The Crawfords take Manhattan- November 23rd and 24th

In the style of the city itself,  our visit to New York was an intense whirlwind of activity.  The kids and I have never seen the Big Apple so we wanted to see and do everything- in two days.  The question on everyone's mind- Where do you park a motor home in NYC? Answer- you don't.   Our RV park (AKA a marina parking lot with electrical hook-ups) in Jersey City, NJ had a clear view of  Lady Liberty and the NYC skyline.  A twenty minute ride on a water taxi deposited us into the heart of the financial district.  



For a first timer the sheer size and number of  skyscrapers was awe-inspiring.

Our budget trip to the Statue of Liberty- a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry.

The World Trade Center site is now a full fledged construction zone. Having never been to NY I could not imagine the physical void these buildings left and  the constant reminder of loss.   The museum across the street  and the fire fighters' memorial gave us a small glimpse into both the pain and heroism of 9/11 and the continual grief shared by so many families. 

This is the only thing on Wall Street you can get close to.  If you would like to see a NYPD police officer, Wall Street is a great place to look.  The security surrounding the stock exchange is extreme.  We asked if the viewing gallery was open and the guard joked that we were ten years too late.  Enough said.

After a slice and a soda in Greenwich Village we had to go see where "Carrie" lives.  Apparently so do all the other tourists.  The occupants have a chain and a nice box asking that if you take pictures please leave some change for the local no kill shelter.

Andy was so excited to get to Times Square..

and we were so excited to see Whoopi Goldberg.

Karly told us Toys r us has a three story  ferris wheel so we had to make a stop. 

Live from New York...it's Tuesday night.

I finally got my girls to the American Girl Place for lunch.

And Andy got to see the home of the Yankees. [ He would like me to point out that an error on my part meant they arrived too late for a tour. ]

A quick stop to see the Plaza and watch guests arrive for the Thanksgiving Ball.

Where in the world are the Crawfords? [center front]

On a giant TV screen in Times Square.

Who captured Kung Fu Panda?  One of my many guidebooks for our adventure, 1000 Things to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die, lists the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Thanksgiving dinner at the Plimoth Plantation.  Pretty much impossible to do both in one day so we settled for watching them inflate the balloons the night before.

Our  grand farewell to New York-pretzels, hot dogs and soda from a street vendor.