These vagabond shoes..

Tuesday: the day we decided to go up the One World Trade Centre aka The Freedom Tower to the One World Observatory, but first we had to find it. 

'WOW,' I say to NN1, snapping a photo. He rolls his eyes. 'That's not it,' he replies, 'it's the bigger one round the back.'

It's too early to go up, so we grab some lunch. Mexican from Choza Taqueria. Great food, great place but nowhere to sit. In the whole of the Westfield One World shopping centre and major train terminal to Jersey there are about 12 child sized seating bean bags. We go outside and sit near a market. This has its benefits...a jam 'donut' for afters. He can't finish his half...'Too much sugar.'

Opposite where we sit is a small, beautiful, grey church. We've had a recommendation. 'Your dad recommended there' I tell him. Neither of us move. It's a slow day..it's hot, it's humid, I feel sick. I refuse to believe its donut-sickness. Eventually we drag ourselves up. 

NN1 dawdles on the porch. Inside the church its cool and calm. Phew.

The church is really beautiful. And very clean. I like clean. There is a small chapel monument to the workers of 911, who used it as a base during the few days following. I wonder how many people visited the church before that time. 

This is a photo of the back of a pew. The confusion and nightmarish surrealism of the aftermath is impossible to imagine. Nearly 3000 people died, but since then it is estimated that the health of about 37000 have been affected by the dust and debris from the buildings. I wonder how many of those workers were affected.

We carry on around the church. Its pretty old by US standards and there are memorials dotted around..

'in the midst of his usefulness' what a great line! I had a vision of him clocking off halfway through making a cuppa tea. 'Oh' sighs Mrs McKear, 'just when he was about to do something bloody useful at last. ' But this was my favourite:

Why did he ceafe but it isn't Feptember? And look at blifsfsfful! I doubt that the honourable Effingham Warner would have realifed the joy he fpread long after hif deaf, not by his piety and virtue, but by the fpelling of the ftone mafon.

We left as we arrived, quietly.

NN1 fuggefted. Sorry, suggested a nosy in the shopping centre en route to the observatory. I wasn't impressed. He described an activity he does with his mates, 'you go into Bose, listen to your favourite song on their most expensive headset, pretend you might buy them, then leave'. Never one to allow my age to dedicate the maturity of my behaviour I reluctantly agreed. I mean, sounds like a pretty dumb activity...how much fun could it be?

LOADS OF FUN!
it's loads of damn fun. Here's me pretending to think about buying a pair of noise cancelling Mark IIs for $349. Actually....they were amazing...maybe I'll treat myself for Christmas.

We headed back through the centre. Its like being inside the rib bones of a huge whale. Just with less plankton and sea water. Through the gap you can see the One World Trade Centre.

FOUND IT!

We toasted our success with a coffee. This was the funniest part of the day.

The skills you need to work at Starbucks:

1. Politely and nicely take the order from the two people in front of you.
2. Ask the two people for a name. When they say 'Thomas' note it for the order.
3. Use your skill to make the coffee.
4. Despite the fact that there are only two people in the entire store and you served them approximately 6 minutes earlier, hold up the drinks and scream 'THOMAS' repeatedly, in deafening pitch, until the two people standing approximately 0.8 metres in front of you tentatively raise their hands to claim their refreshments.
5. BOOM! job done.

We drank our drinks by a fountain, where the world's largest inflatable balloon poodle had deflated and come to rest. *

The view around and about. Its actually a really lovely, busy and bustling area.

We walked on to the monument.

This is part of the monument to the people who died. Its actually very impressive. Two large pools, each surrounded with names. Then a huge drop, with granite (looking?) walls to another smaller pool in the centre. You can't see into that one. The entire feature has water cascading down the sides. It's surrounded by trees. It's very, very impressive. Very fitting, sombre.

We stand awhile. This is a place of remembrance, a place of freedom, a stance against terrorism. I have a niggle... I wonder how this fits in with the work of the IRA in the UK in the 70s, 80s and early 90s and funding they received from sympathisers in the US.

Then we move on to the Observatory.

How to get a priority booking ticket up to the observatory when you've only paid for a standard one:

1. Book your tickets online.
2. Mess up how you've saved the booking on your phone.
3. Get to the 'scan your ticket' place, where they will be unable to scan your ticket.
4. Get sent to the help desk.
5. Present your phone.
6. Get given two actual tickets.
7. Go back to the 'scan your ticket' place.
8. Look forlorn and a bit dumb.
9. Get sent to the priority entrance because they want to get rid of you. Yay.

The 360 view was very fine indeed and there was a lady giving commentary who was very good. Notably, the slogan of the Observatory is 'Seeing Forever'. Very American.

After our visit, we did our usual trick of having to change trains on the metro three times because we can't get the hang of it, then we went home. 

Found a humongous ant on the wall. Chucked it out, went to bed. 

* if this is a memorial to something really important and I have inadvertently offended someone with my poodle commentary I apologise profusely.