Last week was Spring Break for Cornell, and Mark and I considered trying to take a short trip somewhere so we could enjoy the vacation. We had given up the idea until we got phone calls simultaneously from the Tanners urging us to reconsider and accompany them to New York City so they could do some apartment shopping. We 'reluctantly' gave in and left the next day. Neither of us had ever been to the city, so we were excited for whatever we could see. We had a great time seeing the World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Rockefeller Center (where Skyler will be working), Central Park, Toys R Us & F.A.O. Schwartz (the toy store with the giant piano from the movie 'Big'), and Broadway. One of the highlights of the trip was eating at a restaurant beneath the Brooklyn Bridge that makes authentic Italian-style pizza. It was fabulous, and worth waiting in line for an hour just to get inside! Even Mark was impressed, and he's typically pretty wary of American attempts to imitate Italian food.
Another great experience was visiting St. Paul's Chapel just across the street from the World Trade Center site. It has sort of become a monument to Sept. 11th as it played a huge role in the aftermath of the event. Walking through the cemetery on the grounds, there are signs everywhere explaining how fortunate it is that the church even survived the catastrophe. When the nearest building collapsed, the cemetery was littered with debris in the form of rubble, computer monitors, and window blinds. People working around the clock in relief efforts used the church as a place to rest and prepare to return to their work. I felt so touched as I walked through the church and felt a little what it must have been like to try to recover and cope with the feelings those people must have experienced. As we were about to leave the church, a young man started to sing the Star Spangled Banner. He had the most beautiful voice, and as far as we know it wasn't a planned performance. Everyone froze and listened to him sing and sort of let the reverence of the place wash over us. Afterwards, one of the priests walked up to him and shook his hand, and led him to the piano where he played and sang America the Beautiful. I was so grateful we chose to go to the church when we did, as I'll never forget that wonderful experience.
We were completely exhausted after two days of endless walking and subway rides (I've discovered muscles in my legs I didn't know I had-- I refer to them now as my 'subway muscles' because they still ache from bracing myself for the lurching of the train). Mark will be posting a more detailed overview of our trip the Big Apple on our website, so please check it out! Here are a few pictures; you can check the website for more.
Another great experience was visiting St. Paul's Chapel just across the street from the World Trade Center site. It has sort of become a monument to Sept. 11th as it played a huge role in the aftermath of the event. Walking through the cemetery on the grounds, there are signs everywhere explaining how fortunate it is that the church even survived the catastrophe. When the nearest building collapsed, the cemetery was littered with debris in the form of rubble, computer monitors, and window blinds. People working around the clock in relief efforts used the church as a place to rest and prepare to return to their work. I felt so touched as I walked through the church and felt a little what it must have been like to try to recover and cope with the feelings those people must have experienced. As we were about to leave the church, a young man started to sing the Star Spangled Banner. He had the most beautiful voice, and as far as we know it wasn't a planned performance. Everyone froze and listened to him sing and sort of let the reverence of the place wash over us. Afterwards, one of the priests walked up to him and shook his hand, and led him to the piano where he played and sang America the Beautiful. I was so grateful we chose to go to the church when we did, as I'll never forget that wonderful experience.
We were completely exhausted after two days of endless walking and subway rides (I've discovered muscles in my legs I didn't know I had-- I refer to them now as my 'subway muscles' because they still ache from bracing myself for the lurching of the train). Mark will be posting a more detailed overview of our trip the Big Apple on our website, so please check it out! Here are a few pictures; you can check the website for more.
Manhattan with the Statue of Liberty in the background
Thousands of paper origami cranes sent from schoolchildren in Japan as a wish for peace and healing after the Sept. 11th attack on the WTC; they are now located in St. Paul's church across the street from the WTC site
Me & Shannah at F.A.O. Schwartz
Near the southern entrance to Central Park
We're subway pro's now!
3 comments:
Sounds like a fun vacation! I've never been to the big apple...someday I suppose! And I can't wait to be in Texas where Paul will have Spring Break...what's up with BYU anyway? Have you got any recipes back yet???
Way to go you pros! Looks like you saw just about all the big stuff in NY...I've been just twice, but I'm trying to think of fun things to do the next time we are there...maybe that St. Paul's cathedral.
Stay warm!
That looks like so much fun! Someday I definitely want to go to New York, I am so jealous of you guys. I hope you had fun.
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