7 November 2019
It’s been quite a day. First a trip to the Freedom Tower Observation Deck then a walk down the High Line, a visit to the Whitney, and a walk back along the High Line.
It gets dark around 4:47 pm in New York today. That means I’m ready for bed a few hours after sunset since it doesn’t get dark in Fort Lauderdale until after 5:37 pm. In any case, I slept well last night but I waked about 4:15 am and got up at 5 am.
I always like that part of the morning to check email, read the news, and do any other stuff online. It’s quiet and I can read uninterrupted.
I walked down one floor to the club room for breakfast which was exactly the same as yesterday but at least it was free and the coffee was good.
Around 9 am, Tom and I set out for the World Trade Center and the observation tower. Our “priority” reservations were for 11 am but I wanted some time to walk around the memorial and see that. We walked around the corner from the Hilton and caught the “E” line downtown.
The “E” Line ends at the World Trade Center. You walk out and up to the memorial. We decided to first walk to the “Occulus” in the PATH station. This place is massive!
As I mentioned in my last post, I saw the twin towers go up when I was in radioman school on Governor’s Island. Seeing the hole in the ground where they once stood was emotional. Now seeing the completed memorial is powerful.
The names engraved are very sobering. I saw people walk along and run their hand over the names in a reverent fashion.
I guess it’s just me but I didn’t care to see people taking selfies at the site. I don’t mind photos of the site (I took several myself) but it seems a little odd to take a selfie.
Tom has seen the memorial a couple of times so he waited for me outside the Freedom Tower.
If you go to the observation deck, the extra $10 for the “priority” entry is worth it. You are in your own “priority” line, have your own elevator up and down the tower and automatically get an iPad with the panoramic views labeled for you. Unfortunately, the iPads needed a little syncing. When you held it up to your view, it was a little off center from the actual view.
I was excited to see my old stomping grounds, Governor’s Island. It’s been turned into a city park after the Coast Guard got rid of the property. It was, in 1970, quite beautiful. All the officers’ housing was in good shape and admiral’s row was impressive.
I got to know the island pretty well during my stay and we had our own private ferry to the tip of Manhattan and free broadway show tickets from the USO.
It was my first time to shovel snow. Also, for some reason, the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard felt sorry for me (I was very thin back then) and gave me a pass to the cooking school. I appreciated that since it was across the street from the barracks and I didn’t have to walk through the snow 1/2 mile to get to the mess hall. It was gourmet food for my entire tour of duty at Governor’s Island.
I could get up early in the morning and walk to the edge of the island and see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as the sun rose.
The view from the top of the tower is pretty amazing. I never was in the twin towers and never experienced Windows on the World, but I have to say the new structure is very nice. They have a restaurant on the observation deck but it has no seating – just stand up tables.
I left Tom on the “E” line as he headed back to the Hilton and I got off at 42nd Street and caught the “7” train back downtown to the High Line.
One of the first things that greets you is this massive structure inviting you to walk to the top (there’s also an elevator). Hudson Yards seems to be on the upswing. I remember you would never walk down there at night in 1970.
I remember reading about how the city was going to turn the old el into a walkway and followed as much of the development as I could. I’ve always wanted to walk it.
It’s 1.45 miles to the end (at the Whitney). I was about halfway down the line when I looked up and saw a dummy in prison garb and handcuffs. Then it dawned on me the dummy was Donald Trump. Someone doesn’t like the current president.
As I walked past, I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye looking up at the dummy. It was Anderson Cooper of CNN.
I’m impressed with the High Line. I think one thing they need to do is to provide information on their plantings. In theory, they supposedly planted plants that would have normally grown around the original railroad tracks back when it was actually on the ground and before it was elevated – in other words, weeds.
What they do an excellent job of is the public art and the information about each piece of public art.
At the end of the line, you take an elevator to street level to the Whitney. They’ve done a nice job on the new building and the art is good but there’s not a lot of space for exhibition. I preferred the permanent collection to the rotating exhibitions.
My favorite Georgia O’Keeffe was on display as well as Cadmus, Pollack and other famous artists.
The grouping of art in the museum was a little strange. They would hang a wall with numerous artists and then provide a sheet that identified the artists. I couldn’t discern any pattern to their arrangements.
The walk back was slower and more interesting. I wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere so I took my time and enjoyed the view. All total, I walked in excess of 3 miles.
I had forgotten how great a city New York is. From my first exposure to the city in 1970, it was some 30+ years before I visited the city again. Then it was another 7 or 8 years before I came back and another 4 years for this visit. I would like to make it a regular occurence.
Paris is still my favorite city. Next would be Edinburg, Scotland, then San Francisco. However, New York holds very special memories. Radio school, free broadway plays, and especially the Cloisters. That was my quiet, get-away place.
Tomorrow is the opera at the Met!
