Part I of Day 7: Major League Baseball Trip.

DATE: Saturday, September 7, 2013. Day 7.
LOCATION: All day in Manhattan. I'm only doing Part I of Day 7 in this post.

Today was a fun day of sightseeing - no ball games today. We had breakfast at the hotel and went across the street in late morning to Jack Doyle's Irish Pub to watch the Hawkeyes play SW Missouri State. Our bartender was a young lady named Nicoby. We told her we were from Iowa and Minnesota and wanted to watch the Hawks play football. She said "I think I can find it for you" - and she did. And then to our surprise she says,  "I'm from Nebraska and spent a year at the U of Iowa and then finished my studies at the U of Nebraska. My degree is in marketing. I had a job in marketing out here but didn't like it so I'm doing what I like which is working in a bar." It was a nice surprise to hear her say she was from the Midwest. The Hawks won the game 28-14. She said housing was very expensive in Manhattan - that's why she had three roommates. I think she said the rent was around $2800.00 a month so they each had to come up with $700.00 plus splitting the utilities. Grandson Wesley was with us and I had the feeling that she kind of had an eye on Wesley. She chatted with Wes about his Air Force career. I told Wes, "I think she's hitting on you." He kind of chuckled but didn't disagree. Brother John had gotten his PHD from Nebraska in the early 1970s. He asked Nicoby if she knew anything about Chesterfields Bar in Lincoln. John and his buddies used to go there all the time. She didn't but she her Dad might - so she texted him in Lincoln and asked him. Her Dad responded and said that it was a favorite bar for him also in the 1970s. John really had good memories about his time spent at Chesterfields.

After the Hawk game we took the subway to Ground Zero to see the new tower and the two memorials pools already built. The two pools have the names of  all the people who lost their lives at the North Tower, the South Tower, the Pentagon, and the passengers in the four planes, including the one in Pennsylvania. The names are all engraved on top of the marble walls surrounding the two pools. The two pools are located almost exactly where the north and south towers were located. I was very anxious to examine the names of those killed at the Pentagon as a former seventh grade student of mine was killed there. I found the name of Craig Amundson, the student I had in the late 1980s. Craig's dad was a pharmacist in Anamosa before moving to Missouri in the late 1990s. I remember Craig as a good student, pretty quiet but a kid who always did his work and never complained. He was in the U.S. Army and was doing graphic design work at the Pentagon. What a shame for an innocent 30-year-old man, married with two little kids to be killed in the prime of his life by a bunch of terrorists. And the same can be said for the other 3,000 people kllled that day. A month after 9/11 a memorial service was held in Anamosa for Craig at the courthouse. His parents came from Missouri. The new tower being built is nearing completion - it is huge.

After ground zero we walked to Wall Street. Highlights were seeing the bull and his big balls - John and I had our picture taken at the back of the bull with each of us holding onto one of his balls. A few of the other famous things we saw were the N.Y. Stock Exchange, the Donald Trump building, the federal building where George Washington took the presidential oath of office in 1789....plus many others.

At the memorial pools we talked to a volunteer who was there to answer questions and give directions, etc. He was an interesting guy to talk to. He was a principal of a private school located on the upper west side of Manhattan - this is where many of the rich and famous live. He said his school had 650 students and tuition was $40,000 a year. (that's $26,000,000 a year the school takes in). His rent was $6,000 a month to live in that area. He said 100% of his students go on to college with 40% going to Ivy League schools. I asked him if he would tell us the names of some of the kids at the school who were from the rich and famous. He said "No, I won't. but there are a lot."
Can you imagine what his salary is for one year? His rent alone is $6,000 a month which amounts to $72.000 a year. Do you think he's a little better compensated than Iowa/Minnesota principals? Talking to this guy is one of the reasons this trip was so interesting - all 3 of us have curious minds, like to talk to people, like to ask questions,  and learn new things.

This Part I of Day 7. I'll do Part II of Day 7 in my next post.