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East

A Walk on the Brooklyn Bridge

November 22, 2019 by 7 Comments

Brooklyn Bridge

On the evening of our second day in New York City, we decided to take an excursion over the Brooklyn Bridge. A friend had told us that Grimaldi’s, located under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, has the best pizza in the city. It’s coal fired pizza (cooked in a coal-burning oven at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit), and that intrigued us. Apparently the dough recipe is 100 years old.

It was 8 o’clock when we started out from our hotel in the Manhattan Financial District. We were a little concerned that the bridge might be empty because it was a Sunday night, but the concierge at our hotel had assured us that there would be plenty of people out and about. And boy was he right! The bridge was absolutely packed. And the walking path is extremely narrow. If two people walk shoulder to shoulder, others are barely able to pass. The other half of the path is reserved for bikers, who whizzed by, in the dark, like they were training for the Tour de France. 

The view of the Manhattan skyline from the bridge was spectacular! I only wish we had had newer smart phones to take a better quality picture. As we walked, we talked about the fact that there is a Cold War era bunker inside the bridge. It was recently rediscovered after being forgotten for many decades. The general public knows that it exists, but the exact location has not been leaked, although it is believed to be under an arch on the Manhattan side. Apparently it is still filled with 70-year-old supplies. Perhaps someday they will open it to the public and give tours.

We arrived at Grimaldi‘s pizza after a two-mike walk to find that there was a line and a 30-minute wait just to get inside the restaurant. Must be good pizza, we thought. We decided to stick it out, and Little Buddy was very well behaved as we waited over an hour before tasting a bite of pizza. But it was well worth the wait. That pizza was like none we had ever had. Below are links to my other NYC posts.

Wall Street and Times Square

Korean BBQ and Saks Fifth Avenue

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

NYC Themed Art

Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Brooklyn, Brooklyn Bridge, coal fired, Cold war era bunker, Manhattan Financial District, Manhattan skyline, New York City

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

November 1, 2019 by 9 Comments

Little Buddy New York City Skyline

Our second day in New York City was spent at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We took a ferry to Liberty Island, where we enjoyed lunch on a bench along the water, admiring the beautiful view of Manhattan. There were several hundred people on Liberty Island, but the atmosphere was surprisingly calm and serene. Definitely not something we expected to find in the Big Apple.

Sadly, we weren’t able to go inside the Statue of Liberty. Touring the crown and pedestal requires a reservation several months in advance, and the torch has been closed since July 30th, 1916, when it was damaged by the Black Tom Bombing. The bombing was done by German agents in order to destroy United States munitions that would be sent to the Allies during World War I. The U.S. was still neutral at that point.

The only people who have access to the torch are National Park Service employees. They have to climb a 40-foot ladder to access the floodlights that light the torch. Have any of you been inside the statue? What was it like? Perhaps you even know someone who climbed up to the torch a hundred years ago?

Ellis island was the highlight for me. We walked through the main building, where the immigrants arrived, with an excellent tour guide. It was interesting to hear that only the steerage passenger set foot on Ellis Island. The richer folks had their inspections on the ship and were dropped off right in Manhattan.

The photo above shows the main hall, where the immigrants were processed. Below are the stairs that they were sent down after inspection. One row was for those who were cleared to enter the United States. One was for those who would be detained on the island. In that case, immigrants would have to decide whether the entire family would stay together on Ellis Island together, at their own expense, or whether the rest of the family would leave the detained individuals behind and begin to make a life in America, with hopes of reuniting. If the family’s sole breadwinner was detained, the others would not be allowed to enter the country until he or she was released. The government wanted to make sure that immigrant families had the ability to earn money and feed their children.

The third row was for the immigrants who would be sent back to their home country, expenses paid for by the company that owned the ship that had brought them. We were intrigued to learn that that is still the case. If you fly to another country and are not allowed to enter for whatever reason, the airline is responsible for taking you home.

Through the doors at the bottom of the stairs is the area known as the “Kissing Post,” where family members and friends were reunited.

Near the main hall, the tour guide pointed out a pillar covered in historic graffiti, written by immigrants who were detained at Ellis Island.

Do any of my American or Canadian readers have relatives who passed through Ellis Island? Our tour guide said that 40% of United States citizens do.

Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Ellis Island, ferry to liberty island, Liberty Island, Manhattan, New York City, Statue of Liberty

Wall Street and Times Square

October 2, 2019 by 14 Comments

We arrived in New York City late in the evening. I was thrilled to have found a reputable car service that provides car seats to drive us from LaGuardia Airport to our hotel in the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. Taking the subway with our luggage and a baby would have been a nightmare, especially because it wouldn’t have been a direct route. When he’s not taking shuttling common folk like us to and from the airport, our driver drives for a number of famous people, including actress Sarah Jessica Parker. We had a great time hearing about all his adventures.

