Lower Manhattan
On July 3, we took a one day trip to New York City, by train, from Elizabethtown, PA. Upon arrival at Penn Station, we took a Line 1 local train to the tip of Manhattan, where we boarded the free Staten Island Ferry. The round-trip ride offered a nice view of Lady Liberty and Ellis Island, as well as the skyline of lower Manhattan.
Statue of Liberty viewed from the Staten Island Ferry
After the boat ride, we walked north to Ground Zero. The void, where the Twin Towers used to stand, is now filled with the bustle and noise of construction, but the hole, in the skyline and in New York’s heart, remains. The absence of the towers feels very strange - both poignant and frightening.
Cloud reflections above the hole in New York’s heart.
From Ground Zero and the World Financial Center, we walked east and hopped on the subway line which took us directly to the Museum of Natural History. We would need at least a week to see the whole museum, but we took an hour to do a quick tour and to see the special exhibit of frogs, born and bred by museum scientists.
At the entrance of the Museum of Natural History.
A tiny poisonous frog in the Chorus of Colors exhibit at the NYC Museum of Natural History.
It was a beautiful day for a walk in Central Park, starting just outside the museum. We admired lakes full of turtles and snakes (and boaters), lush native plantings, and thousands of New Yorkers out for a stroll.
Pointing out the fauna (baby alligators?) in the lake in Central Park.
Since our day was short, we continued our walk south, through the theater district and Times Square, where crowds were preparing for July 4th festivities, and back to Penn Station.
Times Square, looking good on a warm summer day.
We caught our train but were kicked off when we arrived in Philadelphia, because of a ticketing snafu. That gave us time for a perfect Parisian dinner at the Parc Bistro and Cafe on Rittenhouse Square, before catching the last train home.
