This weekend, Open House New York opened the TWA Terminal at JFK to the public, and we were fifth in line to get in. We’d discovered it was open last year too late to go, and spent a year hoping it would be on the list again this year. It was definitely worth the wait.
Designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1962, the terminal was closed to operations in October 2001. It’s on the National Register of Historical Places and has been well preserved; I’m so glad we were able to explore its nooks and crannies, especially not knowing what may come of the space in the future (rumors that Trump will turn it into a hotel have been swirling for year, apparently).
Along with all the photos, Jason created a short video . . .
Over Labor Day weekend, with family in from out of town, we finally visited the 9/11 Memorial. We had heard that you had to get passes ahead of time, so that’s what we did, but it turns out that’s not actually necessary. But it’s a guarantee in and the line moves fast, so we recommend it. Go to the website and reserve your preferred timeslot—it will ask for the full names of everyone in your group and apparently there’s a chance they’ll check your ID, but that didn’t happen for us. The tickets are “free” but there’s a $2 service fee per ticket (we also gave a small donation as well). You must print the ticket out ahead of time, and you’ll breeze through the line (though the line is practically 3 blocks of process!). You do go through security quite similar to TSA airport security, and there are limitations on the size of baggage you can bring along. If you don’t have a ticket there’s a separate, more slowly moving line, so it’s worth it to book ahead.
Once you’re into the main park, it’s very open, dotted with trees (including one that survived the original attack, and has lived through quite a few storms since!). We all remarked on how much more open it felt than we expected. Both towers are represented by their footprints made into square waterfalls that stream below ground level. They’re lined by a slanted railing with the names of the victims, including not just the tower victims but also those of Flight 93 and the bombing that happened in the towers in 1993.
Signs remind you that this is a place of reverence, and people were all quietly making their way around. It’s relatively peaceful and really beautiful to visit. There’s lots of information, including how to get there, on the site; start there to plan your visit!
Thank you to all our friends and family who have gotten in touch to be sure we are OK after Hurricane Sandy swept through. Our apartment wasn’t affected, thankfully (Hurricane Irene, in contrast, caused extensive water damage in our apartment), but Jason had to weather the event on his own, filling bottles with water and managing all the electronics, because Erin was stuck in Chicago on a business trip that lasted three days longer than originally scheduled. We ended up having quite different experiences: Erin was in a 4-star hotel, meeting up with friends, while Jason was in our apartment hoping to not run out of power or food! Luckily we never lost Internet or electricity, so we could stay in touch the entire time. Both of us documented our days…
Jason has uploaded more photos and a few videos if you want to see more. Erin posted a few other photos to her own blog. Also, if you can find the means, please donate to the Red Cross. The recovery for the city and, notably, New Jersey, is going to be long. Our hearts go out to everyone affected directly. And a huge thank you to Jodi and Chris, who went out of their way (with Jason) to pick Erin up at the airport when finding a car service wasn’t looking good!
There are so many hidden gems in New York City. How is it that a block-large armory still exists on the Upper East Side? The Park Avenue Armory has been repurposed into a flexible exhibit space. We went there recently with our friend Holly to see a piece called The Murder of Crows, a musical experience unlike any we’d ever been to before. The three of us were completely blown away by the piece, and we recommend it if you get a chance to see it. Sadly, no photos were allowed within the main Drill Hall, so we couldn’t capture the cavernous space, empty but for the few chairs in the middle and the scattering of dozens of speakers. But oh, how we both wanted to sneak photos! Instead, we were able to explore the exterior rooms and hallways, all perfectly preserved. (Some events can be photographed, though, like the quilt installation Erin attended there last year, Infinite Variety.) We’ll be keeping an eye on future programs and will definitely be back.
The Manhattan Bridge doesn’t get as much love as its iconic neighbor to the south. Though it may be lacking the elegance of the Brooklyn Bridge, it’s a looker of its own—and walking across this century-old bridge affords some spectacular views of the one Roebling built 26 years prior. After living here for years, we finally took a walk across the Manhattan Bridge.
Our walk began in Brooklyn, where we live, so that we could end up in Chinatown for lunch. Start by coming out of the York Street Station (from the F train), which lets you out just a block or so north of the pedestrian entrance at Jay and Sands. The pedestrian pathway is at the same level as traffic and trains, so the walk is noisy, and plenty of bikes don’t heed the direction to ride on the north path, so you’ll have a few bikes speed past you, but you’ll be too focused on the amazing view to the south to care.
The total length of the bridge is just a little more than 1 mile, so it doesn’t take long to walk across, even if you’re stopping often for photos. The protective fence dogs your steps the whole way, but in a few spots people have cut it and pulled it apart so you can take a photo of the view more easily. You come out in Manhattan right in Chinatown. In fact, as the bridge goes over the neighborhood, you’ll start to smell delicious things wafting up to the bridge. The grittiness of Chinatown is visible in all its glory from this vantage point—something we’d seen from the train many times but had never been able to capture.
