Day 130 (Sep 23) – Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial and Times Square

After a late night, we were up this morning at 7:30 to head to the Statue of Liberty.  We made sure to have time to grab breakfast at the grocery next door.  We didn’t eat very much yesterday.  Last night at dinner, John Crothers told me about the free app “HOP Stop.”  Love it!  It gives specific subway directions from where you are to where you want to go.  It worked great – got us straight down to Battery Park to catch the 10:00 ferry to Liberty Island.  We took a ranger led tour and the girls got Junior Ranger badges.  Then we ferried over to Ellis Island.  We split up so the girls could do the audio tour.  We started on the 2^nd floor where the registry area and all the testing departments were.  Brad started downstairs.  Then his phone went dead and he had trouble finding us.  Eventually we got back together and returned by ferry to NY.

We walked up towards the WTC site and found signs indicating timed tickets were needed to “preview” the memorial.  I had tried to look this up ahead of time, but had trouble finding info about it on line.  We went to the visitor’s center.  They hand out same day tickets and at 3:00 they were handing out 6:00 tickets.  We had planned to be in early tonight and didn’t have anything to do in lower Manhatten on a Sunday for three hours, but I also didn’t want to leave the area until I was positive we could get tickets for tomorrow morning.  I quickly checked the memorial website on my phone and it pulled up the current day and showed tickets available for 4:30!  I reserved those and we went back around the corner to the VC to print them.  Then we rested and refreshed ourselves at Starbucks until 4:15.  It worked out perfectly!  The memorial preview site (as it is called – I guess because it’s not completely finished) had tight security.  They had four checkpoints where they checked your ticket and you had to go through security.  Hmm… ripple effects of 9/11 at 9/11.  The memorial was very nicely done.

Completely changing gears, we hopped on the subway back up to Times Square.  We came out into the crowds and lights and craziness and Audra said, “This is how I pictured New York.”  We went in Toys R Us – 3 stories with a ferris wheel inside.  We took it all in and left it all there.  Then we walked back to our hotel room (grabbed dinner on the way).  One of Carmen’s favorite parts of NY was the hotel room: the big bed, the bathtub and the TV.

NYC Day 2 Pics

Day 129 (Sep 22) – The Big Apple

Yes, we took our kids to NYC.  The train ride in was fine.  Ben and Deidre dropped us off in Dover, NJ at 8:30 for the 9:03 train to Penn Station.  We bought our tickets and had about 15 minutes to wait.  My stomach was a ball of nerves.  I always feel completely responsible for figuring out plans, directions, subway, etc.  (Always as in this time and last time – 11 years ago).  The ride took about 90 min and we were there.

We walked the 2 ½ blocks to our hotel and checked our bags (2 backpacks and a shoulder bag) until check-in time.  Then we walked another two blocks to a sub station with a train that went straight to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Easy!  Except that this station only went downtown and we needed uptown.  We started walking that way looking for another station, but were losing time so we grabbed a cab.  It costs $2.50 per person per subway ride ($10 one way for our fam) and the no-hassle 30 block taxi ride cost $11!

We arrived at the Met about 12:00 and grabbed the girls a hot dog from a street vendor.  We discovered that the museum had changed their free entrance to a suggested entrance fee of $25 per adult, but you can pay less.  Interesting.  We paid just a little bit less and split up to start our tour.  The girls and I headed to Impressionism (because I missed it in Cleveland) and Brad headed to Medieval, because that is what he loves.  We also peeked at the Modern section, which was fun because some of the pieces are just so odd.  In a completely artful way.  We met back up with Brad and hit the highlights of Medieval and Egypt.  Then we went up to the roof garden to see a sculpture (Cloud City) and get a view of the city.  It’s not a super high building, but it was nice to look over the trees of Central Park to the surrounding buildings.  After that, I toured the American Wing while Brad and the girls went to the Museum Store.  It is amazing to see so many beautiful and famous pieces in one place. 

As we came out we grabbed a couple of pretzels and then went walking in Central Park.  It is a piece of artwork itself.  We learned in Acadia that it was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the premier landscape architect of his time and maybe all time.  We saw the fountain and the lake and some funny, but slightly vulgar acrobats.  It really is a beautiful park. 

Then we headed to our hotel (by taxi) to check in and rest up.  The hotel was a nice break from our little camper.  The room was very spacious for a NY hotel, the location was excellent, everything was clean and the service was great.  Thank you Expedia and Radisson Martinique (on 32^nd and Broadway – next to Greely Square).

