Dove of Peace 9/11 Memorial
Ash Wednesday St Patrick’s
Freedom Tower
St Patrick’s
6 March 2019:
Up early today and headed straight for the 911 Memorial site and museum downtown. The building itself is impressive and the dove of peace design at the entrance is a magnificent sight. Queues weren’t too bad and we had several hours there. Extremely moving experience and so respectfully done. Couldn’t help thinking all those people got up that morning and just were going to work. God Bless them all. RIP.
Being Ash Wednesday we decided Saint Patrick’s would be good for mass. Although, so did half of New York. The queues of people streamed in and never stopped. Mass attendees in the middle but if you just wanted communion you went down one side and ashes only down the other side. The people never stopped coming. We think many a tourist, not necessarily Catholic, just ended up in one queue or the other and probably wondered what they were in for ! By the looks the queues were going all day. The ashes were pretty heavy handed too..no missing those walking down the street and the whole afternoon & evening around New York we saw people branded with ashes!
Lunch at the Rockefeller centre and a quick trip to Central Park via the Breakfast At Tiffany’s window rounded off the afternoon.
That night we met our Air BnB hosts for a drink at their local. Lovely friendly people, so genuine. They have made our stay in NYC very comfortable. They are welcome to Welly anytime 😀
Then it was off to the Empire State Building to see New York at night from the 86th floor. What a view! 360 degrees of sparkling lights for as far as the eye could see! Just wonderful ( but about minus 3 degrees so it was a short visit !)