As a native New Yorker, I knew many people who were at the World Trade Center on 9/11. People in the workforce, police, firefighters, EMT's and more..
I remember the day like it was yesterday. Every single minute of that day is engrained in my memory and always will be.
Many more died from the events of that day than those who died on that day. Through the years, police, firefighters, construction workers and more died of the horrible diseases they developed and suffered with after the fact due to exposure.
Today is a similar day to the one on 9/11/01. It was a bit more crisp that day, but the sky was blue, not a cloud to be seen and the air was fresh and slightly warm. I remember sending the kids off to school and sniffing the air. I drove to work with the windows down, enjoying the gorgeous day. I just kept thinking it was so beautiful and everything was good with the world. And then....
I walked into work and before I got to my desk, I was called into the owner's office. He said he'd been trying to reach our clients in the World Trade Center and he showed me on his computer that a plane had hit one of the towers. The rest of the day was just a nightmare.
The horror, the worry for those I knew, the sorrow of hearing about those who died, and trying to explain to young children, who were taken home from school early that day, what was happening was so overwhelming.
We will never forget the events of that day or the thousands who lost their lives, especially us native New Yorkers. However, New York is much more than 9/11. So why not let those who are not from here know a little bit about us.
Some Fun Facts about New York:
Downstate New York consists of the lower Hudson Valley, New York city and Long Island.. Now for the fun part. New York city is made up of 5 boroughs. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. But.... Queens and Brooklyn are also technically Long Island. Yeah, confusing, I know.
Local lingo - You go IN to the "city" the 5 boroughs, but you go OUT to Long Island.
Long Islanders say we are going to the city when we are going to Manhattan.
You can go from a huge city to farmland in about 2 hours if you travel from Manhattan to Montauk.
Montauk is part of the Hamptons. The Hamptons consist of many towns and not all have the world Hamptons in them. The Hamptons is known as the playground of the rich and famous, but, it's in our backyard. We work, live and play out there all the time. While it is known for it's ultra wealthy, it is also home to everyday middle class people as well.
The Hampton's Classic (see my post Long Island, New York Northshore Winery) is a famous yearly horse show. My daughter and I attended a few years ago and it was wild.
Funny Story: Someone online once referred to the Hampton Classic as "some horse show." That's like calling the super bowl some football game! For more funny stories check out Just Some Funny and Odd Stories.
Long Island is known for it's beaches and we do have some gorgeous beaches. But we are also known for diving, boating, fishing, whale watching, water sports such as swimming, surfing, jet skiing, and paddle boarding. We also have many smaller bodies of water where people enjoy canoeing, row boating, river rafting and tubing and much more.
Please visit my YouTube Channel, subscribe, hit the bell for notifications so you don't miss any new videos and give a thumbs up to the videos you like. Feel free to share and comment/ask questions. Check out my YouTube Playlist - Baked Goods.
The Fall is a wonderful time of year downstate New York and upstate New York. It's apple picking season, pumpkin picking and the farms are full of fun things to do. Wineries are also hopping in the Fall as they are all summer long. Many are now open year round with indoor areas available in the cold weather.
Check out my post. Long Island - South Shore On The Coldest Day of the Year.
Long Island lingo - pizza is referred to as a pie. See my post Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Dough No Yeast. If we don't want to order an entire pizza, we will grab a slice. Many in the workforce will stop in at a pizzeria and order two slices for lunch.
A deli sandwich is called a hero.
We refer to the main road that goes East and West on Long Island as the LIE. Long Island Expressway - aka the LIE. We also say LIRR - pronounced LI double R - Long Island Rail Road.
Soft drinks are called soda here not pop. (see my post .Oh The Confusion)
We say we live "on The Island" or ask if you are "coming to the Island."
Anything east of Riverhead on either the North Fork or South Fork is referred to as the East End. If we are headed to either fork, we say we are "going out east."
What are we famous for - definitely a variety of foods. You can't get bagels or pizza anywhere as good as you can in New York, especially downstate. Biggest complaint when we travel out of New York or when New Yorkers move out of state is that we can't get real pizza. The first thing people who moved from New York do when they come back for a visit is get a bagel or pizza.
Of course seafood is a huge staple here. There's nothing better than sitting on the dock of a restaurant and ordering fresh seafood from the fishing boats pulling in with their catch. Lobster, crab and other delicious seafood dishes are served both at home and in the many restaurants.
We have a large variety of ethnic foods - Greek, Turkish, Chinese, as well as, Italian, Indian, and French. We also enjoy Mexican, Cuban, Polish and German. There is a huge Portuguese and Korean population downstate. Thai, Halal, Jamaican, Haitian, Dominican and much more are also available. Not to mention specialty restaurants such as vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, barbecue, burritos, Ramen, tacos, tapas, and more.
The one thing I often notice when traveling outside New York is the lack of different ethnic food available.
Where have I been and what have I done in New York:
The typical tourist spots of course - the statue of liberty, the twin towers, the Empire state building,
I've seen more Broadway shows than I can count. When I was very young I saw The King and I starring Yul Brynner, Peter Pan with Sandy Duncan in the lead, and many, many more. I brought my kids to many Broadway shows from when they were very little.
I've seen the Christmas Spectacular with the World Famous Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall many, many times and A Christmas Carol with Roger Daltrey in the lead at Madison Square Garden.
I've seen the New York City Ballet perform The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center as well as several operas..
There's nothing like New York city at Christmas, especially Rockefeller Center and Macy's Santa Claus display. I used to work around the block from St. Patrick's Cathedral and back then, people walked through freely. I'd visit on my lunch hour often. It is beautiful. amazing church. It's so sad it's not open like it used to be. After 9/11, everything changed..
I've lived, worked and visited the Hamptons throughout my entire life. My husband and I honeymooned in Montauk 10 years ago. People come from all over the world to vacation and hold destination weddings there, but we chose it as it was close to home. We wanted to stay close as a close relative was very ill. See my post Cooking For Cancer Patients and Their Families.
Today was a hard day.. We've had a rough time since March, 2020 with the pandemic. New Yorkers have left in droves for various reasons. The city is more dangerous than it has been in years. Taxes and prices are sky high. Gas is close to $4.00. Food prices have gone through the roof. Even through all of it, there is still some sense of normalcy these days and there are still fun things to do that don't break the bank, especially on Long Island.
I'm looking forward to heading out east soon with my husband to hit the farms for fresh produce.
For all the innocent people who died that day, for all their family and friends left behind, we will never forget. The horrible events of that day horrified America and the world, but being a New Yorker, knowing so many there, knowing so many who lost loved ones, the horror and pain is indescribable.