And a tolerant traveling companion
A site detailing some things that happen, in varying detail.
At last, the whole reason for visiting New York (well, apparently Grace had "work" or something; I wouldn't know anything about that): visiting my sister, brother (in-law), and nephew! There will many pictures of him (and a few of them) over the next few days' posts, but here's one for now.
Yes, he really is that cute.
The evening was pretty low key. Or as low key as it could be with a very excited toddler. Fun times.
Our flight to New York was early enough that we had time in the afternoon to play tourist. We decided to take they ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Turns out we were too late to do both, so we just went to Ellis Island (but got to see the Statue from fairly close while on the way).
A fellow passenger on the ferry.
Grace looking totes adorbs.
Selfie pro tip: look at the lens, not the display.
Lower Manhattan skyline, featuring the new World Trade Center (Freedom Tower is a little too Orwellian for me to be happy about using it).
The Statue of Liberty!
The Statue of Liberty!
A less typical angle.
Okay we got a little better at this selfie thing.
Ellis Island was pretty cool. Unfortunately, a lot of the exhibits were unavailable. Hurricane Sandy knocked out a lot of the electrical systems responsible for climate control. You'd think repairs could have been completed by now, but apparently the Natural Park Service isn't exactly swimming in cash. Who knew? Maybe they should create an anti-terrorism division.
Ellis Island.
Ellis Island registry room.
Representing my Swedish heritage (the card may be hard to read)!
The roof and chandeliers in the registry room were really cool.
The roof and chandeliers in the registry room were really cool.
Not the language you'd see on modern immigration legislation. If there were any (oh snap).
I'm not sure the testing is entirely comprised of being able to watch your step, but I imagine that's at least one component.
The Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island.
Another selfie!
The gorgeous main building on Ellis Island.
Another shot of the Statue of Liberty from Ellis Island.
Another fellow passenger on the ferry. This one was remarkably adept at turning away from the camera at just the right (wrong) moment.
We arrived in New York, NY on September 10, 2014. Travel from Washington, DC was pretty uneventful. Plane was surprisingly (and pleasantly) empty. Commenting on the available space for my unwieldy carcass will probably be a common theme of this blog. On landing, we got an email saying our luggage had been lost. A fairly inauspicious beginning to our travels. Particularly when paying $100 per extra bag. Halfway through filling out the lost baggage forms, though, we noticed them stacking up bags that looked a whole lot like ours right outside the window. Turns out they were ours. Whew. No more paperwork necessary.
It's hard not to feel absurd carting a massive amount of luggage everywhere. In addition to Grace's backpack and my messenger bag, we each had: one rolling carry-on, one large rolling suitcase, and one large rolling duffel. All four larger pieces of luggage were right on the 50 lbs limit. Anyway, all this gear makes getting around an airport, getting a cab, and similar much more of a hassle. Move along, Prius, you are inadequate for this task.
An hour or so and many tips (to compensate for said absurd baggage) later, we got to our hotel. Nothing too remarkable here, but nice enough. A bit cramped, but I imagine this is usual for Manhattan. Or at least Manhattan at less than $500/night.