New York City!
Ah, where to start? Perhaps at the beginning. Friday night, after I got off work, we packed up and headed to NYC to stay with Paula's friends. They live on Long Island, in Queens. We drove half-way through Ohio before we pulled off to find a hotel (it was getting late and we were concerned about storms).
We saw a Motel 6 and decided to give it a try. As we headed to our room, we noticed they did indeed "keep the light on for us," which was a good thing because we saw into the room and noticed the comforter was on the floor along with a few dirty towels. We didn't even go in, just went back to the office and asked for a new room.
Did you know Motel 6 doesn't provide shampoo in the rooms? I found that very odd; all hotels always do that. Normally it isn't a problem. Normally we take shampoo with us. But we were going to stay with friends, who are excellent hosts and always provide a gift basket with the necessities. So we didn't pack shampoo. Fortunately (ahem) Motel 6 does provide it in a vending machine...for $2 for two small packets. The room itself wasn't very nice either. And it was a $60 room; not nearly as cheap as I thought a Motel 6 would be. It was comfortable enough, and got us through the night.
Saturday we drove the remaining 8 hours through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and finally New York. Paula wasn't feeling well and I was getting tired at one point, so we took an exit, found an empty spot at the back of a truck stop, and took a little nap. The rest of the trip was uneventful.
First stop: Celveland, OH. Think twice before staying at a Motel 6.
Oh, and Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. Here's a pic of the Delaware Water Gap:
Funny signs along the way:
"Buckle Up Next Million Miles"
Sunday and Monday turned out to be very hots days, reaching the high 90's which felt more like the low 100's. We didn't venure into the city, but had a very relaxing visit with our god-daughter Kaitlyn:
Tuesday afternoon was cooler. We all piled into the truck and went to Jones Beach. It was pretty busy, expecially since it was in the middle of the week. We walked about 1.5 miles down the boardwalk and back.
Stopping to give us a chance to feed the wee one:
Wednesday we took the "Long Island Rail Road" (LIRR) into Penn Station then walked down to Greenwich Village looking for a wine shop "BuyWine.com" that a friend told us about, and also to find Murray's Cheese Shop which is right around the corner. Both are great stores with friendly staff. We also stopped in Chelsea to try to look up a friend who works for the Food Network.
The total walking distance was probably around 5 miles.
Oh, and just to prove New Yorkers have a sense of humor:
Thursday Paula and I were on our own. We took the LIRR into Penn Station again, but took the subway down near the World Trade Center. We were there about a year and a half ago and I was curious to see what how much progress they've made.
It's a sobering site. I wasn't there before the attack, but it is humbling to stand there in front of the gaping whole where two skyscapers should still be standing.
Here is a cross section of beams that remained after the buildings fell, resembling a cross. They've left it untouched:
We continued on to Battery Park, where "The Sphere" is on display.
It stood in the lobby of one of the towers untill they fell.
We took a boat tour of the harbor which lasted just under an hour. Our tour guide was excellent and knew a lot about the city's history. You could hear the pride in his voice as he pointed out various landmarks.
"Liberty Enlightening the World" (its proper name)
A pic as we passed under the Brooklyn Bridge:
For you movie fans, does this look familiar?
Think, "Men in Black."
After the tour we walked back to the subway station for a trip north to FAO Schwartz, near Central Park, but only after stopping at an "Amish Market." It was a great food store, but 99.9% of the products had nothing to do with the Amish.
After leaving the subway, we started walking. Again.
Let me give you a hint. When in New York, if someone tells you your destination is "just around the corner" be prepared for another mile of walking. Yeesh. We probably put in another couple miles of walking during this trip to the city.
That should be enough for now; this post is already way too long. I have many more pictures on flickr, and many I've yet to upload. And many more stories to tell. I think I've hit the highlights though.
If you haven't been to NYC, you really should make the effort to go there. I highly recommend stopping by "Ground Zero." We didn't have any plans this trip, but I made note of several place to visit for our next trip.
I'm sure I'll have more to write later.
-- C.
We saw a Motel 6 and decided to give it a try. As we headed to our room, we noticed they did indeed "keep the light on for us," which was a good thing because we saw into the room and noticed the comforter was on the floor along with a few dirty towels. We didn't even go in, just went back to the office and asked for a new room.
