A Weekend in the Big Apple

In the past, I have posted about beautiful vistas and mountain meadows or even ancient cities long deserted, but today I would like to take you on an adventure my daughter and I recently took into the wilds of...THE City...that is, New York City.  It was a great trip and I would recommend doing it at least once in your life (or twice...or more!).

Our trip was unique in that we actually flew into Pittsburgh to visit family in Western Pennsylvania.  We drove the approximately 400 miles across Pennsylvania, through New Jersey and into New York City for a weekend of fun.  The drive across Pennsylvania was something I had never seen before; we drove during the peak of the fall foliage season. The leaves were changing and there isn't much I have seen in my life that could compare to the rainbow of colors changing across the state. I highly recommend Pennsylvania in October!  (Watch for my post on Pennsylvania's McConnells Mill State Park coming soon).

Once across the state of PA and through New Jersey, we drove into the Lincoln Tunnel and on the streets of New York City...check that off my bucket list!  I had talked to several people about driving in the city and felt pretty confident about getting to my hotel to park and only ended up getting honked at a couple of times.  I am told that is a feat in itself!  I had explored the options of using the train, the bus system or other methods of public transportation from New Jersey into the city, but felt that the best option based on price and safety was to drive directly to the hotel.



The entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel.  I have to say that I have never experienced 12 plus lanes merging down to 2 lanes in a matter of minutes.  Thank goodness I had a good GPS program (MotionX-GPS Drive) on my iPhone AND paid for a subscription to the voice directions!

By the time we got into the city, it was about 7:00 p.m., so we went directly to our hotel and checked in.  When looking for a hotel in New York City, I was really rather worried.  I was travelling on my own with my 7 year old daughter, so I wanted something safe and reputable without absolutely breaking the bank.  I found nothing that I was happy with after weeks and weeks of searching.  Finally, I decided to use Priceline.com.  I had never used the bidding portion of Priceline.com and was scared silly!  I didn't know if I should do it, but I was able to specify the exact area I wanted the hotel and a minimum star level.  I was nervous, but it turned out great!  My second bid of $260 (before taxes and fees) was accepted AND they upgraded to a four star hotel (by Priceline.com's ratings).  We ended up staying at the historic Warwick hotel and were within (safe!) walking distance of Times Square/Broadway and Central Park.  The staff at the Warwick was exceptional and the on-site restaurants more than suited our needs.

I thought the picture on our room key was better than any photo I took of the hotel, so here it is!

As she does most of the time, my daughter managed to charm the hotel staff, enough
 that an employee insisted on a photo with my daughter!

Our trip to New York City was pretty much a 48-hour affair.  I had visited the city in high school with a tour group, so I left it up to my daughter to decide what she wanted to do.  Her list included the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park and a Broadway show.  We were able to accomplish all this on the list and more!  We started off meeting a friend and a cousin for a quick breakfast in the morning then walked over to get tickets for the Gray Line New York Sightseeing tours.  These offer "hop on, hop off" double-decker buses that have various routes through the city and in Brooklyn.  I feel the price was fair and it allowed us to sight see while en route to destinations.  We rode the bus through Times Square, passed the Empire State Building, Greenwich Village, Soho and the World Trade Center.  We got off at Battery Park and purchased tickets to ride the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. 

It was great to see the progress on Freedom Tower.  I took time to make sure to explain the tower and its importance to my daughter.  It is very emotional to see.  We didn't get to go to Ground Zero, but would definitely like to in the future.

There are really no words to describe what the Statue of Liberty represents---she stands tall and proud and represents so much to our country.  However, we missed being able to go to the top by just a few weeks as there were renovations being completed on the stairways.  Next time!

A shot of the New York City skyline with the American flag in the foreground---our view from the ferry on the way to Ellis Island.  A photo that really represents the freedoms of the United States! 

