Life's Laundry

Top 10 Things That Make A Good Concierge (aka - what we wish we had)

#8

I previously wrote about our less than desirable experience with breakfast at our hotel. Suffice to say that Friday in NYC was NOT our good food day.  It didn't ruin our trip though.

To set the setting for this short tale: After seeing Ground Zero, B left us gals and hailed a cab back to the hotel to get back to writing music.  He was also assigned the responsibility of finding us a place to eat dinner that evening.  We (us gals and J) arrived back at the hotel just in time to freshen up for 5 minutes and leave for whatever dinner arrangements that B would have made.  We were totally exhausted, hot, hungry, kids were hungry and tired, and we wanted a pleasurable eating experience to counter that mornings disaster.

I did not know that what B did was ask the hotel concierge for a recommendation. I was not impressed with the guest services of our hotel when related to the service/performance of our concierge.

When you are the concierge of a rather large, moderately upscale hotel in the middle of midtown Manhattan, there are a few expectations that a guest should reasonably be able to have met.

1. Know the damn city streets. (our concierge gave us wrong or incomplete directions TWICE. I'm not talking about simple mistakes - I'm talking about them saying turn left and go 3 blocks when the accurate directions were to go right and go 3 blocks.  Trekking 6 blocks to find a place doesn't really impress me.  After that, we no longer bothered asking anything of them)
2. Don't promote a feature of the hotel to us as we check in and then tell us the next day that it was closed 2 weeks earlier because no one uses it. (their website promoted that they had an inside kids playground/room where kids could run off their energy in a climate controlled/safe area)
3. Speak English where the average person (meaning ME) who lives in this country can understand you. (I'm all for providing language assistance to people who live in other parts of the world and visit NYC but there are those of us who have lived here all our life and speak the language and want to be able to understand what you are saying when you speak to us)
4. See #1 - the last thing that I want to do in NYC in the middle of the July heat is walk the hot streets of NY while trying to manage 2 kids in a stroller, a map and the enormous maze of people at 6 o'clock on a workday afternoon.
5. When I ask you for a dinner recommendation/reservation - DO NOT SEND ME TO A  @$%&*% Five Star place when you can plainly see that I have 2 small children and a stroller. (this restaurant had white starched linens on the tables, I counted (and finally removed) at least 12 items at EACH place setting, fresh flowers in a small vase at each place setting, and a wait staff that flipped a coin to see who was going to get the table with the kids. Can you imagine what a clusterfuck it was trying to keep J from touching all that stuff   Can you imagine how conscious we felt with trying to keep him quiet? We finally just cleared the table completely and dodged the odd stares that we were getting from the other guest.
6. When I ask you for a recommendation for dinner that is "reasonably priced" - do NOT send me to a place where the least expensive entree is $29 and everything else is ala carte priced at a minimum of $5.95. (even the NYC visitor's guide list "moderate" as something lower than $12 per entree.
7. When I ask you for a dinner suggestion, do NOT send me to a place that has no kid's menu of chicken fingers or pizza or something similar.  What child (in your experience) would like to eat things that we normally need an interpreter for when it comes to understanding the specials for the evening?
8. See #2 - J had seen the playground on the website and kept asking us everyday when we were going to the playground.  We spent a lot of time distracting him with the cab rides and other outings.
9. When I tell you that we ate at Bubba Gump's (yes, go check out the link :) and had a WONDERFUL time because of the atmosphere and casualness of the staff/decor and that it was a good 'family place' - Do NOT send me to a place that is so starched and proper that it could supply a dry cleaner for a month.
10. Fill in the blank.........

You may ask why we even stayed at this place with the white linen and the rude waitstaff, why didn't we just get up and leave and go somewhere else?  The 3 blocks between the hotel and this place were crammed with people. The line outside the deli as well as the Sbarro Pizza place was "out the door and growing."  It was a Friday evening and we felt that if we left - we'd be eating dinner at 9 pm after we walked the streets of NYC with screaming kids.  B woofed his dinner down and then took both the kids back to the hotel room.  I know that he felt responsible for such a poor choice in dinner locations and even though I was pissed at the evening - I tried to tell him that we were going on misguided information and for that - he couldn't be responsible.

I just really can't grasp what would possess a concierge to recommend such a place as that.  Wouldn't she know that it wouldn't work for us?  Wouldn't she know that we would be displeased with her recommendation and that would be a direct negative reflection on her and the hotel?

