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Today I ventured into Manhattan for the first time. I ended up spending a small fortune on the subway going back and forth because I didn't know where I wanted to go for a chunk of the afternoon.

I found a coffee shop not too far from the nearest subway station and started the day with a mocha and a grilled cheese. It's probably a good thing I don't have a serious caffeine addiction or I'd never have survived the last few days without a proper fix. The coffee was ok, but I didn't come here expecting the coffee to be amazing.

I took the train across to Manhattan and hopped off at Park Place. I got a little turned around and nearly froze my ears off in the wind (yesterday was so much milder I completely failed to wear coat, hat or scarf today. At least I had my hoodie...) but I eventually found ground zero.

The 9/11 memorial museum is definitely worth a visit. It was strange going down into this huge, dimly lit space filled with people talking in hushed voices. The whole way round I kept remembering the day it all happened. I don't think I knew anything about the plane crashing into the Pentagon until years later, but I remember getting home from my first day of high school and finding my mum standing in the kitchen watching it on the news. The whole way round there's this constant barrage of images of the first tower burning and the second tower being hit and the constant stream of voices remembering that day.

The whole experience is strange. All the way around there are remnants of peoples' lives. Burned pieces of paper, wallets from dead men and shoes with dried blood dripped down the heel. I don't know if it was an experience I enjoyed but I'm glad I went.

I grabbed a slice of pizza for lunch before heading off on my meandering journey of the subway. On the whole this is definitely a strange week food-wise. My friend doesn't really do evening meals so I'm aiming for a decent feed at lunchtime to see me through. If nothing else it'll prevent my waistline expanding too early on in this trip.

I don't know what I'll do tomorrow. Depending on the weather I might walk across Brooklyn bridge or head further into Manhattan towards Central Park.