We got up just in time to catch the end of breakfast at the hotel. Then, having realized that we had failed to plan laundry time into the trip, we found a laundromat and did laundry: Seven washing machines and then eight driers (?) and $18 later, we had clean clothes.
We then headed into the city. We had lunch in a Pret a Manger near the 911 Memorial. It was tasty, healthy food. We then walked to Battery Park, where we enjoyed the people and the rivers and the Statue of Liberty. It had started raining lightly at about noon and that continued until about 5pm. A short walk later and we were at the 911 Memorial. We really enjoyed being there. I liked the receding pools of water representing the Twin Towers and we spent a few minutes talking and remembering.
A quick train ride later, we were at the Empire State Building. Up to the top we went and we enjoyed the view. It was very windy and misting at the top and we enjoyed watching people deal with the wind and water. It was fun. All day, it wasn't clear if we were taking more pictures of sites, or if others were taking more pictures of us. This is a common occurrence for us, especially if we are all together.
After another meal, this time at Panera Bread (decidedly not New York like), we headed for the Brooklyn Bridge. It turns out that it is closed on the 4th of July - the policeman we talked to said "Too many drunks." We then worked on finding a place on the Brooklyn side to watch the fireworks. We got all set among many thousands of people. When the time came, we could hear them, but not see them. A policeman reported that at the last minute, they had moved the barge to the downriver side of the bridge. A scramble ensued as people moved to see the fireworks. We ended up at an intersection where we could watch between the buildings. In the excitement of finding a place to watch, we lost Jennifer and Tresa. It took a few minutes to get us all back together, then we headed, with millions of our new best friends, to find our way home.
When we got near the subway entrances, there were hordes of people, being herded by the police into lines into the subway. It looked to me like long lines of ants going into the holes in the ground. We decided not to join that mob. Instead we went to a Shake Shak and got burgers and shakes. It had a line also, but it was more friendly, being above ground. We spent about 90 minutes waiting for and eating our food and watching the masses of people move around. Finally, the crowds thinned and we headed for the hotel. There were still police everywhere helping us get to the right train, but the trains weren't crowded and we got seats. We made it to the hotel at 1am. According to Jen, the day was "Awesome!" I agree.
0 miles driven. Too many miles walked.
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