Good morning!
I’m finally going to get started on some highlights from our NYC trip.
But first, breakfast!
Two scrambled eggs, a dash of parsley, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, half of an avocado, drizzled with Ed’s homemade spicy (for him, not me) tomatillo sauce. I sided it up with a small glass of orange juice and a few sips of coffee. The same pumpkin spice I left on the coffee table on Monday morning. A “few sips” being the perfect choice of words. It wasn’t very tasty 2 days later, but I don’t like to waste. So, I gave it a shot.
World Trade Center Memorial
My friend Kelly and I escaped Maryland via Bolt Bus on Friday afternoon to go visit her sister, Elsa, who lives in Queens, NY. She moved there about a year and a half about and we’ve been discussing a trip there together for some time.
My attempt to beat bus ride boredom. I read ZERO pages in that book.
The bus ride was quiet and the two of us chatted for the better half of it as well as a quick nap since sleep was not on the itinerary for the next couple nights.
We arrived NYC at around 8PM and bolted to their friend Ken’s place to drop our bags off before dinner at Lena Latin Grill. We were hungry and I gobbled up my grilled chicken with tomatillo and avocado sauce (Yum!), sweet plantains and fried yuca in no time. Since our bus was so late, we headed to Queens to rest up for an early morning at the WTC Memorial.
On our way to the World Trade Center Memorial, Elsa convinced me that a bacon, cream cheese bagel is the best street car breakfast in NYC. I didn’t argue since I was hungry and there just happened to be one of many food carts outside the memorial.
Bagels, cream cheese and bacon are three of my favorite cheat items. So, what can I say, I approved.
The memorial has come a long way since I visited Ground Zero last in 2008. While there is still some to be done to put the finishing touches and officially open it to the public, it was quite a different site from what happened just over 11 years ago.
While waiting in line for our 11:30AM entrance, Kelly and I discussed where we were and how we found out about the tragedy that surrounded that day. I was in 9th grade and in 2nd block gym class when we walked by the television inside the fitness center. That was my first glimpse of the first tower and eventually the hit of the second.
South Pool
Ken, Elsa, Kelly
Even though I was a young 14 year old, the phrase “terrorist attack” was not something I had much knowledge of before that day. From my memory, I think many people, older and younger, had to take a moment or two to figure it all out from afar that day. Some couldn’t bare the site of it, while others chose to ignore it completely.
The memorial still has some final touches they are working on, but the beauty of the grounds was obviously there.
The Survivor Tree
North Pool
Rainbow across the North Pool
Needless to say, we left the memorial with a deeper honor for those whose lives were lost that day.
We will never forget.
After spending our morning at the memorial we headed on to enjoy the rest of our day in the city.
Where were you on September 11th, 2001?
Sand Between My Sneakers 
A trip to the WTC Memorial is on my NYC Bucket List. I was in 6th grade RLA class, and I was working on a grammar assignment. When my teacher turned on the TV, we didn’t know what to think or how to react; we were so young and in complete shock.
Ugh! I am old. While you were in school, I was teaching fifth grade. It was my second year of teaching. We stayed at school until all of the students were picked up. I drove home @ about 3:30pm on an open 271S with not one other living soul on the road. Kind of spooky!