Quick stop-off at Ground Zero

This wasn’t where I started my North American odyssey but is where I will start this collection of retrospectives!

After Niagara Falls I took the bus to Washington, DC. The route was via New York City so I planned a couple of hours on the ground there to go and see the former site of the World Trade Centre.

I had visited Manhattan before and therefore didn’t make it a big feature this time. But I was keen to see Ground Zero, almost three years after it became known as such. On my previous visit the twin towers were still well and truly there but low cloud thwarted the full experience.

After arriving in Manhattan I embarked on a routine I would become very familiar with – navigating solo while humping around a heavy pack. Somehow I managed to catch a subway train and popped up not far away from the site. It was early morning and there weren’t many people around.

It was still very evidently a place of major upheaval and some works were also underway on neighbouring buildings. The honour roll was as you might expect: long.

The rebuilt subway station.

View of the site from the station.

Before heading back to catch the next Greyhound I wandered over to Battery Park to eat a sandwich. While I was enjoying views across to the Statue of LIberty, a bold squirrel seemed quite keen that I share my breakfast.