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November 9, 2010

Ground Zero & Statue of Liberty Tour with Kids

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I always say that even if you live in or visit New York City, it never hurts, or rather it further compliments your experiences when you play tourist every once in a while. Even the most hardcore New Yorker doesn’t know everything about everything that there is to know about NYC. There are so many interesting stories to be heard here.

Like, for example, did you know that Alexander Hamilton who is buried at St. Paul’s church in the Financial District of Manhattan died from a gun shot wound inflicted on him by Jefferson’s Vice President Aaron Burr?  That even though dueling was illegal in New York, they went over to Weehawken Heights, NJ and when Hamilton shot his warning shot, Burr went ahead a shot him directly anyway?  Scandalous!

Did you know that the first immigrant to be registered at Ellis Island was a 15-year-old Irish girl named Annie Moore from County Cork, Ireland? She arrived to the shores of New York on December 31, 1891 and was registered on the Opening Day of Ellis Island on January 1, 1892, which was also her birthday. She is buried in Queens Calvary Cemetery (she is also the inspirations for the song “Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears” by the Irish Tenors). Inspirational!

Did you know that the Statue of Liberty is made of  thin sheets of copper, not much thicker than a penny? Incredible!

Oh, I could go on and on. Thanks to a wonderful opportunity to tour with the New York centric tour group New York City Vacation Packages (NYCTrip.com) my family and I learned these facts and so much more, and we got to enjoy our city together in a way we don’t always get to.

Our tour was scheduled to depart at 8:00AM in the morning, on a Saturday from 53rd St in midtown Manhattan. Now, you can imagine what craziness is entailed in trying to get 3 kids ready and out the door to be in midtown by 8AM. But we arrived just in time!

Our guide was Georgienne, a native, no-nonsense New Yorker with an accent and attitude to boot, and like a true New Yorker, proud of her city and eager to share it with others. I loved her right away. She was friendly, to the point and right away full of information to give us. Our group was small, and included 3 young kids and a teenager in the mix.We took the Ground Zero/Statue of Liberty tour,which is a walking and subway riding tour. We made our way to World Trade Financial Center on the E train. Our guide gave each person, including the children, a metro card.

I will say, I thought the Ground Zero tour and all the information was fascinating to hear, including all the inside info on why the heck it’s taking so long to do anything down there (that Georgienne is a wealth of knowledge). Our guide was amazing in bringing the kids in and peaking their interest when she saw them fading away into normal crazy kid-behavior (which drives me bonkers so early in the morning). I think that part of the tour is better for older kids (not 4 and 5 like mine), but I especially appreciated that while I might have been overly sensitive to my kids playing around and, well, being kids, Georgienne, our tour guide, was incredibly sweet and would assure me that they were “just fine”.

The area is always changing and there’s always things going on, even though it may not look like it. The Fireman’s Memorial is heavily photographed and visited, and we were able to also stop in to the American Express building and see the memorial in place for 11 employees who lost their lives on 9/11. I loved hearing Georgienne tell the tales of that day, the many heroic efforts that were made to save people’s lives. It is still incredibly heartbreaking, but it is a part of history of my city, and our country overall, that highlights how our many communities came together that day.

From Ground Zero, we walked over to Battery Park to get on the ferry for the Statue of Liberty tour. The absolute beauty of being on a this tour as opposed to going at it on our own is that we got to go on the express or “reserved” line with our tour guide and got to skip the massive lines of people on the regular line. We waited a bit, but definitely not as long as we would have without the tour, which on a busy day can take up to 4 hours!

Our official tour ended at the entrance of Statue of Liberty. Georgienne left us with awesome tips of what to look out for, how to best get back on the ferry, and all sorts of details we wouldn’t have even noticed without her. She even gave out maps to those who needed one.

The total time for the guided tour was 5 hours, though we managed to spend the rest of our day at Liberty Island, climbing stairs and taking more pictures than we will ever know what to do with. The kids absolutely loved Liberty Island, they didn’t even mind going up the many, many stairs to get to the base of the statue (the crown was closed that day).

