Wednesday, walking and more walking . . . in NYC

This is my hotel-The Jane (it's on Jane St.)

Today, Wednesday, I walked my little area of Manhattan.  I walked up and down, and across and back, eventually making my way through Greenwich village, SoHo, Chelsea, TriBeCa, Chinatown, and Midtown.  I walked past the Brooklyn Bridge, but decided not to walk across.  I walked to the Freedom Tower, then turned back and made my meandering way back to my hotel because my feet and leg hurt (I have sciatica).

So many flowers and trees were in bloom walking around!  Beautiful!

Tulip trees are everywhere and in bloom!

I definitely noticed the Dutch influence in many of the buildings, style or roofline, etc.  Some of them would have looked right at home in Amsterdam.

Chinatown

Street performers near City Hall

The Freedom Tower

When your parking lot just isn't quite large enough!

My view across the river by the hotel.

I tried to nap, but housekeeping woke me up after a 15 minute nap (late housekeeping on the sixth floor, I guess).

As for food, I found a cafe--High Street on Hudson--and had an everything bagel (what a great bagel!) and a pot of tea.  Not horribly expensive by New York standards (though everything here is expensive by Minnesota standards!).  For lunch, I just stopped at a stand for a hot dog and bottle of diet coke--very New York.

Anneliese texted me when she was done with class around 5:30 and met me at my hotel room since I had some things for her (Easter goodies!).  We talked, then walked a couple of miles to Friday's for dinner since I had a gift card.  Then we took the train to Battery Park to see the lights.  We could see the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey.  The we saw the sphere.  It was corporate art work in front of the World Trade Center.  On 9/11 the towers crashed near it, damaging it but not destroying it.  It is now displayed in it's damaged state as a remembrance in Battery Park.  It was sobering.  Right next to the park is some sort of building with a series of spheres outside about how people can save the earth. Each sphere is an Earth with the continents all in relief.  Then the art begins.  They are beautiful and creative.

New Jersey

The World Trade Center Sphere

We were bundled up at night

selfie!

by the Mariner's Museum?

Anneliese and I walked along the Esplanade until we were too cold (near the Freedom Tower), then caught the subway back near the Jane and walked to the hotel.  We talked until 1:30 in the morning, then I sent Anneliese home in a taxi because I didn't want her walking to and taking the subway (this is a quiet neighborhood with low lighting and the subway can be dangerous late at night).

Part of a series of subway art--they are so cute and everywhere!

The front desk of the hotel

Lobby of the hotel

My keys--very heavy; my weapon in case of a mugging!

Then to bed.  Whew!

Traveling alone, Spring break 2016, New York City

I am traveling this spring break to visit Anneliese in New York.  For those that don't know, she attends New York University (NYU).  It is located in Greenwich Village.  This may sound weird, but this is the first time that I've ever traveled alone.  I've been to Europe many times and even as far as Australia, but I've always traveled with friends, family, or colleagues.  Now I find myself at the airport with no one to comment to about the woman over by the window that sounds likes she's going to cough up a lung (yuk, a really phlegmy cough I even heard through my headphones) and no one to say watch my stuff while I go fill my water bottle.  It's weird; at 49 years old, I've never traveled overnight by myself.  I'm an extrovert which may have something to do with it.  I enjoy having someone to share experiences with.  As a wife and mom of three, I rarely find myself alone and that's usually mostly OK.  I'm a talker and enjoy talking with others, including my husband and children.  Mostly my children--we talk a lot which I think has caused us to be very close.  I hear about their lives and thoughts and feelings and I share my day, my thoughts and values, and illustrate things using stories from my life.  

To continue, the plan was to go to the airport, take off at 4:30, arrive at 8, get to the hotel, then meet Anneliese to go out to hear live Celtic music.  Well, due to unusually heavy air traffic, the flight was delayed to depart at 5:25.  this meant that we landed at 9.  A little late, but we could possibly salvage the night.  Well, as we landed, I received a text with directions for my previously scheduled shuttle to Manhattan (JFK is about an hour outside the city).   I was impressed and excited about everything being so organized.  I called the number at the welcome center phone and was told the shuttle would be there in 20 minutes.  I was texted a link to a map to watch the progress of the shuttle.  30 minutes later it arrived.  The slowest man in the world walked me out to the shuttle--evidently at terminal 4, they have to park in the lot,  they can't just pick up curbside because it's the biggest terminal.  Then when I was settled, the driver realized that he was supposed to pick up another traveler inside the same terminal, so he went back in to find him.  then we drove to two other terminals to pick up people.  When there were 5 passengers, we finally got on our way.  It was now almost 11:00. I have to say that driving into Manhattan at night was beautiful.  Seeing the lights of those iconic buildings was almost magical.  I arrived at my hotel (after every other passenger was dropped off) at 12:00.  (big sigh).  I was texting with Anneliese the entire time from getting on the shuttle.  By that time, it was too late to go hear the band--they wrap up around midnight and Anneliese was at the radio station--she has a 1:00 show--she is the DJ.

truly the world's smallest room!

So, I am sitting on my bed in truly the world's smallest hotel room--50 square feet is what the book says--typing this and listening to my daughter's radio show.  She's playing Celtic music.  :)

Soon, I will sleep and then tomorrow I will wander the Village.  Then I will take on public transit when I'm a little more comfortable with my surroundings.

