Around noon we took the ferry back to Battery ParkFrom there through the Wall Street, past the Charging Bull and the Trinity Church to the World Trade Center Site or Ground Zero NYC.
Ground Zero
A lot has changed at Ground Zero since my last visit in 2006. Even though work on the new skyscraper, the One World Trade Center, is progressing very slowly. Right next door, the memorial commemorating the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the earlier bombings of 1993 on the World Trade Center The monument will commemorate the 1920s. At the sites of the destroyed twin towers, two large pools will be built, resembling "footprints." In the middle of the two water features at street level, surrounded by trees, the water will each drop nine meters into a basement. However, we couldn't see the monument through the construction fence. Until its opening in 2012, there will be a small, beautifully furnished museum on a side street.
NYC City Hall
After visiting the museum, we walked north along Centre Street, passing first the City Hall (City Hall), then the Supreme Court, and then entered Chinatown. This borough of Manhattan is one of the largest Chinese communities in North America.
After a quick visit to the Apple Store SoHo and without a new iPad 2 (sold out unfortunately) we took the subway to Grand Central TerminalThis multi-story station is the terminal for commuter trains serving Manhattan's many workers. The huge main hall, with its dark blue ceiling painting depicting a starry sky, is truly impressive and definitely worth a photo.
