Dee Dee – Sunday is another day!
Onward ♋+♊
The Lolo Down 