NEW YORK CITY DAY 2

This was a crazy busy day. We got up REALLY late by accident. I guess the hotel did a good job of keeping it dark in the room because we didn't get up until 11 AM. So, we had to hurry and get going.

The first thing on our list to do was to go see the Statue of Liberty. On the way to get there we stopped at Grand Central Station, so cool!

The heat and humidity were not our friend this day. The line for lady liberty was longer than ANY line I have ever seen in my life. But, it actually went pretty quickly, only one hour. The ferry holds a lot of people and there are quite a few going back and forth, so that helped.

She was totally worth the wait.

On the way back, the ferry stops at Ellis Island. I know a lot of people skip this part because the Statue of Liberty is the real draw. But, I had been told by people (thanks Jess) that if they were to go again, they would definitely do Ellis Island. So we did, and definitely did not regret it. What an amazing place. The idea of all those immigrants coming to this country, walking through those doors and registering in the room we were standing in is amazing. They have a lot of exhibits and areas you can walk through to show you exactly what the process was for those people. They even had a room where they had removed the paint and layers of plaster/cement and it had exposed writing from people who went through Ellis Island. That was crazy to me. There was the handwriting of these people from 100 years ago, people who had just landed from a long and strenuous trip to arrive in this country. Really awe-inspiring! It sounds strange, but there was truly a special spirit to that building. It was almost as if all those people were there with you. You can't really depict it in pictures, but I wanted to put one on here anyway.

This is the registration room, where every person coming through this harbor during that time had to stand and wait to find out whether they would be allowed to stay or have to go home.

After we got off the ferry, we had actually been on the subway on our way to Brooklyn for some yummy pizza and we were sidelined when there was a fire in the subway tunnel. We had to get off and when we came up we started walking the wrong direction. We had already been at the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Ilsand endeavor for about five hours at this time, all out in the swealtering heat, so having to walk and then going the wrong way was pretty upsetting (you might be able to tell how happy we were in the below picture). But, as a result we ran into Wall Street and were able to go to Ground Zero as well.

When we finally started walking back the right direction, we were able to get on the subway and get over to Brooklyn where we ate at Grimaldi's Pizza. Ben's little brother, Archie, served his mission in New York and told us about this place. When we got there and saw the line, we weren't sure it could possibly be worth it.

But then we saw this:) The pizza was thin crust (which I usually hate) with huge fresh mozzerella slices, diced tomatoes and the toppings of your choice. It was SO ymmy. I do wonder if any of that is because by the time you have waited in line an hour you're so starving that anything would taste good. Either way, we definitely enjoyed it. We also made some friends while standing in line.

Grimaldi's Pizza is literally right under the Brooklyn Bridge. Before we had found it and before we had eaten, we were definitely thinking we would have to just look at the bridge from afar because there was no way we were up for walking it. But, then we ate....and had some good company in a cute Texan couple we met, so we made the beautiful trek across the Brooklyn Bridge. I am so glad we changed our minds. It was a beautiful night.




It was a long, tiring, hot and humid day. But, let me tell you...if we were looking for a vacation before going to the Philippines that would really make us feel patriotic...this was it! It was so much fun to see these historic places that are so important and vital in our country's history.

NEW YORK CITY DAY 1

When we finally arrived in New York City we went straight to our hotel. It was in an aweseome location. We dropped our stuff and went out to see the city. Honestly, my blackberry was our best buddy on this trip. I just went to my trusty google maps and put in where I wanted to go and it gave us walking or subway directions. It was awesome! I actually used my blackberry the last time I was in NYC and felt the same way, which would probably explain how I had a dream a few weeks back that I was walking through NYC by myself and my blackberry died....and I was panicked, haha! What did we do before these new trinkets?

