Avalon and New York City

Sunday, July 8th

Duncans and Pat & Pam Inhofer

Dave made us a huge breakfast.  We had Taylor ham (the first time for some of us - kinda like a cross between bacon and ham - very good!).

Some of the older kids made a trip to the store to buy a fiddler crab and cage.  The walkie talkies came in handy (or should that be 'handie'?) so we could keep in touch with them the whole way.

We adults then toured the nearby town of Stoney Harbor and also shopped in Avalon (have we mentioned Patti Sue's thimble collection?). 

David and Lynn were there with their kids (Pamela, Matthew, and Julie) and they also had brought Jenna, Lynn's niece, who was Mandy's age!  Also spending time with us was Jimmy Sweeny, who is the son of friends of the Duncans that were at a nearby beach house.

Jimmy's Dad, Jim, snapped this photo with the help of Jimmy's sister Beth, and we reluctantly left.  Thanks so much for the time!

Us and the Expanded Duncans
We had a busy drive up the Garden State Parkway.  David Duncan, what you were trying to recall, I think, is that the Parkway has an express section that is 'no trucks'.  It was just plain all busy, as this was the Sunday after the 4th of July week.  I just don't understand this obsession people have with time and days of the week and such (am I rubbing it in?).

Once into Jersey City we had a little unscheduled sightseeing tour of some of the neighborhoods ('hoods), whose only distinctive features we could identify were that they were NOT the home of the Liberty Harbor RV Camp.

Let's see, we didn't know exactly where we were, we were not where we wanted to be, and, for a time, we had very little idea of how to get to where we wanted to be.  I guess it qualified.  To add to the stress, while the convenience of having a bathroom along in the vehicle is wonderful, you still have to stop for the driver to use it....   Does this qualify as T M I?

Anyway, this RV park is really mostly that - for parking RV's.  The appeal is that it's close to a train into Manhattan.  Not much for amenities but a fence, bathrooms, and showers.

Sardine RV's! Once we found it and set up, Pat and Pam arrived.  Patrick is my (Bill's) nephew and Pam (Gernsback) is his wife.  They have lived on Manhattan for many years (Pam in the same apartment since high school), so, besides being wonderful people, they were wonderful tour guides. Group picture
From here, we rode the PATH (this is the train from Jersey City into Manhattan) and then walked to Pat & Pam's apartment.  Along the way saw Gramercy Park.
Grab that rope, Chester!  Grrrrrrrrowl!! At their apartment we met Chester, their 'child' -- a Rat Terrier.  He is very friendly and loves to play with the kids just as much as they do with him. Who's got the greater strength? - or the skinnier legs?
From their apartment we went to dinner at a neat nearby Italian restaurant (pasta and real New York-style pizza).  There was a TV on (and my back was to it) so we ALL had a lovely time. 

Then we went on the subway to the Empire State Building.  Some of us went on a ride called 'New York City Skyride' that was a simulator ride like 'Body Wars' at Disney World.  You know you're in trouble when they ask pregnant women and people with neck trouble to leave.  I did this ride since I knew I wasn't going to the top of the building (I am not a fan of heights).  I should have opted for the heights.  But I did manage to keep that great dinner in the right place.

The MetLife Building - our navigation aid for the trip
At the top of the Empire State building Patrick, Patti Sue, Mandy, and Joe went to the top of the Empire State Building.  This is some of what they saw. Quite a night view!
We headed back and the subway, then the PATH train and taxied the last five blocks (the cab's meter mysteriously quit working during the ride, but Patrick had set me right on a reasonable price -- which was more than the meter would have been, anyway).

Into bed by 12:45 AM, with the alarm set for 7:15 (AM!)

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