The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

September 11th

We thought we would do a little tribute to New York City today. We were at the top of the World Trade Centre in October of 2000, only 11 months before the towers fell.



I did a lot of research into our long weekend in New York that fall. We had never been before, and there was so much we wanted to see and do in only 3 days. In researching the Twin Towers, I found out that you could go to the Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the north tower, and that it was free to get up there. Of course most people would go to the tourist observation deck of the south tower and there was a huge lineup to get up there and you had to pay something like $10 each. We hate lineups and by going to the restaurant we could buy a drink, and get the same wonderful view.

View of the Statue of Liberty from the Windows on the World restaurant

New York City and the Manhatten Bridge

The sphere as it stood in the courtyard between the two towers

Ruth took a picture of the sphere again when she was in NYC in October of 2009. It was recovered from the wreckage and is now on display at Battery Park.

Most people also stand in long lineups and pay a lot of money to see the Statue of Liberty. We found out that you could take the free Staten Island Ferry and get the same view of the statue and the NYC skyline. And no lineups. Did I mention we hate standing in lineups! You just don't get off the ferry, and stay on for the return trip back to the city.


Another thing I found out during my research was that the delegates dining lounge in the United Nations building was open to the public. The U.N. was not in session when we were there, so it was pretty quiet. However, I was wearing jeans and running shoes, and the restaurant if very fussy regarding proper attire, and they didn't want to let me in. However I pleaded enough that they gave me a jacket to wear and because my jeans were black and not blue, they let me in.

Here's the website for the restaurant, which appears to still be open to the public...


It is buffet brunch style, and I think it still costs $25 per person. But I had read that the food was comparable to the buffet at the Waldorf Astoria which cost $50 per person at the time, and it was...we enjoyed it a lot. I still remember that they had these little tiny grapes that were so sweet!


And you can't go to New York in October without taking in a Yankees game. Of course they were in the division playoffs at the time, and they were against Oakland.

And the other thing we did was take the subway to Coney Island. It was at the time a pretty rundown part of town, not sure if it's still that way or not.


And the only thing we wished we had done was to see a Broadway play. There was one we tried to get tickets to that was starring Henry Winkler and John Ritter. Can't remember what it was, but the only seats they had left were right at the back. Of course John Ritter passed away a few years later and we always wished we had seen the show.

Ruth went back to NYC last year when she had a short stint working at the tour bus company, but I haven't been back. There is so much to see and do there that I'm sure we'll be back again some day.

9 comments:

  1. Great photos, nice tribute to new york, I was thinking of the towers today.
    All those kids that were little are 9 years older now. Wow. SD was only a year old when the towers went down.
    How time flies.

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  2. Great pictures, Donna & I too made it to the WTC and up to the Observation area a few years before it was gone. Later today I will have a blog out and take a look at the pictures from my son Sam's office across the street, The building he is in was closed for a year before it could be used again and had heavy damage on his side that faced the WTC.We are lucky both our countries have the freedom and the resolve to defend this freedom against anyone who might want to take it from us. be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  3. We were so happy to have been able to have see the NYC that most people remember before the towers came down. I remember Sept. 11, 2001 and listening to the radio and just not believing that the towers came down. They were so big how could they come down? I just couldn't fathom it. Later that day when I got home and seeing it on the TV was just unbelievable! I thought to myself that we may have met some of those people that went down with the towers that day. It will definitely be something that we will never forget.

    Sam and Donna, I can't believe the turmoil you must have gone though that day until you got news that your son was OK.

    Let us never forget!

    Kevin and Ruth

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  4. Wow, that's an incredible photo. Makes you realize just how different the Manhattan skyline is now. So sad.

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  5. Diana...We agree with you. I saw the skyline last fall and it just isn't the same without the towers. They and the people lost in them will always be remembered.

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  6. I was only a little one when the World Trade Center went down. At the time I lived about half an hour outside of Manhattan. I had been to the towers twice but I was too little to remember anything. My mother and grandmother were both supposed to be in the city that day. My grandmother worked on 5th Avenue at the time and my mother was supposed to have a meeting that day in the windows on the world restaurant. I consider myself to be blessed that they did not have to go into the city that day because my brother and myself were both sick with a stomach bug.

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  7. I bet at the time you didn't feel lucky having the stomach bug. It must have been such an amazing feeling afterward to know that your Mom and Grandmother were with you. We are so happy it turned out well for you. Our heart always goes out to all the families who lost loved ones that day.

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey

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  8. Coney Island is much improved...safe and a wonderful place to get an old time feel of the way things were in old Coney Island. It is amazing how they have cleaned it up and made it very family friendly

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    Replies
    1. Happy to hear that Coney Island has cleaned up. We did like it there but did find it a little grungy at the time. still it had a fun feel to it.

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