24 States in 27 Days - Day 17:

Oct. 26th, 2012, Friday: It was time to leave Manhattan since Hurricane Sandy was barreling its way towards the east coast, so after a casual morning with our hosts, they took off for work and we packed up our things to go. 

Leaving the island we were all set to pay toll fees again, but discovered you only had to pay going into Manhattan, not out. Sweet! 

Back in New Jersey we hopped onto I-78 - a section of the freeway that was a toll road, catching us by surprise again. Luckily it was just a couple of dollars for this section. 

We drove into Pennsylvania from New Jersey, stopping to prepare snacks at the visitor center where we cut up apples and cheese, then continued west on 78, exiting at Hamburg hoping to find a little shop to get a new highlighter and some ice. Instead we drove through town and marveled at the cozy houses, tucked right next to each other, almost on top of the sidewalks. We continued off the freeway for a ways then I helped direct Brad through Harrisburg - the capitol of Pennsylvania. Our goal was Gifford Pinchot State Park so we headed south on 83 and were happy to see the park listed on the freeway exit sign. We took hwy. 177 and followed a big RV, thinking they were on their way there too. Nope. We had to turn back, circle around the park until we found the correct road and entrance. 

At the kiosk, we talked with a fellow that had a long white beard and heavy accent. Our campsite was next to a lake and right off I saw two turtles and a heron. 

We settled in and had a nice dinner then sent texts and made a few phone calls while the moon climbed into the night sky. Children hollering, the splash of water, dogs, hummingbirds and crickets serenaded us as we sat outside on this late October night - balmy enough to not need a jacket. It felt more like August as we struggled to sleep in our overly warm truck.

24 States in 27 Days - Day 16:

Oct. 25th, 2012, Thursday: Brad had to do a bit of sign design work before we could go explore more of Manhattan, so it was almost 11:30 when we finally left, going west from Jerry’s condo to a bike / walking path along the Hudson River. 

The One World Trade Center in the background, under construction.

It was a more leisurely walk today, no bustling crowds to keep up with, just the occasional jogger, or dog walker passing by. We hiked all the way to the southern point of Manhattan - Battery Park where you could view the Statue of Liberty off in the distance. 

From there we went north, around the World Trade Center area, then down Greenwich St. hoping to catch some of the Greenwich Village scene. 

Instead we walked past lots of concrete warehouses, parking garages, nothing much to spark our interest. Our feet were killing us so we headed up to Jerry’s for a break and bite to eat around 3ish. We both did some computer work, then since Brad was antsy to go, we took off, this time to the High Line Elevated park - a walkway above the street level in west NYC. 

Our pick-up parked outside the condo.

On our way to the High Line Park.

It went for about 30 blocks, all above and overlooking Manhattan with great people spaces. 

It had wide pathways and narrow ones, bench seats, and areas with stadium seating looking down thru glass to the road below. 

There were a lot of plants and trees creating a fabulous park space for all the people up there exploring like we were. 

Looking down on a road from up on the High Line.

Fun murals.

We zoomed along, stopped for pics, then zoomed some more. At one point we were halted by a class of high school students, walking 3 across totally oblivious to anyone behind them. We walked all the way to the end, although Brad was ready to descend before we got there. I told him it’s like having to watch the credits when movies are over - I didn’t want to miss a possible surprise at the end! There wasn’t anything at this north end, aside from the potential to continue further some day, so we descended stairs into another construction zone - so many in NYC - walked to 10th and headed south. 

You can see the High Line park behind Jana.

Jana, next to the mural we saw from High Line Park (see above).

Stadium seating with glass windows seen from the street below the High Line.

We soon started seeing fun shops and places we’d spotted from up on the High Line. Brad got a text message from Jerry saying we’re going out tonight to meet some of their friends - aim for 6-6:30 to be home, so we hurried a bit, as much as our tired, sore feet could handle. We went into the Chelsea Mkt. an indoor market with ”pop-up” vendors selling used clothes, tables of jewelry, bags, etc. then walked through a block long market with cafes, bakeries, food and tons of Halloween decor - creepy things hanging everywhere! People really decorate for this holiday east of the Mississippi! From there we went down 8th and through the true Chelsea district. We were wishing we had more time to explore.

A rare bit of color and greenery in Chelsea in October. 

The Condo Elevator.

Back at the condo we uploaded and perused photos until Jerry, then Jason arrived, bringing their very well behaved labs, Jack and Diane. Downstairs past the doormen we four hopped into a taxi - our first NYC taxi experience. After directions were given to the driver we soon were lurching our way through Manhattan towards Brooklyn. The driver charged through green lights, squeezed past cars and finally crossed over the Williamsburg bridge into Williamsburg, a supposedly up and coming “hipster” area of Brooklyn. At the bar, we met two friends of theirs - one that was DJ-ing the music that evening. We were seated in the back and enjoyed a terrific meal of raw oysters, lamb tartar with pastry, amazing goat cheese with pickled anchovies and peppers with crostini, along with our main dishes - chicken medallions for Brad and stuffed squash with polenta and kale for me. Mmm! After dinner we moved into the bar and hung out ‘til late, returning to the condo in another taxi, tired and ready for bed after another very fun adventure! Thank you Jerry and Jason! 

