Grand Central Station was our first stop after breakfast. It was pretty, clean and shiny and, of course, completely eclipsed by the Apple Store! The store is on one of the mezzanine floors and is as big as Clophill it must be open 24/7. Either that of the staff are very trusting and no-one steals the products….
The 9/11 memorial and museum was our next stop. Saying that we’d conquered the subway was a big, fat lie. We only had to travel down the ‘green’ line but we got on and off four trains to make a straightforward trip, it would have probably been quicker to walk!
The museum and memorial were well worth the journey. Before we’d got through the door, John had told us the story of Richard Rescoria. Born in Cornwall he was the fire officer responsible for Morgan Stanley and his insistence that fire evacuation plans were regularly practiced meant that 2700 people safely left the building before he went back inside, like so many others never to be seen again. We’d invested in a guided tour of the museum which was brilliant. The stories told, both sad and happy, together with the twisted remains brought the experience to life which was emotional and sobering.
The memorial is visually stunning but still tasteful and touching. If you’re wondering about the tree, it was planted in the original WTC Plaza and was found during the clean up. Named The Survivor Tree, it has been nursed back to health and stands as a symbol of survival. As I write, the tears are streaming and it has been surprisingly difficult to put the experience into words.
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