The hotel staff was kind enough to put us in a handicap accessible room so the baby crib would fit. We were grateful for the extra space, although the room was still only the size of the stateroom we had had on our Mexico cruise. I can only imagine how small the regular rooms must have been! Space sure if limited in the Big Apple.

Our first morning was spent wandering around Wall Street and the Financial District. We stepped inside Trinity Church, although the main sanctuary was closed for renovation.

Trinity was chartered by King William III in 1697. Founding Fathers John Jay and Alexander Hamilton attended. Hamilton, the United States’ first Secretary of the Treasury and the man credited for establishing a national bank, is buried in the church’s graveyard. Some of his children were baptized at Trinity. The current Trinity Church building was completed in 1846. The first burned down in 1776, and the second was torn down in 1839.

Trinity Church

We walked past the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on a Saturday morning, and there was a huge, orange advertising banner stretched across the iconic windows. On Sunday, it was gone. Mr. Handsome wonders if they put it over the windows for security while people are in the building and then pull it up on weekends.

The cobblestone near the NYSE made Wall Street feel oddly quaint, although it proved to be a bit problematic when I was trying to push the sleeping Little Buddy in his stroller without waking him.

Later that day, we ventured up to Midtown Manhattan on the subway. I experienced the subway during a visit to New York City almost ten years, but I didn’t remember it being so confusing. “Everything about that was terrible,” Mr. Handsome stated after we were safely above ground.

Taking the stroller on the subway was a bit of a challenge, but not as much as I had expected. We were able to find elevators most of the time, and when we couldn’t, it wasn’t too difficult to carry the stroller up or down the stairs. And Little Buddy always smiled and laughed when we picked it up.

We had already become accustomed to the slower pace in the Financial District, but the minute we stepped out onto the street in Midtown, we realized that this was a very different place. People everywhere. Heavy air with a lack of oxygen. Every time we crossed the street, it seemed like there was at least one car that almost hit us.

But Times Square was spectacular, as was the chocolate mousse cheesecake from Junior’s (a recommendation from a friend). The best cheesecake we’ve ever had, hands down.

Cheesecake from Junior’s

That evening, we had two very unique experiences. We walked through Saks Fifth Avenue and ate Korean BBQ. Not at the same time, though. I’ll write about that later.

Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Alexander Hamilton, Big Apple, cheesecake, Financial Distric, founding fathers, John Jay, Korean BBq, Manhattan, New York City, Sarah Jessica Parker, Stock exchange, Subway, Trinity Church, Wall Street

Cadillac Mountain at Sunset

May 29, 2019 by 11 Comments

Cadillac Mountain Acadia National Park

Have you ever visited Acadia National Park along the Maine Coast? Last fall, after exploring Boston and the upper and lower sections of Old Quebec City and before doing our Maine lighthouse tour, Mr. Handsome and I made a quick stop at Acadia National Park. We arrived just as the sun was beginning to set.

We were concerned that it might be too late to drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, but there were still a decent amount of tourists headed for the narrow mountain road, so we decided to take the chance. It was 40 degrees and windy, and the weather only felt colder on the mountain. We stopped at a couple quick lookout points before reaching the top.

Cadillac Mountain Acadia National Park

 

When we arrived at the peak and walked out to the iconic photo spot, we were blown away (figuratively and almost literally). The view was absolutely spectacular, and the lighting was just perfect.

Cadillac Mountain Acadia National Park

Cadillac Mountain used to be known as Green Mountain and was renamed Cadillac Mountain in 1918 to honor the 17th century French explorer who at one point had ownership of the mountain and surrounding area. As the highest point along the Eastern Seaboard, Cadillac Mountain (elevation of 1,530 feet or 466 meters) sees the sunrise before any other place …

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Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Acadia National Park, Boston, Cadillac Mountain, Maine coast, Old Quebec, Quebec

Boston at Sunrise

May 15, 2019 by 4 Comments

Boston Nahant Massachusetts

Hope your week is going well. To brighten your day, I thought I would share five lovely photos that my youngest sister-in-law took. For those who don’t know, Mr. Handsome has six younger siblings. Four of them are well past college age, but the two little ones are still in high school (although one is about to graduate, which is so crazy to me because I still remember her as the tiny little girl that she was when I first met Mr. Handsome).

