6 months ago, Theo’s brother and SIL and their two kids moved to NYC! Not just a suburb of NYC or an outlier of NYC, but the real, actual downtown part of the giant city known as The Big Apple.
We knew we wanted to take a trip to visit them, but we weren’t sure how we were going to work it in. So when we realized we would be just a mere three hours away for my Grandma’s funeral, we decided to extend our trip and get a good family visit in!
After an emotional day at the funeral, and a quick and peaceful visit to the Starucca Viaduct, we packed up and headed towards NYC. I don’t recommend driving a minivan into NYC, but hey…you gotta do what you gotta do! And somehow Theo managed to navigate his way into Manhattan and find the nearest parking garage to Isaiah & Sarah’s apartment.
Sarah had dinner waiting for us and we enjoyed the spending the evening together (and trying to get five kids five and under to sleep in a Manhattan apartment #funtimes). Ezra and Peter are five months apart and enjoyed starting at each other. It’s ok, boys, you’ve got some time to become friends!
The next morning we woke up to a rainy spring day. I think my kids favorite part of NYC was Jamie and Peter’s toys. HAHA. We were so impressed with the view right out Jamie’s window! And that avenue right there out the window is where the Macy’s Day parade crosses by.
We decided that a little rain never hurt anyone, and in fact…the city would probably be less crowded! We took five kids under five out into NYC in the rain…and we had a BLAST! We had three in carriers, one stroller and one independent walker. These kids did SO WELL.
First adventure: riding the Subway! The kids thought this was awesome!
Next stop: a cool building that looks like the belly of a whale. Also Tera clearly has enough energy for all the people combined.
When Isaiah and Sarah heard we were coming, they asked what we wanted to see. I said that I would love to see the sights but I only needed to see ONE thing in New York City: Ground Zero.
I’m sure we can all remember where we were on September 11, 2001. I was in Niger, which happens to have a majority population that practices the same religion as the attackers. Actually, I would hardly call it the same religion because the beliefs held by the people I knew had absolutely no ties with terrorism. But you get my point. My family wasn’t sure what this meant for the US, for us, for missionaries or for the world. I know that a hushed chill fell over America on that day, but I can also tell you that the same hushed chill fell over a country in West Africa. I didn’t know much about America since I was only 11 years old and I had lived my whole life in Africa. I didn’t feel very attached to my American-ness, but the attacks on New York City gave me some thoughts about my home country and my roots there.
Ground zero did not disappoint. The memorial was so SIMPLE and beautiful. It paid tribute to all those who lost their lives and it honored them beautifully. The entire atmosphere of the square is tranquil and chilling. I can’t even describe it and even sharing about it in this blog post feels too flippant. It feels like taking photos and sharing them erases some of the weight of the tribute. If you ever have the chance to go, I cannot recommend it enough.
Every name of every victim is carved into these metal plates that overlook a double waterfall.
You can read more about the design of the plaza here: https://www.911memorial.org/design-competition
You can read more about the names and their positions on the memorial by clicking here.
Finding the yellow roses brought tears to my eyes as it really made the losses seem more real and personal. A yellow rose is placed on the victims name on their birthday. I just think of the relatives of these people and how much they must mourn as each birthday/anniversary/special date rolls around.
Sarah pointed this one out to me and it made chills run up and down my spine. We didn’t have a chance to go into the museum, but I would love to know the story behind this one. Was the woman found pregnant, or did her family choose what would be written on the memorial? Was she early pregnant and therefore didn’t know the gender, or was she #teamgreen and hadn’t found out the gender? How far along was she? That child would be 18 now.
We also came across this entire wall which was dedicated to the first responders who lost their lives. Those who went INTO the rubble instead of running away from it. They listed entire ladders/engines/companies/stations who had lost their lives. It’s chilling because I know that if Theo had been there, he would have run into it. It’s his duty, his calling. And sometimes it just feels like any other day, but sometimes I’m reminded of the chilling potential cost of his work. I thought of all the wives and mothers and husbands and children who lost their person that day…the person who willingly went into the fire instead of away from it. And my mind wonders how many people were saved and how much closure was found and how much work was done just because those men and women stepped up.
If I have the chance to go again, I would love to go into the museum. Also, I will say that my kids totally didn’t grasp the weight of the moment. They were cold and hungry and wet and did their fair bit of whining. We did talk to them and tell them what it all meant, but they are also just children and it was such a contrast to see the ugliness of death alongside the innocence of children.
The survivors tree is a tree that managed to survive the falling of the twin towers. It was found alive in the rubble and transported to a plant nursery where it was nursed back to health and then replanted at ground zero. You can still see bits of charred bark from the fire. That was pretty cool to see, but also major props to whoever managed to bring a burned and dying tree back to full health. That person must have the greenest of green thumbs. I can barely keep a succulent alive!
After our exciting Subway ride, a short walk and some time at Ground Zero, the kids were done and ready for some warmth and some lunch!
I’ll share part two of our time in NYC tomorrow! I don’t feel like I can transition from the somberness of Ground Zero to the rest of what we did in the city.
We were in PA on 9/11 and we visited Ground Zero a few months after the attack. Obviously, a lot of it was off limits at that time. It was chilling.