Having lived in the LA basin, we have a mental image of a megalopolis. New York City (Manhattan in particular) is different. It’s a megalopolis to be sure, but it’s got a different personality than any other city. Every large city has it’s high density area, but New York City is a high density area. High rise buildings are everywhere and they go on for miles and miles. This massive high density area is a big part of the city’s personality. The streets are saturated with trucks, busses, taxis, cars and the omnipresent bike messengers. Nearly all of the bike messengers use throttle e-bikes, so they rarely pedal. Some of them don’t even bother to throw a leg over the seat, they ride side saddle! It’s the damnedest thing we’ve ever seen! The traffic is so intense that most people walk (or use mass transit) to get around.
The city is so large that we took two bus tours (one at night and one during the day) and a boat tour. The night tour was spectacular. The lights on the buildings and bridges create a magical effect. Given it was after the regular work day, folks were out and about walking around. It really did make for a delightful trip. The day trip was on a hop-on hop-off bus. This tour started off with a bang (literally)! While we were getting on the bus, another bus collided with ours. It wasn’t a major incident, just a fender bender with really big fenders.
Even though we had the bus to cover longer distances, we still ended up walking for miles. We visited a bunch of places we had heard about like Sacks 5th Ave department store, 30 Rock (the NBC studios), the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, the Met, Times Square, Central Park and numerous others. We got a feeling for the different areas of this city: Downtown, Uptown, SoHo, NoHo, Tribeca, East Village, West Village, Greenwich Village, the Financial District and so many others. The area is so large and so intense that it’s hard to get you mind around it even when you’re there.
The challenges of visiting New York City in a 37 foot long motorhome should be pretty obvious. The solution is equally obvious, don’t do it! Stay in Jersey City instead. It turns out that there’s an ‘RV park’ right across the river from Manhattan. We use the term RV park loosely here, as it’s really just a parking lot with water and power at each site. They don’t even have sewer hookups at each site! There’s no pool, no rec-room, not even any landscaping! What it lacks in amenities it makes up for in cost. This was far and away the most expensive place we’ve ever parked our coach ($170 per night)! The real attraction is proximity to a subway station that will whisk you into Manhattan. It was about a 15 minute walk to the local subway station.
There were two interesting features of our daily walk to the subway. The first was a dilapidated old warehouse with a somewhat ironic sign.
The second interesting sight on our way to the subway was robots. We shared the sidewalks with small delivery robots and the grocery store was using a robot to keep the floors clean. The robot revolution is coming and it’s starting in Jersey City!
Jersey City wasn’t just an access point for Manhattan. It’s actually a nice area. One evening on our way back from Manhattan, we had one of those serendipity moments that make wandering so wonderful. We stumbled upon a festival on the streets right next to the subway station. It was clearly a downtown neighborhood event with a wonderful ambiance. There were a variety of vendors, great food and even live music and dancing.
No bones about it the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History is a great place for old fossils, we really enjoyed it. It a great place for kids too.
There’s a lot to see at this museum, but the highlight has to be the dinosaur skeletons. There’s a huge sauropod skeleton in one of the main galleries that’s truly impressive. It’s hard to imagine how something this large could walk around. There is something to be understood in person in a way that’s hard to appreciate from a book or website. This is particularly true when the exhibits are accompanied by a guided tour. Our guide gave a great explanation of why scientists think that birds evolved from dinosaurs. He described how the joint between the thigh bone and the pelvis has an opening at the top of the socket. That’s a feature that’s shared with birds but not mammals or reptiles. When he was describing the anatomy, he used the technical terms for various anatomical features. It turns out he was a retired orthopedic surgeon! It’s not just the skeletons of dinosaurs that were impressive. There were also skeletons of mammoths and other mammals that were interesting.
The museum isn’t all about fossils, though. there are amazing displays of crystals, gems, meteorites and other examples of the history of our planet.
The Gallery of Art is an ‘all day project’. There’s a ton of artwork, both painting and sculpture. The place is so large that a tour is well worth doing just to get oriented. There are many dozens of galleries and it’s easy to get lost.
The tour provided some good insight into ‘art culture’ in general but it was someone we walked past that cemented the mental image of how serious some people are about art. It was a painter painting a painting of a painting.
It seemed surprising that the museum would allow people to create reproductions, but it seemed like a normal thing to have happening.
Given the entire museum is about art, it might be best to let the art speak for itself…
The monument to Franklin Delenore Roosevelt feels different from most other presidential monuments. It didn’t feel like it was designed to glorify a person. It didn’t feel like it needed to. The monument is organized in separate outdoor ‘rooms’, each with a quote and a statue or some other feature. FDR was president during tumultuous times. His words etched in stone provided important ideas, and the statuary filled in the feelings.
The memorial is a pleasant place to visit. The outdoor rooms remove distractions, and the interiors told the stories. It’s well worth a visit!
We made reservations for a tour of the US Capitol building. The tour provided a good overview of the building and it’s history with the notable exception of the mob that smashed their way into the building on January 6th, 2021. We still have trouble understanding how anyone who considers themselves a patriot could support the only person in our history who orchestrated the interruption the peaceful transfer of power.
