Goodbye New York, Hello Washington DC

Our last day in New York, we decided to check the car battery!  Oops, deader than a doornail!  Enter AAA,  Yeah for BCAA!  We called them and they were there within an hour and installed a new battery.  The old one had a bad cell, so couldn't be charged up.  It has been going, we have been pulling the car along with the ignition partly on for over 9000 kms.  So not easy on batteries.  So we had lunch in the RV and headed into town again.

We visited the Empire State Building, went to the observatory that you see in "An Affair to Remember", "Sleepless in Seatle", "Breakfast at Tiffanies", King Kong, and the list goes on.  It was almost a religious experience! lol.  We rented a little audio guide and it was well worth it.  When you look one direction, the audio guide tells you what you are looking at and gives a little story or two.

 There it is from the street.  It was built in 1931, in the depressions years.  It was the tallest building for over 40 years, until the World Trade Center was built.  It also had a plane hit it once, in the 1950's, by mistake.  A few people were killed, but the building is a stong as ever.  To New Yorkers it stands for stability.  It is still the tallest building around its area.  The new world trade center is taller, but it is far enough away that your view is not obstructed by anything all the way around.

 

The lobby, A pretty classy place.

 

Then I went to Macy's.  The biggest one is here.  It's 10 stories, I think.  I only got to 5.  My feet gave out again.  So we went for dinner at a nice Pub and home. 

 

New York was a great experience.  I don't know how anything gets done in such a crowded, crazy place.  The traffic; you would never catch me trying to drive here.  Pedestrians ignore street lights.  I don't know how more aren't killed.  Also, with that crowd, when you are out and about for 12 hours a day, the biggest issue is finding a public washroom!  lol.  We found that Starbucks usually had one, so you just had to buy a coffee and wait in line for 1/2 hour.  No problem.

 

 

So, then we left our campsite in New Jersey and headed to Washington D C.  The challenge of driving around here is not what you think.  The traffic is crazy, but also, there are so many toll roads!  It is very challenging to get anywhere with out breaking the bank!  We were lucky and only paid about $17.  We heard from one couple in Nova Scotia that had driven this way that paid over $200 on Turnpikes.  So those of you that have been complaining about the toll on the Port Mann, consider yourselves lucky!

 



So, Washington!  What a culture shock!  Here, there are many people as well, but everything is so organized and sedate by comparison.  We again took a Hop On Hop Off bus tour.  The guide was talking to some folks at 6;30, the end of the tour, about where to get off.  He said "If you want downtown, get off here, but nothing is happening now."  Ha ha.

We are staying at a campsite called Cherry Hill, about an hour out of town, by bus and subway, but very convenient.  The bus stops right at the campsite. and takes you steps from the subway.  So easy to get around. 

 Very nice subway, fairly clean and fast trains

 Union Station and Columbus Circle

 The Capital Building

 

 Washington Monument, under repair from an Earthquake 2 years ago.

Martin Luther King, This statue, but also a large wall of granite with many of his famous quotes on it.

This is just one example.  It is well done, because it is not the man's face that is significant, but what he said and did.

 

 Thomas Jefferson, he is standing, looking at the White House.  I figure he's saying, hey that's my house!

F D R, a fabulous memorial to him, it is huge, goes on and on. All stone and water, with many of his famous words engraved on the stone.  Same idea as M. L. King, its words and deeds that are immortalized.

 

The Second World War Memorial is so huge, our pictures don't even show it well.  Very well done.

Vietnam War Memorial

 

 

 Korean War Memorial, a black granite wall behind the soldiers has faces etched in it that are actual faces of soldiers

 

 

 Abraham Lincoln.  Fabulous monument, with the Gettysburg Address and his first Inaugaral Speech engraved on the inside of the temple. 

This is his view, to the Washington Monument and the Capital building behind. 

 

 

 

I got to say it.  The United States know how to honour their people.  Acres and acres of monuments, you can hardly walk far enough to see them all.  Quite something to see.

 

So, we were on the go for another 10 hour day.  In New York they were 12 and 13 hour days.  So we am pooped and we are taking a day off today.  Once I am finished blogging, I am going to do laundry and read my book.  It is 33 degrees today, humidex 41, supposed to be even warmer tomorrow.  Glad we have air conditoning.  We are also getting an oil change done on the RV.  The guy just came and will do it here, so we don't have to drive to a place.  Very convenient.