An Americanized New York City

Franklin Street!

       FIRST of all, EXCITING news. I found the NYC version of FRANKLIN STREET. Let me tell you though, it's a bit different looking than the one in Chapel Hill. There is no Topo or Yopo. There aren't any frat stars drunkenly wandering the street, NOR is there an Artichoke Pizza. BUT no other Franklin Street can compare to that of CH, so... :) 

Jersey from Battery Park

   It's funny because if you had asked me three days ago if I thought I would feel comfortable wandering around the city, I would say you were crazy. The thing is the streets and grid system of the city is so interconnected and simple. Like I said yesterday, I did some investigation of the area around NYU, but because everything on campus was closed today and because it was Memorial Day, I decided to go down to the World Trade Center Memorial and the Statue of Liberty.  However, the trip turned into a giant sight-seeing adventure.

WTC

Hundreds of People waiting to go to the Statue

          I started out the day going to get some applications from various places, but they all wanted my resume (which stupid me didn't think about), so I have to print out a bunch somehow tomorrow...somewhere. Then I walked all the way down Broadway to the World Trade Center, which is the biggest tourist trap ever. First of all, you really cannot see anything because of the fence. Policemen are everywhere and every language can be heard as people come to gander at an event where thousands lost their lives in a country that is supposed to be supreme. Today was extra busy because it was Memorial Day. I am sure the memorial will be nice when it is finished but they've been working on it for years and it is still blocked off from the public. So I continued my journey to get away from the crowds...

World Stock Exchange Building

Wall Street Flags

          I then went south to Battery Park, which is absolutely beautiful. The weather today was perfect: sunny and 85. A little humid, but otherwise splendid! I went along the water way that looked over to Jersey. I want to go back and pretend I'm an athlete...because there were so many people (ahem, hunky men) running along the boardwalk. You can see the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park and it was cool because she got bigger and bigger as I walked through the park. My camera doesn't have a very good lense, but I was pretty close to the statue from the end point of the park. The line to go over there was SO long.

The Trump Building

         Lastly, I made my way to Wall Street. Another tourist TRAP. It was packed with tours. The Trump Building was protected by cement blocks outside which I thought was hilarious. I bet he had those put in recently when he tried to pick on the man in the White House. 

        I walked about 8 miles total and my feet have a pulse. It was so sunny and I got tanner...or burnter (I had really bad sunburn from last week). I kept looking at people's feet going, do those shoes work for you? I learned that you can tell a true New Yorker from a tourist by their shoes. A TRUE New Yorker walks with stilettos with a cell phone to the ear. A tourist looks UP at the buildings. I was a tourist today.  I'll let you know when I become a true New Yorker.... I need to wear sunscreen tomorrow.

American Flag with WTC behind

         Things I love about the city (thus far):

Police Memorial

• There are American flags literally everywhere and although this was a place of a huge amount of tragedy and sorrow, this place has brought our country together and unified us in a lot of ways. 
• The different languages/nationalities. It makes me thankful for a country that allows so many different types of people in and is accepting of them. It also makes me feel like there is a bigger world outside of our little American bubble; a world I will one day further investigate. 
• Free Expression of fashion, of art, and of theatre. There were so many performers out in the city today, all with huge talents. And no one here fears to be who they are-- something I haven't experienced in NC. 
• That on one street (aka Broadway) it can be so busy that you can't breathe and then you go one street over and it's cobblestone and there's absolutely no one walking on it.
• The mix of old and new: not only is there a mixture of old and new buildings, but old and new city goers.

Tonight I watched "Eat. Pray. Love" and relaxed my poor feet....
 A quote from the movie that I think goes well with my experiences and about this city after 9/11:

Staten Island Ferry

"We all want things to stay the same. We settle for living in misery because we're afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins. Then I looked at around to this place, at the chaos it has endured - the way it has been adapted, burned, pillaged and found a way to build itself back up again. And I was reassured, maybe my life hasn't been so chaotic, it's just the world that is, and the real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation."

City Hall Park Entrance

More exploring tomorrow! 


Peace. Love. NYC., 
Carrie