The tour started in a surprisingly large underground visitors center which included an orientation video. We could feel the difference when we left the expansive visitor and entered the historical Capitol Building in a cramped elevator. Some of the building’s history is still preserved and continues to be used. The room where the Senate used to meet is still set up as it was and is still occasionally used for committee meetings. The Supreme Court also used the Capitol Building before getting their own building.
It felt noteworthy how the tours (there were numerous groups at the same time) seemed to coexist with the working staff and elected officials. There was etiquette about not blocking hallways or using loud voices. All in all it seemed to work surprisingly well. It was a reminder that it is not only an active workplace, but one of the most important ones in the country.
One highlight of the tour was the statuary. By an act of Congress itself, each state is allowed to display 2 statues in the Capitol. Exactly who is honored with a statue is decided by each state, and some of the choices can be novel. Johnny Cash, Helen Keller and the astronaut Jack Swigert. Of course there also numerous statues of founding fathers and state politicians.
All in all, the Capitol Building is a wonderful structure. It’s elegant in it’s design and decoration while still being an active workplace.
There’s an elevator to the top of the Washington Monument, and it’s absolutely worth taking. There are windows near the top of the obelisk, and the views are spectacular!
Our visit to the Washington Monument was part of a package deal on the bus tour around the downtown area, and it didn’t disappoint. Many of the museums and monuments now require reservations, and this was one of them. We arrived early on a beautiful day, but there was something that bugged us while waiting. It was Lantern Flies ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_lanternfly ). Many thousands of Lantern Flies. They are an invasive species that has run rampant in the DC area. Imagine waiting in a queue beset by flying cockroaches! It got to the point where folks in line stopped saying something before brushing bugs off your back or head.
Once we had passed through security and stepped off elevator we had one of those ‘WOW’ moments. The view from the top of the monument is perfect. There are windows on all four sides of the obelisk, and it really helped build a mental image of the layout of the National Mall area.
The gallery below includes pictures we took of the views as well as photos of some posters that show the names of some of the prominent buildings.
We arrived in Cherry Hill RV Park, College Park Maryland. This is the type of place that has everything, a pool & hot tub, pickle ball courts and a mini golf. They’ve even got a Metrobus stop. We’re not particularly interested in all of the amenities, it’s the proximity to Washington DC that makes it desirable for us.
This is the first city in our ‘Good bye East Coast’ tour that we used the subway system. It was a great experience. The Washington DC system is clean, modern and reasonably priced. It’ll be hard for the other cities to do as well.
We knew from our Big Trip in 2005 that driving a coach in the Northeast could be an adventure, and this was where we got our first taste of it. Fortunately, the RV park wasn’t far from the Interstate, so it wasn’t too bad. Even on the Interstate, It can get confusing here because you pop across borders into DC or Virginia or Maryland so easily. We were relieved to arrive on a Sunday because traffic can be nuts – comparable to S. Cal. Driving the Jeep to and from the subway wasn’t overly stressful, but it was a reminder that roads designed before cars existed could be challenging!
We’ll do separate posts for some of the daily visits in town. The first museum we visited doesn’t really merit a separate post. It was the National Museum of the American Indian. This museum was really disappointing. The primary focus was on the interaction with European cultures, they didn’t go into the myriad of tribes and how they lived. It didn’t feel like it was presented from the perspective of the native cultures. One highlight of the museum actually had nothing to do with native cultures. There was a spot in the lobby where the windows created a prism effect.
We’ll be visiting several other museums, and they’re sure to be better!
One of the highlights was visiting family we haven’t seen is a really long time. We had a wonderful dinner and a great visit at the Washington DC Zoo with Joel, Kaidyn, Arwyn and Grandpa David.
The overall feeling of the Washington DC area is actually comfortable for such a high density area. Folks are generally friendly. We never did wander into an area where we didn’t feel safe. There’s been a lot of news lately about deploying the National Guard but we didn’t see much of them, nor did they seem to be needed.
We did take a bus tour to get oriented, and that gave us the opportunity to visit many of the outdoor monuments. This included a chance to go up to the top of the Washington Monument. There’s actually an elevator that will take you to the top were there are small observation windows. The view from the top is spectacular! It’s a great opportunity to see the full length of the National Mall and most of the surrounding landmarks. If you ever get a chance, it’s well worth doing.
We also had time to rent bicycles and ride around the Mall and tidal flats area where the Jefferson Memorial is located. We also took in the Roosevelt Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial and rode past the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. This was a great way to spend the afternoon.
We had visited Charleston during our Big Trip in 2005. These are some of our musings on the impressions we had 20 years later.
If you recall your high school history, Charleston is known as the place where the Civil War ignited. More specifically in the harbor entrance at Fort Sumter in April 1861. Once South Carolina had declared they were leaving the Union, the local Union troops relocated to the small island in the harbor with a fort that was still under construction and so had the initial possession of the fort. It was of strategic importance because the range of the cannon could control traffic in and out of Charleston’s harbor. Blockade running to get supplies into the city was a big business. Perhaps you recall that Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind was a blockade runner.