To me, Ellis Island is an intensely personal and emotional place to visit.  While there
I shared family stories with my cousin and my daughter, stories about where we came from
and what our ancestors faced as they passed through Ellis Island on their way to a better
 land.  I really wish I had an entire day to discover all that is Ellis Island, but with only
being there for a weekend, there just wasn't time!

After taking the ferry back to Battery Park, we "hopped" back on the Gray Line and continued along the tour passed South Seaport Street, the Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Little Italy, the United Nations and Rockefeller Center.  We got off the tour bus near where we had gotten on, parted with my cousin and walked over to meet up with another friend for dinner at Southern Hospitality in Hell's Kitchen.  We attempted to get tickets for a Broadway show at the discount "day of" place at Times Square but had no luck for the shows that we wanted to see.  We did a little shopping at the M&M store before calling it an early night.  We were pretty tired after walking so much during the day and made plans to see a show the next day.

The next morning we immediately went over to Times Square to get tickets for a show.  We decided on Mary Poppins.  I was super excited as Mary Poppins is my all-time favorite Disney movie!  We got the tickets and headed up to Central Park.  We walked on the outskirts of the south side of the park and what did we find but a rock jungle gym!  This was much more exciting to my daughter than any of the play sets, so we spent a good part of the morning playing on rocks in the rain!  After an hour or so of the park, we headed back down to the theater and settled in just in time for the show.


View of Times Square and the "ball" that drops on New Year's Eve.

My daughter found a rock to climb in the middle of the concrete jungle.  Central Park was a highlight of her trip, she got to get out, enjoy the air, play and let a little energy go!
 

Mary Poppins was "practically perfect in every way!"  Of course, being a Mary Poppins fan doesn't hurt.  The show was delightful and fun and obviously family appropriate.  Our seats were in the balcony and the "cheapest" available but were still good seats and we could see everything---we did get the tickets the "day of" though, so weren't expecting the best seats in the house.

And so, that was our weekend in New York City.  It was all we had hoped and more!  Instead of allowing us to check a destination off of our list, though, we just added more places in the city we would like to visit next time.  Maybe we'll have more time when we go again!  If you are interested in any of the resources I used for this trip please see the reference list below.


Planning resources:
GPS Application for iPhone: MotionX-GPS Drive (http://motionx.com/)
*I purchased the $9.99 voice guidance so that I wasn't trying to mess with the phone while driving.
*My favorite feature was when there were multiple lanes, the app would let me know which lane to be in.
*I found that it was accurate and up-to-date.

Priceline.com (www.priceline.com)
*I used the "bid" option for the first time and was comforted by the fact I could choose the exact area and a minimum star rating.
*My 2nd bid was accepted plus I got an upgrade to a four star hotel.

The Warwick Hotel (http://www.warwickhotelny.com/)
*This is the hotel that accepted my bid on Priceline. 
*The staff was exceptional and helpful throughout our entire visit.
*There were restaurants on-site that were great for a midnight snack or a quick breakfast or a full sit down meal. 
*Valet parking is available for a fee.

Gray Line Sightseeing (http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/)
*I really liked the "hop on, hop off" feature.
*We used the tour as much for easy transportation as anything, it worked well for that as well.




 

Travel Contest

I am entering a travel contest---the rules are simple: "Enter your best travel photo from anywhere." Please post a comment at the bottom of the blog or comment on my Facebook page telling me which picture you think fits best!  The photo titles are listed below each picture! The pictures I have seen in the contest have been anywhere from scenic to people to animals. Thanks! Go ahead and vote for more than one if you want, I will choose the one that gets the most on here combined with my Facebook page and my personal Facebook page! :-)



Beartooths---at Sundown #1



Beartooth Mtns--at Sundown #2



Walking in Wildflowers



Broadwater Lake




Howling Coyote



Garden Wall in Glacier



Mammoth Storm in Yellowstone



Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone



Joy in the Sand



McDonald Creek in Glacier



Rainbow in Yellowstone



Castle Geyser



Orange Mound in Yellowstone

A Journey In Time: Mesa Verde

I am not sure how I fell in love with the Southwest United States.  I certainly didn't grow up there.  As much as my heart loves Montana, where in my opinion, every square mile could be a national park, there is a something that draws me to the Southwest.  Maybe the fascination stems from the fact that it is such a different world than I am used to.  I don't know, but the fact remains that while my Yellowstone is my first love, the Southwest could be dubbed as a love affair that I can't pull away from!

