There are so many stories of New Yorkers being rude and we even had a woman from New Jersey ask Tom why he would want to go to “the city.” But we found nothing but kind and enjoyable people. Yes, there are lots of people honking horns and people are busy and in their own world, but we didn’t experience any rude people. We really enjoyed our second day in “the city.”
We arrived at the Dover train station a little after 7:00 a.m. to catch the 7:33 a.m. train to Penn Station. We encountered a woman at the payment kiosk to park the truck and then later at the platform. There were several trains coming and she wasn’t sure which was the right train. We got her on the right one. I felt like a native!
Be aware if traveling on the train in the summer. It was 85 degrees outside and felt like winter in the train car. I was thankful to have worn a sweatshirt but I was still cold. Penn Station is a marvel. There are a multitude of tracks for NJ Transit, Amtrack, and others. I have compared it to being in a race you don’t want to run. You stand or sit in a waiting area and stare at the boards to see which track your train will leave from. It doesn’t show up until 10 minutes before leave time and then as soon as it is seen, everyone begins walking really fast to get there and get a seat. Thankfully we left before work was done for most people as I can only imagine what it is like after 5:00 p.m.
‘After arriving at Penn Station we caught a cab to the 9/11 Memorial. We had purchased a tour that begin in the center of the plaza and we sat down to wait for it to begin. While we were there we watched people taking pictures of a squirrel. It was as though they had never seen a squirrel.
A security person came by and told them not to feed it. A few minutes later a woman said, “I would feed you, but the security lady said no.” Goodness! There were certainly more interesting things to take pictures of than the squirrel.
We highly recommend you taking the tour. It’s a little pricey but worth the extra information. It was a sobering moment when we were told that a large wall with blue squares housed the remains of many of those who died on that day. Our guide said he was sad when people take smiling family pictures and TicTok videos. I didn’t take a picture. He has never been in the room and says not many have or ever will.
After the Memorial we headed a few blocks to Trinity Church. It was a scene from the movie National Treasurer and a tourist attraction as well as a working church. They were serving the Holy Eucharist as they do every day at noon. We also discovered it is the gravesite of Alexander Hamilton.
We then walked to see the steps where the lawyers walk down on “Law and Order.” It was a nice walk and a beautiful day. Afterwards we caught a cab to see the fire station from Ghostbusters.
We had lunch and then caught a cab back to Penn Station. I am surprised at our successful navigation of New York City but I don’t think I will be as intimidated in other large cities. We are heading to Philadelphia today for more history.
New York has been a joy! Don’t miss out on coming to this wonderful place.
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