Empire State of Mind

We started our morning at the World Trade Center Site - Ground Zero - an emotional experience with an apt memorial of two squares delineating the ghosts of where the towers once stood, with small shoots of water lining the tops that shot down into a dark abyss. The names of those that perished are engraved on the side of the memorial; a single white rose is laid there atop the name on the birth date of the person.

A tour around Wall Street really opened the doors to the history of the financial district, although we were hoping to hear a little more about the Crash and Depression... what would have been a short walk surrounded by huge, impressive stone buildings turned into a genuinely interesting exploration of the development of the street itself from the days when New York was New Amsterdam, and there was in fact a wall running down the street. After bagels at Leo's, we also had a peek in at Grand Central Station, a stunning underground complex of aqueous marble and hidden coves leading to the beautiful central hall.

We got there just in time to see the sun setting over the Empire State Building, when this looming blood-red cloud formed over the spire. The whole city lit up from above is a phenomenal sight. You can still see the streets below, as well as the Statue of Liberty just off in the distance.

Turns out Greenwich is the place for comedy and, despite missing out on getting into the club we'd intended, within seconds we were pounced on and unexpectedly being funnelled into a dark basement a few doors down.