New York City

Arrived in New York City.  It’s much  bigger, crowded and busier than I imagined.  It’s comprised of 5 boroughs-Staten Island to the south, the Bronx in the north, Queens and Brooklyn in the east and Manhattan in the center.  NY City has a population of 8 million people. 

Lots of Taxis 

The RV Park was on the water with ferry service.  We walked to the subway which was about a quarter of a mileaway.  We took the subway, ferry, tour bus and cab while we explored the city.  Also did lots of walking.  There didn’t seem to be any fat people in the city, as everyone walks.

Lots of People

Lots of Everything

The highlight of our stay in NY was going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Both places I was excited to see.  The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet from the ground to the torch.  We went up as far as was allowed, the 10^th floor.  You can go up to the torch now but only if you booked tickets a month in advance.  The museum was interesting with all the exhibits.  Lady Liberty enlightens the world.

Statue of Liberty

Ellis Island was so interesting.  It’s hard to believe so many people endured what they did to come to this land.  It opened in 1892.  The immigrants were mostly Europeans. Some 12 million people took there first steps in the United Sates on Ellis Island. 

Ellis Island

We took another Gray Line Tour in town.  We went around the city the first day and went back the second day to get off more often ad explore.  We looked at ground zero and it seems they have not done a lot in nine years.  They are working on one building and pool.  They had a information center and it had some artifacts and a short video.  It was very emotional.

We went to Time Square and wow, is that over stimulation.  So much going on.  I know our kids and grandkids would love it .  We got to see the ball that they drop on New Years Eve. Every kind of store you could think of.  Macy’s has 13 floors, Toys R Us has a 60 foot indoor Ferris wheel.  Nintendo has the latest Wii, DSI and Pokemon games you can play.  American Girl has an entire block.  We walked the theater district.  We hoped to see a play here.  We tried to get tickets to Wicked but they only had 2 left during our stay there and they were $300.00 each.

 The Ball at Timesw Square

Times Square

We went to Rockefeller Center where the Today show is filmed.  They have the ice skating rink out in front.  The day we were there they had bogs of cranberries in the plaza, showing how they would flood the plants and rake up the cranberries.  I saw Koda, one of the hosts on the show walking in the lobby.  We had a good lunch in Time Square.

 We loved Central Park.  It’s hard to believe that you’re in the city.  They have horse and carriages you can rent and also walk near the park.

Central Park Carriages

Central Park

We found another Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.  Brownstone, known for its pancakes.  They were only half a mile away so we tried it.  Fantastic breakfast..  Tried it one night for dinner also.  We didn’t want to drive in that area.  

Deana had told me about a bakery in New Jersey, which is where we were staying.  Found out it was only 2 miles away.  Carlos’s Bakery. He has a show on TV called the Cake Boss..  Everyone wanted to go so before we left in the morning we checked it out.  We had to wait outside for 45 minutes and then another half hour once we got in the bakery.  We all enjoyed the deserts, but we didn’t realize we would have to go through all that..

Carlos Bakery 

Yummy

Tom and I were happy to be leaving NY City.  Too many people, cars and taxis and honking horn.  Glad we were able to see the city.  A beautiful sky line but we won’t be coming back here. 

Enjoying Life

No Standing??

It means No Parking



We arrived in Newport, Rhode Island. It’s world renowned for the famous summer cottages built in the 1850’s.  They were really mansions and it was called the guild age. The most famous mansion was called the Breaker’s and it was owned by the Vanderbilt’s.  It had 70 rooms and a 45’ high central great hall.  The setting of these homes is spectacular and a natural beauty. The ocean on one side and these mansions on the other.

The girls again explored the shopping in downtown.  We had lunch in the White Horse Tavern.  Built in 1673 it’s the oldest operating tavern in the US.

The Historic White Horse Tavern

 There is lots of Island charm here and lots of history.  The second oldest golf course is here, the first in Scotland.  The first free school in the US was here. The America’s cup was here in the 1980’s and John and Jackie Kennedy were married here in 1953.