The first place we endeavored to see was the Empire State Building. The problem was that we ran into a homeless man, sprawled on the sidewalk, not moving. He had a sign and cup looking as though it had been dropped right next to him. I wish I had my camera, but I didn't. There were people just walking by, hanging out right around there and paying no attention to him. Mind you, this guy was not off to the side, he was in the MIDDLE of the sidewalk. Well, Ben, being the nice guy that he is, stopped and tried to wake the guy up. He clapped, yelled a little and when he got no response he shook him...with no response. He checked his pulse...still alive! So, he kept shaking him. Finally, someone called the NYPD and they came to check on him. Ya...kind of crazy. Maybe it was the heat!

So, thanks to our little distraction, we literally walked right by the Empire State Building. The funny thing is the guy at the information desk said it happens all the time, haha. I guess if you don't look up, it just looks like another building. But, because we missed it, we ran right into the Macy's Department Store on 34th St. We then walked up to Times Square and looked around, ate at the McDonalds in Times Square and just had fun being in such a famous place.

I know you think it's weird that we were in NYC and went to McDonald's, but this one is different.

Later that night we went back to the Empire State Building to actually go up to the observation deck and take some pictures since my camera was finally charged. Here are a few pictures.

This is one of my favorites because we were in line in front of a group of Japanese young adults. I was dying because they were standing RIGHT behind me, like when I would one inch, they would move one inch. It was like they had to be touching me at all times. So, I made Ben move over there so I could take a picture of how close they really were:)

BREATHTAKING!




We then had to take the subway over to something else famous...so we went and ate Gray's Papaya hot dogs. I had seen them on movies and such so I though they must be good....I wasn't that impressed. People might think I am crazy, but I would take a Costco hotdog over this any day!

A not so pretty picture of me waiting for the subway. Can you tell I am hot?

And we had to return to Times Square with the camera and at night! Sorry for all the pictures, but they are really for me:)

WELCOME TO NEW YORK

We have arrived in the Philippines and I want to tell you all about it, but first I REALLY need to finish blogging/journaling about our East Coast trip. This is especially important now that I left my journal on the Cathay Pacific flight from LA to HK, meaning I will most likely never see it again:(

