Mark's Notebook

Quick update from New York

Right now I'm way too tired to tell everything we've done this week, but I'll try to give you a quick summary.

Tuesday, June 13 - we visited the Statue of Liberty, and we were lucky enough to get tickets to go inside. That is a story in itself, and I'll tell that story later. The ferry ride to the SOL also includes a trip to Ellis Island, and there is so much there we were overwhelmed and we just watched a play and a movie. Back in Manhattan, we were able to see the Fire Department Museum on Spring Street, which was recommended by Monica Bellizi of Holy Cross Lutheran Church. It includes a couple of 9/11 memorial rooms. We ate at a Mexican restaurant in the Village but I got sick (not because of the food, but because of dehydration from being out in the sun on the islands all day). I was able to eat my dinner later when I felt better.

Wednesday, June 14 - We visited the USS Intrepid, a WWII aircraft carrier that has been converted to a museum. It has a fascinating story that I'll tell later.

Thursday, June 15 - Today we visited Steve and Sydelle Gansl at their house in Brooklyn. It's the first time we've been to Brooklyn. Sydelle took us on the grand tour - Nathan's at Coney Island, Little Russia, the Promenade, the fruit streets, the brownstones, etc. We had a Turkish dinner at Sahara on Coney Island Blvd. Steve showed me his collection of antique peanut jars and other stuff while Sydelle and Mary talked rubber stamping.

Friday, June 16 - Today Steve and Sydelle took us to the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge so we could walk across. We went from Brooklyn into Manhattan, so you can see the Manhattan skyline as you go across. On the other side, we went to J&R Music and the 9/11 "holes" before heading uptown to MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art. It has all the classic stuff by Picasso, Monet, Warhol, etc. We loved the top two floors. It comes with a free audio tour; I highly reccommend listening to the tracks intended for children.

Saturday, June 17 - We have been on our feet all week. Time to get out of the city and drive a little. It took us four hours to get from Brooklyn to New Haven, Connecticut, where we had a hamburger at Louis Lunch. We were disappointed. More about that later. We made it to Newport, Rhode Island, where we will stay tonight. I'm too tired to drive on.

Tomorrow we hope to make it to Cape Cod or Plymouth before we head up to Boston. Since we have to be home in about two weeks, we'll probably just spend a day in Boston, then hit only the highlights on the way home, particularly Niagara Falls, Chicago, maybe Minneapolis, and hopefully Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

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Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008