We enjoyed a visit to Elks Lodge #104.  It’s in a beautiful old mansion.  Tom had a “Stuffie” at the bar.  It’s a RI one of a kind dish.  Made of Quahogs, the largest of the clams here.  Fried strips of clams mixed with onions, celery, breadcrumbs, wine, and Portuguese chorizo sausage, which is scooped back in the shell and baked.

The smallest state makes up to one quarter of the country’s total supply of clams.

Ralph and Doris bought Tom a cute little lobster to remind him of all the great lobster rolls he consumed on this trip. We have all been enjoying lots of good seafood the last couple weeks.  Prices have been much cheaper than at home.

Tom & Doris sharing one last lobster roll

We took a drive to Jamestown on the last day together.  One last day with some great friends and seafood. After a nice lunch in a fishing town called Galilee.  We hoped we could by some fresh fish or seafood at the docks from the fisherman returning for the day.  We had no luck.  The boats that came in went straight to the packaging company and we were not prepared to buy 50 lbs. worth.

 

Lobster Boat in Galilee

On the way back to the campground we stopped for some wine tasteing.  The wine we have tried back east has all been sweet.  Can’t beat CA wine.

The trip to New Jersey was very stressful.  Bad traffic and bad roads.  We ended up getting on the wrong freeway.  We pulled over to check the map.  A Conneticut cop stopped to help.  He said to get off the next exit or we would be driving a comvertible motorhome.  The underpass did seem to be getting lower.  We touched bases with the Rissoto’s and Fernandes’s and they were 30 minutes ahead of us.  When we finally got to the campground Tom asked to be parked by our friends that had driven in 30 minutes earlier.  The office said they had not arrived yet.  We all had bad memories of that drive.  When we got parked I told Tom I need a drink or two.  We sat waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.  They had a similar driving experience and ended up coming in about 20 minutes later.

We could see the Statue of Liberty out our front window.  How cool!  Now we are ready to see NY city.

Beautiful Colors

And More Color

We had a beautiful drive from Maine to the Boston area.  We had lunch together at the 99 Restaurant.  It’s a chain of  restaurants in the East.  Good food, good service and good prices.  Afterwards we stopped at a tourist area and had ice cream and checked out the gift shop.

We all set the alarms for an early departure on a 6 hour tour of Boston.  Boston drivers have a bad reputation and we were all glad we had a tour guide/bus driver to get us around.  We saw many important landmarks. We were able to get off the bus and walk around at different stops.  We went to the Navy yard and went through the USS Constitution {Old Ironside}.  She got that name when the canon balls where bouncing off her oak sides during the war of 1812. She is still a commissioned ship.

Old Ironside

Crews Bunks/sleeping area 

We then went to Bunker Hill. Built in 1842, the quote associated with this battle is “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” We visited Faneuil hall.  This was the meeting hall where Samuel Adams fired up the colonist to protest British taxes.  We had lunch at Quincy marketplace.  They had a hundred different small restaurants and 70 retail shops.  Anything and everything you can imagine.  Another Lobster roll for Tom.

We walked around the Italian area. 

Sheryl, Joleta, Doris and Debbie from right to left

Went into a little shop and met an old ship builder. (miniature}. Really a funny old guy.  He had made ships for many presidents, Frank Sinatra, mayor of Boston and many more famous people.  They sell for up to $25,000. 

 Old Ironside Miniature

 Miniature Carousel

We went by Beacon Hill and passed the Cheers bar.  Crossing over the Charles River to Cambridge we drove past Harvard. Stopped at Henry Wadworth Longfellow’s home.  Also George Washington’s home in 1775 and 1776.  We walked around the old state house built in1713.  Its hard to believe these are still here, this is Boston’s oldest public building, A mixture of old and new architecture.  The street lights are gas and have mantles like the Coleman camp lanterns do.

 Gas Street Lights

The Hancock building is 60 stories tall and  all glass.  It all had to be replaced when the glass started breaking at a cost of 80-90 million dollars.  It mirrors the old Trinity Church built in 1877 across the street.

