The Big Apple

We arrived at Newburg/New York City North KOA on Saturday, the 18th.  It was 196 miles from our campground in Pennsylvania and should have taken approximately four hours to drive.  There was a horrible vehicle accident on I-87 in New York approximately 30 miles from our campground and the entire north bound freeway was shut down and traffic was redirected onto minor roads.  It took us an additional 3-4 hours to drive the 30 miles to our campground.  Welcome to New York.

Welcome to New York

It was difficult getting Tumbleweed maneuvered into our campsite in the dark.  We were exhausted and ready to cancel our tour for the next morning but decided to make the best of it and we are so glad we did!

Our tour bus left the campground at 7:30 the next morning for an hour and a half ride into New York City.  It was Sunday so the traffic wasn't as bad as during the week.  We went through the Lincoln Tunnel which travels a distance of a mile and a half, 92 feet UNDER the Hudson River.  Fortunately we sailed through and weren't stuck in traffic down there.  When we emerged we had our first close up look at the big city.  So exciting!  Again, all of the places you read about are right before your eyes!

The Sphere from the World Trade Center

We drove past Ground Zero, which is under construction.  They are putting up another tower, 1776 feet in height.  There will be a glass parapet at the 1368 foot level, the height of the original Twin Towers.  There will also be a memorial museum there.  There is a temporary memorial in Battery Park.  It is known as The Sphere and is a sculpture that stood between the Twin Towers as a symbol of world peace.  When the towers went down, they fell on this sphere.  When the wreckage of the twin towers was removed, they found this sphere, almost intact and moved it to Battery Park as a temporary memorial.  It also has an eternal flame.

Memorial to 9/11

California tourists

Lady Liberty

 Our first stop was the Statue of Liberty.  We took a ferry over to Liberty Island and were one of the first boats over so it wasn't very crowded.  Again, to see something like this up close is indescribable.  It brought tears to my eyes to stand at her base and look across to where immigrants would come in by ship and try to imagine the excitement they must have felt to be entering this wonderful country.  We were able to explore (and shop) for about an hour and then boarded the ferry to go back to Manhattan.  On the way, we stopped at Ellis Island but were unable to disembark.  This is where the immigrants were processed to come into this country.

A few people at South Seaport enjoying a beautiful day

The Brooklyn Bridge

We had lunch at Seaport South where there was more shopping.  Pink and I were able to each buy a hat before we were rushed back to the bus by our husbands for the rest of our tour.  Our next stop was the Empire State Building.  It is 102 stories high and there is an observation deck on the 86th floor.  There is actually an elevator that will take you to the 86th floor in less than 60 seconds.  The views from the top were amazing!  Depending on which side of the building we were on, we could see Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge...you name it.  It was neat to see rooftops with trees and gardens growing on them and pools.  King Kong was even there to entertain us while we waited in line.  Again, something we've always wanted to see.

Central Park from Empire State Building

 

Rooftop gardens

Looking for King Kong

The Fair Maiden

Our last stop on the tour was Times Square.  We were able to see the ball that's dropped on New Year's Eve, the NBC Today Show studio and several other things.  We were given thirty minutes off the bus so we found a hot dog stand on the street and ate our hot dogs while we watched the people.  We were actually on camera and Bob took a picture of us up on the big screen in Times Square.  After our hot dog, we had cheesecake that was to die for.  Our tour guide recommended both the hot dogs and the cheesecake, so of course we had to have both.  That was dinner.

The ball at Times Square past part of the bus

This is the first tour we have done on the trip and we were so glad we did.  Our tour guide, Mitch was fantastic.  He was born in Brooklyn and was able to point out so many things we would have missed if we had tried to go on our own.  Our bus driver, Michelle was fearless.  She whipped the bus through city traffic like it was a little convertible.  Both of them helped to make our visit one we will remember for many years.

We decided to spend extra time at this campground as we have been going non-stop.  We are staying until Wednesday the 22nd and will head to Boston area from there.  We had hoped we would be able to see Larry's (Julie's husband) parents in West Hartford, Connecticut but they are in New Jersey with their daughter and her family.  We are sad that we won't be able to see them this trip but look forward to seeing them in Seattle next summer for Larry's graduation from the University of Washington.

The leaves are starting to turn now and we can feel autumn in the air.  I put our flannel sheets on the bed and got the warm clothing out.  We are anxious to head north and be among the 'leaf peepers'.  We are a little sad because our trip is waning, but we have seen so much and have so many wonderful memories.  We really miss you all and look forward to seeing you when we get home.  We especially miss our grandchildren.  Thank you all for following along with us and for sending your comments.  We really love to hear from everyone.  Cheers! 

* Editor Pete's note: try clicking on the pictures to get a full screen view.