When we arrived back at the hotel - we bathed the kids and then ourselves and decided that the best thing to do to end/salvage the day would be to go to sleep and begin a new on Saturday.

And so we did.  I'm still not impressed with the concierge services at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Midtown Manhattan.

J's Favorite Mode of Transportation (how to fit 5 vehicles side-by-side in a 3 lane road)

#6

My three year old son J enjoyed the airplane flight and behaved better than I expected.  Its difficult to sit still (as an adult) when you are excited - but even more so as a three year old.

We arrived at Laguardia and after spending 35 minutes in the baggage claim room to file a claim on the huge rip in my suitcase, we proceeded to the taxi stand.  I was immediately impressed with the speed at which we moved through the line - the man in charge certainly had his game on.

He was personable, which caught me off guard, and he quickly explained to us (mostly J) how to hail a cab in the city.  He made J practice it and we all chuckled and laughed as the man made a comment about vacation needing to be 'educational' as well as fun.

He put us in a taxi that was a mini van and Man! was there a lot to look at and a lot to touch (from the perspective of a 3 year old).  It took a few minutes of us distracting J because he was upset and quite disheveled at the fact that he wasn't in his "car seat" and we weren't making a big fuss about it.  We had to explain to him that when you ride in a "NYC Taxi" you don't have to sit in a car seat - only the seat belt.  That was fascinating to him but he kept proclaiming that we "weren't safe". We wondered if he might be right once that taxi shot out of that airport at what seemed like an ungodly speed. We were off towards midtown Manhattan.  No problem, right? 

It was 4:10 pm. :) It was a Wednesday. 

J spent the next 10 minutes, which in reality we traveled about 7 miles, touching all the knobs and pictures and buttons - the van was an earlier model of the van that is our family vehicle.  He saw the stadium, a few airplanes and LOTS of cars.  The traffic was a tad bit slow and at one time early on in the trip - J said to us, "Why are those cars 'stuck?' "  He quickly changed his questioning to "when are we going through the tunnel?" and stayed stuck like a broken record for the next 2 miles until we told him not to say it again.

We had been priming him for weeks about the tunnels that we would go through.  He kept asking how much longer and the driver would inform him of how many minutes.  Once we got out of the airport traffic - that van started hauling ass. He whipped through traffic and cut into places and spaces that I wouldn't have had the courage to whip.  We (me holding Baby K for dear life, B sitting beside A on the back bench and J sitting beside A in the seatbelt) were all thankful to be strapped in. 

The driver was personable and we could understand him.  He lived in Queens and said he was putting two boys through college.  He'd been driving a taxi for 12 years and was also a CPA.  Truth?  I don't know, don't care. He certainly knew how to move that vehicle through the endless number of cars.  I didn't think that the traffic was any worse than Atlanta traffic, although Atlanta seems to have more road space.  Perhaps its just my perception. I remember thinking that anyone who would consciously drive in that mess daily might need to have their head examined.

We all took to looking at the sights and where absorbed in watching the locations that the driver was explaining to us.  We were all caught very off-guard when he announced that the tunnel was about a mile up the road and we turned to tell J and noticed for the first time that he had fallen asleep on A's lap.  After all that - he would miss the tunnel.  We tried for the next mile to awaken him but it was pointless.  He slept through the entire taxi trip and we had to carry him onto the sidewalk at the hotel to get him to wake up.

That taxi ride was pleasurable for all of us, if you don't count the fact that it was more like a flight ride at 6Flags.  The driver had given us a quick lesson of the streets, how to hail a cab, cautioned us about hailing a cab that was not going in the direction that we wanted to travel, where most of them would be, only get a yellow taxi (NYC Taxi) because they were the only ones that were regulated, don't tip more than 10%, don't tip anything if they say their meter is broken and then ask to be let out on the next intersection, and a few other tips that escape my memory. That taxi ride (and the driver) was a pleasant welcome to NY.

We didn't have a negative ride the whole time we were there.  We had budgeted $150 for transportation. That got us to and from the airport and then all around the city to the places that we wanted to go that were more than 7-10 blocks.  We came in under budget and were pleased with that aspect. 

Every time that we wanted to hail a cab - with the exception of the day we were trying to get back to the hotel from Ground Zero - we hailed a cab within 90 seconds. The day that we really needed one (because it was at least 100 degrees and we had two crying children and two women who had bum bodies) it took us more than 20 minutes to hail a cab.  We were so frustrated and hot and tired and frazzled.

