Evoking Hope from New York.

My first day in New York may not have been as pleasant as I would have hoped (inside story: we were stuck in traffic for two hours and spent another agonizing hour trying to find our hotel), but let me say that the Big Apple is hands down beautiful. It's appeal is so different from San Francisco, and yet I grew to appreciate its charm as my stay progressed. If scheds weren't of so much importance, I would have definitely hung around a few more days to explore the sights.

The more amazing thing is, I went from downtown to uptown ALONE without so much as a map, and I still found my way around. And not to my credit at all; I was fortunate enough to have asked directions from some of the nicest people in New York who made sure I got to where I was supposed to go. Unbelievable. Twas truly a blessing.

Anyway, the pictures below are only a taste of what I actually experienced. Ground Zero and Central Park were the highlights of my exploration simply because they left such an impression on me. When I visited the World Trade Center for example, I couldn't understand it, but I felt such an overwhelming sense of emotion, I had to fight back tears. I was looking at the big empty lot, the rubble and what was left of the Towers, and in my head I could almost see the buildings collapse and the people screaming for help.

I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for New York to pick up its feet and move on from that tragedy. But you know what? They did. New York chose to rise and their lives were changed in the process.

It's amazing when you realize it's been four years since the incident. Which only proves that no matter how dark the circumstances, Hope always carries us through adversity. And that's such a relief.

Clink on any photo on film strip to view a large version below.
More of the beauty of NY here.