New York State of Mind, Day 3

July 5, 2013

Culture Espresso, 72 W. 38th St.  11:07 am.

I took a morning stroll down to the Financial District, taking the 1 subway to the Staten Island Ferry building and beginning my saunter down Water Street.    Next door to the Ferry Building is the Vietnam Veterans memorial - a worthy and moving tribute to those lost during that undeclared and ill-advised conflict.   I almost sensed my father there, looking over the inscriptions and the surrounding area.   Especially moving was an inscription of a letter to home from one of the soldiers, telling how the heroes of that war were nothing like what was depicted on TV - these were everyday people trying to survive.    Now, perhaps if our foreign policy can stop creating veterans in the first place...

Walked down Wall Street, past the Deutschebank Building, past the Museum of Economic History (with an inscription saying someting along the lines of "money is power" - how appropriate), past the New York Stock Exchange building (honestly, I'm surprised at how narrow these streets are - in the movies, I always thought they were much bigger, and the the Stock Exchange building was much bigger), then at the end of Wall Street and on Broadway, Trinity Episcopal Church.    I walked in and sat for a few minutes, amazed and awed by the atmosphere within - the stained glass, the vaulting, and the overall reverence the place generates.    Took a few snaps of the interior - which is frowned upon in a few places - and before leaving, noticing the two cemetaries on either side of the church.   Some of the tombstones note birth and death dates in the 1700s - helping to date the region in general and this church in specific.    As I walked out, I noticed the plaque at the entrance, noting the exact spot where Queen Elizabeth II stood in her gracious visit in 1976.  It also noted that Prince Phillip was standing nearby.   I guess they didn't get his exact standing spot - vicinity must be good enough for princes.

Walked over to the iconic Merrill Lynch bull.  

A bevy of foreign tourists surrounded the beast, but I was able to get a few shots of the bull's ass as people were placing their hands on the family-making parts of said bull.    How ironic and appropriate is this - our entire economy is based upon what comes out of this male bull's ass.  

And people were fawning all over this bull.
Volumes were spoken at this site.

Finally walked over to the Museum of the Native Americans, but not inside as it was too early.   Read a few of the inscriptions regarding the building and it's evolved purpose over the years.    Perhaps this building will be a destination on a return trip - time is limited for me, and I had to get back uptown to find a mom-and-pop espresso shop - no 'Bucks for me on this trip.

More later.