NEW YORK CITY- DAY 2

For warned- these entries are LONG!
Day 2 began with our first adventure on the subway headed to Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty. The subway is such a fascinating thing to me. With everything being underground and the people- there's so many people. There's no such thing as someone's personal space on the subway. It's all about getting as close to someone as possible. NUTS!
After our fun subway ride, we walked towards the shoreline to where you could see the Lady Liberty. It was so amazing to turn the corner and see her out in the water and to know the history of her and why she was there is so awesome. We loaded onto this Ferry and went to the island. Once on the island, Shane and I rented these head phones that you can listen to that tell about all the history of the island and the Statue of Liberty. We were so impressed by the size of her and especially with how she was built. Truly amazing! I can't even imagine immigrating from Europe and seeing the Statue of Liberty and knowing that you had finally made the journey. What a feeling she must have brought to so many people!

Then we got back onto the Ferry and headed to Ellis Island. I'm sure I learned about this place in American History or something, but I didn't know much about this island until actually going there. What a crazy place this must have been during the time of immigration. Everyone had to come through Ellis Island and they all had to be checked medically and physically and the officials determined whether or not they felt like they were fit enough to come to the U.S. Some stayed while others were sent back to Europe. What a crazy but exciting time in history it must have been. Seeing the Statue of Liberty and going to Ellis Island were definite highlights of the trip!

After getting back from the Statue of Liberty, we decided to walk through the financial district. We saw Wall Street, the big bull, some of the big financial buildings, The New York Stock Exchange, etc. These buildings are so close together. There's just these 2 lane skinny roads that go between these enormous buildings- it's so crazy! Really cool to see these places. Then we knew that Ground Zero was somewhere close so we started walking figuring that we'd come across it. And we certainly did! There's not a lot of construction sites in NYC so when we saw a big hole in the skyline and cranes all around we knew we had hit ground zero. Not to mention there was a completely different feeling there too. I told Shane that I almost felt emotional being there because I so remember 9/11 and will never forget that day.
We ate at this cafe that was across the street from where the twin towers once stood. The owner was there and Shane and I talked to him about that day. He was working there that day and said it's still so unbelievable to him. His cafe and the one a couple spots up from his were the only ones where people didn't die. He account of that day was amazing and one I'll never forget. It definitely was sacred ground and I was glad to see the new construction and would love to see the new buildings some day. The surrounding buildings are so incredibly tall but to think that the towers were twice the size is really unfathomable. It was really impressive to me that there was such a different feeling there. Amongst all the craziness of the city there was this feeling of peace and calmness there. I was touched by that place and was so glad that we took the time to go there. Amazing place!After Ground Zero we hit canal street. I didn't take any pictures but Shane and I had a blast there. We were taken into so many back rooms and I've never had to be so sneaky to make a purchase. It was hilarious! I got a bunch of bags and Shane got a few things himself and it was a lot of fun- a whole other world, that's for sure!
Then we headed back to the hotel to drop off our shopping bags and then off to the Bronx for the Yankees game. We road the subway there with all those die hard Yankee fans- quite the ride! That stadium is over 100 years old and you can definitely tell. This was the last week of home games at this stadium and next year they move across the street to the new stadium. It was fun to be there. We ate our Nathan's hot dogs and hot peanuts and had a great time! Did I mention that Derek Jeter is HOT!

We caught the subway home that night and took in a few shops on the way home. Day 2 was really eventful and fun! I swear we walked miles and miles through that city and my body was really tired that night. Had to get to bed because day 3 started early with the Today Show!