Another good beach day

Another beautiful day on the Jersey Shore.  We were on the beach before 10 am this morning.  It was a very hot day & we heard the water temp was 76°.  Pretty warm by ocean standards.  Stayed a half day, tried to rinse off as much sand as we could, and then headed back onto the New Jersey Turnpike-14 lanes of crazy traffic.  Luckily we soon headed west and were back into quieter Pennsylvania.  Drove 6 hours and have settled in for the night in west PA.  Are even able to watch the Packer game in our hotel room.

Have a long day of driving ahead of us. 

Things are beachy!

With hot temperatures in the forecast, we decided we should head to the beach today.  We arrived at the Jersey Shore and the  kids were thrilled to hear Jersey accents.  We spent the afternoon at the beach and Mark & Evan rode the waves for a couple hours. Evan feels a little beat up and exhausted tonight but can't wait to go back and do it again tomorrow! 

By Bus, on Foot, by Boat and by Train

Day 2 of NYC.  We started our day with our New Jersey Transit bus ride through the Lincoln Tunnel.  With feet still sore from the day before, we headed to the subway station where we traveled south to the World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial site.  Very cool to see where the towers were (picture showing the memorial pool) and where they are rebuilding a new taller version.

We then took a short walk to the Staten Island Ferry station and enjoyed great views of Manhattan from the Hudson River and sailed past the Statue of Liberty.  Another short subway ride got us to China Town and from there we went to Little Italy and enjoyed a bowl of gelato.  A short walk through Soho and Greenwich Village brought us to another subway station where we rode back to Times Square.  Whew.  We boarded our bus back to Jersey and spent the evening recovering a bit.  Have yet to decide what tomorrow will bring.  Ask Emily, and she'll tell you that she's seen enough of Manhattan.  She's ready to head to the beach.  We'll see how we feel in the morning.

The Metcalfs Take Manhattan

It is with tired feet and sore legs that we blog tonight.    We had a great day.  Started by exploring Times Square and making our way to Central Park.  We loved the Central Park Zoo and were continually amazed that such great green space was nestled among the skyscrapers.   We wandered through the Natural History Museum, looking for our favorite characters from the movie Night at the Museum.  When I asked her, Emily said her favorite part of today was going to the 4-story Toys R Us store in Times Square.  Evan's highlight may have been a trip to Nintendo World.  Mark and I continued to gawk at things like Trump Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and all the famous retail stores.

We hope to wake with renewed energy as we plan to tackle the southern part of Manhattan tomorrow-sites like the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero and China Town.  I wished I would have worn a pedometer today....seemed like a lot of miles walked.  Tomorrow, we'll be taking the subway.  :o)

"Your destination will be on the right."

As the GPS lady made this announcement this afternoon, our car breathed a sigh of relief.  The last 2 miles of our drive got a little hairy as we weaved in and out and all around (and around and around) the New Jersey turnpike and streets surrounding our hotel, but with a little re-routing, we arrived.

The drive through Pennsylvania was beautiful as we enjoyed the peaks and valleys of the Poconos.  I was thankful that the state of Penn. brought back the natural rest stops where we enjoyed a picnic lunch.   It was a little rainy and grey, but still pretty.

   As we approached the city, we craned our necks in anticipation of our first view of the New York City skyline.  I smiled to think that last summer we felt the same way as we looked for the first snow-capped mountain.  Completely different views, but same excitement.

After settling into our hotel, we decided to head to Hoboken!  The kids and I love watching the Cake Boss and our hotel was just a few miles away from Carlo's Bakery, the famous setting for the show.  We endured a one hour wait on a steamy evening, but it was worth it to say we've been there- and the cannolis weren't bad either!  Hoboken is a cool area and had some great views of the city from across the Hudson River.  We've officially parked the car for a few days and are looking forward to tomorrow morning, when we'll take the bus through the Lincoln Tunnel and into Manhattan.  Stay tuned for a report on tomorrow's adventure.

"Rest Stops" heading East.

We're officially on our way!  Just stopped along the Ohio Turnpike at a rest stop- or as they seem to be called when you drive east, a "Service Plaza."  Instead of a nice simple bathroom, picnic tables under shady trees & dog walking trails, you get huge concrete parking lots, a gas station, and what looks a shopping mall food court! There's always a Sbarro, Starbucks, and a fast food hamburger place.  This one had an arcade, a souvenir shop and ice cream (Cotton Candy & Cookie Dough, in our case.) Crazy how a simple  potty break could cost you $20!  Think we'll be "resting" a little less often on this road trip. 
We have only about an hour until we stop in Youngstown, Ohio for the night.  10 hours of driving under our belt and a shorter day tomorrow.  Big Apple...here we come!