Irish Hunger Memorial, New York, New York
Date Visited: November 18, 2015
Time Spent: 30 minutes
This trip to NYC was quick. 6 hours quick. So I had a New York Minute to explore everything I could by foot. I had already seen so much of the city, but that's the magic of New York, there's always something you haven't done or seen yet. My bus drove in to Penn Station at 6 am, so I was a bit constricted to outdoor monuments and other attractions, but that still gave me too many options.
If you've seen the movie P.S I Love You, then you've seen the scene where Hillary Swank is eating a corned beef sandwich and discussing what a privilege it is to grow old with someone. Obviously I had seen this movie recently and after a huge cry fest (because #GerardButler), decided to put this on my hit list. To be honest, I"ll probably watch it again after completing this post and then spend the rest of the day knowing I"ll never have Gerard Butler sining to me in an Irish pub.
If you haven't been around NYC early in the AM, I highly recommend it. You get to see the city that never sleeps wake up. And oftentimes, you get to be alone in places that rarely see a moment without anyone else there.
We're not in Kansas anymore...
Elevated on a large limestone plinth, the memorial contains stones from each of Ireland's counties, and serves as a memorial for the Great Famine that struck Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It's located by Battery Park, right smack in the centre of the financial district, which makes this patch of green stand out among the skyscrapers. If you head around back, you'll find the entrance and are able to climb up and explore on your own, while being treated to an amazing view of the water in front of you, and a quiet front row seat of the bustle of the city behind. The tunnel as you walk in makes you feel like you're being transported to another world, and once you fully enter, it really seems like it. There is some information in the frosted glass adorning this plinth regarding the Famine, as well as contemporary reports on world hunger, making this not only a visual reminder to a past event, but bringing awareness to the ongoing epidemic the world over.
The memorial seems to be less known to tourists, who would rather walk right by it on their way to the Wall st. Bull, or World Trace Centre Memorial. But if you have a moment, take a breather from downtown Manhattan and take a quiet stroll around here instead.
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