Another busy, packed week in New York! New York City was a first for all of us so we wanted to experience as much as we could.
The week started out with a day at Legoland. Unfortunately the weather was dreary and chilly, but that meant the park was nearly empty! The boys were able to ride every ride multiple times, including the rollercoaster 12 times! Grant and Miles were especially enthralled with everything made out of legos and of course the HUGE lego store! We were the first ones in the park and one of the last to leave!Â
Ken has become a pro at driving the RV and does an amazing job getting us from place to place towing a 42’ camper! He was truly put to the test as we drove into Jersey City! The traffic, the tight roads, the crazy drivers! He did amazing and we arrived at our campsite safe and sound. This was not a typical campground. It was literally a parking lot in the heart of Jersey City with views of New York City and the Statue of Liberty! We were able to walk to the subway which took us right to New York City!
New York City was such a new experience for all of us—from riding the subway to all the sights and smells and lights of the streets. The boys were pretty much in awe the entire time, and sometimes overwhelmed!
Here are some of the things we did while in NYC:
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- 9/11 Memorial and Museum
- Horse and Carriage ride through Central Park
- ShoppingÂ
- Magnolia’s famous Banana pudding
- Walking through Broadway and Times Square
- New York bagels and New York Cheesecake
- Lunch at Bryant Park with my cousin, Lindsey, who helped us navigate the city and decide what to see/do
- Central Park Zoo
- Lion King on Broadway
- Walking through Times Square late after Lion King on Halloween weekend—eek! That was an experience!Â
- Brooklyn
- New York style pizza
- Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge at night
- So many subway rides!
All of these experiences were amazing, but the best part of the whole week was an encounter that was clearly orchestrated by God. I would be lying if I were to say that this entire journey has been easy and fun all the time! We have had the opportunity to do so many incredible things and experience so many new places, but it also has been challenging. Figuring out how to live in 42 feet, so much to learn about living in and transporting a camper, sickness, super quick showers, getting frustrated with one another, not always having full hook-up, and the list goes on. I hit my breaking point the first night in Jersey. I looked at Ken and said I think it is time to go home. Everyone is getting tired. Maybe we aren’t cut out for life in a camper. We decided the next morning we would pack up and head home.
The next morning came and we started packing up but decided we should just go into the city at least once. We took the morning super slow and had a great day as a family in the city, somehow deciding that we needed to slow down a little and just extend our time in NY so we wouldn’t be racing. Anyway, the day we were supposed to leave, I get a text from the family that sold us the camper saying that their good friends had arrived at Liberty Harbor campground and recognized the camper! Long story short, we end up meeting this family. They have been living full-time on the road for over 2 years with 5 kids, 3 boys similar in age to our boys. The boys played football together for hours and Ken and I talked with the parents, learning from their experiences and also hearing that life on the road is not always easy and takes some getting used to! I hadn’t realized that we had gone so long without relationships with others. It was exactly what we all needed at the exact right moment! It was so life-giving!Â
