Travel-template

Highlights:

Sunset ferry to Statten Island ********

Times Square

Night lights

Central Park

New York City

Sept. 18 - 20, 2008

110 miles and 3 hours from our last stop

Bob & Jenny's Cross Country Adventure

Day 33 to 35

Welcome to

What's next?

Mystic Seaport, CT

Bob is game for a big city, however, as you probably know, it is way outside of Jenny's comfort zone. Tall buildings, crowded streets and a subway that barrels right under the Hudson River....oh Boy!

A mishap on the highway (see below) rattled our nerves, but we decided to set up camp, let it go, and jump on a ferry for a quick ride to

Wall Street. Lots of vendors on the streets, selling donuts, fruit, and sausage at a good price. We worked our way over to the World Trade Center site where many cranes were busy lifting and moving concrete. Looking in the eyes of people who work here, I can't understand how they maintain. It's just so sad.

We then took the subway for a 12-minute ride back to our campsite. Jenny closed here eyes and floated off to hiking in Lake Tahoe. Lots of people close their eyes on the subway--maybe they're doing the same.

Okay....about that mishap. Our drive on the Garden State Parkway was going to be a slam dunk easy trip. Halfway to NY, our GPS told us to exit the freeway. Evidently trucks and buses have a separate highway. Unfortunately, the GPS took us down a drop under an unsigned bridge. (and this was on the "truck" setting) We are now officially just shy of 11 feet, after losing our air conditioner.

Now, back at camp, Bob and his handy skills had patches on the roof, and by 4:30 p.m. we were ready to take another ferry. This time, the Statten Island Ferry--at sunset. The return ride home with the nightlights of New York City. Gorgeous!

The next morning, we rode the subway to Central Park. Lots of runners and bicyclists--a heavily used park. Also visited Times Square twice (because we couldn't believe it the first time). In Times Square, TV screens light up every building with a bombardment of commercials.

We walked through Greenwich Village, Rockerfeller Square, and Little Italy (lots of Italian sharp exchanges heard), with lunch near Harlem. Here, we had an unnerving encounter with a paranoid homeless man. It was a cute NY style pizza restaurant, one where you can sit in an open window and watch people walk by. Bob took the photo (below) of Jenny in the window, and a homeless man sitting nearby began to rail on us--enraged that we took pictures of his bike. We knew he was paranoid, so we waited for him to calm or leave, which took far longer than we'd hoped. Five men from the restaurant came bouncing out to the sidewalk to make sure he'd left.