We ended our tour with a visit to Ellis Island which isn’t guided, but is included should guests want to take advantage of it. We had lunch there “because the food is better” said Georgienne (and it was), and we were able to take in a great portion of the museum before the kids started to melt down, which we feared, but actually never happened.

NYCTrip.com specializes in travel arrangements for visitors coming to NYC from around the world. They are the largest independent tour company focusing exclusive on NYC. Their NYC Vacation Packages are flexible and customized for the individual, family, or group and the site allows a visitor to arrive in NYC on any day, stay in whatever major NYC hotel they choose, select any Broadway show they want to see , experience any sightseeing or attraction venue or tour, as well as their own exclusive tours, and visit any major NYC Museum. Check out their site to see what’s included in these wonderful packages.

They also have hundreds of unique options for visitors to NYC to take advantage of.  I have seen some of these promoted on Twitter (you can follow them @NYCVP), like for example, they often promote VIP seating tickets to the fabulous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

The exclusive tour my family took with them to the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero caters to visitors from around the world, and consistently operates year round. Visitors have the tour guide to help navigate the subway system and congested streets of NYC.

There’s really nothing like taking a tour of NYC with someone in the know…and they know. Whether you are visiting or looking for a unique way to spend your day here in the city, taking a tour is a wonderful way to spend time with the family and even teach your kids (and yourself) why this city is so incredible.

For more information on NYCTrips.com and the various tour packages they offer, please visit their site at www.nyctrip.com or call to speak to an NYCVP Personal Vacation Planner from U.S. and Canada – 877-NYC-TRiP (toll-free) or 570-714-4692 or International – 570-714-4692.

Disclosure:  This tour was provided courtesy of New York City Vacation Packages for the purpose of this review. The views and opinions expressed here are strictly my own. For more information please refer to the disclosure page.

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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3 Comments
  • Candace
    November 9, 2010

    Just following you on Twitter I knew this had to be a fun day but WOW! I might have to set one up and give Hubby a historical tour of my city (he's from Philly) once and for all. Thanks, great post!

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Candace
      November 10, 2010

      Thanks Candace! Definitely do it! It's incredible the things you find out : )

      Reply
  • lola bastian
    January 24, 2011

    wanted to let everyone knwo the health exchange cafe. it is on ground zero.. its good. it is the real n.y. 2 maiden lane….. enjoy i did.

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a des If you are a foodie traveler, Madison, WI is a destination for you. This list of good eats were all within close proximity to each other and spots we made time for during our short weekend visit. So definitely note that this doesn’t even begin to cover the tip of the iceberg, but makes a good starter list!

📍@ShortStackEats in the heart of Downtown Madison is clearly a UW favorite. Loved their pancakes! We thought it was a pricey for breakfast, and only offered drip coffee, but the scene was fun, food was good, and service was friendly.
📍@SardineMadison is a waterfront French bistro that has stood the test of time (we’ve been coming here since we lived in Madison!). It can feel very corporate some nights, but their Happy Hour and brunch are definite highlights and it’s a really nice dining experience overall.
📍@EatattheAudrey impressed us! It’s not your usual “hotel restaurant” and I would say it easily stands alone as an eatery worth checking out in Madison. Great breakfast options, cozy vibes, nice bar, and good service!
📍@RamenStation1124 good, affordable ramen.
📍BlindShotSocialClub We really loved this spot for brunch (sorry, was enjoying the company and totally spaced out on capturing food images!). Golf fans will love hitting the putt here (you can reserve a private room too), and what I though was most cool was the delicious and wide selection of non-alcoholic cocktails to choose from. This place is a total vibe!
📍@StringsRamen is a chain, but I have to say it is some of the best ramen I have had in a long time. I especially loved how you can choose your ramen but heat level but also by Japanese region which allowed us to taste a couple of new flavors!
📍@Parthenongyros has been around awhile (hubby recalls coming here during his college years!) and was voted #1 take out in Madison! Though we indulged inside and away from the snow. A delicious, quick bite when strolling around State Street.

