Day 5: New York City

On a short stay at JFK on Saturday, I decided to venture into the city to see Ground Zero on the anniversary of the tragic day many people lost their lives.

I wanted to visit the World Trade Center site for my second time to honor and reflect on my journey this month. Flying is a big part of this journey, and every time I go through security and get on a plane, I think about the day I watched a terrible thing happen. It is in the minds of all of us who watched or experienced it.

I started my journey by stopping at Terminal 4 to drop off my bag at the baggage storage. I took the AirTrain to the Jamaica station for $5 and transferred to the E subway. The ride costs $2.25, but since I added the value of the remaining and return trip onto the metro card, I got a bonus of $1.25 for $8.30. That was a nice little surprise.

About a third of the way to the World Trade Center station, three men came into the subway car. Two of them starting performing for tips. It was amazing to see and definitely an experience for the rookie tourist.

The WTC is the last stop on the E, and was easily identified by the sign in the car showing the upcoming stops.

The experience of visiting the WTC site on the anniversary is definitely emotional. There are many points of view expressed and people of all ages and cultures. No one I saw was loud or disrespectful. They made their point by either being silent or handing out flyers.

I stopped a number of times while walking around the site and sat down to look at it more closely. It is big, it is surrounded by very tall buildings, and has many things happening all at once. It represents New York.

Engine Company 10 is feet from the fence bordering the WTC site. It contains a tribute to the crew that was lost on 9/11 and invited visitors into the garage to pay their respect.

Outside and around the corner, there was a more extensive tribute to the entire fire department.

Two men with the Fire Department stood at attention similar to soliders at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Washington DC. Bostic was one of them and I was fortunate to talk with him afterwards.

They are really nice guys and have a heart I wish I could only have. They care about everyone, and was really impressed with my journey around the country. They aren’t appreciated enough for all they do. They take a risk to save our lives when we need them the most. They are always there. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. They are number one!

Bill, a bagpiper, played throughout the afternoon. Tears in his eyes after he finished playing made it so much more emotional and touching. He has played every year.

I met New York City Mounted Police Officer Rackow and his friend Freedom. People walking by approached and asked to pet Freedom. A very friendly horse, Freedom suduced me into petting him while I talked with Rackow.

My last stop was the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site. It features pictures and descriptions of the day. There is a video with the voices of people affected on that day.

If you go

It takes about 90 minutes to get to the WTC site from the airport. Take the AirTrain to the Jamaica Station and connect to the E. You get a bonus of 15% when you add $7 or more to the MetroCard. One card can be used on both systems.

Walk around the whole site and go in the One World Trade Center building on Liberty St. You can view the site from the second floor. I was able to see a lot in 6.5 hours from airport to WTC back to airport.

Cost

Everything mentioned above except for the transit is free. Please consider making a donation to the Fire Department and at the Preview site. Keeping them funded helps keep things open and available.