Our arrival to New York City was quite eventful. Our flight from Maine was delayed by hours, so we didn't end up arriving at JFK until about 1 AM on Tuesday morning. We were both just ready to lay down and sleep. But, we had to go to our awesome hotel first. Let's just say that Jamaica New York is not the nicest place in the world (sorry to anyone who is from there). We knew this when booking our hotel, but we figured it was only one night so how bad could it be? Well, let's just say that I ended up leaving a not so nice review of the hotel on hotwire. It was pretty ridiculous.
-First thing was the driver for the "complimentary" shuttle picked us up and kept calling me "mommy" and "wifey"....uh, anyone who knows me pretty much knows that does not go over well especially at 1 AM. The next best thing about our driver was that he thought we would love it if he got us to the hotel fast...not safely. He literally blew through like 3 red lights, flew around corners causing me to hit my head on the window and never braking for anyone. It was quite the ride. The last thing that I loved about our "complimentary" shuttle to the hotel from the airport was that our driver was holding a wad of big bills in his hand. To me, he was saying "make sure you tip me"....and all I wanted to do was punch him. So, when we got out of the car I walked in to the hotel to check in while allowing Ben to get the bags. Part of my reasoning for this was that I didn't want to tip the guy and I knew that Ben didn't have any cash. Well, that didn't deter our little buddy. He FOLLOWED Ben into the lobby to get his tip. I about died. Last time I checked, it is my option to tip or not to tip. But, I was tired so I asked if I could get change for a 20 from the desk. They didn't have it...guess who did?....our wonderful driver. So, Ben gave him the $20 bill and waited for change. He handed him $15 back. It is also my choice on how much I am going to tip someone so Ben said, "uh, I need the full $20 back". The guy huffed and gave it to him, and Ben gave him $2. He said outloud, "wow, thanks"! Ya, I was NOT impressed. So, then we checked into our hotel. We got onto the elevator and we were already concerned for the quality of the place. We got to our room and there were so many stains and such on the floor that I didn't even feel comfortable taking off my shoes. People, I really am not usually a snob. Uh...I am living in the Philippines, I am ok with dirtiness, but this was just gross. Let's just say we were glad this was just a one night thing.
-To finish off our awesome hotel experience, in the morning we got up pretty late. We knew that there was a hotel shuttle every 1/2 hour from a sign they had in the room. It was almost 11 and we weren't quite ready, so I called down to the front desk to make sure they would have a shuttle at 11:30. She informed me that the next shuttle would not be until noon. Well, lets just say I had no desire to stay at that place for another hour. We were taking the shuttle back to the airport in order to get on the airtrain and then the subway into Manhatten. Anyway, I decided I would run downstairs and let Ben finish up. That way they would know I wanted to take the shuttle. Anyway, I got downstairs and walked out to the shuttle. The driver was helping people on so I just walked over and asked "this shuttle leaves at 11:00 AM, right?" His answer, "I leave when I am full" said quite curtly. So, I then asked "oh, so then when will you be back for the next one"...again, a curt reply of "I won't be back, I am off and I will be going home"....uh, ok, not really the meaning of my question. I just wanted to know when the next shuttle would be. He just said he didn't know. Then, even though the bus wasn't full and it wasn't 11 AM yet, he started to shut the doors. I said "are you full" and he said "we are leaving".. Ya, I was pissed. So, I then said not so nicely "well, thanks for all of your help.." and started to walk away. So, guess what the friendly bus driver did? Did he get in his drivers seat and drive away with his guests waiting for him? Nope. He proceeded to follow me into the hotel yelling profanities at me and telling me I couldn't treat him that way. I tried to ignore him, but as he was yelling through the lobby I turned to him and said "My experience at this hotel and with your shuttles has been horrible. Your job is customer service..." and then he totally exploded. He was within inches of my face yelling at me "Don't you tell me what my *#$%ing job is" over and over again. Uh, ya...so awesome. Finally, the hotel manager had to come over and break it up. She asked what had happened so I explained both the awesome driver from the night before and my wonderful experience with that driver. She proceeded to arrange a separate bus for us to get to the airport immediately. Boy was I glad to get out of that place.

So, that was our "welcome to New York". I will blog about the rest of day 1 later tonight.

MAINE DAY 3

Sorry that it has taken me so long to post the rest of our trip. It has been crazy busy. We will blog about that later though. Let me tell you more about our trip for now. BTW, thanks for all the comments, I feel the love:)

On our last day in Maine, Tonna had to go back to work so it was just Adam, Ben and myself. We went to eat lunch at a great little sandwich place where Adam and Ben got the biggest Pastrami and Corned Beef sandwiches I have ever seen (this was before New York, so that did change). After that, we headed out to the beach. It was great, but the really ironic thing was that this was the only day of our trip that was overcast and a little cool. Every other day was so very hot and humid. Funny how that works!

It really was the perfect weather for a nap on the beach...oh, and reading my kindle (well, my mom's). It was a great end to our perfect Maine trip.

After the beach we were back to pack and to the airport. Our flight was very delayed to NYC, but we weren't even upset about that. We talked that night about the fact that we had already had such a great time and if that was the end of the trip we would be perfectly happy.

New York City was quite the adventure! I will tell you all about it tomorrow.

MAINE DAY 2

I am worried that no one reads my blog anymore. Although I did say that this is mostly for journaling purposes, which it is, it makes me a little sad that no one comments or lets me know they care:). Haha!

The second day we were in Maine was a Sunday so the first thing we did was attend church with Adam and Tonna. We actually went to all three meetings, Sacrament Meeting, Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society. I went to Young Women with Tonna, which was fun. It's been a while. We really enjoyed their ward and the people in it. Sunday School was especially fun:) One thing about Maine is that the people are very proud of where they are from. True Mainers...

After church we went to see the Portland Head light. This light house is one of those places you see in pictures all over the place. It is gorgeous.

I also thought this was so awesome, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow walked where we were walking and sat right here. It was inspiration for one of his poems...so cool!

