04/18/14- Leaving today for our trip to the East Coast. All four of us are going to visit NYC, Philadelphia and DC for 8 days. I went to check in for our flight last night and found it has a new departure time of 10:45pm. I decided to rent a stretch limo to give the kids something of a surprise, however was a bit disappointed when it looked more like a glorified sedan. I guess I should have specified I wanted the 10 pax limo and not the 6. Oh well, it was quiet and relaxing.
Got to the airport without and issues, boarded and left the terminal all on time. Not sure how this overnight flight will be with the kids so hopefully they get some sleep.
04/19/14- The flight itself was a bit rough the whole way, with some exceptions of stillness and wasn’t too happy with having to pay an extra $50 for two suitcases. Either way we made it to our destination of NYC by 7am. After baggage claim we went to the taxi queue and there was hardly anyone in line. The taxi took us straight to our hotel (Country Inn & Suites in Long Island City) for $50 and checked in. Unfortunately our room wasn’t ready yet due to it still being early so we stored our bags (which consisted of leaving them by the front desk) and ate the complimentary breakfast they had. Shortly after we were on our way to Manhattan.
We walked around a bit to find the nearest subway and got four 7-day passes. It cost $30 each (cash only) but we knew we would be using it quite often. This was also our kids first ever experience riding an underground transport. It didn’t seem to faze them much but you knew they were not in Kansas anymore. Five stops later we end up near Times Square. Lucky for us there weren’t a ton of people yet and we were free to walk around and not feel pushed. We were all impressed on how clean (besides some construction) everything was around there and how vast the area was as well. This wasn’t just one block of things but several surrounding blocks that went on for miles. We spent hours shopping for souvenirs and checking out places like the M&M store.
After some time we got lunch and called the hotel to find our room was now ready. We took the subway back, checked in and crashed for a few hours. Not wanting to get too much sleep fearing we would be up all night, we ventured out again just after sunset to get more photos and to eat dinner. Sharece found a nicely reviewed Italian place called John’s Pizza and it was not disappointing- although expensive. The garlic bread there was simply amazing. We finished the night off by seeing Times Square at night and Rockefeller Center with the skating rink. A few days from now we will be going to the top of that building to see the city, but tomorrow it’s the Statue of Liberty.
04/20/14- One full day behind us and we are off to see the sites again. I will have to say that we were very impressed with how New York City has looked and can definitely see the allure of living here (although the price is still a bit steep for us). Also it’s quite a change vacationing like this in the United States. Money is still in dollars, people speak English, and you can still drink the water.
We got up early and ate the free breakfast again. Not only is it a hot meal but they have fruit, oatmeal, cereal, donuts, etc. Good way to start the day. We took the metro all the way to the South Ferry station (which included a change and 19 stops) and made it to our 9am ticket time. After going through security we were soon on our way across the harbor to the Statue of Liberty. The boat was packed with people but I was able to squeeze my way to the railing to get some shots as we cruised around. Upon landing at the dock we walked around the island a bit, took some skyline pictures of the buildings and proceeded to go through security once again as we entered the statue. Finally we were able to go up to the pedestal part. It was a pretty decent view and just a bit chilly but a cool experience to take in. Our next stop was Ellis Island. We made the ferry just in time to take us there, however there wasn’t much to it at all. We had a free audio tour but most of it was just going over people’s experiences going through the island and immigrating to the US. The flood of Sandy a few years back ravaged the area a bit so most of the stuff on the upper floors were moved off site for the time being.
After a short time we took the ferry back to Manhattan. With our legs tired we had a short rest and then continued on to see the 9/11 memorial site. It took a bit to walk around the area since they were still constructing the World Trade Center Two and Three buildings, as well as going through security yet again while having our tickets checked three different times (of course we completely understood why). The tickets were free though (we did donate some money for the cause) and the site was actually better than I expected. The original base of the towers were used as fountains with the names of all the ones who perished in the attacks written on the walls. You can also see the new World Trade Center One in the backdrop. A unique experience that shouldn’t be missed. It was eerie thinking of how this area was effected and seeing the actual streets first hand and surrounding buildings. It’s quite hard to picture it all.
