Throwback Thursday: Remembering 9/11

If you've been following my blog for the last year, its no secret that I have fallen in love with New York City. I love the people, the energy, the diversity, the food. Don't get me wrong, its a totally crazy place to live; but its also the best ever.

One of the places I was able to visit several times while living in New York was the 9/11 Memorial. If you've never done this, it is at the top of my list of must dos. I remember the first time we ventured down there. I was a little hesitant to go because I didn't really want to relive the thoughts and feelings I had as a young girl watching those buildings burn. But I immediately felt a change as I stepped foot on that hallowed ground. It is an overwhelmingly bittersweet experience.

I vividly remember watching the events unfold on television. As you walk through the neighborhood, you see street names and images you recognize from the news, and the scenes come flooding back into your mind. I immediately felt sick because I could see the people running from the building, the air thick with dust and debris, sirens whaling and people screaming.  I remember (or maybe imagined) a woman pushing a stroller, just like me. And I was brought to tears imagining how helpless and scary it would be. The world was literally coming crashing down around them, and all they could do was run.

There is a wall that is dedicated to the firefighters and police officers who lost their lives saving others. What heroic souls! I cannot even image what courage it would have taken to turn around and run back into the burning buildings. September 11, 2001 was the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American History. While that is devastating, just imagine how many lives were saved because of those brave men and women. It's humbling that they were willing to make that sacrifice.

As I approached the site I was feeling somber and sick (and frankly scared.) But then the city fades away and this huge plaza opens up. Its full of trees and the sound of rushing water. The plaza is made up of two enormous reflecting pool waterfalls that sit in the original footprints of the twin towers. There are over 400 trees surrounding the waterfalls, many harvested from areas in Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania that were also attacked. There is one tree that is roped off and protected which is called The Survivor Tree. It was discovered in the rubble of Ground Zero, severely damaged and burned. They removed it from the site and it was cared for and replanted in 2010. It is now thriving in its original home. How miraculous!

The names of each individual lost are etched into the sides of the reflecting pools. Our most recent visit was in May while Zack's family was in town. We arrived just as the sun was going down and we were able to watch as the names began to light up and glisten in the darkness. Although the memorial is right in the middle of the hustling bustling Financial District of Lower Manhattan, the waterfalls and rustling leaves drown out the city noise and allow peace and serenity at the memorial.  The grand plaza proves that not only will we never forget, but we will always honor those who lost their lives.

While wandering the memorial, you look up and see a magnificent new building. The new One World Trade center is truly breathtaking and it quickly became my favorite building in the city.  Not only does it represent New York City as an icon in the skyline, but it represents America's rebirth from the ashes. We didn't just come back. We came back bigger, stronger, and more magnificent. It will always stand as a message to our enemies. You can try to break us down, but we will always rebuild and we will always overcome!

The resilience that New York City and America have shown since the attacks on September 11, 2001 makes me so proud to be an American and a temporary New Yorker. It is my prayer that America continues to grow and evolve, seeking to spread freedom, and working towards peace. I'm so glad we get to take Gunner here, to teach him about what happened, why it happened, and what it means to be an American. After all, our little ones are the future of America.

What are you memories from that day? How do you honor those who lost their lives for

our freedom?

XOXO

SD

High Line, Chelsea Market, NYSE, ect

I just want to start off this post apologizing for the poor quality of my pics. I didn't take my real camera so all of these are celly pics and ughhh I hate that!! So... sorry!

A few weeks ago an old friend of mine, Brian, was in town! He wanted to see a bunch of the things we hadn't marked off our bucket list, which was perfect! We met at Penn Station (which is sort of a nightmare of a place) and then hopped on the High Line on like 29th street maybe?!

So if you don't know anything about the High Line, it's a park that has been built around a historic freight rail line that once ran above the city. Its basically a walking path that weaves between the buildings! Its such a cool way to see the city! Not to mention, the view of the Empire State Building is UNREAL.

You can still see the original tracks in the gardens and even throughout the walking path! Its about 15 blocks long (15 of my favorite blocks), and if the view of the city around isn't enough for you, the beautiful gardens, interesting art pieces, and unmatched views into strangers' apartments are sure to captivate! I went for the first time when my friends were here, and I feel like I have to take everyone who ever visits to see this place! Its a MUST SEE!

