We are so excited... already this trip has been amazing...
So take our 11am flight back to JFK - arrive at 12:45pm and go wait outside baggage claim on the transportation island for our car service. I decided I am not driving at all while in NY and will be taking all ground transportation.
Our car arrives... and Barbara our driver was this little old lady, but was so awesome. She lifted our bags like they were nothing. I was crack-in up. WOW!!! I liked her already...
We are now on our way to the hotel in NJ, Jersey City on the Hudson River. This was a suggestion from a friend and an excellent one at that. It's directly across from the gorgeous Manhattan View you see so many pictures of...
It was a rainy dark day... but I did not care.... I WAS IN NEW YORK!!!
Already I could tell that's where I was... there was no denying the architecture... she told us all kinds of stories during our ride to the hotel... pointed out buildings and explained why they were there... anything we mentioned she had facts about... just amazing driver...
Here is what we saw from the car and pictures I got. She let me roll down the window when I wanted to get the best picture we could...
You can see the Ferris Wheel that was at Coney Island as we drove through Brooklyn...
Here was the Brooklyn Bridge...
Now as we got closer to Manhattan...
I loved this picture and the rain on the window...
WOW!!!! *butterflies*
The Empire State Building
Even with fog, dark, cold and rain... I was in love. I felt home here... It was undeniable how comfortable I was here... I just loved being there...
My son said, "Well you are a city girl after all"! lol...
Barbara continue telling us about how she got into driving... it was the
during the last Stock Market crash 20 yrs ago. I mentioned how everyone I had met so far was just so nice and kind. I admitted I was a bit shocked as I expected that typical attitude we see on TV and in movies so much... Infact I had anxiety about it, cause I will fight back. But it just was not so.... at all.
She said... after 9/11 it changed everyone there... it was as we had always seen, but what happened there went deep and it affected everyone. Everyone went out of there way to be nice, kind and helpful. They were all one now... all connected by this tragedy... barriers were broken and nothing separated anyone anymore... Even today it still lives. She admitted it was fading a bit, but it without doubt lived strong. I could attest to that. It was very much alive and I was very taken back by it...
After about 2 hours in the car... should have taken 35-40 minutes, but there was traffic to get across the Holland Tunnel... that takes you to New Jersey. The chatter made the time pass quickly...
One thing I just cracked up about was the honking...They really do all that honking there... there are even official traffic signs that say No Honking!!! Fines it your caught. I expressed to the driver that it just is not like this anywhere else... not like this. One person would honk and it would start a domino effect. It would just go on and on and on... Just killed me... It was real.
OK now we arrive in our awesome hotel.
Cody happy to be there?? I tink soooooooo... lol
This place had a separate bedroom and a full kitchen... dishes, pots, pans... everything... and it was cheaper than some hotels I have stayed in that were no where near as nice. It was so amazing.... we LOVED it. I will always stay at Candlewood Suites Hotel everywhere I go. Fabulous service, fabulous
accommodations... they even have a small market (they called it 'The Cupboard') downstairs with everything you could need.
It was nice to have all this at our fingertips...
Here is the view from our hotel window... Oh YEA!!!!!
By the time we got checked in and settled and felt like going anywhere... It was 5pm-ish... we decided we were going to keep it on the lowdown for the night and start tomorrow with a bang...
but we were hungry and decided we would see what New Jersey was about... so we had dinner at the Chili's up the way... and than went on an adventure... the silliness was creeping out of us and we were so damn happy to be there... everything was funny. Every get in one of those moods where everything become hilarious??? OMG we were there...
here is some of what we saw...
I am not sure why this was so funny... but were laughing and crackin jokes... well should we lie down then? can we sit Indian Style? lol - We don't have these on the West Coast, so it definitely struck a funny bone...
these rocks suddenly become hysterical and were dubbed MY rocks... we stood there had the most wild conversation and waved our hands around like mad people, these were New Jersey Rocks... they were special... and as we walked away laughing I was being teased for taking pictures of everything... so Cody in his Smart Alec voice says... Mom the ROCKS!!! Get your rocks??? so I freakin did... here you go... lol
Now the city... New Jersey that is... Just stunning..
Hey YOU... where ya going??
Now we reach the Hudson River... which is part of the ocean... that there is lower Manhattan...
Upper Manhattan - see the Empire State Building??
Wait... you mean there is fish in that water??? say it isn't so...
Yes I know it meant fishing... we just found this fun...
I turned around to get the sunset...
Prettttyyyyyyyyy!!!
See the statue of liberty right in the middle there? WOW!!!
It's getting dark and Cody takes in the magical and surreal view...
I loved how the sunset danced on the buildings... I was in LOVE!!
Cody and I just sit in awe... we were there. It was unreal. There are no words for how it felt to be there and see it for real. It was beautiful. Beyond breathtaking... I even shed a tear just standing there....
what a great day... I could not have asked for more... than night came... and something unbelievable unfolded...
No words...
we walked home, which was all of 5 minutes away... and settled in, watched movies and chilled....
into the city we go tomorrow....
Make sure you come back and check it out...
Til next time my friend... *kiss*
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