Day 9 - Niagara Trip - Fort of Niagara

Day 9 (12 July) - Next attraction after Niagara George Park was visiting the Niagara Fort. Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario. If you are a history buff, this place will excite you. We spent around 2 hours over there and I clicked number of photographs.

"Inside the Fort, you'll tour original buildings where Native American, French, British and American soldiers lived and worked from the 18th to the 20th centuries. During the summer months you'll witness musket and artillery firing demonstrations, go on a guided tour, see artisans at work and learn about life on the Niagara Frontier during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

"The history of Old Fort Niagara spans more than 300 years. During the colonial wars in North America a fort at the mouth of the Niagara River was vital, for it controlled access to the Great Lakes and the westward route to the heartland of the continent. With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, however, the strategic value of Fort Niagara diminished. It nonetheless remained an active military post well into the 20th century." - http://www.oldfortniagara.org

Enjoy the snaps from this place:

Main gate to enter the fort

Me with acting French Soldier

"The three flags flown daily above the parade ground symbolize the nations which have held Fort Niagara. Each competed for the support of a fouth nation: the powerful Iroquois Confederacy.

The French established the first post here, Fort Conti, in 1679. Its successor, Fort Denonville (1687-88) was equally short lived. In 1726 France finally erected a permanent fortification with the construction of the impressive "French Castle." 

Britain gained control of Fort Niagara in 1759, during the French & Indian War, after a nineteen-day seige. The British held the post throughout the American Revolution but were forced, by treaty, to yield it to the United States in 1796. Fort Niagara was recaptured by the British in 1813. 

It was ceded to the United States a second time in 1815 at the end of the War of 1812."

- http://www.oldfortniagara.org

Day 3 - Visiting 9-11 Memorial

Day 3 (6th July) - The last sight seeing place on day 3 was 9-11 Memorial. From the location where BIG Bus dropped me, it was around half kilometer stretch to reach this place. A must visit place in my itinerary. Some facts about this place:

"On September 11, 2011, a dedication ceremony was held at the memorial, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. The 9-11 memorial officially opened to the public on September 12, 2011. Three months after opening, the memorial had been seen by over 1 million visitors. " - Wikipedia

"The National September 11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993.

The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the North America. The pools sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. Architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker created the Memorial design selected from a global design competition that included more than 5,200 entries from 63 nations"

- http://www.911memorial.org

Here are the snaps of the visit:

"The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial pools, a powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history." 

- http://www.911memorial.org

"The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, on the former location of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed during the attacks." - Wikipedia

Pray for Peace

Day 2 - Heading for Statue of Liberty

Day 2 (5th July): My next stop on the 3 day Bus Tour package was - Cruise tour to Statue of Liberty. 

But before going there, I had to cover the distance. So here are the snaps taken on the way while sitting on open Bus floor & covering the distance.

Here are the snaps:

Wall Street Bull

Caught in the wrong foot - This was not the place from where to get the cruise. But it was a nice place to be there. This was the site for other cruise to operate not the one mentioned in my ticket.