While driving with my sister to Southern California after her summer break, we made a couple of detours to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon (both of which hold their own stories I will share at a later time!).  In 2007, my mom, my sister, my 2 year old daughter and I jumped in the car and did a 8 day tour of the Southwest, we went to Zion, the Grand Canyon, Aztec Ruins National Monument, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, Arches and Dead Horse Point Utah State Park.

Fast forward to 2010, after planning since the previous trip, my husband, my now 5 year daughter and I took a full two week tour of the Southwest.  We visited many of the same locations, but this time got to spend an extra day at most of them.  I was in absolute heaven.

I hesitate to say I have a "favorite" place we visited in the Southwest, but certainly at the top of the list would be Mesa Verde, home to the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly referred to as Anasazi) and the incredible cliff dwellings.  As you venture through the sites, you can feel yourself being swept into the past and can imagine just how these people lived and worked and died.  It is a place that definitely allows you to journey into the past, almost mystical in the way it feels. 

I have already started to plan my next trip.  For now, pictures must suffice!





This is called the Point Lookout Formation and is one of the first views as you enter Mesa Verde National Park. 

A view from on top of the mesa looking down into the Cliff Palace.  Mesa Verde area was first named by Spanish explorers calling it "green table."  The Ancestral Puebloans lived in the Mesa Verde region from approximately 600 A.D. to about 1275 A.D.  They lived primarily on the mesa top until about 1190 A.D., when they moved down to the alcoves and built the cliff dwellings.  The Ancestral Puebloans would access the dwellings by climbing down from the mesa.  They still used the mesa top to farm.  The mesa top is about 7000 ft above sea level. 



At the Cliff Palace, you descend down into the canyon and then access the dwelling by climbing back up a ladder into the site.  The total tour length is only about 1/4 mile, but it is down, down, down, then back up again!

This is a view of the Cliff Palace as we are just starting to get into the site.  There were over 150 rooms, 23 kivas and about 100 occupants in the Cliff Palace.  Some experts feel that the size indicated that it was somewhat of a cultural center where trade and commerce took place.  You can see above the ruins there are storage rooms that held crops throughout the seasons.  On this tour, you enter from the far left of the ruin and then exit via stairs and ladders at the far right.

Kiva is a Hopi word that means "ceremonial" room.  Researchers feel that based upon the current use of kivas in the Hopi and modern Pueblo people, that the kivas were likely to be a place of worship, comparable to modern day churches, as well as a place for gathering.  Kivas were covered with a roof and entered via a ladder from the top.

Besides a picture of my super cute daughter and my husband, the red arrow points to climbing holes.  The holes were worn into the rocks and used by the Ancient Puebloans to access the top of the mesa.  They also would have used a system of ladders as well.

This is part of the Spruce Tree House site.  The walk to Spruce Tree House is about 1/2 mile round trip on a paved road with about a 100 ft descent and ascent.  It is a beautiful little alcove that has much vegetation surrounding it.  This site is remarkably preserved.  You are actually able to climb down into a kiva here!

Another structure in the Spruce Tree House dwelling.  The black on the ceiling is from years and years of fires in the dwelling.  There was a lot of lung disease in the Ancestral Puebloan people from this time period from being cooped up inside and not having proper ventilation.