Did you know Motel 6 doesn't provide shampoo in the rooms? I found that very odd; all hotels always do that. Normally it isn't a problem. Normally we take shampoo with us. But we were going to stay with friends, who are excellent hosts and always provide a gift basket with the necessities. So we didn't pack shampoo. Fortunately (ahem) Motel 6 does provide it in a vending machine...for $2 for two small packets. The room itself wasn't very nice either. And it was a $60 room; not nearly as cheap as I thought a Motel 6 would be. It was comfortable enough, and got us through the night.
Saturday we drove the remaining 8 hours through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and finally New York. Paula wasn't feeling well and I was getting tired at one point, so we took an exit, found an empty spot at the back of a truck stop, and took a little nap. The rest of the trip was uneventful.
First stop: Celveland, OH. Think twice before staying at a Motel 6.
Oh, and Pennsylvania is a beautiful state. Here's a pic of the Delaware Water Gap:
Funny signs along the way:
"Buckle Up Next Million Miles"
Sunday and Monday turned out to be very hots days, reaching the high 90's which felt more like the low 100's. We didn't venure into the city, but had a very relaxing visit with our god-daughter Kaitlyn:
Tuesday afternoon was cooler. We all piled into the truck and went to Jones Beach. It was pretty busy, expecially since it was in the middle of the week. We walked about 1.5 miles down the boardwalk and back.
Stopping to give us a chance to feed the wee one:
Wednesday we took the "Long Island Rail Road" (LIRR) into Penn Station then walked down to Greenwich Village looking for a wine shop "BuyWine.com" that a friend told us about, and also to find Murray's Cheese Shop which is right around the corner. Both are great stores with friendly staff. We also stopped in Chelsea to try to look up a friend who works for the Food Network.
The total walking distance was probably around 5 miles.
Oh, and just to prove New Yorkers have a sense of humor:
Thursday Paula and I were on our own. We took the LIRR into Penn Station again, but took the subway down near the World Trade Center. We were there about a year and a half ago and I was curious to see what how much progress they've made.
It's a sobering site. I wasn't there before the attack, but it is humbling to stand there in front of the gaping whole where two skyscapers should still be standing.
Here is a cross section of beams that remained after the buildings fell, resembling a cross. They've left it untouched:
We continued on to Battery Park, where "The Sphere" is on display.
It stood in the lobby of one of the towers untill they fell.
We took a boat tour of the harbor which lasted just under an hour. Our tour guide was excellent and knew a lot about the city's history. You could hear the pride in his voice as he pointed out various landmarks.
"Liberty Enlightening the World" (its proper name)
A pic as we passed under the Brooklyn Bridge:
For you movie fans, does this look familiar?
Think, "Men in Black."
After the tour we walked back to the subway station for a trip north to FAO Schwartz, near Central Park, but only after stopping at an "Amish Market." It was a great food store, but 99.9% of the products had nothing to do with the Amish.
After leaving the subway, we started walking. Again.
Let me give you a hint. When in New York, if someone tells you your destination is "just around the corner" be prepared for another mile of walking. Yeesh. We probably put in another couple miles of walking during this trip to the city.
That should be enough for now; this post is already way too long. I have many more pictures on flickr, and many I've yet to upload. And many more stories to tell. I think I've hit the highlights though.
If you haven't been to NYC, you really should make the effort to go there. I highly recommend stopping by "Ground Zero." We didn't have any plans this trip, but I made note of several place to visit for our next trip.
I'm sure I'll have more to write later.
-- C.
posted by Cerpicio at 8:15 PM
1 Comments:
That really seems like a nice trip. I think that NYC is better with a competent, honest guide. You had one who was more -- pretty, charming, and your wife. You really lucked out!
I remember more of the stark difference between medium-to small city versus giant metropolis like NYC. I went there for a wedding and what stuck in my mind were the difference. I remember little of the beauty of it.
I remember nearing Harlem when driving by the U.N. building and Times Square looked like a smokey oil painting. It was dirty -- and not just the uncleanliness, but the redligtht areas.
Anyway, the parks, however small that I saw, were surrounded by manmade redwoods (skyscrapers). Nowhere was it not crowded and noisy. I suppose if I had a guide to more picturesque areas that are less (dark side of humanity), I would indeed have a good time there. You seem to have had a good time there, so there must be good in it.
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