Yankees and More NPS Units

When Tim and I planned activities for our five-night stay in New York following the conclusion of our World Cruise, I focused on National Park Service units and museums. Tim wanted to attend a Yankees game and a Broadway musical. After admiring our daytime view of the Empire State Building this morning, Tim headed to Yankee Stadium, while I made my way to Lower Manhattan to check out more National Park Service sites.

Our Daytime View of the Empire State Building Is Also Great

New York was experiencing an unusual heat wave, and the ride on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus was extremely uncomfortable. There was no air conditioning, and I just assumed that it was broken on this bus. Luckily, the walk to the African Burial Ground National Monument, my first destination, was a short one.

In the Visitor Center, I learned that the African Burial Ground is the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America and was the resting place for both free and enslaved Africans during the 1600s and 1700s. The burial ground, which had been neglected and covered over by two centuries of progress, was accidentally discovered in 1991 during the construction of a federal office building.

African Burial Ground National Monument - Exhibits and Original Map

Construction was halted due to public protests, and archeologists excavated about one-sixth of the original cemetery, removing 419 skeletal remains from the ground.  Concerned groups eventually succeeded in persuading Congress to stop construction to allow time to alter the building plans to provide space for memorialization.  After the human remains were extensively studied, they were reinterred close to where they were originally found.  An outdoor memorial was erected to serve as a place of remembrance, and it honors the contributions of free and enslaved Africans to the city’s history. 

African Burial Ground National Monument - Archeological Exhibits

The exhibits in the Visitor Center were fascinating, but, sadly, I was unable to visit the memorial itself. It just so happened that today was the Junteenth holiday, which commemorates the end of slavery. Although that seemed to be a fortuitous coincidence with my visit here, I found out that federal security officers had cordoned off exterior access to the entire site to protect the federal building from possible demonstrations. How disappointing.

African Burial Ground National Monument - Model of the Outdoor Memorial

After leaving the Visitor Center, I grabbed a bite to eat across the street and planned my next step. By this time, the heat was in the upper 90s, so I decided to catch the next Hop-On Hop-Off bus and make my way to Castle Clinton National Monument, located in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. While on the bus, I learned that none of these buses have air conditioning! The heat was so oppressive on the bus that even the driver was complaining. Luckily, the ride wasn’t too long, and I quickly made my exit, vowing not to board one of these buses again.

Battery Park was overrun with construction activities, but I finally found Castle Clinton, where tourists were purchasing tickets for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.

Castle Clinton National Monument

I entered a small exhibit area where I learned about the history of Castle Clinton, but I probably spent more time there because the room was air conditioned. Castle Clinton was built as a fort in 1811 to defend New York against a possible British attack. This sandstone structure was located just off Manhattan Island’s southern tip and was one of four forts that were integral to the defense of New York Harbor.

Castle Clinton National Monument - Original Plan

The fort was transformed multiple times over the years as New York developed, the harbor surrounding Castle Clinton was filled in, and the fort was joined to the mainland. In 1824, the fort became a cultural emporium known as Castle Garden, and later, it served as an immigration center and an aquarium. It became a national monument in 1946 after it was saved from demolition.

Castle Clinton National Monument - Witness to a Changing America

As I left Castle Clinton, the skies were threatening, and I was sure it was going to rain. When I happened to see a taxi driving by, I raised my hand, he pulled over to the curb, and I gratefully got in. On the way back to the hotel, the skies did open up, and I was so happy to be cool and dry inside the taxi.

Tim returned to the room later and said that he had had a great time. It poured rain during the game, and he seemed to be happy that I had insisted he pack a raincoat.