When it was possible, we let J hail the cabs for us.  He hailed the cab when we left Central Park and he hailed a cab when we left for the airport to come home.  He still (3 weeks later) hails a cab in his make believe play.   We bought him a NYC Taxi cab T-shirt.  That's the one that he wanted. He loves it and explained all about the taxis to his teacher at preschool when he wore the shirt Monday.

"Taxi!" he will shout at the top of his lungs as he holds his right arm straight up in the air while he places his left leg/foot out a bit. One time last week, I overheard him telling the taxi driver to take him to 'the fountain' and then to 'build a bear workshop where we got Joey'.

When you ask him what was his favorite part about the trip - he'll often mention the "yellow taxi" as part of that list.

Oh, and when we took the taxi ride back to the airport, we rode in a black Town Car.  He. Was. Pissed.  ..... So pissed that he cried himself to sleep and missed the tunnel going back to the airport.

Tiger Woman - the tattooed woman at Ground Zero

#1

While at Ground Zero - I saw something that I've never, ever, seen before in my life.  It will be totally ok with me if I never see it again.

I saw a very overweight woman walking towards me that had been tattooed ALL OVER HER BODY with stripes of a tiger.  She was wearing shorts and a tank top and every exposed part of her body (and there was plenty of it) had been done in these stripes.....including her neck and face.

I was repulsed (and truth be known - still am) but I was more amazed and shocked when it first happened. I wish I had a picture of THAT to show you.

I guess it serves as a reminder that people come in all shapes and sizes and some people like the attention that they get from the way they look AND that 'permanent' means something different to each and everyone. 

Some tattoo work is "art" but hers was grafitti - not very tasteful either.

I can still picture her - and I just want to wretch when I think about it.

Everyone Saw A on The Today Show but Her

#4

After practically collapsing into bed on Wednesday evening from traveling the better part of the day and adjusting to the heat of the city - I awoke Thursday morning about 6 am and showered.  We (A and I) had plans to go on over to Rockefeller Center to see The Today Show with Matt and Katie.  This activity topped A's list of "Must Do" while on vacation.  She didn't have to "be" on tv, she just wanted to say that she had been in the crowd and to see what it was all about.

It didn't take us long to get over there - a few blocks up and a few blocks over and we found ourselves rounding the corner and on the edge of the gathering crowd.  I had seen "the plaza" on a previous trip to the city and knew what to expect - A hadn't and was totally surprised at the size of the area.

They were set up with a NYC firetruck and were going to promote the release of the FDNY 2006 calendar that day.  We moved on around the crowd and found our way to the corner nearest to where they exit the building to come out onto the plaza.  We waited.  A was excited and I was excited for her.  I was more exhausted than excited but the more awake I became, the better it got for me.  I was trying to remember if I had seen a Starbucks on the walk over.

 

We arrived on the plaza a few minutes after the show started and it was less than 15 minutes before Al came out to meet the crowd.  Most everything was previously set up and the crew was busy readying the last minute things that needed to be done. It was fun to watch them and to be able to see "behind the scenes" of those things that the television viewing audience never gets the chance to see.  Al came out and the crowd roared. He walked around, shook hands, worked the crowd in an extremely "personal way" which impressed me.  Everyone observing him could tell that he liked this part of his job - meeting the people. He took in gifts from the crowd and when he stopped at the girl right in front of us and asked her if she'd like to be on TV today - we became excited that we were standing right behind her.  Well - A was standing behind her and I was standing behind the daddy in the blue shirt, LOL. 

Al did the spot and my cell phone rang.  It was my mother in Georgia.  "I saw A on TV!  I saw A on TV!  Were are you?"  was all I could hear her shouting through the phone.  "I'm behind the man in the blue shirt - its not that important that I be on TV Mom" I replied.  We chatted briefly about how much fun we were already having and how I had left the other 3 (daddy, Baby K and J) all asleep in the hotel room just 40 minutes ago. We asked if she had been taping the show and she said "no" - oh, well. 

I hung up the phone and it rang within 2 minutes.  It was B saying that J and he were watching The Today Show on TV and J had seen A and recognized her and was running around the room chanting, "I saw A on TV." There was no taping capability in the hotel room.  Oh well.  During the day - A talked to several other people who would all lead the conversation by saying that they had seen her on TV that Thursday morning but none of them could say that they had taped it so that she could see it.  Oh well.  She has the memory and she loved it.

