Leaving NYC

Despite my initial guesstimate, I actually did enjoy myself In the Big Apple.  On the last night of my conference, check out hadoop world 2013 (reflections from nyc) if you're interested in why I was there, we decided to take in a bit more of Midtown before we left town.  We had dinner near the southeast corner of Central Park and we saw a GIANT raccoon clamoring up one of the big trees just inside the park.  I mean HUGE raccoon!

We then continued down Park Ave and saw some of the sites along the way include the Atlas and Rockefeller Center.

Winding down the night, we strolled by Radio City Music Hall on the way back to the hotel.

Nightlife in Midtown was so much more relaxed and welcoming than I ever expected.  The next day, we made a point to visit the 9/11 Memorial after the conference ended and just before heading to the airport.

There are two incredible pools in the same place as the original towers.

The names of the fallen adorn the edging around both of the waterfalls.

1 World Trade Center is almost complete.  It stands 1,776 feet (love the Independence Day reference) which makes it the tallest building in the United States.

The 9/11 Memorial is beautiful, somber, and respectful.  No trip to New York City is complete without visiting it and taking the time to remember the 2,977 people who died that day.