Saturday, Sunday & Monday
Saturday morning (July 14) we got on the road by 6:30 that morning with 7 kids plus C in the van. We drove across Illinois, Indiana and almost across Ohio that first day. We were only about 40 miles from the Ohio/West Virginia border Saturday night. We thought we were in good shape becase we just had to cross a little sliver of West Virginia and then we'd be in Pennsylvania. We got up early Sunday morning and headed out, thinking we'd be at the beach that afternoon. If anyone has ever drove across Pennsylvania you're probably laughing at us right now. It took forever to drive across that sate. It took a lot more time than we had anticipated. I think what made it so bad was the fact we were on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which was a boring strecth of highway. They have those concrete things going down the median and on the right shoulder so it felt like you were wedged in there, especially if you're in a 15 passenger van. We reached New Jersey much later than we had anticipated so we eneded up staying there Sunday night. I'll have to post beach pictures later because they're on a different camera, but we could see the outline of New York from where we were at. Monday morning we drove into New York, which was an experience. I pretty much hated New York. It was dirty and stinky and the subway scared me with C. I was a little on edge the whole time because I was afraid we were going to lose him. We didn't take the stroller, so we ended up carrying him a lot. We parked at Port Authority and got on the subway there and went to Times Square and Rockefeller Center and saw where the Today show is aired. Then we got back on the Subway and rode to the Yankees Stadium and looked at it. Then we rode the subway to another spot there and saw FAO Schwarz. It was a really neat toy store. C designed his own Hot Wheels car. He also picked out a couple of other toys and then picked out a stuffed dog for Avery. After that we split into two groups. Lynn and Becky (Jared's parents) took one group to see 5th Avenue. Jay and Chi Chi (Austin's parents) took us and the girls to Chinatown. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't what I had expected. It was like walking down a midway at a fair. There were vendors selling anything you could want. We did buy some I (heart) NY t-shirts there (7 for $10) which was extremely cheap. We also ate some Chinese food there that was really good. After that we met back with the other group and rode the Staten Island Ferry and got a good look at the Statue of Liberty. When we got off the ferry we walked to Wall Street and then down to site of the World Trade Center. It had a fence around it so we didn't get a good look at it. One thing that I did think about the whole time we were in NY and DC was what it must have been like the day of September 11, 2001. We heard sirens several times while in both places and I just can't even begin to imagine what it was like that day. The streets down by the Trade Center are narrow and with the buildings being so tall you feel a little trapped. We've all seen the images of people trying to run away when the buildings stated to collapse, but it was a totally different experience to see where it happened. It was such a scary day for those of us seeing it happen on TV, but to have actually been there would've been terrifying because you didn't know where a safe place would be. It gave me a different view of that day and how terrifying it was for those living in NY and DC. After seeing the Trade Center we hopped back on the subway and headed out of town. We stayed that evening at Austin's Aunt and Uncle's house in Pennsylvania. Thank you to Jay and Chi Chi for taking us around NY that day. If it weren't for them we never would've gone. It's not a place I would go without a tour guide, but I'm glad we had the opportunity to experience it.
Times Square










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