 

 

A little while passed and I knew that it was time for Katie and Matt to come out to the crowd - and they did.  Matt worked the crowd like Al did - taking time to stop and talk to people and accept their gifts but Katie finished the 'out on the plaza' and went right back inside.  Poo poo on her....she never even stopped to talk or smile to anyone.  I wondered if she even liked being there and if the reports of her not being happy on the set and with the show were true.  Its so different to see how personable and friendly they are when the camera is "on" and then how they totally turn away from each other when the light goes out.  Its very telling. We were still having a great time.

 

 

 

The thought occurred to us that with the first hour being predominately "news" focused that perhaps the second hour might bring a more "relaxed" Matt and Katie to the crowd so we decided to stick around.  It was during that next phase that the happenings in London took place and the morning show was interrupted by the special news report from London. 

 

The entire crowd just stood there, staring at the monitors and listening to the information being shared to the world.  Within what I estimate to be less than 3 minutes - there were loud sirens all over the city.  I could hear them echoing through the streets and rolling around between the tall buildings. I knew then that Matt and Katie would be at the news desk for the rest of the show and we were not going to spend the next hour and a half waiting for the 'possibility' to see them.  It was past breakfast time, B was in the hotel room with two small kids and no breakfast, we had a long list of things to do that day and it was time to move on.  A had gotten her wish - to be in TheTodayShow crowd PLUS she had been on live TV in that crowd.

Here is my favorite picture that was taken that morning: 

And so we left the crowd (without seeing the FDNY Calendar Men) and ventured back to the hotel.  We stopped on the way at this wonderful Deli and picked up breakfast.  When we opened the hotel room door, we were greeted by hugs and squeals - but we don't know if it was because they were glad to see us or that we came with food :)

Since that morning, we've probably had 15 people tell us that they say A on The Today Show - but when we asked if they taped it - everyone replied with a no.  Oh well.  Everyone saw her but her.

You Can't Swing a Dead Cat without hitting a (blank) in NYC

#10

In the south here - there's a saying that we use when there is a lot of 'somethings' in an area......

"You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a (blank)"

So for my southern tribute, I offer this entry:

You can't swing a dead cat in NYC without hitting a:

Starbucks

I counted and made notes each day.  During the entire time, not counting ones that we had seen previously, we saw 29 Starbucks Coffee Shops in the city.

Other things that we saw a LOT of include:

Yellow Cabs - unless you need one really quick, then they aren't anywhere to be found
Construction *new and renovation)
Different colored hair
Tattoos (some impressive, some disgusting, IMO)
People........of all nationalities, social levels, types (I'll leave you to decipher the meaning of that word)
Deli - from small hole-in-the-wall-the-food-is-to-die-for good....to corner grocery stores
Pigeons (we loved this part of the trip because it was so exciting for J but plain and simple for us)
Souvenir Stands that sell junk
Trash Bags waiting to be picked up by city workers
iPods and earphones attached to everyone's ears
Cellular phones attached to the ear with earphones

Almost everything seemed exaggerated to a certain degree.  There were just mounds of people and things to do and places to go.

I'm eternally thankful that we weren't swinging dead cats.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (the cost, not the place)

#7

Friday morning we were to meet my friend who lives in NY at Grand Central Station at 11:30 am. Since this plan was in place, we thought it might be a good idea (?) to eat b'fast in the hotel restaurant.  The prices didn't seem too high on the room service menu and being able to eat there would mean that no one would have to venture out into the streets and 'find' a place to eat breakfast.  We could sign the ticket to the room and save our cash.  We could go immediately and be there within a 90 second elevator ride. We wouldn't have to get all the way ready (shower, dressed, makeup, etc) and most of all - we wouldn't have to pack up the contents necessary to support 2 children under the age of 4 in NYC for hours.

Sounded like a good plan, right?

Well it sounded like a good plan but our reality was that it was not.

Why I didn't follow my gut and pay attention to the clues, I don't know.

