Finding NEMO

The weekend saw a class trip to NYC. National Academy tradition is to have a New York trip lottery and those lucky enough to get into the 110+ slots and $550 (which include hotel, transportation and dinner at Carmines) get to bus up to the City. We left in search of super-snowstorm Nemo and found parts of it halfway through New Jersey. The bus driver slowed a little and increased his following distance and got us to Manhattan around 7pm. We stayed around 54/7th Avenue in a great location. I have never been to NYC Having lived in LA and been to Chicago, I had a good idea of what to expect, but I was blown away by number of tall buildings... everywhere in Manhattan.

The snow really intensified and we were hungry so a group of us hit McSorleys...the oldest bar&grille in New York...open since 1854.

Times Square was still rocking even in blizzard conditions. It was a good feeling to walk in with a group of 8 guys and see another group from our trip in the various pubs.

A late night turned into an early morning as we boarded the bus at 8 am Saturday morning for a trip to 1 Police Plaza (NYPD Headquarters). A quick tour and we were off to the NYPD Aviation Unit on the south end of Brooklyn. There was obviously more snow there...one of the pilots had an adventure getting to work from Long Island...he said he had about 2 feet of snow in his 'hood. Gracious and professional reps of NYPD.

We had free time for around 4 hours before the class dinner. Several of us took the time to walk...alot...between 54th and around 40th / Madison Avenue to 5th Ave. Its amazing to see how close things are, whether it be Madison Sq Garden or Carnigie Hall...only a few blocks seperate the iconic places.

Dinner for 110 was at Carmines in Times Square. This ia a must stop for anyone. Servings are family style, and our meal was a five courser. Word was the bill was $11,000, which equates to around $100 per person. I'm sure we'll be paying for the calories at PT on Monday.

Another late night led to another early morning as we left Sunday morning at 8:30 for the water. FDNY hooked up the class with a fire boat tour of the Hudson river on a large and sofisticated rescue boat (basically a ship). Ellis Island, statue of Liberty, brooklyn Bridge, etc. (the New Jersey guys say Manhattan get the front of Lady Liberty and New Jersey has to look at her rear!) It was chilly, no cold, but well worth the chill. Hats of to the FDNY

Next stop was the World Trade Center site. We got the behind the scenes tour thanks to the Port Authority Police. There is a small exhibit and the memorial, which is nicley done. What floored me was the list of people who died in the attacks of 9-11 and their pictures. Most everyone teared up at some point walking through the exhibit. Class 252 bought a large memorial wreath and we grouped together to pay our respects.

The e-ticket was the new World Trade building under construction. The Freedom Tower is 105 stories and overlooks the 9-11 site. Its scheduled to open in spring of 2014.

The bus back to the Q was suppossed to leave at 4, but that pushed back to around 5 so a large group of us stopped next to the site at O'Hara's Pub. The bartender is FDNY and gave us the firefighter look at the attack. He rode his Harley with Bunker gear on from Brooklyn to respond to the site on 9-11 (great pictures) He lost alot of friends that day.

Having seen the crime scene, it gives you a better perspective when you go back and watch the video/read the stories of the 9-11 attack in NYC.

NYC is a must do. There is soooo much to do/see, and now with a better understanding on where to go, I will be back.