My Travel Diary: New York City- 17 October 2013: Day 2

It was a foggy morning so we decided to leave little late. Our first stop for the day was Liberty Island to see the marvel
ous Statute Of Liberty. We boarded the Red Line Train 1 from Times Square subway to go to South Ferry. Only the first five cars of the train go to South Ferry so we had to change the car at one of the platforms. A short walk from South Ferry subway is Battery Park. The Statue Cruise Ferries leave from the Ferry Terminal in the park. You can buy tickets at the park itself but we had a voucher from Grey Line so we had to collect our tickets from the Grey Line representatives who were there at the Battery Park entrance near the American Indian Museum. Before boarding the ferry we had to pass through the security check point. Security checks cleared and we were ready for the ferry ride.

Within few minutes we arrived at the Liberty Island and there 'She Stood'. Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom. The statue conveys it's message of freedom through a number of dramatic symbols. The broken shackles at her feet signify escape from tyranny. In her left arm she holds a tablet of law inscribed in Roman numerals the date of American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. Her crown's seven rays suggest the seven seas and seven continents. Her torch and flame symbolizes truth and justice enlightening the world.She was a gift by the French to America. The outside of the statue is made of thin copper. Her original colour was copper, the colour of a penny but now The Lady is green in colour. It took twenty years for the copper to oxidise and change into green colour.

One look at her and I was in love with this amazing piece of art. There is a free audio tour available at the island which tells you a lot about the history of this marvelous structure. I have come to know a lot of interesting facts after taking the audio tour. Tickets to walk to the Crown have to be purchased three months in advance and our trip was planned a month ahead so we couldn't go to the Crown.

I was looking forward to walk the streets of Lower Manhattan. We took the cruise back to the Battery Park. Our next stop was Wall Street and New York Stock Exchange. A short walk from Battery Park is Bowling Green Park. There were a lot of benches to sit and eat. We bought chicken gyro from the street side vendor. We sat and ate in the Bowling Green Park, enjoyed the weather and the lunch.

After lunch we were ready to walk the Wall Street. As a tourist the most important thing to carry with you is a Map of the City which we already had. In fact, we had two maps, an extra as back up.

The Wall Street Bull- the famous Bull which I had seen in a lot of Bollywood movies. There were so many tourists standing around the Bull waiting for their turn to click a photo. Everyone wanted to pose with the Bull and even I wanted a photo clicked with this superstar who had made appearances in many hit movies. One photo clicked, it's not that good but I had to be satisfied with that. I also wanted a photo of me and my hubby with the Bull but sadly we did not get a chance, too many tourists around. We walked few more blocks to see the New York Stock Exchange.

Our next stop was 9/11 Memorial. For visitors without passes a donation of 5-10 USD is needed to enter the Memorial Site. This donation is used to maintain the site. They also give you a wrist band for the generous donation you make. We passed the security check post to enter the Memorial Site.The site consisted of two pools set in the footprints of the Original Twin Towers. These are were the Towers used to stand. Thirty foot water falls- the largest in North America- cascade into the pools, each then descending into a center void. The names of the victims are inscribed in bronze parapets around the pools.

After the 9/11 site we had to walk a long way to Brooklyn Bridge. We took a short break at Starbucks and then walked towards the bridge. On our way to Brooklyn bridge we saw City Hall. Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in US. Lower Manhattan skyline looked beautiful from Brooklyn Bridge. We also saw the Manhattan Bridge from there. While walking over the bridge don't forget to take a look at the 'Love Locks' hanging on the bridge. The last scene in the movie "Now you see me" is shot on Brooklyn Bridge and it shows the 'Love Locks'. We walked the bridge to go to Brooklyn Bridge Park. This was a perfect place to click some lovely photos of Lower Manhattan skyline at sunset. I sat in the park while my hubby was clicking photos. This was our last stop for the day.

We took the subway from Cadaman Plaza High St to Uptown 42nd street. Walked two blocks to reach our hotel. It was a long day, would rest for a while and then go to Times Square. I want to see what Times Square looks like at midnight.
The map below will help you better understand the places we visited in Lower Manhattan.