1. The menu in the restaurant was limited.
2. They did have a few things but everything was Ala carte` and the lowest item was $4.95 (for a small cup of OJ).
3. The buffet was $18.95 per person.
4. Every single muffin, croissant, danish was hard as a rock.
5. You couldn't get bacon, sausage or canadian bacon off the menu - only on buffet.
6. Waiter turned his nose up to us when he saw that we had small children.
7. Took same waiter over 10 minutes to bring up juice and our first cup of coffee (they were not that busy).
8. Coffee was so bitter and strong that I couldn't even drink it.
9. We never did get any cream to go in our liquid dirt.
10. There were 3 selections of fruit on the fruit bar and none of them were ripe yet (bananas were green).
11. The expiration dates on the yogurt had passed 3 days previously.
12. They sat us directly beside the kitchen door as well as  the short order station.

One person in our party ordered ala carte' and two of us ate off the buffet.  The kids were free but there was nothing for them to eat so that was hardly a bonus for us.

The eggs were absolutely scrumptious!  They tasted with a hint of cream but I couldn't tell what (if anything) had been added to make them taste so heavenly.  I watched the short order cook and became increasingly impressed with his technique and ability to manage everything that he did.  I grew up in Food&Beverage and did short order for a while and this guy knew his stuff.

Were the eggs worth $19?  I don't think so.

Breakfast cost us $53 and they added the gratuity penalty to the check (Yes, I checked to see if this was done before I added more).  I supposed that they had to do this to cover for the poor service that the wait staff provided; otherwise, they may not have made any tips at all.

Valuable lesson learned.  We joked that we had eaten breakfast at Tiffany's and missed out on the $50 little aqua/white rope handled bag.

Please Hold On, This Train is Stopping

#3

I'm never quite sure what three year olds will pick up and repeat so we try to be careful about what we say.  I pay attention to what he watches, is exposed to and how he is treated.

I knew that this trip would be akin to "over exposure" but I sitll wanted him to experience as much as possible and have a good time.

This particular story comes on our way home from the airport. (Obviously we aren't going in order of occurence here)

We were switching drivers (I had been driving and now A was going to drive since Baby K was getting fussy). I pulled over on the emergency lane to the entrance ramp of I-75.  It was almost dark and when we were doing a chinese redlight switch, we (me and A) heard a rustling in the bushes about 20 feet away.  I had no idea what that sound was but it frightened us and I shouted to A as I pressed the automatic door close on our van, "GO!" and she replied, "Hold On".

About 30 seconds passed and I heard J say in a commanding voice, "Please Hold On, This Train is Stopping."  At first, I wasn't sure that I had heard exactly those words and then realized that I had....then I laughed.

The next time he said it, which was about 15 seconds later, we all caught it and began to laugh.  This inspired him further and for the next 10 miles, we listened to him repeating over and over, "Please Hold On, This Train is Stopping".

He's gotten a lot of mileage off this funny since we've been home.  He will say it now out of the blue just to get the laughs and attention that it invites.  We still chuckle occasionally and marvel at how cool it all is.

These were the words that came over the loud speaker in Hartfield/Jackson aiport inside the tramcar that transports passengers underground between the different concourses. They sounded every time it stopped or started - which was about every 90 seconds.

What's so special and cool about this?

We all thought J was asleep in the stroller the whole time.

NYC Memories

Things are beginning to calm down a bit (if that is possible with everything going on here) and I seem to be suffering from a bit of insomnia.

Here are some of the things that I had in my mind to write about:
         (not in any particular order except that as they come to mind)

1.   Tiger Woman - the tattooed woman at Ground Zero
2.   New Best Friend and Member of our Family - Joey
3.   Please Hold On, This Train is Stopping
4.   Everyone Saw A on The Today Show but Her
5.   Dinner in The Fountain
6.   J's Favorite Mode of Transportation (how to fit 5 vehicles side-by-side in a 3 lane road)
7.   Breakfast at Tiffany's (the cost, not the place)
8.   Top 10 Things That Make A Good Concierge (aka - what we wish we had)
9.   Standing Among The Rubble at Ground Zero
10.  You Can't Swing a Dead Cat without hitting a (blank) in NYC
11.  The Consistency of Inconsistency with Air Travel
12.  The Sights and Smells of NYC
13.  "Look Moma, It's Sesame Street" (feeding the pigeons in Central Park & Rockefeller Center)
14.  What I Expected vs. What I Got (tales of the wonderful reality of NYC)
15.   Stuck In Underground Hell (navigating the NYC Subway System with 2 small children and no elevator - aka Which Way is UP?)
16.   The Statue of LiVerty, Cap'n Fevversord's Ship and StatiC Igloo Ferry
17.   Drinking Coffee Dirt
18.   If I Ever Go Back Again......  I will..........
19.   "Uh! Uh! Uh!.....Why Didn't You Take ME?!" (phone call with M)
20.   What To Do When The Mind is Willing But The Body Just Isn't Able
21.   The Comforts of Home
22.   NYC Manners and the Absence Thereof

The Grand Canyon Was Great!

