Day Twelve

Back on the Hop-on-Hop-off bus to see Tower One as it is now called (aka Ground Zero), and Lower Manhattan. Too bad the weather didn't participate in the day because it rained steadily for most of it. We walked to the Remembrance Pool where Tower One once stood. The pool is the exact size of the tower base and the names of those who perished are inscribed around the edges.

We stood in line for about 20 minutes to see the 9/11 Memorial which had been opened this year. We hadn't booked tickets and the queues were long. Also it was still raining. We decided against waiting and jumped back on the bus to finish the loop. By this time the rain had stopped and the sun came out.

We checked out the M&M and Hershey shops which were packed. On the way back we had a celebrity moment: actress Gretchen Mol is starring in a play just down the street and she was signing autographs: she was quite easy on the eye. It's the 2nd celebrity sighting while we are here. I saw Aussie actor Chris Hemsworth coming out of the hotel on my way to the do the laundry.

Returned to Buca di Beppo for dinner and another excellent pizza. We had a discount voucher and for some unknown reason were only charged for drinks. A nice cheap night.

Our hotel has a rooftop restaurant and bar on the 54th floor, so we went up to see the view. Absolutely amazing...I took a few photos but they aren't the same as the real thing. Will probably return there on our last night.