We then make our way down to Wall Street which was different than I expected. I didn’t realize the Stock Exchange was on an alley-like street. Since it was Sunday the place looked pretty deserted as well. We continued walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge. It took forever it seemed to get to the first tower part but it was cool walking in the middle of the bridge with the cars on the lower part either side of us. Lastly, we went to Chinatown and ate dim sum (a very neat experience with the kids especially since our daughter loves using chopsticks).
Finally we take the subway back to our hotel and stayed for the rest of the night. I have to say I am very impressed with how our kids have been on this trip so far. We did ask the hotel for an extra bed and unfortunately none were available but they stated tomorrow we should be top on the list for it.
04/21/14- Was able to sleep in which was sorely needed. Ate breakfast and left around 10am. First stop- Central Park. We took the subway only two stops and walked a few blocks through upper midtown checking out the apartments along the way. It took a bit to figure out how to actually enter the park but soon found our way. The kids had fun climbing up the rocks and we were wowed by how vast the whole area stretched. The bridges and trees were awesome and the castle looked cool from the outside. Our daughter really enjoyed the horse-drawn carriages walking around.
We stayed a few hours before finding a food stand nearby. Gyro sandwiches all around hit the spot. Next we took the subway down to Greenwich Village. While there we saw the exterior apartment from the tv show FRIENDS. Tired from the walking we went back to the hotel to rest a bit as our timed ticket for The Top of The Rock wasn’t until 6pm. I chose this time to get some day shots of the city as well as night shots after the sun came down (which worked out perfectly). I didn’t realize that it would only take literally ten minutes to get through security and to the top. I thought there would have been a longer line. We spent the next two hours taking in the views and taking some great pictures of the Empire State Building all lit up.
We finished the night off by grabbing some slices of pizza and retreating to our hotel for our last night in New York City. And yes we did see the extra bed when we arrived back.
04/22/14- Last day in NYC. Checked out of the hotel around 11:30am and decided to hit Grand Central Terminal to begin the day. There wasn’t much to it other than it being quite big and of course nostalgic for movies. We then went a few blocks over to the New York Public Library which also was quite large. What we liked best about these places was the architecture inside and out.
The last place we went to (after walking down 5th avenue to see the stores) was St Patrick’s Cathedral. This was a bit of a let down due to the renovations going on. The whole exterior of the building was surrounded by scaffolding. Thinking the inside would be better we entered only to see even more scaffolding and loud hammering noises echoing throughout. We’ve seen older churches like this throughout Europe so it was no big deal to us, but we were hoping to give the kids a glimpse of what gothic cathedrals look like. Guess we’ll have to show them the real thing another time.
We finished up with lunch at Olive Garden on Time’s Square and went back to our hotel just as it was starting to rain. Fortunate for us we had perfect weather throughout our stay here beforehand. After about an hour of rest we got a taxi (which cost about $35 with tip) to take us straight to Penn Station to catch our 6:35pm train to Philadelphia. The train only took about an hour and a half and felt very comfortable. Outside of Europe I had no idea these kind of trains existed here. We were also fortunate enough to get all four seats together (facing each other) where our luggage was right behind us. After arriving in Philly we were confused on how to get to our hotel. We asked information and it sounded like the metro was a good way to go. Somehow we got on the wrong train and ended up about six blocks from our hotel (Wyndham Historic Dictrict). We decided to just hail a taxi for the rest of the way and luckily only cost us $6. Finally we check in and enjoy the rest of the night in our room. There’s not a microwave in the room but Sharece was able to heat up our soups from earlier in the downstairs one. Also, they couldn’t accommodate another bed for us but gave us plenty of pillows and an extra blanket to lay on the floor for our son.
