Every year since before Emily and Edward were born, we've done a "birthday adventure." (When I worked at the newspaper, I had to take a vacation day on my birthday. It was company policy. But it was good because it meant that you had to take a break and had to enjoy yourself.) Maybe we wouldn't go anywhere particularly "special," but we'd try to do something fun and out-of-the-ordinary.
Anyway, fast-forward a few years, and we're still doing such adventures.
This year, we surprised Emily (and Edward) and drove to New York City to go to the Central Park Children's Zoo. (We'd tried to get there in 2000 when we visited Santa at Macy's that Christmas. But after walking from 34th Street to 59th Street, we realized we weren't going to make it before it closed...and we gave up and headed to FAO Schwarz to see the giant toy store's stuffed animals instead.)
We parked in Jersey City, N.J., and took the PATH train under the Hudson River. This was a first for both kids (though Emily had been on it before, she didn't remember it at all). And I have to say, though they were very nervous, they really enjoyed themselves.
When I looked on the PATH map, I saw that one line went to the World Trade Center, a.k.a. Ground Zero. We thought it might be interesting to go there on the way back. But without our realizing it, we'd jumped aboard the train going there...
Anyway, fast-forward a few years, and we're still doing such adventures.
This year, we surprised Emily (and Edward) and drove to New York City to go to the Central Park Children's Zoo. (We'd tried to get there in 2000 when we visited Santa at Macy's that Christmas. But after walking from 34th Street to 59th Street, we realized we weren't going to make it before it closed...and we gave up and headed to FAO Schwarz to see the giant toy store's stuffed animals instead.)
We parked in Jersey City, N.J., and took the PATH train under the Hudson River. This was a first for both kids (though Emily had been on it before, she didn't remember it at all). And I have to say, though they were very nervous, they really enjoyed themselves.
When I looked on the PATH map, I saw that one line went to the World Trade Center, a.k.a. Ground Zero. We thought it might be interesting to go there on the way back. But without our realizing it, we'd jumped aboard the train going there...
It's hard to imagine what it must have looked like five years ago. They've done a marvelous -- but, no doubt, difficult -- job of rebuilding the station and beginning the foundation of whatever building(s) will replace the Twin Towers. Still, it was haunting to think about it all.
The station wasn't crowded (though we weren't there during any rush hour). But it was all very surreal now. We explained to the kids about what had happened on the very spot we were standing and about the sadness of some of the people.
Then we saw a man going along the fence, looking down into the basement of the foundation and crying. We didn't know if he lost someone on 9/11/01, but Stuart gathered us around and prayed for him -- and all the others who'd lost loved ones on that terrible day.
We kept reminding ourselves to never forget those who died -- their loved ones certainly don't.
"New York is more now than the sum of its people and buildings." ~Peter Conrad
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