Long Island 2022

Wanting to take an overnight train trip, somewhere, we chose to book an Amtrak to Philadelphia, meet our granddaughter, Carole, spend a couple of days exploring the area where the makings of a new nation began, and then, driving with her back to our home where all the family was to gather for our annual family reunion.
The day before our Amtrak train was to depart, we got notice that it was to be eleven hours late getting here from Seattle. Not acceptable as we would not be able to make an intended connection in Chicago. Thus, we quickly found a flight that would allow us to meet our granddaughter near here home in New York.

Disappointed that we could not experience the train ride, we were pleased that we could now spend a night at our student granddaughters home that she shared with four other roomates. All working on advanced degrees, her roommates were fun to visit.

Syracuse 2018

While on a journey from Minneapolis to Maine and then up to visit parts of Eastern Canada, our mode of transportation was motor coach and, thus, we passed through other states in order to arrive there.
As we traveled through the northern part of the State of New York, we stopped to visit a piece of the old Erie Canal. In 1815 DeWitt Clinton, who served many terms as New Yorks Governor, pushed to have a canal constructed that would connect Lake Erie with the Hudson River. It was completed in 1825. Linking cities such as Buffalo and New York City, the canal decreased freight costs as well carrying thousands of passengers to and from Buffalo, Syracuse and New York.
The efforts by mules during construction, led to the famous old song, “I’ve got a mule, her name is Sal – Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal”

New York City 2009

My second visit and my wife’s first visit was meant to allow us to, again, visit Ben, our grandson, and to experience more of the city than I had had an opportunity to in 2006.

Ben brought us to museums, to Ellis Island where thousands of immigrants entered in the early part of our countries history, to Staten Island where the famous lady holding the symbolic flaming torch of freedom stands, and to delightful restaurants and outdoor eateries that we would not have found on our own.

This time around I was willing to take an elevator to his wonderful studio apartment in Manhattan, unlike last visit when I respectfully declined the invitation to walk 6 flights to see his closet size room with bed and hot plate.

New York City 2006

New York City is an enormous city. My daughter and I spent al of our few days in Manhattan, a long, narrow island nestled in a natural harbor. Manhattan is separated from The Bronx on the north east by the Harlem River (actually a tidal strait); from Queens and Brooklyn to the east and south by the East River (also a tidal strait); and from the State of New Jersey to the west and north by the Hudson River. Staten Island lies to the south west, across Upper New York Bay.

We were there to attend and celebrate the graduation of my grandson from acting school. We spent most of our evenings in piano bars where Ben and his mother enjoy sharing their musical talents with patrons who mostly wish to drink.

We met many of Ben’s aspiring actor friends (who mostly work in restaurants waiting tables) and people watched along the streets and within the famous Central Park.

Niagara Falls 1983

Why I don’t have any pictures of our time spent at Niagara Falls is a mystery, but, although pictures are great, getting close enough to touch Niagara Falls inspires genuine awe. Millions of gallons of water rocket over Niagara Falls every minute – about 750,000 gallons each second! There’s no closer place to “feel Niagara’s flow” than from the decks, of Niagara Falls State Park - America’s oldest state park.

Niagara Falls, New York is across the river from Niagara Falls, Ontario. I wish we had stayed at one of the really nice hotels in the area but, truth is, we were trying a new kind of adventure, that of traversing the highways with a cumbersome and oft times annoying thing we call a pop-up camper behind our car. Instead of the comforts of a hotel with restaurants and pools, we were afforded the luxury of Yogi Bear Camping Park on a slab of cement in a treeless expanse of other campers of various sizes and shapes.

Non-the-less, we were taken by the beauty that is Niagara when we visited there and were left with fond memories of our time roaming the touristy shop laden streets along the shores of the great river there.