04/23/14- Half way through with our trip and a whole new city to explore. Today should be fun. We left our hotel shortly after 8am to find some breakfast (since this hotel doesn’t offer it for free). As soon as we got on the streets we were blistered with cold winds. Good thing is our hotel is centrally located and not far from the sites. Our first destination was Independence Hall as we had a 9am timed ticket. It began with a ten minute presentation and history lesson on the signing of the Declaration of Independence, then proceeded to the actual rooms in which it was signed. There were more buildings around that we also viewed as the sun was starting to make its way out. Next we walked across the street to see the Liberty Bell. The building and presentation wasn’t very desirable and the bell was actually quite smaller than I thought it would be, but it was interesting to see this part of history none-the-less. The window next to the liberty bell faced the Independence Hall so it was a cool photo shot. Although there were some people that were by the window taking photos back towards the crowd (which I can’t understand one bit what they were thinking).
We took a break by going back to the hotel for a spell (mainly due to Kelvin not feeling well). On the way back we saw the tomb of Benjamin Franklin. They were charging $2 to enter the graveyard but the tomb was visible from the street so of course we didn’t pay to go inside. After a half hour or so of rest we went back out (without Kelvin) and headed to the Betsy Ross House. There was a $5 charge to enter but worth viewing. I still am not quite sure why she is so important to the history of the US by making the first flag (especially when she was commissioned to do so). Next was the Quaker Meeting House. We didn’t realize it was still a place of worship and we would be bombarded with someone trying to explain their way of life, but we listened respectfully and went about our way. After checking out the Visitor Center we made our way over to Franklin Court where we saw the museum and printing press. Quite a neat little setup they had there and interactive as well. Hungry we went down the street to get some Philly cheese steaks and back to the hotel once again for the night. Funny thing that did happen though, we saw a girl in high heals do a face plant in the street as she apparently stumbled walking over a manhole. Her dress went up exposing her underwear and everything. She got up and walked off not even looking around to see if anyone saw her.
Will have to say that I am not very impressed with Philadelphia as a whole. I think the exhibits they have could be better presented. Also, adding lights to the buildings at night would have been pretty cool, but it seems like this part of the city shuts down as it gets dark. Definitely an interesting city to view once but not a place I would probably come back to.
04/24/14- Day two in Philly. No early morning tour today so we slept in and checked out around 11am. We left our bags with the hotel to roam around the city as our train isn’t scheduled to arrive until 5:33pm. We also left our cameras since the first place we were off to was the US Mint. Luckily it was only across the street. The tour wasn’t much to it as we just walked around looking at touch me screens and some samples of how they make US coins. We were able to check out the factory from a bird’s eye view which was kinda cool.
After leaving and getting our cameras and other walk-around items we quickly looked for some lunch around the mall area (which had many places to choose from). We got some soup, tacos and more cheese steaks as we all were craving different things. Afterwards we took the subway (which ended up being $1.80 per person) over to the city hall area and walked around a bit. We were quite impressed with the architecture of the area, but aside from the business people there were definitely more shady characters around. We hit Chinatown which was a cool little strip and got some souvenirs for Sharece and our daughter and then continued walking toward Washington Square before arriving back at our hotel with over an hour to spare.
Our train arrived ontime. We arrived in Washington DC around 7:30pm and took a taxi ride to our hotel (Capital Hilton). Seeing the buildings on the way reminded me so much of a European city (especially the train station we arrived in). We check in and settle down for a bit before Sharece and I venture out to see the White House at night- which was only 2 blocks away. A very cool site to see. It was overwhelming how many cops and guards were around the area, reminded us more of Beijing China a bit.
04/25/14- First full day in Washington DC. We have a prearranged timed ticket to visit the Capitol around 9am. Apparently we are to arrive at least 45 minutes early to get through security. We leave our hotel around 7:45am and go straight to the metro station. It took a few moments to figure out what were the best tickets to get and soon found that the pricing structure is different depending on the time of day you use them. Instead of paying per ride you have a card with an amount on it to deduct from. Sounds like a rip-off way of doing this, especially since the day pass cost $14 each. And if you don’t get the card and pay only per journey they charge an extra $1 each way. We ended up each getting the $10 card (which was only $8 worth since the card itself cost the other $2).
