16 - 28th December 2018
We left sun, beach and a warm 35 degrees for rain, fog and 2 degrees but we didn't care because we were finally in NYC! We landed at JFK and after a short delay at customs we got our bags and headed to the airport shuttle. We had an hour drive into Manhattan and before long we were in the concrete jungle of downtown. It had been a long day of traveling so our first day we just checked into our hotel and then took a short walk to Times Square. It had been 8 years since I was last in NYC and it was the first time for Caleb. The lights are just as bright, the crowds are just as big and the traffic just as bad.
Thankfully our winter clothes had made it after I sent them to a friends place in Pennsylvania when we were in Hong Kong. Not wanting or needing to carry our heavy clothes around for 6 months through places like the desert and the Caribbean, our friends saved us and sent them onto our NYC hotel to meet us on arrival. And thank god too because we needed them from day 1!
We strolled around the city walking through Hell's Kitchen and Central Park making our way uptown to the Museum of Natural History. This place was amazing. We spent most of our day here exploring the Hayden Planetarium and Deep Sea Exhibition. We watched a 30 min film in the Planetarium narrated by the one and only Neil Degrasse Tyson and the effects were breathe taking. This was the start of our space journey as you'll see in cities to come. As we headed back downtown we were stopped by a local news crew on the sidewalk who asked to interview Caleb about the recent firing of Manchester United coach. A great way to finish off the day!
We were hit with more rain the next day so we kept it low key but had a very exciting night planned. A lifetime dream of Caleb's was to go to Madison Square Garden and watch the NY Ranger's play. Well tonight was the night! We got awesome seats last minute in an almost packed stadium. It was a really close game too. The Rangers scored the game winner a man down with 50 seconds to go and we were lucky enough to be seated right in front of the net. The crowd erupted so loud I'm sure you could hear it outside. 25 years in the making Caleb was one happy man.
As we planned to spend Christmas in New York we decided to head down to DC for a couple of days to explore and show Caleb around the capital as I had been before. We took the train down and after an easy journey we arrived to more rain and fog. With rain jackets in hand our first stop was the Library of Congress. A magnificent building built with enough marble to sink a fleet of ships, we took a tour and learnt about the history of how the library came about. Today the library, that officially serves the US Congress, receives a copy of any published item in America meaning they have more than 110 million items in almost every language. Very impressive.
We walked across the road to the Capitol Building to see another impressive structure located at the top of the National Mall. We went inside and had a look around before walking around front to make our way down the mall to the famed Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Space journey part 2! Here we watched a 3D IMAX movie narrated by Patrick Stewart, explored the Boeing flight hall and walked through the space exploration area that housed different replicas of space rockets and moon landing artifacts. We even used their space system to find satellite images of my family farm back in OZ. The museum is so well set up we could have spent hours there. But as the sun went down and the rain wasn't letting up anytime soon we decided to call it a day and make our way back to the hotel.
We only planned 3 nights in DC so on our last day we were lucky to have the sun out for our jam packed day. We jumped on the hop on hop off bus to take us around the city and our first stop was the Martin Luther King and Lincoln memorials. The Arlington National Cemetery was next and it was a very somber yet moving place to visit. We walked through the fields and visited JFK's resting place as well as the tomb of the unknown solider. Driving back across the boarder into Washington DC our next stop was the White House. Caleb was surprised to see how small the house was in real life. After getting a glimpse of the Oval Office we walked past all the secret service and police guards to the WH tourist centre and then onto the Washington Monument. We made our way to view the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, a must do when in DC, before calling it a day.
As Christmas was around the corner it was time to head back to New York. We stayed at a new hotel this time closer to Madison Square Garden and still in the heart of Times Square. First thing on the to do list was the Empire State Building. The rain had stopped thankfully but the temperature stayed at a cool 6 degrees so it was a lovely day to get a birds eye view of the city. We had watched the movie Sully on a recent cruise so it was cool to see the Hudson River from that vantage point to just see how skilled the pilot was to land safely on the river. I pointed out the Statue of Liberty as well as the Wall St area as we weren't planning to visit this time around.
