Roadcats: BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITIES

New York, New York!!

New York in October - an exciting prospect! We spent four days camping in the Hudson Valley town of Newburgh, about an hour and a half train ride north of New York City. Our campground was rustic and colorful with lots of Halloween and other fall decorations, and an easy drive to the train to New York.

Campground in the Hudson Valley

Our first day in New York we just walked around enjoying the energy and sparkle of the city. We went to Central Park, and walked up Fifth Avenue poking in the shops, and went up in the Empire State Building to admire the panoramic view on this sunny clear day. We were the quintessential tourists! For the next few days we covered the city from north to south and east to west, riding trains, subways and buses, and walking walking walking . . .from Wall Street to Canal Street to Harlem, from Times Square to Central Park to Rockefeller Center, from Ground Zero to Little Italy to Fifth Avenue . . .

In Central Park

One day we took the boat out to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, this time on a windy, cloudy day. The National Park Service has set up Ellis Island to give visitors a good idea what it felt like to be an immigrant to the United States in the 1800's and early 1900's. Many of them arrived not able to speak any English and didn't have any idea what was happening as they were shuffled through the lines at Ellis Island, given physical and psychological exams and asked about their skills. Mark was able to do some quick research on his mother, who came over from Norway on a ship in the 1900's - found her name and the ship she came over on in the records! On the way back our boat passed by the Statue of Liberty just as the sun came out . . .very dramatic, with the background of lower Manhattan glittering in a brief moment of afternoon sun.

Ellis Island

Statue of Liberty

Lower Manhattan

Rebuilding at Ground Zero

Rockefeller Center

George Washington Bridge and Central Park

From the Empire State Building

Anybody Need a Taxi??

Each morning we took the train into Grand Central Station - a bustling, crowded cauldron of people going every which way, hurrying to catch trains, or to get to work, or to meet a friend . . . .chaotic but purposeful . . .

Grand Central Station

On our last day in the City we started at the southern tip of Manhattan and walked up Broadway, past Chinatown, on our way to Little Italy. On the way we came to Canal Street - a riotous free-for-all of shopping with vendors in little open storefronts selling knock-offs of Tiffany jewelry and Coach and Gucci bags as well as scarves, backpacks and other items. If you're interested in the big brand name stuff they take you into these little rooms in the back of the shops where they hurriedly show you what they have - they're always worried about getting busted by the police that cruise the street. It was like being in Bangkok all over again! We had fun and bought a couple of things . . . .We did finally reach Little Italy where we had a delightful dinner, with canolli for dessert.

Little Italy

Times Square at Night

Goodbye to New York! We had a fabulous time . . .

As we were getting ready to leave for Philadelphia our rogue slide decided to act up again after behaving itself perfectly since its repair in Maine. This time its gears slipped off the track, causing the worst trouble yet. Bob and Mark were able to figure out what had happened and what needed to be done to fix it, but had to recruit a squad of um, boys to help lift the slide into position. What a thrash!

Lots of Help With the Rogue Slide

Philadelphia

With our new-found interest in early American history we decided we should go to Philadelphia to see the places we'd read so much about. The city of Philadelphia has done a good job preserving the important buildings and offers walking tours of the main historic area, including Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed, Congress Hall where the first Congress met and where John Adams was sworn in as our second president, and the Liberty Bell. It was fascinating to see these places and imagine how our founding fathers felt as they debated important new concepts, like liberty!

Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

Congress Hall

Bob and I are on a mission to visit all the states by motorhome (well, not Hawaii!). At the beginning of this trip we had five states remaining - Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Delaware and Oklahoma, and we really wanted to visit all five of them on this trip . . . .you never know for sure if you'll get another chance! So our next stop was Delaware, which turned out to be small but charmingly rural and serene. We stayed out on the coast where we took a long walk on the ocean beach and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. Now we only have Oklahoma left . . . .

Delaware Beach

Delaware Sunset

Moshi and Kibo are now seasoned travellers and don't get excited when they get to mark off a new state . . .they don't even wake up! They now have been in 28 states, the District of Columbia, seven Canadian provinces, and one Canadian Territory . . .they've earned the Roadcats name!

Travel is SO Exhausting!

Even for Kibo . . . .

There Are Too Many BUGS on This Windshield!!

Washington, DC

Next stop, Washington DC. We stayed a ways out of town in College Park, Maryland, where we could take the train into Washington and not have to worry about traffic or parking. We had enough time in Washington to really do some exploring, mostly on foot. One of the highlights was a private tour of the Capital Building guided by one of Patty Murray's interns, a delightful young man who is a student of government at Claremont-McKenna College in California. This tour is available to anyone, all you have to do is call ahead. We got to see Senator Murray's office, ride the Senate subway from the Russell Senate Office Building over to the Capital, and see the Senate floor and Capital Rotunda.

United States Capital Building

In Senator Murray's Office

We had hoped to be able to see the Supreme Court in session, but they weren't hearing any cases when we were there so we had to be content with seeing the courtroom where the cases are argued. It's very impressive . . .

The Supreme Court

It turns out that if you want to tour the White House you have to write to your Senator or Congressman at least a month ahead so the proper security clearances can be put in place . . . .which we hadn't done. But it was fun to see it, and imagine the Obama girls inside decorating the place for Halloween . . .

The White House

In Front of the White House Lawn

Our call to Patty Murray's office also got us a tour of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, including the Presidential Box! Yo Yo Ma had been there the night before . . .

The Hall of Nations at Kennedy Center

The Presidential Box at Kennedy Center

We rode the subway out to Arlington Cemetery, a very beautiful and solemn place, and watched the impressive and affecting changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. For 85 years the Tomb has been guarded in this way, day and night every day of the year . . .the Unknown Soldier is never left alone and forgotten . . . .We were told that after the Vietnam War a woman whose son had been missing in action came to visit the cemetery and to watch the changing of the guard ceremony. As she was watching she was overcome by the certainty that one of the three Unknown Soldiers buried there was her son. Distraught, she begged the Army to disinter him and check his identity somehow, but they wouldn't do it - no doubt thought she was understandably grief-stricken and delusional. She kept after them for years, finally hiring an attorney who managed to convince them that she was serious, had resources, and wasn't going to go away. By this time DNA testing was available, and sure enough when they tested him they found that it was her son! So now the grave of the Unknown Vietnam Soldier is empty . . .

Arlington Cemetery

Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Lincoln Memorial was overrun by a huge group of high school students in town for a leadership conference. It was encouraging to see so many bright youngsters interested in leadership and government - hope for the future . . .

The Lincoln Memorial

We spent many hours in the various Smithsonian Museums, learning lots of interesting things about history, space and flight, and Native American cultures. Bob again had a chance to celebrate his Menominee heritage . . .

Bob at the Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute

On our last day in Washington we took a night tour of the city. It looked so different at night - all the monuments and memorials were dramatically lighted, and the moon rose magestically to shine over it all.