We make it to the Capitol right on time and soon find our way in after about twenty minutes of waiting for security. It was here that we found that due to construction our tour was limited and consisted more of a walk-through of only one part of it. Even the dome was not available to us. We were disappointed of course, but what can you do. Very hungry since we haven’t had breakfast yet we walk around to try and find a place. We run into a Mexican restaurant that looked good but wasn’t open for another thirty minutes. We backtracked to see the Shakespeare Library to take up the time. After we finally ate we were not very happy with the food overall and again disappointed with the $60 price for tacos. This place is proving to be more expensive than New York already.
Next we walk down the Mall area to get some views of the Capitol around the reflecting pool as well as the Washington Monument. We contemplated hitting one of the museums but decided to walk down to the Lincoln Memorial first. It didn’t look that far but after quite a bit of walking we realized this was probably not the best idea we ever had. With our legs shot we made it back to our hotel around 2:30pm and stayed in the rest of the day. We were so exhausted that we even went to sleep around 8:30pm. Which was good because it was starting to rain pretty good.
04/26/14- Last day in DC. Our son was still not feeling well so he stayed behind at the hotel for the day. We first went to see the National Archives Museum. Due to a late start we got there fifteen minutes past our timed ticket time, however we were still able to walk right in. Which was good because the line we passed up seemed to stretch for about an hour or so. We were greeted with the no photography saying though (which seems to be a theme here in DC). It was quite interesting though to walk around and see and read as much about historical facts as possible. We were even able to catch a glimpse of the original signed Declaration of Independence. We then went to search for a place to eat and got turned around a few times as our GPS was not working properly. We decided to just get some hotdogs from a vendor and continue onto the Holocaust Museum. We waited in the security line for a bit and ended up getting timed tickets to come back in about two hours, which was just enough time to walk over to Air and Space Museum down the road. Sharece was very tired from all the walking we’ve been doing the past few days and took a break on the bench inside as Layna and I went around the museum checking out the exhibits on the planets and space travel. I was impressed with how well they had this museum maintained and how efficient it was to enter and move around despite the mass amount of people inside. I was also impressed with how well Layna was looking at the exhibits and wanting to learn what she could.
Now it was time to walk back over to the Holocaust Museum (which we arrived there around 3:15pm). This is one of the largest of this kind in the world apparently and it didn’t disappoint. There was a plethora of information including a background before the World Wars started. After almost two hours we were barely half way through and told that the museum was now closing. We pretty much just walked the rest of the way through, but still was able to catch a read here and there.
Finally, we arrived back at the hotel to get ready for our plane ride back home tomorrow. After a few hours and waiting until it got darker I went back out on my own, taking the metro to the Capitol Building and then the Washington Monument to get some night pictures. I was tempted to walk down towards the Lincoln Memorial as well but the walk was just too far and there is not a metro stop anywhere near so I would have had to walk all the way back. That was not going to happen especially after doing that same thing yesterday.
Finished up the night getting on the internet in the hotel lobby for a bit. Why the lobby? Because despite how nice and convenient this hotel was they charge for everything extra. They wanted $25 per person for breakfast, $14 a day for internet and even $18 to watch a movie on tv. WTH! Either case we made due with our phone internet most of the time so we didn’t really miss it. And DC in general seems to be an expensive city anyhow. Prices for food everywhere were marked up like crazy, again at least the museums were all free. Our hotel did provide us with a free microwave when asked and brought up a space heater due to it being chilly at night though.
04/27/14- Woke up shortly after 6am to finish packing for our flight home. We bagged everything, weighed our suitcases and had a taxi hailed for us by 7:30am. The ride to the airport was very short and had plenty of time to relax before our flight. This trip has been full of on time transportation whether it being a plane, train or even the metro or taxi. Our flight left on time around 9:15am and we are expected to land (non-stop) in LAX early. Hopefully this 5+ hour flight goes by fast because Alaskan Airlines even charges for a handheld movie device. Those are usually free, especially on long haul flights like this. Another way to nickel and dime I guess.
Continued- Landed around 11:30am Pacific Time but not without issues. Apparently there were tornados and severe weather around the Midwest that caused major turbulence for us. But we made it through okay and thankful to be back home.
END OF BLOG
