For well over half of my life, I've lived within 50 miles or so of New York City. I then moved way the hell across the country to Montana. So naturally, who do I run in to at a restaurant in New York City's Little Italy than someone I knew from Montana? Yup. It was so bizarre. I always though that if I was going to see someone I knew while visiting New York, it would be one of my friends from Connecticut, or even New Jersey. But no, it was someone I was in drama with in Great Falls. It really is a small world.
Anyway, the trip to New York was good. Seeing Ground Zero was…weird. I think I was more moved by all the memorials and objects and greetings from people around the country and around the world. That was just…very moving. When I looked down the streets and saw the huge piles of rubble…saw the remaining standing part of the World Trade Center…I couldn't connect it with the towers. I could look and see the other buildings, see the blown-out windows, but I couldn't comprehend that these two huge buildings once stood there. That there are now thousands of people in that rubble. It's all too much.
Going to Strawberry Fields in Central Park just totally rocked! There was a huge group of people in a large circle standing around singing Beatles song. It was awesome. I really could've stayed there all day.
We also made it to the Empire State Building, which I had managed to not go to despite the many times I've been to New York. When we got to the 86th floor observatory, we looked outside and saw snow. And it was just so pretty. The view was great. Everything looks so peaceful and quiet from that many stories.
The day ended on a somewhat disquieting note. We were heading towards the Holland Tunnel, going south on the West Side Highway, and there were signs to force everyone to turn at the Holland Tunnel turnoff. As we waited to make the left, someone pointed out a sign on the right side of the road. It had an arrow pointing south, and said, "World Trade Center." The road to get there was closed now. And that sign just brought back all the images from that day, the hundreds (thousands?) of people walking uptown, away from the site. The pictures from when the towers collapsed and the smoke and debris rushing down the streets. It made for a very sobering drive back to New Jersey, in the rain.
Current song in my head:
"New York, New York" by Ryan Adams