Day Two, New York, 2014

After a leisurely breakfast, our plan for the day was to visit the B&H electronics store, walk the Highline public area, stop for lunch stop in the Chelsea Market and then visit the National 9/11 Museum. A pretty ambitious schedule, but the using the subway helped us on our itinerary.

Although I’ve placed online orders at B&H, I hadn’t actually visited the “brick and mortar” store. Upon entering the retail store, it was amazing to see both the selection of photography, video, computer, and binocular equipment. The amount of sales staff in each store section was unlike any other retail store and many had a great depth of knowledge. I wasn’t planning on purchasing anything but did take time to receive some consultation on lenses, carbon fiber tripods and waterproof cameras.

© 2014, R. Ono

B&H was only a short walk from the beginning of the Highline walk at 30^th Street. The Highline is a public area that originally was a rail-line that ran through the center of several industrial area city blocks. In 1980, the last freight train completed its run and the rail line fell into disrepair. The city of New York took ownership of the rail line in 2005-6 and preserved the now public walkway between 2007 and 2014. You can see remnants of the rail tracks in the plant beds, along the paved area. The park is very clean and relaxing, with several areas to stop, sit and enjoy the views. We took a short detour from the walkway to browse and have lunch at the Chelsea Market. There were many restaurants to choose from, but the Lobster Place caught our eye. You can purchase fresh fish, shellfish and pre-made food items at this store. We shared a lobster roll sandwich and clam chowder for our lunch. The lobster roll wasn’t inexpensive ($17) but it was filled with large

©2014, R. Ono

pieces of lobster and was thoroughly enjoyed. The chowder was also tasty and creamy with lots of clams.

By the end of lunch, it was 2pm and we jumped on the subway to the World Trade Center. While an advance reservation is often advised for the National 9/11 Museum, we were able to purchase entry tickets and enter the museum within ten minutes. The exhibits at this museum were very powerful. We were immediately brought back to when we were riveted to our television watching the unimaginable unfolding of the events that ultimately led to the falling of the twin towers. Seeing the exhibits that described some of the back-story of the events, response and preservation plans were extremely informative, while also moving. My wife found the photograph of her cousin’s son that perished when the North Tower fell. The museum is essential to inform future generations so that we don't forget this horrific event.

9/11 Memorial
©2014, R. Ono

We returned to our hotel around 5pm and rested before heading out to dinner. Dinner was at Natsumi, only four blocks away. We didn’t have reservations, but were able to be seated right away. The menu was quite different from a typical Japanese restaurant. If you like sushi as well as creative flavorful entre sauces you will find many delicious selections to choose from. Dinner for two ran less than $100 for appetizers, main dishes, wine/beer and tips – not bad for New York City.