This strategic importance became obvious during our (slow) 30 minute ferry for a fort tour. Right off the bat, we were surprised to find that there wasn’t much of the original 4 storey fort left. It was first bombarded by the Confederates that they took possession. Then it was extensively pounded by the Union army to regain possession. The Union army had 4 different sites around Fort Sumter that they utilized to try to regain control of the fort. It took years to do so, not until February 1865. The years of bombardment, millions of pounds of munitions left only the ground level of the fort standing.
Our visit lasted one hour and began with an engaging ranger talk for the first ten minutes. It provided great context but we got a lot of detail from the informative placards around the site. It was amazing to see embedded cannon balls in the remaining brick walls.
The ranger showed us hand prints in the bricks from the slave brick makers and you couldn’t help but think about the reality of life for the local people living in this area during this momentous period. Three floors of the fort were decimated, including the cannons on each level. The remaining ground floor still had holes in it and some of the cannons. There was care taken to preserve these details for posterity. A subtle reminder of the size of the original fort is that mark made on the flag post that indicates the original full height of the fort.
We loved the historical lessons and, of course, the excuse to be on the water to take the ferry out to Fort Sumter. This was absolutely worth doing and we would recommend it. Otherwise, we had to admit that Charleston did not have as interesting or fun vibe as Savannah. We did a tour around the city and our guide was a walking encyclopedia with a hundred facts and stories. We love being immersed in history and the picturesque colonial buildings and good food were wonderful. We feel complete with our visit to Charleston. On the other hand, we could see ourselves taking a long weekend to visit Savannah again.
A nice place to visit. The coast of Georgia is often referred to as the lowlands. Driving through the area, it’s easy to see why. The marshes and inlets go on for hours.
Today the weather was very pleasant and perfect for sightseeing. We got an early start and headed into Savannah with the goal of using the Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour for orientation and the historical narration. It was well worth doing. Savannah was first settled in 1733 and there is a blend of architectural styles – Colonial, Victorian, Federal, Georgian, etc. Unlike Florida, there are many brick buildings. It is a beautiful city.
From the beginning it was organized in 22 squares, each with a park, of varying size. The main pedestrian area in the middle of downtown core is called ‘City Market’. The riverside area, where the shipping of cotton and rice occurred is bounded by Bay and River streets that still has some renovated warehouses. The British loved to import Georgia crops, in particular cotton. When someone responds to “how are you?” with “fair to middling? This phrase comes from when the traders gauged the quality of the cotton bales.
We appreciated all the interesting architectural styles and some streets are considered by many as the ‘loveliest in the country’ due to the live oaks with long overhanging branches and Spanish moss. We were used to the oaks and moss from Florida, so this wasn’t especially compelling to us. Another piece of trivia, Jones Street is a street that is particularly noted for its trees/moss/building beauty, and it was the source of the saying “keeping up with the Joneses”.
The city hall’s 70 ft dome really is coated with gold leaf that was added recently, in 1987. It has a burnished look in the sun so it isn’t blinding.
We had lunch downtown at an Irish pub, Wexford’s. I had to have the authentic Southern shrimp and grits (in an Irish pub) and Rob had a Rueben sandwich – it had good sauerkraut and rye bread. They had music outside and that is always an ‘add’ for us.
A couple more points of trivia: We realized afterwards that we didn’t see any rental bikes or scooters. There are many cobblestone streets and rough sidewalks so we imagine these were a safety factor taken into consideration when they were banned. John Mellencamp attends the First African Baptist Church (founded 1777). He has been quoted as saying that the church has incomparable acoustics and has even recorded several songs there. He lives on one of the barrier islands (Daufuskie) just over the border in S. Carolina, that is only accessible by boat. The river front area features a promenade for the tourists. There are lots of restaurants, curio shops and monuments. One of which is the waving girl statue that is along the river front.
Florence Martus would wave a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night to the ships as they entered the area, as a sign of hospitality. The highlight of the river front was the JW Marriott hotel because it had a huge metallic dinosaur skeleton hanging from the ceiling and an amazing display of fossils, geodes, crystals, and art. Rob stood in front of an ice cave bear skeleton quoting Ian with “I could take him!”
There were steps that led from the river front up to the next block that were crazy steep. There were no rules to standardize their height way back then!
The Savannah Queen riverboat made several trips a day for sightseers. Looked fun but we were disappointed to see that they weren’t utilizing the paddle wheel. We had experienced an authentic paddle wheel cruise on the Mississippi in New Orleans several years back so this in-authenticity didn’t compel us to go on this cruise.
We ended our day in Savannah making a quick drive across the Savannah River to the much less developed northeast side of the city where their large convention center is located. An interesting note – SCAD is the growing and prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design that has a large influence on the city’s improvements and general beauty. They’ve renovated 70+ buildings throughout the city. All in all, Savannah was a pleasant city to visit and worthwhile to wander.