The people of Mesa Verde were farmers.  The mesa tops actually had quite fertile soil.  In turn, the Ancestral Puebloans began to "capture" the rainfall and create canal systems.  The rock wall you see here is a retaining wall on the walk down to the Long House site.  The water would have been routed to this place and retained behind a series of these walls as it flowed down the hill.

These are the steps on the way down to the Long House site.  The Long House is located on the Wetherill Mesa and is the second largest dwelling at Mesa Verde.  It was an incredible tour!  Round trip the walk was about a mile and descends down about 100 ft via steps and a winding trail. 

Probably the most exciting part of the Long House tour is that you are able to actually go into the dwelling and go to the back of it.  Being inside of the structure really makes you realize how amazing these people were.

Again, at the top of the picture, you can see the storage area for food.  Keep in mind that the walls would have been built up all the way to the ceiling to provide protection from the elements.

The construction of the walls was better in some places than in others.  Note the tiny rocks plastered in between to help provide stability.  This wall was not as well constructed as others we saw, it may have been put up in a hurry.

These indentations are from corn cobs that had been solidified in the ground for the past 800 years!

Another source of water for the Ancestral Puebloans was rain water that seeps down through ground and comes into the back of the alcoves via seep springs (seep springs are actually what creates the alcoves to start with, by eroding out the softer rock).  The people of Mesa Verde would bore holes in the ground to capture the water as no water could be wasted given the arid summers.

Our ranger, Kathleen, shows us how the people would have ground corn into other plants into flour.  The hand held tools are called "manos" and the flatter, larger stones are called "metates."

This is a view of Mesa Verde from Cortez, Colorado.  You can see the gently sloping tops of the "green tables."  The natural slopes helped with irrigation by automatically having a gravity feed system in place.

 

 Please note: All technical data including dates, statistics and history were learned on the Ranger-guided tours or pulled from the Mesa Verde website sponsored by the National Park Service. Check it out for more information! www.nps.gov/meve

Yellowstone: My First Love

Grand Prismatic Spring at sunset, the steam actually picks up colors from the spring.

I began to venture to Yellowstone National Park when I was in 5th grade.  My sister's eighth grade class went for their class trip and I went along too with my parents.  I went to Yellowstone again three years later when I was in 8th grade.  I didn't get a chance to go again until college.  I can't remember exactly, but either in 2000 or 2001 one, my boyfriend (now husband) and I went to Yellowstone and camped for a week.  My heart hasn't left since! We're heading to Yellowstone again in less than a month.  No matter how many times I go, I can't get it out of my system.  This post is going to feature my trip to Yellowstone in September of 2010.

This trip is our annual "girls" trip.  My mother, sister and I began to go in the fall while my husband and father were hunting.  After my daughter was born, she began to come as well.  Over the years we have collected more tag-alongs and last year was our biggest trip yet.  My sister-in-law and my brother-in-law joined us on the adventure last year!



Just another Bison in Yellowstone, right?  Look closely for its playmate.  There is a coyote off to the right about midway up the picture!



Yellowstone River at the far end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  See the "yellow"rocks along the canyon, this is where the name Yellowstone comes from.



The Lower Falls at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  This picture was taken from Artist's point on the South Rim.  The Lower Falls are 308 ft high!



Storm clouds and a rainbow above the prairie by Blacktail Ponds.




These are aspen trees on the Blacktail Plateau.  I love getting pictures from different vantage points.  Instead of looking down, I was on the ground and looked up!



A trip to Yellowstone always has to include a trip to Old Faithful!



Chromatic Spring in the Upper Geyser Basin in the Old Faithful area. 



Castle Geyser is my daughter's FAVORITE geyser, likely because of the name "Castle!"  It is also in the Upper Geyser Basin.




Sunset on Opal Pool in the Midway Geyser Basin.



Sunset on the runoff from Grand Prismatic Spring at the Midway Geyser Basin.  I recently submitted this to the "My Shot" contest at National Geographic.  I LOVE this picture!