Another one of the reasons I LOVE the High Line is that when you hop off at 14th Street, you're like two blocks from the Chelsea Market! OMG! The Chelsea Market! This place is tied (with the High Line) for my favorite place in the city!And not just because I saw JP from the bachelor there last week! But if you like food, you'll love the Chelsea Market! They have the biggest variety of artisan, gourmet, specialty, yummy places to eat! They have a place called The Doughnuttery.... Yeah! So you can just imagine what this place is like!

We had Thai food and it was obviously to die for! The people were the nicest, the food was amazing, and they had a window where Gunner could watch them cook! He stood smacking the window and yelling! I'm not sure who loved it more--him or the cooks!  The Pad Thai was delish and I was stuffed, but ready for dessert! When I'm surrounded by so much yummy, my stomach makes room (usually in my hips or butt)! So, we got gelato... I could really just die...

We left the Chelsea Market and hopped in a taxi towards the One World Trade Center!  As we walked we did the cliche thing and talked about where we were during Sept 11th, and how we heard, and we got all Patriotic and stuff. This is why I have a love/hate relationship with walking around this part of town! I hate it because I just feel so sick when I think about what happened there. All of the innocent people who lost their lives, and loved ones! It's a little eerie to remember the scenes I saw on the news and know that I'm walking on those same streets. Walking just outside of the new tower, its hard to imagine that that was GROUND zero, like it was buried under thousands of pounds of rubble.
That's sort of also why I love it though! If it weren't for the memorial you'd never guess such a horrific thing took place there. It has been built up and it is outstandingly beautiful. The new tower is absolute magnificent. The neighborhood is clean, and alive, and thriving! I am so thrilled to see that! Plus,  I love it because its the DOWNTOWN downtown. All of the tallest/most famous buildings are here! If you want to feel tiny, go here!

From there we walked over to Wall Street to see the New York Stock Exchange. I hadn't done any research on visiting the stock exchange so I was surprised to find that you cannot even approach the doors. The entrance is gated off about 15 yards away and there is a police officer on duty 24/7. Luckily for us, this police officer was friendly and we ended up talking to him for literally 2 hours. We heard some pretty unbelievable stories and to be honest, it made me feel even safer in my city!

By the time we left the stock exchange, it was already 10pm, but there were a few things left to see! Obviously we had to see the Charging Bull on Wall Street. Oh wait, its not on Wall Street. Did you know that? I always felt like it was like at the entrance to the Stock Exchange... but really its on Broadway and over a few blocks. The officer we talked to said he gets asked about the Bull a million times a day. When he tells them its down on Broadway and over a few blocks they always say, "No, I'm looking for the bull on Wall Street." As if the NYPD officer assigned to guard the NYSE doesn't know about the Bull on Wall Street. We had some seriously good laughs with that guy!

Anyways, the Bull! We posed for a few pics! At 10:30 at night it seemed really funny to pose in/near the bulls butt crack and stuff, but looking back now, I'd really love a less creepy pic.

The last thing on Brian's check list was to see the Brooklyn Bridge! This is harder than it sounds! Well maybe its not that hard, but we were tired and it was dark and we ended up never seeing it. Instead we found ourselves wandering aimlessly towards the river. We lost track of time and ended up running through subways stations to get Brian on his train back to New Jersey (which he missed... oops).

We didn't get home until after 2 am. What were we thinking?!? I'm way too old for that! Luckily, Gunner fell asleep in his stroller at 9:00 and slept through the Charging Bull, the hunt for the Brooklyn Bridge, the subway ride home, diaper change, jammy change, and until 8 am! How did I get so lucky!?! Best baby EVER!!! We had a blast hanging out with Brian and catching up with him! I wish we would have taken a picture with him, but with our rushed farewell... haha it didn't happen! But, everyone should note that if you come visit us, we will take you all over the city and wear you out and keep you out all night! Promise!

XOXOX
SD

P.S. Thanks for the visit Benni!! And thanks for helping us cross off some bucket list stuff!! Come back soon!!