After seeing the Portland Head light we went to Two Lights, where you can supposedly see two more Light houses. We only saw one, but loved it any way. We were able to go down and put our feet in the water and although it was SO cold, it felt great since it was so hot. We were in the East during some of the hottest months ever, so the cold water was just what we needed (oh, and all the home made ice cream, yum!)

One thing Portland, Maine is known for is it's food. They have practically no chain restaurants, which opens the doors for many small, local restaurants. We had some great food while we were there. Sunday night we went for sushi and it was Yummy!

Maine Day 1

Maine was definitely the most relaxing part of our vacation. It was full of seeing beautiful places, eating great food and spending time with family! Adam and Tonna have been living in Portland, Maine for the past year and have learned the great places to go.

This was the first place we ate in Maine and it was everything you would expect. Red's Eats with their 1lb lobster rolls, amazing onion rings, haddock sandwiches and crab cakes. It was definitely worth the 1 hour wait.

Later that same afternoon we drove up to Camden Maine to an overlook. It was so beautiful! Adam and Tonna were great tour guides.

Looking over the beautiful shoreline.

It was so much fun to hang out and spend time with Adam and Tonna. Aren't they cute?

Adam, Ben and myself waiting to see Inception. If you haven't seen it, you should. Literally boggled my mind...in a good way.

Maine is a beautiful place and we are so glad we got the chance to go. We figured we wouldn't be going back there any time soon and this was the perfect opportunity. We are glad we followed our instincts.

BOSTON DAY 2

The 2nd day we were in Boston we knew we wanted to see as much of the history of Boston as we could. So, we got a free tour of the Freedom Trail and really enjoyed it. It was very hot again, but hearing about the "Boston Massacre" and the "Boston Tea Party" and the start of the Revolutionary War made it all worth it. I am not a big history buff, but it was so amazing to be there.

This is the where the tour began at the State House.

I thought this picture was quite amusing cause you can see Ben wiping the sweat from his forehead. It was ok when we were in the shade, but in the sun....SO HOT!

Part of the Freedom Trail is to see Paul Revere's House....again, not a history buff, but seeing it and being there was such a different experience than reading about it in a book.



This building isn't historical, but it just epitomizes the beauty of the old brick buildings in Boston. I loved the way everything looked. Oh...and the restaurant in this building was called "Carmen" so I am sure that had something to do with why I liked it so much.



Ben standing by The Paul Revere statue in the North End (which was also where we had our dinner that night and it was THE BEST Italian food I have ever eaten)



This was in one of the places on the Freedom Trail. It is a memorial to all of the soldiers lost in the War in Afghanistan. Each of those silver things is a set of blank dog tags representing one soldier lost. It was very moving.







I do not like this picture of myself, but who cares, I need to record our trip and if that means posting pictures of me I don't like, then so be it. This was us before we got on our "duck tour" of Boston. They use these WW II style amphibeous vehicle to take you on a tour of Boston on land and on the river. It was pretty cool, but I was TIRED and HOT and kept practically passing out during the trip. Plus, it was too long for any of us.




Adam and Tonna on our duck with us. We were so glad they could come down and spend the day in Boston with us on Friday. It was more fun with them.

After the duck tour we went to the Boston Public Library, which is the first public library in the country. The building was gorgeous inside and out, but it was closing as we arrived. We just had to make sure we got pictures of Ben being "gallant" or maybe just a little nerdy.

Sadly enough I left my camera in the car when we walked down to the North End and went to dinner. It was such a yummy dinner. Then we went to Mike's Pastry and got like a billion different kinds of Canoli's and an eclair that was to die for. It was very yummy and the perfect end to a great day in Boston. It did start to pour on our walk back to the car, but we welcomed the rain after how hot it had been.

The Boston part of our trip was over and we left and drove back to Portland Maine and to Adam and Tonna's cute house that night. Boston was awesome and we could not have asked for a more fun start to our trip (although Ben didn't get his Celtics hat or to get into the Garden..)