Marguerite and Jude have been to New York quite a few times now but never before have they actually relaxed and took time to enjoy the place. Usually they've been nipping through it on their way to their friend Jerome's or out to New Jersey to visit the folks. So they decided to continue what they had started on their visit in June 09 with Aideen and Megan.........to see some of the city itself.
Unlike 2009 Jude and Marguerite are staying in America for Christmas, well they reckon it's got to be worth trying at least once in a lifetime, so they are soaking up the pre-Christmas spirit and few places do Christmas better than New York. So they've just arrived, chucked the bags in the hotel and are heading out to explore. Here it's Jude's turn to get his pic taken with a Christmas tree. What's he like with the arm on the fence and all?
'Here Jude this is what you'll look like in a few years', says Marguerite as she finds this geezer at the 'Believe it or Not' store.
'Hey Marguerite, let's go see Rock of Ages tonight', says Jude as they walk past the Broadway theater where it is playing. Check out the auld 'air guitar' move he's chucking down there folks. Wally!!!
No matter how many times someone sets foot in Times Square the place still has the power to fascinate. There's just something about it that's so exciting. Could it be the lights, the people, who knows?
Here Jude has joined the queue for tickets, but he began freezing up good and proper, like an icicle. He still tried to look cool by throwing the auld 'thumbs up' number though.
'Cuddle up Marguerite, I say cuddle up, it's baltic', mumbles Jude under his scarf.
Now there's no hiding it as Jude's face starts to turn blue and he can't even speak.
But hey, all's well that ends well. Jude is clearly a happy camper as he clutches his Broadway show ticket for Rock of Ages.
Marguerite is up bright and breezy the next day and is out dandering through lower Manhattan.
9/11 has impacted our lives in many ways, some more obvious than others, but today's planned trip to Liberty Island was ditched when it became clear that after queuing for an hour to get robbed blind buying Liberty Island ferry tickets folk would have to wait again in a 2 hour 'airport style' security check line.
'Sod that for a game of marbles, we'll take the Staten Island ferry, it's free, there are no security checks, they herd ye on like cattle, ye'll get a great view of Lady Liberty and then they'll herd ye off again like cattle, sure it's perfect, what more would ye want?', said Jude as he recalled a tip given by the tour bus guide the day they took that tour with neices Aideen and Megan all that time ago.
Aye yer ear muffs.
'Here Jude, is that Windmill hill over there?' Marguerite thinks she's on the Strangford ferry!!!!!!!
Now Jude's been to Liberty Island before and he knows that to get a pic such as this you have to walk back about half a mile to get the blighter in. So he's no mug, he knows, just get the pics, save $40, no messy security checks and you've still got all day to explore, lovely jubbly.
As the ferry comes back into Battery Park, Manhattan, Jude tries to look cool again, this time he's pointing at his new ear muffs. Wha?
Lower Manhattan from the Staten Island ferry.
This statue now sits in Battery Park but it used to sit in the forecourt outside the Twin Towers. Look closely at it and you'll see damage incurred on that day in 2001.
Ground Zero is a fascinating place altogether. A visit there really does get you thinking. It's now nearly 10 years later but the feeling that you're walking into a kind of wake was real. Here Marguerite makes her way down to the site.
The feeling is hard to describe but being this close to scene of the events that changed the world forever certainly did make the hairs stand on the back of the neck. Over the years some folk have come here only to report, 'sure it's just a big hole'. But it's not, it's so much more than that...........
............it's now an area of major re-development. The new buildings which are to replace those destroyed on 9/11 are climbing back up to the sky again. In this pic you can see the new World Trade Center 1 Tower (in middle with scaffolding) rising to the left of the tall completed building on the right. I wonder what that World Trade Center Tower 1 will look like when it's done.......................
..............well.......it'll look just like this. Nice.
Just how Trinity Church avoided major damage (it's organ did get damaged but overall it escaped unscathed) that day is hard to believe when you see just how close it was to the buildings that fell. This pic was taken in a central point between the Church and the location of the old South Tower. Incredible, divine, call it whatever, but it sure is hard to believe.
Nowadays at Ground Zero there is a Museum to the victims, survivors, rescue services and general events of that day. Jude and Marguerite visited the museum.
A part of one of the planes which crashed into one of the towers.
A part of the structure of one of the towers.
The museum houses all sorts of things connected to that day, some things were sad while others were inspiring. This tile was particularly cool but quite funny at the same time. It was prepared in a Boston school and sent to the site to help show New Yorkers that everyone was behind them at that time. It's reference to '+ Boston' shows that even in difficult times Bostonians will not give their love to New York unconditionally!!!! So what will the full World Trade Center site look like when it's all finished? 
Something like this.
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