It was a short visit, but a wonderful time! These are some pictures from our last full day in the city. My daughter found a walking tour based on the show “Hamilton” and life of Hamilton, so we headed to the south end of Manhattan.

There’s Fraunces Tavern where Hamilton and many other leaders met to discuss politics and make decisions. Federal Hall is on the site of the old City Hall, which was used as the Capital Building of the newly independent United States. Trinity Church is also down here, and there are photos of the cemetery on the grounds. Alexander Hamilton, his wife, and many others are buried there. The last time I saw it was not long after 9/11. The fences were covered with photos, flowers, and gifts from all over the world, and inside was still set up as a place for rescuers to sleep. I think this moved me more than the actual hole that was the former World Trade Center.

Anyway, moving on… Here are your Amazon packages being delivered, the Trump building, the NY Stock Exchange, and a big line. Who would have thought that there would be a big line to touch the balls of the Charging Bull of Wall Street! But as you can see, it happens enough that his balls are polished gold while the rest of him is just aged bronze. No, we did not wait in that line. 😁

Then, we headed to the 9/11 memorial. It was a gorgeous day, and the shiny, silver buildings like this one at the 9/11 memorial looked spectacular against the sky. I also got a photo of some of the bicycles that can be rented. These bike places can be found all over the city and look like they are used a lot.

There were a lot of people catering to tourists in the area, and many were trying to sell boat trips around the island or other sightseeing opportunities. But, the Staten Island Ferry is free! It was a beautiful day, the boat ran every 30 minutes, and it was a very pleasant half hour ride each way. The skyline was beautiful as we were leaving. I especially like the photo of the Statue of Liberty with another ferry passing in front. We saw two cruise ships leaving the area, clouds obscuring part of a bridge in the distance, and a beautiful view coming back to the city.

And, one last photo of nothing scenic, but something that struck me as very different from what I am used to. We went to CVS to get some little thing and I was surprised to see almost all the merchandise was locked up! I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. In the past we went to a Walmart to get Joel some socks, and all the socks were locked up. They took his socks up to the front, and we had to ask for them when we checked out. Socks?? And here in CVS, vitamins and supplements?? We don’t think much about shoplifting and theft here in Panama, but it has become a huge thing in the US and really bites into the operating budgets of the stores.

But, it was an absolutely wonderful time in NY, and I’m not going to leave with a downer thought, so here’s a picture of a horse and carriage on a beautiful day in Central Park.

We got very lucky with the weather in NY. Now we see news about excessive heat in so many places, storms and tornadoes, and my California daughter is being affected by smoke from nearby wildfires. There are so many things anywhere you look! You all be very careful and take good care of yourselves and each other.