USA 2016: New York

The first destination for my trip through the United States was already familiar territory: New York City. I had already visited the city in November 2012. The city had just been hit by Hurricane Sandy, which meant the city was still recovering and many things were closed. One World Trade Center was still under construction at the time, but it's now completed, and I was able to visit the building and enjoy the view from the top. Naturally, we also visited the 9/11 memorial next to the building (which had been closed the previous time due to storm damage). Besides One World Trade Center, construction was also underway on Two World Trade Center, a replacement for the other fallen tower. It was quite special to be able to view this from the WTC and see the steelworkers walking across the steel construction beams high above the city. The city, and the rest of the country, were already completely captivated by the upcoming presidential election. We also passed one of Donald Trump's buildings, and he was there at the time. The entire block around the skyscraper was surrounded by police and Secret Service. The next day we also visited the Intrepid Museum (photos to come), which also closed early that day by order of the same Secret Service. That evening, the "Commander In Chief Forum" was to be held there, where both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were scheduled to appear. All day long, news channel MSNBC also broadcast live from the aircraft carrier, which may have even given us our American television debut. The city remains a delightfully chaotic place to tour and a rewarding photo subject. Where did the trip take us next? You'll see in the following posts on this site.