 Hancock Building

That night we really got rained on.  Everyone complained that they woke up with the pounding of the rain.  We girls headed for the mall for something to do on a rainy day.  The men stayed home napped or did what ever they pleased.

We have gotten together to discuss the rest of the trip.  We have realized we don’t have enough time to see and do all we would like to.  We all want to be home before Thanksgiving.  We have crossed a few places off our list and we will be driving more miles each day.  Three of us will continue on together.  Costa, Fernandez and Rizotto will meet up with Ralph and Doris later.  They have been to NY and DC so they will by pass that.

Saturday we took a day trip to the north shore of Mass.  Driving through Manchester and stopping in Gloucester.  This is a working waterfront.  They have been catching fish here for four centuries making it the oldest seaport in the nation.  5000 fisherman have been lost at sea.  Italians and Portuguese culture built the city.  We stopped at a fish shop at the harbor.  We all enjoyed sushi, clam chowder and of course lobster rolls.  We also took fish home for another day. 

Many movies have been filmed in this area. “Grown ups” 2009, “Perfect storm” 2000, “The Proposal” 2008.

We continued to Rockport surrounded by 3 sides of the Atlantic Ocean.  This fishing village changed into an artist colony in the 1920’s.  The red fishing shed motif # 1 is said to be the most photographed scene in America.

Most Photographed scene in America

 We wondered around town.  All the old fishing sheds have been turned into one of a kind shops and galleries. They had a man waking the streets and singing in Italian.  The shops had harvest and Halloween decorations in front. This was a special little village in a spectacular setting.  Nice sounds and ocean views.  I will keep the memory of  this.



We had some more rain so it was a good excuse to stay in and relax on the first day in New Hampshire.  It was beautiful looking out the window and watching the leaves falling. 

The second day the girls went shopping at all the outlets in N. Conway.  We decided we needed more jackets, gloves etc.  When we packed in August it was hard to imagine we would need all that.  We spent the evening at a play in town.  The little theater had a musical called “Trailer Park”.  It was cute and a fun diversion

 “Trailer Park”

The next day we traveled to Fryeburg, ME.  The state fair was only 15 miles from the campground.    It was started in 1851. This was a old fashion country fair.  They had a barn full of draft horses and other barns with all kind of other animals. There was all sorts of farm equipment on display.  Tom and Ralph spent several hours watching an Ox pull.  Doris and I watched for a while and then ventured out to see the rest of the fair.  The final weight that the 2 Oxen’s pulled was 11,700 lbs.  It was interesting seeing sheep sheered and the wool spun into yarn.  A totally different fair than we are use to. 

 Ox Pull

We moved on to Freeport, Maine for four days.  Another beautiful drive. Lots of Beautiful Fall Colors.

  

Buddy Enjoying the Fall Colors

We were looking forward to seeing our favorite Palm Spring entertainer, Jason Webber. He works half the year in Maine and half in Palm Springs.  We were disappointed that he was not working any of the days we were in Maine.  We talked to him and were sad to hear he may not be going back to Palm Springs.  The night club he played in was sold.

Freeport is the Home store of LL Bean.  It’s huge and open 24-7 365 days of the year.  There were lots of nice outlets and a really cute town.  We went to a Vodka distillery and saw how they make potato vodka and gin. We all did some tasting.  Then we drove to the Delorme factory.  They had some nice displays.  Maine is also known as the tooth pick capitol of the world.  I guess it’s all the trees here. 

The Guys at the Vodka Distillery

We have been eating a lot of Lobster in the last few days.  We have had are share of Lobster rolls. Tom has had one for lunch the last 5 days. I think we have gotten our fill for a few days.

We took a scenic cruise through the harbor at Portland Maine.  We were able to see 6 lighthouses, forts, lobster boats and some beautiful homes on the many islands in the area, somewhere around 165. 

Maine Lighthouse

This harbor was very active during World War II.  They had factories building many ships used during the war.  It’s still the 3rd busiest port on the east cost.  Maine’s cost line would stretch from Maine to San Diego if layed.out.