We cleaned up and walked 4 blocks to a little theater (Joria Dance Studios) on 34^th and 8^th.  On the way we picked up Carmen a happy meal and the rest of us had smoothies.  At the performance, we got to see our friend Julie Crothers dance.  The whole show was really moving – talented performers presenting a message of human resiliency (“Resilient Soul”).  Julie was excellent.  I am very proud of her.  It was such a treat!  I’ve never been to anything like it.  It was so memorable.  PLUS, Julie’s parents were there.  Her mother is my friend and a childrens’ minister at our church.  We all went out to dinner after.  It was so much fun to see friends.  I’m glad the timing worked out.

Then it poured on us as we walked back to our hotel, but we dried out quickly and collapsed, exhausted into our beds.   
NYC Day 1 Pics

Day 128 (Sep 21) – East Stroudsburg, PA

We drove 5 ½ hours.  Arrived at Aiden and Andrew’s house about 5:30.  Had some delicious “pie” from a local pizzaria.  Girls slept in the house in Aiden’s room.  Brad and I slept in the camper (parked in the perfectly flat driveway!).  I had a hard time going to sleep thinking about all the details for tomorrow: train, subway, walking to our hotel.  Are we really taking our kids to NYC?

Day 127 (Sep 20) – Cape Cod

Today we drove down the Cape.  Or at least as much as we could.  We got a late start and then stopped pretty soon at Plymouth.  I just wanted to photograph Plymouth Rock.  It is just a rock, a fairly small rock, stamped with 1620, but it is supposedly approximately the place where they would have come ashore in Dec 1620.  The town turned out to be a pretty fun adventure.  We spent about two hours walking around looking at old buildings and antique stores.  We met “Fat” the cat in a used/rare bookstore.  The owner told us to drive 6A and not 6 if we wanted to see the towns.  We took off with that in mind.  We did go down 6 a little further though to get to Hyannis and the Cape Cod chip factory before it closed at 5.  We made it and walked the short tour (chip making is a brief process!) and got two sample bags a piece.  There were no photos allowed, so I only have one of a truck outside.  We drove around Hyannis for a bit trying to spot a Kennedy, but I doubt we saw one.  We did see some beautiful houses and boats.  From there we got on 6A and drove through some very New England towns.  As sundown approached, the girls were ready to get out of the truck.  Carmen wanted to see a beach.  We barely made it to the edge of the Cape Cod National Seashore and quickly found a beach.  It was so cold.  The coldest we’ve been so far on the trip.  The Cape isn’t very wide at this point and it felt like we were in the middle of the ocean.  Carmen played in the sand and the rest of us did some ocean gazing and surfer watching.  There were two men in swimsuits out with boogie boards (Crazy!) and one teenager in a wetsuit with a surfboard.  We visited with his dad for a bit.  There were grey seals all along the coast around the surfer.  At first we thought it was a shark, but then could tell by their heads they were seals.  He came in after he saw them though.  As we headed west toward “home,” the sky was blazing with color from the sun set.  We got back late, ate at Whole Foods, again, and turned the heat on in the camper.  Just for a minute.  It’s warmer at camp than on the Cape, but still chilly.

Tomorrow we will see cousins – Brad’s brother’s children.  Then we head to NYC for the weekend.  We will be without a computer, but I’ll be back next week!

Cape Cod 

Day 126 (Sep 19) – JFK Presidential Library

Carmen felt a little better today (although she is definitely still sick), so we set off this morning for downtown Boston. 

First we went to the JFK Library.  All I can say is, wow.  Best $24 we have ever spent.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I can’t even explain it.  By the end of the exhibit, I was in tears.  Not due to JFK’s tragic death (they did not dwell on the assassination), but much more because of the magnitude and intensity of his life.  The whole story.  The girls enjoyed it too and learned so much.  Needless to say, Brad loved it.  He has read about and studied the 60’s political climate for years.  This was a perfect fit for him.

Then we drove over to Boston Common, the big city park in downtown.  Brad did a GREAT job of driving in the biggest city he’s ever driven in.  It feels like a friendly city.  The traffic wasn’t horrible.  We walked to a bookstore he wanted to visit: Brattle’s Bookstore (used and rare).  Then we walked a portion of the Freedom Trail.  This goes by 16 historic sites that are smack in the middle of busy, downtown surrounded by bustling people and towering buildings.  The pictures will tell that story.  We walked back to the park and saw Frog Pond and stopped to watch a game of kickball.  Carmen wanted to sit in the grass.  So we did.  We headed “home” around 6:15, which was rush hour, but again, not horrible.  We did eat at Whole Foods again because it was so late by the time we got back.  It’s been a good, long day.

JFK Pics

Freedom Trail Pics