I left my heart in the Financial District

This weekend (as I have been ranting and raving about for the past x-number of months) I was in New York. Needless to say, it was a complete blast and I leave it more in love with it this time around than ever before. This time, I decided to have my parents tag along. I always tell them that I will one day live there and they haven't competely warmed up to the idea... 1) because I am their little girl and for as long as I live, my Dad will always be over protective of me 2) everytime they've visited New York, it has been cold and disgusting 3) They only see the touristy parts of New York City (we always spend time in upper Manhattan). I decided this time, I needed to show them the New York that I love. I also decided it was time I visited lower Manhattan, where the World Trade Center once stood. I've been to New York numerous times over the past year (I'm obsessed, what can I say) and never have I ever been able to bring myself to go there. So I guess that's where I'll begin. Kathryn and her sister met up with me in New York and we decided to make a fun girls day of it. We went to Magnolia Bakery and got the most delicious cupcakes on this side of the hemisphere. We waited in the line that went out the door and EVERYTHING. They are completely worth the wait - one bite and you'll be hooked. If I lived in New York, this place would be the death of me. They are truly great though - go if you ever get the chance! Next we did some street shopping in NoHo/SoHo/The Village. It was a georgeous 72 degrees outside, partly cloudy - just an all around perfect da. Everyone was sitting outside at the cafes, we had our sunglasses on, ready to rule the world. It's one of those days where any song that you hear playing automatically becomes the best song you've ever heard (even if it's Clay Aiken... well, that's a stretch). It takes you to that place, you know? We worked our way down to TriBecCa to have dinner at Hoi An, and despite it's lack of authenticity, the hispanic waitresses, and japanese cook, to the not even close to Vietnamese decorations... I guess I can say that it was good. Not authentic, but will make you happy. Perhaps because we decided to explore lower Manhattan by foot, anything we ate at a place where we could sit down and rest was "good." We then decided to make our way to ground zero, not far from the restaurant. There was a huge void in the sky so uncharacteristic of the buildings that are piled on top of each other in New York. It was a weird feeling. The sun was beginning to set but my sunglasses remained on. There were a million things running through my mind as I walked closer and closer to the gated area. The street I was walking on, once covered in a cloud of debris was as spotless as it could have been for New York. Looking at the pictures, you never think that you could clean that up ever. I thought about all the images I saw of people in suits running, covered in grey dust and I imagined them on the exact street I was on - they were the lucky ones. Once we got up to the fenced in area, we could see "survivor staircase." The one reminant of the World Trade Center... the stairs that survived the building collapse... the set of stairs thousands were trying to make their way through. I can't explain the feeling - you must go in order to get the full effect. I couldn't imagine that was all there was left of two buildings that were so magestic. I couldn't believe that people could still live there, seeing that everyday. How do you move on? You don't. Kathryn began talking to me about the memorial plans for the site. Some said they wanted to get rid of the staircase. And I'm sure whatever they do, will be thoughtful and meaningful, however, I believe the stairs should stay. They have such a presence - they symbolize so much. To get rid of them would be like erasing the only thing that was left. Sure they may not be aesthetically pleasing and I know they probably don't fit in well with the new plans for the 16 acre lot, but I have a hard time letting things go and personally I don't think the stairs should. The next thing we saw completely broke my heart. Beneath the World Trade Center is an entrace to the subway as well as another fenced in area where you can see more damage. On a wall papered with clouds, children of victims made titles in memoriam of their loved ones (mostly fathers). This brought me to tears. I took pictures of it (guilty that I was being such a tourist, but you have to see it to believe it and I wanted to share it with people who couldn't make their way to New York). You think about families and what runs through a father's mind when he knows he is going to die. I imagine he thinks of his family and wishing he could hold his son or daughter one last time. This is the feeling that has made me avoid this area for so long, but I am so glad I got to see it. I think it's important that people do. I left my heart here. I tell my parents I am going to move to New York in 2 years, and though they don't like the thought of it, they will support me (seeing as I don't completely have the means - most college students don't, this will be a brief 2 month stint before med school calls). I find that if I am ever to live anywhere in New York, the finantial district would be my top choice. There is a calm that it boasts. It's not an area with heavy traffic (which is completely unheard of in New York), it's less congested, it seems more family oriented - it's eerie. You don't normally think of New York like that. The first word that comes to mind when I think of New York is electric! The ghosts of 9/11 subtly haunt the area (I don't mean that in a creepy way) - but a huge gaping void is present in the sky - you can never forget it. It reminds you of what it is to be American, what it is to keep dreaming and keep going no matter how much tragedy life throws your way. I want to live in a place that reminds me everyday to keep striving and to keep going. I want TriBecCa.

There is no good transition I can use after an experience like that, but I later met up with my parents and we spent the next day together touring the parts of New York I love such as SoHo, NoHo, I even took them to the finantial district/ TriBecCa, we passed by ground zero, but did not make a stop (I don't think they're completely ready yet). But, at the end of the trip, my parents did really warm up to New York and thought it to be beautiful (what I have been trying to tell them all along). My Dad especially loved it and I think he's feeling a little better about his little girl one day leaving for a place like this. He now understands why I love this place, he can see my eyes light up when I get out of a cab on 42nd street. He finally understands the feeling of "electricity" that I always talk about. I think it was important that I went on this trip with my family. They "get it" now - and though they were 100% behind me before in my choice to move to the city, they were also skeptical. That's what parents do, they support you even though they don't exactly love your decision. But now, I think I can say with confidence that they are less afraid and more willing to let me have my love affair with this place I speak so highly of. This is something they needed. This was something we all needed.