Oh, wait.  Wrong vacation fantasy.

We are home and experiencing the mixture of elation from such a wonderful trip and the physical exhaustion of the same.  I don't remember a family vacation where everyone enjoyed themselves as much as each person did on this trip.  We are already talking about going back in the spring of next year. I'm trying to figure out how we are going to swing that along with me taking a birthday trip to somewhere where there is endless blue ocean and less concrete.

We came home to our internet satellite and TVs being fried. We don't know if it happened before we left or when. We only have one computer with internet and it took 11 hours to get that working.  B is beyond frazzled since he planned to get right back to work this morning writing music and has been dealing with electronics and talking to people all over India today.  He is not happy. Remind me to tell you why you should not purchase Hewlett Packard if you are someone who expects a company to be service oriented.

I did 9 loads of laundry today and I'm so pleased to be able to say that all of it is put away where it belongs.  Everything is unpacked and there is no sign that we just returned from a 5 day trip to NYC.

I have lots of stories to share - I'll post a list of them and let you choose again like the orientation one.

I'm sorry about missing the S2TA for today - I don't know how that happened since I set the whole month at one time.

M has called me on her cell phone at least 4 times this past week.  I'm happy to just be talking with her and keeping up with what is going on in her life.

Its less than 3 weeks before A moves into the dorm and starts school. 

Its less than 10 days before J begins preschool two days a week.

Baby K has a new tooth which brings the total to 4 now and I can see 3 below the gum's surface.

I didn't gain any weight on vacation - and I ate scrumptious dessert every evening. Tomorrow morning it is back to the treadmill and the BodyForLife Meal Plan.

My next doula client is due within the next 2 weeks so I'm on call for her and I'm excited about this birth and serving this family.

I have plans to paint the room which formerly belonged to M and will not become Baby K's bedroom and get that room set up to move Baby K into within the next 10 days.

We came home with an additional member of the family - details to follow.

I have a very busy week but I hope to fill in the blanks and get caught up a little here and there.

Did I miss anything?  Do tell.

Blessings!

I STILL Heart New York

Yes, I still am enjoying myself, along with my family, on our vacation in New York City. I'm collecting stories to tell almost as fast as the 200+ pictures that I've already taken to share.  The things I want to mention about yesterday are this..............

We ventured into the Subway underground world (which was an experience in and of itself), walked in the heat till out clothes were soaked, rode the Statten Island Ferry (twice), then walked some more till we stood in silence along with hundreds of other people at Ground Zero. We stood and stared and then wiped away tears inside of the chapel.  I was ok until I started looking at the collection of signs that were posted when family members and friends were looking for loved ones that were unaccounted for after the attack.

It was haunting walking through the streets where the buildings were higher than the eye could see and the sun could be seen down the block but nothing felt but a cold breeze blowing through what seems like a dark alley to me.  We were on Wall Street.

The police presence was everywhere and while I felt physically 'safe', I admit that my soul felt a gap that I quite can't describe.  I glared at the memorial signs that listed the names of all those people who died on September 11th and thought to myself of all the thousands and thousands of people who were connected to those people - family members, friends, coworkers - and how much was lost on that day.

I walked through the cemetary in front of the chapel where time has worn away the names and dates of those bodies resting below and then I glared at a picture of that same cemetary on Sept 11th where the same grave markers where more than halfway buried in rubble and papers from where the towers collapsed. I looked at the letters and posters from people all over the world and then I looked at those small pictures and posters from the families and friends of those missing. I thought about how filled with fear and desperation they must have been in dealing with the "unknown" and how difficult that must have been. 

I thought about all the volunteers that gave hours upon hours to find those buried in the rubble.  I saw the cots that they slept on before the got back up and went back to work again. I ran my hands over the cast iron fence where thousands of people left their candles, flags, signs, posters and memorials after the attack.

I looked at that empty hole in the city and prayed silently along with those around me.

God Bless us all.