Our last day in Maine we drove north to Boothbay Harbor.  This is what I imagined Maine to be.  There were many boats in the harbor, beautiful fall foliage in the background. And cute homes and cottages.  We had a great lunch looking out on the harbor. A quaint little town.  Many of the stores and restaurants were closed.  Signs in the window saying we had a great season see you June 2011.  No jackets were needed, it was a warm and sunny day.  A great way to end our time in Maine.

Lobster Traps

Many of the campgrounds are closing up for the season.  I guess they have to drain the water from there pipes.  We have had frost on the car the last several days.

We are traveling today and will spend 4 days in Boston.  We will be taking a six hour tour of the city .  Looking forward to seeing more history.

Beautiful Maine

MultiColored Tree orange, red, green, gold, pink and yellow all on one tree

We sure have had lots of rain.  It has washed a lot of leaves from the trees, but still lots of color.

We met at the Rutland Elks to decide what the plans were for the day.  Six of us went to Woodstock, considered to be the prettiest town in America.  On the way we went thru Killington.  A lovely ski area.  They were having a hay bale festival.  What a kick.  A real creative way to decorate the town.

Haybale Art

Woodstock has been a tourist area since the mid 1800s.  The Rockefellers offered their home and woodlands to form the only national park in Vermont.  The Woodstock Inn built in 1892 was beautiful.  We just don’t have these old buildings in CA.  The wood, fireplaces, and furnishings are gorgeous. 

Woodstock Inn

ermont is such a draw for the tourist.  There are Inns and Bed and Breakfast’s everywhere. Most of the homes are all decorated with corn stalks, pumpkins and mums.  Everyone gets in the spirit.  We had a great Lobster roll for lunch.  We walked thru town and checked out some really nice shops.  The drive was beautiful.  The road was next to Ottaquechee creek.  It was really raging from all the rain.  Went by 2 covered bridges.  There are lots in the area.  They built them to save the bridge from the bad weather and so the horses would not be frightened.

Back in Rutland we walked to the farmers market and picked out some fresh vegetables.  Ralph’s friend grows 35 varieties of potato’s. They were melt in your mouth.  We stopped at yet another one of Doris favorite bakeries before leaving Rutland.  How does Doris stay so little?

We headed to Stowe to camp for 3 nights.  On the way we pulled off to “Cold Hollow Cider Mill” They had maple everything, also hot apple cider, donuts and may good things.  There were many tourist on the road today.  Everything from Ca to Florida.  We unhooked the cars and went on a tour of “Ben and Jerry’s” We had an interesting tour and got to try a new flavor of ice cream that will be out in 2 months.

We are at a nice campground and have hook ups again.  We had a nice campfire and discussed tomorrow’s activities.

We started the morning off driving to the capitol, Montpelier. Very nice town with some beautiful buildings.

    Montpelier Capital Building

What a treat Ralph had planned for us. His friend Burr Morse {eighth generation of maple sugaring} gave us a special tour of his farm.  He and Ralph have been friends for over 30 years.  He was wonderful and really a character.  It takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup.  Four Maple trees,  each 40 to 200 years old are needed to make one gallon.  We were served maple sugar on snow.  It’s ice like a snow cone in a cup, hot maple syrup, raised donut holes and dill pickles.  You drizzle the syrup about the size of a dime, balled it up with a fork then bit into unsweetened donut.  Then came the pickles.  Pickles made instant peace with the sweetness in our mouths.  Hog heaven for Vermonters.  We all came out with a case of Maple Syrup. More Food!

Now off to the Trapp family Lodge.  A mountain resort in the European tradition .The Trapp family inspired “The Sound of Music”. We were able to see Marie’s private suite where she lived out her final days.  The youngest Son is owner and runs the Lodge now.  They had lot of family photos thru out the lodge.  Another lovely day.

Are last day in Vermont was a free day.  We had a nice potluck and a campfire.

Today we traveled to New Hampshire.  Such a beautiful drive.  Everywhere you look you see beautiful colors.  We stopped at a scenic area on the way and took some pictures.  We saw lots of signs for Moose crossings.  We were hoping to see one.  We have 4 days here on our own to see what is in the area and relax.



Fall Colors, Just Beautiful