Day Trip to New York, NY: 4th Visit

On our fourth and likely last visit to New York, NY, we visited the new 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, the historic Meat Packing District, and the new High Line Park.

The 9/11 Memorial is a solemn place, as it should be. Where the original twin towers once stood, memorials are in place of what used to be each building's foundation. Somewhat adjacent to each memorial, the new towers rise, nearly completed as of this writing. The Survivor Tree, which survived the crashing towers, is also located on the memorial grounds.

The foundation where the north tower once stood.

A Laid Back Visit to the National Mall; Washington, D.C.

Over the weekend, Michelle and I went into D.C., likely our last time downtown before we move overseas. We did not plan anything in particular. Instead we decided to take a leisurely stroll along the National Mall, stop at any points that interested us or we have not seen yet, and mess around with the new digital camera.

We stopped for a bit to eat on the National Mall and sat under the shade of the trees. This little guy took a keen interest in us, and our hot pretzels. In general, over the years we have noticed that the squirrels in D.C. are braver than their suburban cousins.

Historic Ships, Inner Harbor; Baltimore, MD

After putting it off for some time, I finally did the historic ship tour located at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland. Opting to tour three of the four ships.

The ships on my tour included the USS Constellation, a U.S. Navy sloop-of-war built in the mid-1800s that saw action in the United States Civil War, engaged in slave ship interdiction, commerce protection, and served as a training vessel; the US submarine Torsk, which served during World War II; and the USCGC Taney, a Coast Guard cutter that saw extensive service in World War II and Vietnam.

Together, these ships are representative of two distinct eras of navel technology. But each served as an answer to the needs of their time and situation. Collectively, they shared the common goal of protecting American interests at sea.

USS Constellation

I have had a fascination with tall ships since early childhood, so I was eager to tour the USS Constellation.The sloop-of-war is one of the few original all-wooden, all-sail ships remaining in the United States.

The USS Constellation, launched in 1855.