Day 18: NYC: Ellen & 9/11 Memorial

I met Ellen through my friend Nancy who previously lived in NYC. We’ve been doing girl’s weekend getaways for years. Ellen always comes to San Jose and finally I get to see her home turf. She works at Park Preschool. Tom and I loved seeing Ellen interact with the little peanuts. 

When we left the preschool and turned the corner we could see the World Trade Center 3 blocks away. I can not imagine being this close on 9/11 with dozens of preschoolers in my care. We walked to the 9/11 Memorial. It was sobering to see all the names engraved in the stone that surrounded the reflecting pools. We decided to skip the 9/11 museum. 

Adjacent to the 9/11 memorial site is the Oculus: a transportation hub, plaza and shopping mall. 

After some shopping at the Oculus we went to Eataly for a bite to eat.  The three of us shared lasagna and margarita pizza - delish! It’s a beautiful restaurant with wonderful displays and areas for purchasing various foods. 

Then we strolled down Broadway to Battery Park passing the Charging Bull and Fearless Girl. 

We sat in the park and relaxed looking out at the Statue of Liberty.

A quick subway ride uptown took us to the popular 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar for a drink next to the Empire State Building.