Stratford, NYC, World Trade Center, Battery Park, Central Park, Stratford

I still lived in Syracuse the last time I was in NYC for more than a couple of hours. I remember going by the World Trade Center and they were just sketching out the plans of a memorial. Fast forward to today and we entered an almost finished tribute to 9/11. The water monument where the two towers stood is simply breathtaking and brilliantly conceived. The lines were long (glad we preordered our tickets) but experiencing the on-sight artistry and memorial was worth it all. I'm glad we fought through the direct sunlight and crowds to get in.

Also, in all the years I've been back and forth to NYC, I've never seen the Statue of Liberty. Yesterday, we walked from the memorial to Battery Park and were able to see the Statue from a distance. It was at the peak of the sun, however, and we needed to find shade.

We also took a subway to Time Square so Cynde and Mike could have that experience and spent a very short time in Central Park before heading back to Stratford.

In total, we probable walked 7 to 8 miles today, hopping on Subways when we could. I did find out, though, that it's free parking at the Stratford train station on weekends. This is great news for weekend play. I don't have an excuse any longer and need to get into NY more.