Newsletter 8 - October, 2012

USA / Canada, Newsletter 8 - October, 2012
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Caravan Parks, or RV and Trailer Parks (as they’re called here), fall into two categories. There are the privately owned ones that park you on a gravelled block (not often level) and fairly close together, 

 

Typical camping site

or the State/Provincial Parks that are spacious and bushy and quite a delight to camp in, although they don’t always offer all facilities, 

Camping in a Provincial Park

which are referred to as a three way hook-up - electric, water and sewer). We can carry fresh water and store our grey and black water, usually “dumping” every few days, so can camp independently, as we do occasionally in Walmart carparks. 

Camping at Walmart

Then our stored fresh water works on a pump and if we need electricity (eg microwave), we run the petrol generator. The airconditioner  and furnace (electric heater), both work well but if you need to run them for some hours you would be best to have electric hook – up. As most people are independent the restrooms/bathouses are small in comparison to the number of campers and range from very basic, lacking in hooks and shelves, to quite comfortable. You are always asked to clean up after yourself but there are no mops etc.

Scenic camping

Campsites always come with a table and seats, and a fireplace. Most people buy wood and have a campfire (to sit around- not cook on). They usually cost around $30-$40 for single nights and we have averaged out at about $28.

As you cross a state/provincial border on a main road there is usually a welcome centre where we pick up state/provincial maps, and information on camping sites and state/provincial parks. It all helps with planning the route and the accommodation sites.

A Class RV's need a pull through long site with 50 amp power

The only campground within fifty miles of New York was Liberty Harbour in New Jersey. It must have been an old factory, all tight sites of gravel and tar and seventy five dollars a night. 

Liberty Harbour RV Park - yuk

  

But it was only a walk to the Metro and we were in Manhattan. Carolyn and her pleasant young man, Gavin flew in from London for a week and we spent a lot of time with them over the next four days.

Dinner at Connie's

We had great weather for our visit to the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) 

Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

An artist at work

Texting! in the Rembrandt Gallery

and Central Park, 

Bethesda Fountain and Terrace, Central Park

Alice in Wonderland, Central Park

Sail Boat Pond, Central Park

Riding in Central Park

and the John Lennon "Imagine" mosaic memorial.

"Imagine" Mosaic

On Carolyn's birthday, a brilliant sunny day, we went up the Rockefeller Tower at lunchtime 

Rockefeller Centre

View of Central Park, looking North

Carolyn's Birthday at the top of the Rockefeller Building

and the Empire State in the evening. 

Looking S towards the Freedom Tower and Brooklyn Bridge

Empire State Building

It was birthday dinner at a Diner (all chrome and benches) on Broadway, 

Birthday Cake at the Diner

and tickets to see the musical “Once”, completed the get-together. 

We saw some interesting sights in New York and have included the ones we thought most interesting.

Fireman in the Sand

Naked Cowboy

Parking - NY style

Times Square

 The Library was a beautiful building 

NY City Library

and we went to see Christopher Robin’s soft toys (the inspiration for A A Milne), in the children’s section.

Christopher Robin's Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet etc

A sombre mood prevailed at the twin towers site

One of the Memorial Pools in the footprint of 
the Twin Towers

and we thought the memorial pools and gardens were very symbolic. The museum should be opened next summer.

Names of 9/11 victims surround the pools

We found a hidden gem, The Frick Collection. Clay Frick was a self made millionaire in early 20^th C (mainly coke, to feed the steel mills in Pittsburgh). He collected artworks, and only what he liked to look at. It was amazing how similar our tastes are – only we don’t have the $millions - Dutch and Spanish masters,  

El Greco

French Impressionists 

A Monet, "Waterlilies"

and the best of the 19th and 20^th C English art. His house (now Museum) is also filled with the most exquisite furniture, clocks, porcelain and bronzes. Two hours just wasn’t enough time. Nearby was the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1959.

(Frank Lloyd Wright) - Guggenheim Museum

And so the rain put a dampener on the Ellis Is and the Statue of Liberty trip 

Statue of Liberty from Battery Park

The Sphere (recovered from the Twin Towers site), now in Battery Park - a symbol of peace

Freedom Tower

and by then we were worn out, so we  said our goodbyes to Carolyn and Gavin, who had the next four days before they flew back to London,and we drove west to Amish Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see Ed again, and have a couple of quiet days before we headed for Washington DC.

Going Visiting

Amish Parking Lot

Halloween decorations, are everywhere. Even the Amish are harvesting their pumpkins to sell for Jack-o-Lanterns.

Loading pumpkins onto their mule-drawn dray

The nearest campground to Washington DC was Cherry Tree Hill Campground – 20 miles north. It was one of the best we’ve stayed at, a bit pricey at $60 a night but with a shuttle bus to and from the city once a day, made sightseeing easy. 

So we took a two day pass to see the planned capital city – Canberra and Brasilia being the other two in the world.

Sightseeing in Washington DC

Washington is the city of Memorials, Monuments and free Museums. Starting at Union Station we did a night tour of president memorials, Lincoln and Jefferson, 

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

and the column of Washington (that was damaged slightly in the earth tremor of August 2011), 

Washington Monument

then the war memorials, Iwo Jima, Vietnam and Korean. 

Iwo Jima Memorial

The Martin Luther King Jr memorial was completed about 18 mths ago – it is very imposing .

Martin Luther King Junior Memorial

The next morning was an early start to get the bus (breakfast at Johny Rockets), 

Peanut butter and banana milkshake for breakfast, yum!

then to Georgetown for a river cruise, 

Georgetown on the Potomac River

Arlington, the WW2 memorial wall, and of course The White House. 

Arlington Cemetery

One of J F K's famous quotes

Eternal Flame at the Kennedy Family Graves

Freedom Wall - National WW II Memorial

Gold Stars on the Freedom Wall

Fountains at National WW II Memorial

The White House

The Museum of American History was really well done with a Conestoga Wagon in the foyer 

Conestoga Wagon at the Museum of American History

and a section on First Ladies of the White House with the gowns they wore for their Inauguration Ball. The change in styles and fashions was very obvious over the time period. We also saw the Star Spangled banner and the red shoes Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz.

Alternative travel around the Capital

A few hours in the afternoon was spent at the Holocaust Museum, which followed step by step (over 15 years), of Jewish persecution leading up to WW2, to the final liberation of the death camps.

At The Air and Space Museum 

The Spirit of St Louis

A DC 3

we joined a tour of the highlights and then spent more time in other areas. 

Early Space Command Modules

Three hours later we headed over to the Art Museum 

Edgar Degas

"The Boating Party" - Mary Cassatt (American artist)

 and in two hours we only saw our favourites. 

"The Cradle", Camille with the artist's son, Jean - 
Claude Monet

"Daniel in the Lion's Den" - Peter Paul Rubens

If we were working here we could spend every winter weekend visiting a museum 

Auguste Renoir

Vincent van Gogh - self portrait

and you probably wouldn’t see them all in a year.

Museum of Modern Art

Museum of the American Indian

After the three days we were exhausted so the next day we slept in, did the laundry, shopped at the first Walmart and then headed west about mid-day towards Pittsburgh for the next part of our trip.