Homeward Bound

Tuesday, 28 July, 2015

South Dakota, Minnesota

Today we began our driving trek homeward.  We began driving to the Badlands.  Driving through Wall, SD, though, we of course had to stop at that old piece of  tacky Americana—Wall Drug.  Most of us have experienced it and I felt that the children should too.  It has expanded over the years to now take over an entire city block!  We walked through some of the gift shops, then I had them follow me to the  courtyard in the back.  It has been redone with flowers and fountains, but still has the Jackalope, the covered wagon, and the offensive Native American stereotypes that you put your head in for a picture.  They loved it!  Shelby laughed so hard through all of it.  It is so adorably kitschy that you can’t help but laugh and have fun.  There was a man fixing the giant gorilla that plays the piano and sings so he gave us 50¢ to put in from money that was thrown in to “make sure that it works.”  J 

Trying on hats

T-Rex

Joshua and the Jackalope

Shelby and the Jackalop

Shelby was laughing so hard, she almost fell off the seat!

At Wall Drug, Shelby got a geode,  partially to replace the one that was stolen in San Francisco that she had bought at one of the state parks.  For souvenirs, we give each of the children a limit of $100 dollars to spend.  We started that on our first trip to England.  It was a way to get them to think more about souvenirs that they wanted.  They have gotten quite good at getting souvenirs of higher quality rather than the cheap, plastic things that might not even make it home.  Anything that is left over up to the $100, we give to them after we get home and they either put it into their savings account at the bank or use it for spending money.  I think they’ve become more savvy consumers and it gives them the power to decide what they want to spend the money on and weigh it against having the cash when we get home.  They often end up getting very nice souvenirs (such as the nice set of rune stones Shelby got in Norway) or, more often, jewelry. 

After Wall Drug, we drove through the Badlands National Park (boy, our park pass has certainly gotten a work out!).   It was the same as I remember it.  My family went a few times when I was young and Randy and I were here when Anneliese was a baby.  Same pretty, striped hills of many colors.  And, like everywhere else, tons of motorcycles.  Many, most likely, making their way toward Sturgis. 

Shelby

After we rejoined the interstate, we just drove and drove and drove, just stopping for bathroom breaks, gas for the car, and food.  Arrived home at 11:00.

The difference of color and water are apparent as we drove here to west and west to north (home).  Much more green here, more water, and more deciduous (leafy) trees.  We had a fun trip, but we are looking forward to home.  None of us have any plans for the next few days save unpacking, laundry,  and grocery shopping.  Hopefully the garden will not need too much tending to for a few days (hopefully the mulching I did before we left held down the weeds) and we’re hoping that the house is mostly tidy and won’t need too much cleaning other than changing sheets, etc.  We are all especially looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow and starting to catch up on some sleep!

devils, chiefs, and presidents

Monday, 27 July, 2015

South Dakota

Today we drove to Devil's Tower, then to South Dakota to see the most photographed monument in America and the slowest-developing monument.

To get to Devil's Tower, you drive down a couple of tiny little roads, then there is a traffic turn-out with a marker about Devil's Tower.  Most people stop, look, take photos, then turn around and leave.  Despite this, there are a ton of hotels (including a tipi campground).  Who are they catering to?  There can't be enough people who decide to climb it to support that!  Why would you stay?  You see, you leave.  There is no hiking or anything else to see there, not even scenery.  Hmmmm.  Oh well, not my problem.

Joshua's dancing

Then we drove a bit to Crazy Horse.  They must have found enough money to build some fancy signs and booths to take your money, and a visitor's center, but not enough to make what looks like ANY progress since the last time we came to look--18 years ago!

Well, then that icon of Americana--Mount Rushmore.  The last time we were here, we had our now-18 year old in a Snugli--she was only about 5 weeks old.  So in 2015, we saw, we looked, we photographed.  We also saw a short video and read about the making of the monument, and saw the display.  Did you know the workers had to walk up 700 steps every morning to the top, then drop down over the face in a swing attached to a thin cable holding dynamite or power tools?  Wow, the steps would wear me out!  We then went to the Sculptor's Studio to see his plaster mock-up of the monument and listen to a ranger-talk about the making of the monument.  Then we walked the "President's Trail"  (this is a less than a half-mile walk on boardwalk with 250 steps).  

We found our flag!

Partial-family photo

The plaster mock-up they used to do the sculpture on the mountain

the mock-up of Washington, and the real thing

A few days ago, Joshua said that he wanted to eat Chinese again and ribs during our last few days of  vacation (we rarely eat out during the rest of the year, so eating out on vacation is a big treat).  So, last night we ate at a non-chain Chinese restaurant.  It made Panda Express look like a gourmet restaurant.  We all ordered the combi meal.  The chow mein was mostly bean sprouts, the egg roll (that the waiter raved about) was mostly cabbage, and even the fried rice was kind of weird.  We had some sort of meat in a fried ball that we dipped into an orange sauce--no sure what it was, but that was OK.  We couldn't even eat half of the food.    For dinner tonight, we ate at Ruby Tuesday.  And the children and I had ribs--not as good as Friday's, but pretty good.  Before we went in, we saw massive rain in the distance; while we ate, we saw lightning through the windows, heard thunder, and heard the rain; when we left, there were gale-force winds, pouring rain (coming down sideways because of the wind), and lots of hail.   After awhile, the other customers waiting in the vestibule with us began to get their cars so we did too.  I talked to some bikers at our hotel that came early for Sturgis who got caught in the rain, but luckily were under cover when the hail hit.

I'm enjoying the time with my teenagers this vacation to reconnect.  The younger is a strange kid; lovable but kind of weird and spending more time with that weird kid is good.  The older (middle child) is a quiet, but lovable girl who is growing up way too fast; it's nice to spend time talking and making more connections with her.  And I love the shared memories we are creating.  I miss our oldest, but this is good too.   Right not the dramatic youngest is convincing us to play hearts, so I have to end this.

We're all looking forward, though, to sleeping in our own beds tomorrow night and sleeping in on Wednesday!  (And something other than hotel make-your-own waffles for breakfast!  Though it may be a few days before we see breakfast!).