These two girls may be younger than the rest of the siblings, but they have already become such talented, capable women, and their maturity makes them seem like they are the same age as the rest of us. They are both well-rounded and have a slew of hobbies and skills, and they never cease to amaze me with all their DIY projects. Mr. Handsome and I are eager to watch them enter adulthood, and we look forward to seeing what God has in store for their lives.

The five photos in this post were taken by the youngest, Lena, in Nahant, Massachusetts, at sunrise. Nahant is a quaint, historic island that lies just off the coast from Boston and can be accessed by a road. That’s where our rental house was located when we visited the area with Mr. Handsome’s family last fall. (Yep, we went to Boston in the fall, for those of you who are familiar with the VeggieTales song “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.”) In case you missed the posts I have shared about our trip, the links are below.

Boston Nahant Massachusetts

Boston Nahant Massachusetts

Boston Nahant Massachusetts

Boston Nahant Massachusetts

Exploring 400-Year-Old Plymouth

New Hampshire’s Flume Gorge

Old Quebec City

Maine Lighthouse Tour

Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Boston, Nahant Massachusetts, Pirates who don't do anything, VeggieTales

Maine Lighthouse Tour

March 5, 2019 by 19 Comments

Portland Head Lighthouse

During our October East Coast trip, we toured the Boston area for five days, drove up through New Hampshire to the Canadian border, spent a day in the walled city of Old Quebec, drove back down into Maine, stopped at several lighthouses along the Maine Coast, and flew out of Boston’s Logan International airport. It was a busy trip with lots of stops, but we had a blast. The day we spent doing our Maine lighthouse tour along the coastal road was the most relaxing day of the entire trip. All we had to do was make it to Boston by night, so we were able to enjoy the lighthouses at a leisurely pace. It was chilly (high 40sF/9C) but beautifully sunny. Maine is home to more than 50 active lighthouses, and we visited some of the best. The most beautiful lighthouse, Portland Head Light, is highlighted at the end of this post.

Fort Point Lighthouse, located beside Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs, is a private residence. If you wish to go onto the property, you must pay a small fee. (There were other lighthouses that we really wanted to see, so we just took a photo from the road and continued on our way.) The current lighthouse has been in service since 1857, but there was another lighthouse in that location for 20 years prior.

Fort Point Lighthouse Stockton Springs Maine…

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Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Boston, East coast trip, Fort Point, George Washington, John Quincy Adams, lighthouse, Logan International Airport, Maine, Maine coast, Maine lighthouse tour, Portland Head Light, Portland Head Lighthouse, Rhode Island, United States

New Hampshire’s Flume Gorge

November 3, 2018 by 21 Comments

Flume Gorge New HampshireLast month, I shared photos from our visit to historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. We spent a few days in Boston and the surrounding area (photos from     Lexington, Concord, the coast, and the Freedom Trail coming soon), drove up to Quebec City through New Hampshire, and then returned to Boston via the stunning Maine coast. It was a quick trip, but we packed a lot in. Mr. Handsome has been to Boston, but this was my first time to any of the New England states.

Flume Gorge New Hampshire…

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Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Boston, Flume Gorge, Franconia Notch State Park, Freedom Trail, Maine coast, Mt Washington, New England, New Hampshire, Plymouth, Quebec City, White Mountain National Forest

Exploring 400-Year-Old Plymouth

October 17, 2018 by 9 Comments

Plymouth Rock

Mr. Handsome and I recently returned from a trip to the East Coast. We spent the first few days in Boston visiting all the major historical sites with Mr. Handsome’s parents and some of his siblings and grandparents. Then we went off on our own and drove up to Quebec City through New Hampshire and back down the Maine coast. I guess you could call the second leg of our trip a “babymoon.” It was a grand adventure!

I love living history, so visiting Plymouth, Massachusetts, was the highlight of our time in Boston. Seeking civil and religious freedom, a group of 102 Puritans (known as the Pilgrims) led by William Bradford left England in September 1620 and arrived in Cape Cod two months later. After signing the Mayflower Compact, they continued on to the site that would become known as Plymouth, marked by Plymouth Rock.

Plymouth Rock

The rock was much smaller than I had always imagined it. When we saw it, my father-in-law remarked, “No wonder the Pilgrims knew that this was the spot to land–they just had to find the rock with the correct year on it.”…

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Filed Under: East, Travel, U.S. Tagged With: Boston, Cape Cod, East Coast, Kirk Cameron, Massachusetts, National Monument to the Forefathers, Pilgrims, Plymout Rock, Plymouth

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EllieMr. Handsome and I married four years ago and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Between recipes, photos from our travels, money saving tips, DIY suggestions, post about our daily life with our son, and more, our lifestyle blog features a little bit of everything. Read More…

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