Alexander Hamilton.

It was his day this weekend. It was also US Constitution Day and the day that Hamilton Grange opened to the public. We were awoken yesterday and today by the festivities just across the street - Caribbean music (you know, this founding father grew up in what was the Caribbean slave island of Nevis and came to the United States as a young man to go to King's College, now Columbia, and then became Washington's right hand man in the Revolutionary War), hymns, gospel music and grandstand speeches. The enormous task of rennovating his house was finished and was being celebrated. He built the Grange as a country estate for his family and it was finished in 1802 when all of Harlem was still pastoral.







This dog was totally fascinated by Hamilton's getup.





The house's details have been beautifully restored.











All around outside the house were characters from ~1800. They were great - the lady spinner, the blacksmith, the harp and guitarists, the chocolate makers (apparently, Hamilton and others at his time, only drank chocolate) and Xavier putting a sword up his nose.

911 Memorial.

Avid, lovely Chris got us tickets to view the 9.11 Memorial as soon as it was opened to the public (9.12). Monday night we headed to the southern end of Manhattan to get in. Normally, the Memorial is still closed to the public because there is construction on all sides of it, making it dangerous to be a viewer, but they've opened it for specific groups for the 10th anniversary. You can go online to get the required tickets. Stephen remarked that he couldn't believe how physical the impact of the memorial is. It is true - the depression space is the same as the towers occupied (there are two fountain caverns) and it feels like empty space in your core when you stand on the side of these pits. The most aching part of the memorial is the middle square in the fountain, which extends down 30 additional feet (appearing bottomless) - that feels particularly mournful.







Chris was highly knowledgeable about every choice of stone and grass plain at the Memorial. He knew that this tree (with the blue remembrance ribbons) was a Callery Pear tree, which had existed on the grounds and had survived the attacks.