NEW YORK CITY - THE BIG APPLE

Once again we are in Croton Point Park Campground outside of Yorktown Heights, New York to visit with my Aunt Jean who is wonderfully spunky at 91, cousin Andrea and her husband Joe.  We both have looked forward to this revisit since we were here last September.

                  NEW  YORK  CITY  -  Saturday May 30

It is 6:30 am and we catch the train just outside our campground and are headed for an exciting day in the BIG APPLE.  BIG change boarding the Metro North train in wide open countryside and stepping into the hustle and bustle of GRAND CENTRAL STATION!!!  First stop is the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING which will cost us $58.00 for the elevator ride.  We attempted to sneak into the employee elevators but security is tight and begin playing the 20 questions game the second you are in the lobby.

After walking "miles" of roped off crowd control corridors (seems like in times of no crowds one could just walk to the elevators but this is big city East coast thought process so we walk several hundred yards to reach the elevator 10 feet in front of us) and two elevator rides we reach the top.
The view is spectacular and we spend over an hour fighting the crowds of tourists for picture and viewing opportunities.  Emotional to look South toward the new World Trade Center 3 building.

Next stop after a VERY exciting MTA bus ride (these drivers know how to maneuver a BIG bus through the tight crowded city streets of pedestrians, insane bicycle riders, more insane taxi drivers, and EVERYONE else beware) is the WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL.  Very touching and more emotional place than I would have ever thought.

Third and final stop of our whirlwind tour after another thrilling bus ride is TIMES SQUARE.  We don't last long as we are soon "peopled out" in the huge throng of hyper people gathered here for some cartoon character convention.  Walk back into the madness of Grand Central Station and through some major miracle find our train, correct platform, and a quiet car for the ride back.

 JoAnn crashes but I have a quick dinner and drive 55 miles to Middletown for a big block modified race at ORANGE COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY.  Awesome fast racing on the big 5/8 mile track but thanks to a long rain delay and reworking the clay track back into racing condition it is after 1:00 am before I am back home.

CARLISLE PA 5/21-5/27

Carlisle PA is great spot to stay with so many things with in a 40 mile radius.  We are staying at the Western Village RV Resort.  We stayed here last Sept also so Joe could catch the races.  There are 4 big tracks from here that he likes to go to.  This is the reason we are here again accept that they canceled the Keystone series until June because of so much rain so Joe is disappointed but he can still go to the weekly shows that are still scheduled.

Being this is Memorial weekend the campground is packed, I don't think there is an empty space left. Big family groups playing corn toss on the meadow, bbq's going a lot of people and noise, everyone is having a great time.  The people parked next to us said this is there 8th year coming here, kind of a family reunion every Memorial day.

One day we drove over to Lancaster to tour the Amish village.  It is amazing to see their farms, generations live together on them until they run out of room.  Some have moved to NY and other areas where they can get land and be with others of their faith.  We took a buggy tour of the area.

This is the farm we toured, really big pigs!  Most all the animals were out in the fields.

 It was a lot of fun.  We had a young man drive the buggy, he was not Amish but most of his family was.  So we did get some history of the culture.

Gettysburg

The day started out cold and cloudy but we were determined to tour Gettysburg.  We had missed getting to do it in Sept.

We started with the museum and movie to get a refresher course on history.  The movie was very informative as well as the Cyclorama.  It pictured scenes from the war and was painted 131 years ago, it was really amazing.



The Cyclorama is painted 360 degrees around the curved dome so it is on continuous painting.

 The museum had some cool artifacts in it also.

 Once done with the tour we took the auto tour of the park and of course just as we got started the rain came pouring down.  It gave you a better of sense of what they had to go through while fighting and just surviving here.  The first picture is of the eternal flame monument.

 These are battle fields and the a monument for Alabama.  There were monuments for most of the states involved in the fighting.

We really enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it to anyone visiting this area.  We really wished we had Paxton and Kiernan with us to share it with.

PHILADELPHIA, PA

                                    PHILADELPHIA , PA.
                                                            MONDAY  MAY 18, 2015

On good advice from just about EVERYONE we take the SEPTA transit train to downtown Philadelphia from our RV park in Lansdale, PA instead of driving and procuring a parking space for my truck.  Quickly notice a big difference between this ride which travels through OLD well aged neighborhoods & buildings vs. the San Diego ride from Carlsbad which runs through new, vibrant & active neighborhoods.  Exit the train at Market Street Station which is considerable size to begin without being underneath a HUGE mall! Mark landmarks before we wander lost up through the FOUR story maze of stores and by a small miracle walk onto 8th Street.  Follow our second best advice and visit the INDEPENDENCE VISITOR CENTER for excellent advice, maps, attraction tickets and agendas from the gracious hosts.

           INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK

                                                    LIBERTY BELL CENTER

First on JoAnn's list is the Liberty Bell and we are greeted by a long line of school kids on a field trip. We soon discover You can study American History from a book in a classroom but the ONLY way to learn and enjoy it is to experience it first hand.

                                                      INDEPENDENCE  HALL

Next step into history after a quick lunch at world famous SONNY'S CHEESESTEAK home of the original Philly Cheesesteak is INDEPENDENCE HALL.  Let me interject a quick opinion about cheesesteaks which I have eaten hundreds.  Maybe I have been spoiled out West with the spicy meat, spicy pepperjack cheese, green chilies, tasty sourdough buns but over-hyped originals of over cooked beef, cheese-whiz, lettuce on a bland hoagie bun just don't compare.  Give me a Macky's cheesesteak ANYDAY!  Back to history and once again it is goose bump city as we walk through the hallowed halls where all the important ideas, thoughts, and dreams came together to create what is to become the United States of America.  Can't FEEL this from a book.  It was so cool to be in the same room as our founding fathers were in when creating the declaration of independence.  This is where it all happened before Washington DC. became the seat of the government.

                                                       BETSY ROSS HOUSE

Seems like everyone connected with the formation of our country were just ordinary folks and Betsy Ross was no different, just a seamstress with no idea just how important her small part would play out in our history.

                                                        ELFRETH'S  ALLEY

This is the oldest continuously inhabited residential street (since 1720) in America.  Of course I think there might be some folks in Santa Fe, New Mexico who will argue that point.

                                             CHRIST CHURCH BURIAL GROUND

This cemetery's most famous person is none other than Benjamin Franklin.  His famous quote of a penny saved is a penny earned has somehow been construed by brides to be if they toss a coin onto his grave and it lands heads up it will bring them good luck in marriage.  Sorry to the guys as there is NOTHING in superstition that will bring you good luck by getting married.  These headstones are so old and weathered most of the writing has beed worn off!

                                             NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER

It has been a very LONG day by the time we tour this museum and watch the informative history teaching performances.  Most interesting to me was learning the printing process in those days of placing a wet cloth on the original document to soak up some of the ink then place cloth on the engraving plate to mark it for the engraver's to cut.  Did enjoy the statue room to commemorate all the signers of the declaration of independence.  All but three representatives signed the declaration of independence.