New York

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The Parade

The next morning, I was woken up at around 7am from car horns, etc. from the street below. I was staying on the 10th floor so I hate to imagine what it was like on the ground. I found out about an hour later but I think it had died down by then. All the morning deliveries had been made, etc. Brunch was a hot dog from 1 of the many outlets along 5th Avenue.

The police were starting to close off streets along 5th Ave. and re-direct people on the pavements too. An air of excitement was growing; people were milling around trying to find the best spot to watch the parade. I choose a spot outside St. Patrick's Cathedral which was quiet at the time but it soon got very busy.

I watched the parade for a few hours; to be honest, toward the end it started to get boring. There were several tributes to the emergency services from 9/11. It seemed that any fire fighters or NYPD who weren't on duty that day marched in the parade. New York's ex-mayor, Rudolf Guliani did a walk-about, shaking hands with people - [1], [2].

A 12:04 precisely, everybody turned south to face where the twin towers would have been and observed a 2 minute silence. It was REALLY eerie; I've never known so many people to be so quite for so long.

I gave up watching the parade about 2:30 for 2 reasons - 1) there's a limit to the number of marching pipe bands and firemen/police that anyone can watch; and 2) I was getting hungry. Getting something to eat wouldn't be a problem. Getting back onto 5th Ave. afterwards just wouldn't happen so I went looking for what else was going on. On the way back to the hotel, I came across these street performers.

Other Manhattan Landmarks

I spent Sunday visiting some of the other landmarks around Manhattan Island. The UN building was the most interesting. Security was tight and I had to leave my back-pack at the security cordon. They let me take my camera in but only after I showed them that it really was just a camera.

There are guided tours of the building including entry into the Security Council chambers. However, the lobby was the best bit for me. There are biographical details of all the Nobel Peace Prize winners since it was first awarded. There's an exhibit of icons painted by children from around the world and a fantastic stain glass window.

Walking down the street, I found a huge mirror propped up against the wall. I took this picture of me.

Monday

Monday I spent packing and travelling back to the UK. I took these last 2 photos of the sunset from the airport terminal in Chicago - [1], [2].