Quiet, Remembrance

I remember the morning like it was yesterday. I was getting ready for school, walked downstairs and my mom wanted me to come to the living room. I walk in and watched live on TV the second tower getting hit by an airplane. That day at school we all sat and watched the news with grieve stricken faces and sinking hearts. A catastrophe that I will never forget. Today, Cameron and I happened to have the day off together, we finally went to view the 9/11 Memorial. It was beautifully done and we will have to go back when the trees are all bloomed out. There are two pools of water set in the footprints of the towers with cascading water down into what looks like nothingness. The pools are lined by bronze barriers with the names of those who lost their lives inscribed in it. The "Survivor Tree" holds artifacts left for those who passed. It was the only tree that survived, for the most part, through the rubble and was nursed back to health and so dubbed the "Survivor Tree." The new Trade Center is still being built, but it's presence holds a strong shadow over the past. If you get the chance to visit New York, this is one place you can't miss out on and it's free.

Frozen Faces, Hungry Seagulls...Coney Island!

Like we've been planning for a few weeks now, we finally made our first journey to Coney Island. Needless to say we froze our faces from the cold Atlantic air and were literally stalked by a seagull. Anyway, they are doing a great job of restoring the amusement park itself and plan to have it open again in March. The devastation is still evident in a few places. There was sand covering a large majority of the famous boardwalk that serves thousands and thousands of tourists every year. The playground equipment on the beach was engulfed by sand along as were the steps down to the beach from the boardwalk.  The land side of the board walk was still filled with sand as well. Garbage and debris was still spread across most of the parking lots nearby and several down fences. A handful of people still wandered down the boardwalk and even though it was our first time there you can still feel the spirit of the park coming back to life.