Christmas Day was finally here and we had been praying for a white Christmas. With all our fingers and toes crossed it just wasn't meant to be. Instead we had a clear blue sky and an almost zero temp day but hey it's Christmas! On Xmas Eve we visited Rockefeller Plaza with the rest of the city. Even with the elbow jabbing crowds, nothing could take away from the beauty of their Christmas Tree display. Perfectly perched above the ice skating rink it shimmered so bright irrespective of the city lights around it. We called our families amid the maddness to show them where we were and share the experience with them. We had to call again back at the hotel because there was no chance of hearing what they said to us while at the Plaza but we hope they liked the lights!
When the day was over we continued our exploration of the city and headed downtown to visit Ground Zero. There are not many words I can use to describe the presence felt being there, seeing the water monuments and reading the names of all those that perished on that fateful day. The area, as well as the subway station below, has been done very well to honor those in the towers as well as on the planes. When visiting it is just nice to stop, reflect and pay your respects. A very sombre experience and one our generation will never forget.
On our last day in the big apple we hit up Ripley's Believe it Or Not and soaked up the lights of Times Square for one last time. We decided to finish on a high - literally. Top of the Rock had the best views of the city made all the better because we had the best weather we'd had our whole trip. The sun was out, blue skies for miles and a skyline that was just begging to have it's photo taken. Caleb's lens ball got a work out up there.
Before we knew it 10 days up north were over and it was time to put the winter clothes away and head back to the Caribbean. Woohoo warm weather we were come! Out of curiosity, considering this was the coldest weather we've had on the trip thus far, I checked what was happening over in Alaska. A mere -12 over Xmas didn't give me great confidence for our trip in Feb with average temps dipping to -20. Best be soaking up the sun this next week as much as possible!
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Our last couple of days in Phoenix were spent relaxing and catching up with Daryl and Leah while hubby recuperates and tries to fend off a wicked cough. Little man Harry kept him entertained as did a large sectional couch, flat screen TV and Red Dead Redemption 2. I was able to get him outside the house in small doses but our friends didn't seem to mind the downtime at home and the boys definitely didn't mind channeling their youth and playing the playstation for hours on end. As with our time with friends in Louisiana it was so great seeing friendly faces and having the comforts of home for a short time.
But there is no rest for the wicked! We packed the bags back into the car and we were off. Before we reached our next planned destination of Viva Las Vegas, we decided to make an over night stop in the jaw dropping Monument Valley. This place is unparalleled in natural beauty. We stayed at the View Hotel run by the local native tribe and gives you some spectacular views of the entire park. There are roads through the park which we drove to view different monuments and land marks that make this place so famous.As we watched the sun go down, along with the temperature we decided to call it a night.
As we left the hotel, that straddles the Utah & Arizona border, we drove about 20kms into Utah just to find the iconic spot from the Forrest Gump movie. We found it and it was totally worth the drive and straddling the middle of the road to get the perfect shot! Sadly Caleb lost his Pop just before we got to the Valley and in talking with his mum, she reminded him of his great love for the old John Wayne movies, especially the ones based in Monument Valley. Being able to come here less than a week of losing such a great man was Caleb's way of being able to say goodbye to him without being able to be home with the rest of the family. This one is for you Pop Craine.
As we watched the magnificent silhouettes of Monument Valley fade in the rear vision mirror we headed north west through the Virgin River Gorge towards the bright lights of Las Vegas. Even though Caleb was still down and out with the man flu no one could wipe the smile off his face as he was back to his happy place. We had our own apartment for the next 10 days and I was excited to finally have my own kitchen, do the washing and have the facilities of a great resort. Caleb set off to the tables the first change he got and I was more than happy to stay 'home'. While he was dusting off his poker skills, I relished in the mundane tasks of grocery shopping. I know I'm going to regret saying that when we eventually head home! The resort has a cinema, gym and pools with hot tubs. I'm set.