24 States in 27 Days - Day 15:

Oct. 24th, 2012, Wednesday: Brad was up and saw Jerry before he left for work this morning, but I didn’t wake until after. We had a bite to eat then finally took off to walk Manhattan. We’d heard there were few public bathrooms in NYC, so of course, soon after we left, I was in need of a restroom. Going north on 7th Avenue we popped into a Pottery Barn - nope, no bathroom there. Whole Foods? It was quite the zigzag, nooks and crannies store, and again, no bathroom in sight. Back outside we came to a baby and toddler store - I knew they’d have a bathroom and sure enough we found one downstairs in the basement. Yay! Continuing north on 7th Ave. we stopped often for photos - quintessential tourists for sure! 

When we weren’t taking photos we walked fast, like the rest of the crowd, and the closer we got to Times Square the busier it became. The night before, while walking with Jerry, we learned it was ok to charge across streets whether the light said go or not - as long as there wasn’t any traffic of course! Considering that’s how we cross streets at home, it felt pretty natural. 

Today the weather was cloudy with the occasional light sprinkle and temps in the 60’s. We walked all the way to Central Park, then meandered our way through half of the park, taking photos and even taking turns shooting photos for people from other countries - tourists like us. 

Taking 5th Avenue back it felt like we were in a mall full of people. Everyone seemed to have a camera. 

The New York Public Library - above, and below, some of the murals inside.

After a late lunch at a deli, we kept wandering, at one point into a small park where a bunch of people stood under a tree looking up. We stopped and saw a hawk, fluffing and futzing high in the tree. A couple passed by with a Whole Foods bag, so we asked them where the nearest store was. It was the same one we’d stopped in that morning - a few blocks away. We wanted to cook Jerry dinner so bought veggies for a salad, a good loaf of bread and prawns. We were intrigued with the check-out system - 3 lines - yellow, blue and green. A number would show up on a screen with the corresponding color - then if you were first in that colored line, you’d go to that numbered checkout desk. Damian was a cheery young fellow - very friendly and full of information - he told us his favorite place to go in NYC. He even pronounced Oregon correctly :). 

It was pushing 6:00 and getting dark when we started off again, this time south on 8th Avenue, spotting the Chelsea Hotel on our way. My feet were aching, so we tried to slow our pace a bit. Upstairs at the condo, past the crew of doormen we finally arrived, opening the door to find Jerry already home. Yay! He was happy to see us and ready to mix martini’s. What a fun night - sipping martini’s in Manhattan, peeling shrimp and prepping dinner while Jerry watched and took pics with his camera.

After a delicious dinner, we sat around visiting until late, as I uploaded the days pics. 

24 States in 27 Days - Day 14:

Oct. 23rd, 2012, Tuesday: This morning, rain on our canopy roof was the first thing we heard - uh oh… It changed to just a drizzle so Brad went and made coffee at the picnic table outside. I didn’t want to leave the warm, cozy bed and said I’d just stay there and let Brad drive us into NYC. Ha, no chance! 

Once up, we ate our granola in the cab of the truck, and watched the rain stream down the windshield. The rain continued on and off on our drive through Pennsylvania. We went west towards Hanover, then northeast through York, then to Lancaster. Driving south we took a break to wander in the small town of Strasburg where we met a friendly fellow there, walking his antsy dog. He offered to take our photo while we held the dog’s leash. He and Brad talked microbrew beers while I popped into a few shops. It was cool to see so many homes built in the 1700’s, not a common sight on the west coast. 

From there we continued through the countryside and I put the telephoto lens on the camera to see how it would work on drive-by photos as we rolled up and down the hills past many Amish farms. 

A detour took us further south than we’d initially planned but we found our way back north, then onto I-76 and I-95 where we buzzed along, crossing into New Jersey, eventually exiting onto hwy. 1. There were a lot of stop lights, with fast 50+ mph sprints to the next light which didn’t seem very fuel efficient! 

I followed the signs and our map to direct Brad through and over the skybridge to the Holland Tunnel into New York City - right around 5:00 pm. 

We quickly found the street Brad’s cousin Jerry lived on but we weren’t sure which building was his. After a bit of driving around, Brad pulled over and called Jerry. He told us where to go, stop, and double park, then wait for someone to leave - it was 5:30ish by then. Brad did as he suggested and within 2-5 minutes someone drove off and we slipped into their parking spot. Perfect! We gathered up our bags, tucked things away, then went in search of the door. The usual entrance was under construction so we had to find the back door. The condo building took up the whole block with some businesses on the street level but also front doors to what must have been townhouses. Checked in by the doorman we were given a key to the apartment. Upstairs Brad struggled to get the key to work in what we thought was the correct home when the door swung open! Jerry was at work, so our first thought was we were at the wrong apartment! Nope, it was his house cleaner. She let us in and we relaxed as she finished up. Jerry arrived home a bit after she left. For dinner we went to Tavern on Jane, a nice walk several blocks away. Over burgers we talked and enjoyed the stories Jerry had to tell. It was raining pretty steadily on our walk back, so we were pretty damp once we arrived. Time for jammies! We visited and I uploaded our latest batch of photos while thinking: “Woo hoo - we’re in Manhattan!!”