And again, this is just a starter list. There is so much more to eat and enjoy in this top foodie city! What other spots would you add to this list?

#madisonwi #foodiegram #foodiedestinations #goodeats @destinationmadison
I love to travel. It has always been important to I love to travel. It has always been important to my family. My parents got my first passport weeks after I was born. They couldn’t afford to travel like I do now, but they understood, as immigrants, the absolute privilege that comes attached to having that shiny blue American booklet and they wanted me to have it.

I was yet again reminded of my privilege when my travel back home on this last trip was delayed over 24 hours. I have a village in place to make sure my kids were ok. Having my own business meant I didn’t have to report in to anyone, and was still able to work remotely so none of my clients were inconvenienced by it. Though the airline covered our hotel and food, we never worried that we couldn’t do it ourselves otherwise. While we were annoyed, we weren’t stressed.

So while I love to travel, and I love sharing my travels with you, I acknowledge that being able to do so, and dealing with the consistent travel disruptions so prevalent today without worries is a privilege…one that started with a little blue booklet that gives me more access to the world than some others do.

And I want us all in this travel space to be reminded of this. Of how lucky we are. Of our privilege to access and time and money.

So let us travel with grace and awareness. Let us remain rooted in reality and perspective. Acknowledging that our escapism isn’t one so easily accessible to others. Understanding that this is also why local stories have as much value as those to exclusive destinations, if not more. And, never forgetting, especially in the travel influencer and media space, that were it not for hosted campaigns and paid-for travel opportunities, most of us wouldn’t be able to afford the lifestyle we so beautifully curate online.

It doesn’t matter how often you travel, or how far. Just that hopefully you will be able to gift yourself the experience of doing so and experiencing something new.

#travel #travelmedia #travelinfluencer #wheretonext
As I work on compiling all the good eats I experie As I work on compiling all the good eats I experienced in Madison, WI, I have to ask: what is your favorite meal of the day, and where did you experience a highlight of the same?

I am a huge fan of breakfast. This beauty was a blueberry pancake order from @shortstackeats. Pancakes are not a big thing for me, but these were pretty perfect. I am craving them still. 🥞♥️

#madisonwi #goodeats #travelingfoodie @destinationmadison
We got back on a plane! Here are scenes from a qui We got back on a plane! Here are scenes from a quick trip to Madison, WI - my first time back in 14 years! Though we were here for family matters, we did take a moment to explore a bit of what used to be a place we called home.

We couldn’t do anything else until we drove around Lake Monona, where we once had a home, and took in the wintery views (there is an epic 13.2-mile trail that loops around the lake that is worth exploring if you visit!). Though our time was limited, we were able to enjoy some of it along State Street exploring the shops, eateries, the FREE @mmocamadison, and the beautiful architecture of the WI State Capitol Building (the Dane County Farmers Market will soon pick up again - Saturdays, April 15 thru November 11, 2023 around the Capitol Building and it is one of the best farmers markets anywhere!). 

We booked a room at the @hiltonmadison Monona Terrace to be within walking distance of all the downtown fun (tip: for a room with a lake view make sure to book at the upper levels above 10th floor for an unobstructed view of Lake Monona). 

Madison, WI is a skip and a hop from the Finger Lakes so this short and sweet visit didn’t feel difficult at all. And we absolutely loved the winter scenery and seeing what has changed (a lot) since we lived here.

Stay tuned for my list of where we ate!

Have you ever been to Madison, WI?

#madisonwi #weekendgetaway #wisconsin @destinationmadison
The joy of that first sip of the day. #randommom The joy of that first sip of the day. 

#randommomentsarethebest
I think my husband enjoys it, but still can’t be I think my husband enjoys it, but still can’t believe how easily I’ve been waking up in the early mornings since our last trip. Not sure how to shake it, or if it’s temporary, but here it is: the rare sighting of me up and moving early in the day. Am I a morning person now? Has travel ever permanently changed any of your habits?

#morningperson #lifeinthecountry #newme <-😂

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