A very misty and somewhat drizzly day. Today too was a day for walking. Manhattan is actually so small that it's such a waste using the Metro to get around and of course, being a tourist, there is no better way to explore than on foot. So I walked to Lower Manhattan to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. The first picture I took of the bridge looked a bit ghostly and good enough for a movie setting of a spooky story or perhaps a murder mystery... these thoughts made me look around a bit to make sure that someone wasn't following me :-/ OOohhhh :-) 
Finally on the bridge; I was too scared to jump though ;-). Amazing how they built it. On the picture next to my picuture you can see the Manhattan Bridge; also a beautiful bridge.
Off to Ground Zero now. St. Pauls Chapel is situated next to Ground Zero and on the day of 9/11 , debris knocked over a gigantic sycamore tree that stood for almost a century on the corner of the churchyard. The tree fell down in such a way that it missed knocking down any of the historic tombstones and none of the debris damaged the Chapel itself! AMAZING!
You can't help but feel overwelmed with emotion as you look at the pictures fixed to the fence around Ground Zero where the two towers crushed down to meet the earth.
What a sad feeling to imagine what must have gone through their minds as so many people realised that this was it for them. Being trapped in a building with no escape, where some made the choice to "free themselves" by jumping from the building to escape the heat. So many people lost their lives. No matter who you are or where you were at on 9/11, we were all shocked by what we heard and saw! This was a very sad day!
They are currently building the Freedom Tower on Ground Zero in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. It's a nice building.
On route to the Staten Island Ferry I took a quick pick with the Charging Bull. He was dressed up for the festive season and even leaned towards me for this picture. How nice :D
So this ferry is FOR FREE! It departs every 30minutes to pick up and drop off people to and from Staten Island. The ferry (parmanently escorted by armed forces believe it or not) sails not too far, but far enough if you don't have a super lensed camera, past the Statue of Liberty. The ferry does not stop at the Liberty Island, so if you ever visit NYC, best not be stingy like me and pay to get on the island and in the head of Ms. Liberty! That was lesson number two for this trip!
What a beautiful day this turned out to be. Here's a close(r) up of the Statue and also a couple of pictures of some buildings of the Financial District.
Where to next? Battery Park. I saw this park mapped in my book and decided to go for a stroll through it. It's next to the the Staten Island Ferry terminal so if not; why not? I came across the Battery Park War Memorial with thoussands of names of soldiers who lost their lives for their country between 1941 - 1945. The Sphere, in the first picture, use to stand between the two World Trade Centre buildings and got partially damaged with the 9/11 attacks. In front of the Sphere they lit an "eternal flame" if you will in honour of all those who were lost.
Finally heading to the African Burial Ground. I got a bit lost trying to find it and when I got there, it was unfortunately blocked off and under maintenance. The African Burial Ground became a permanently protected National Historic Landmark in 1991 after construction workers found more than 400 wooden caskets with ramains of enslaved Africans buried inside. Just a bit of history for you...
Finally on the bridge; I was too scared to jump though ;-). Amazing how they built it. On the picture next to my picuture you can see the Manhattan Bridge; also a beautiful bridge.Off to Ground Zero now. St. Pauls Chapel is situated next to Ground Zero and on the day of 9/11 , debris knocked over a gigantic sycamore tree that stood for almost a century on the corner of the churchyard. The tree fell down in such a way that it missed knocking down any of the historic tombstones and none of the debris damaged the Chapel itself! AMAZING!You can't help but feel overwelmed with emotion as you look at the pictures fixed to the fence around Ground Zero where the two towers crushed down to meet the earth.What a sad feeling to imagine what must have gone through their minds as so many people realised that this was it for them. Being trapped in a building with no escape, where some made the choice to "free themselves" by jumping from the building to escape the heat. So many people lost their lives. No matter who you are or where you were at on 9/11, we were all shocked by what we heard and saw! This was a very sad day!They are currently building the Freedom Tower on Ground Zero in memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. It's a nice building.On route to the Staten Island Ferry I took a quick pick with the Charging Bull. He was dressed up for the festive season and even leaned towards me for this picture. How nice :DSo this ferry is FOR FREE! It departs every 30minutes to pick up and drop off people to and from Staten Island. The ferry (parmanently escorted by armed forces believe it or not) sails not too far, but far enough if you don't have a super lensed camera, past the Statue of Liberty. The ferry does not stop at the Liberty Island, so if you ever visit NYC, best not be stingy like me and pay to get on the island and in the head of Ms. Liberty! That was lesson number two for this trip!What a beautiful day this turned out to be. Here's a close(r) up of the Statue and also a couple of pictures of some buildings of the Financial District. Where to next? Battery Park. I saw this park mapped in my book and decided to go for a stroll through it. It's next to the the Staten Island Ferry terminal so if not; why not? I came across the Battery Park War Memorial with thoussands of names of soldiers who lost their lives for their country between 1941 - 1945. The Sphere, in the first picture, use to stand between the two World Trade Centre buildings and got partially damaged with the 9/11 attacks. In front of the Sphere they lit an "eternal flame" if you will in honour of all those who were lost. Finally heading to the African Burial Ground. I got a bit lost trying to find it and when I got there, it was unfortunately blocked off and under maintenance. The African Burial Ground became a permanently protected National Historic Landmark in 1991 after construction workers found more than 400 wooden caskets with ramains of enslaved Africans buried inside. Just a bit of history for you... 
