Ground Zero, Wall Street, and Harlem

There’s so much to see that our schedule is pretty packed. New York is thrilling, and we want to experience it all – or at least most of it. Today, we headed down to Ground Zero, which is currently just a massive construction site with two big holes in the ground. It’s all fenced off, so there’s not much to see. Right next to the site, there’s a two-story Burger King where you can get a decent view of the two holes in the ground. Not far from Ground Zero is Wall Street. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go inside to see where they trade stocks, as all the buildings have been closed to the public since September 11 due to security reasons. So, we had to settle for admiring Wall Street from the outside. Harlem has changed a lot and has cleaned up its act, shedding its bad reputation. It’s a part of New York with a high concentration of African Americans. You can still tell that the area is struggling; the streets are quite bare and desolate. There aren’t as many shops or colorful signs as you find further down in downtown Manhattan. The biggest attraction in Harlem is the Apollo Theater, where many famous Black actors and stand-up comedians, including Eddie Murphy, started their careers. When you’re in New York, it’s also a good idea to see the city from above. You can do this at the Empire State Building or Rockefeller Center. It costs $18. Expensive for a view, but it’s also amazing to see the city from up high. There are strict security checks; everyone has to go through the same procedures as at an airport. On a walk around Uptown Manhattan, you easily pass one landmark after another. We walked by Trump Tower, Sony, CBS, and NBC. New York is just so exciting!