Our Vacation

New York City
My wife, Wendy, and I spent about three days in New York City. We wanted to just see if we would enjoy it as a vacation destination. We did enjoy it and plan to return someday.

Transportation
We flew into LaGuardia airport and then took a bus to the port authority terminal. From the terminal, we walked just a few blocks to our hotel in Manhattan. Our friend, Nancy, helped us locate a hotel that was in the heart of Manhattan.

I wondered before the trip if switching to a bus would be a headache, but as it turned out, it went pretty smoothly. And then when we left New York City (NYC), we caught a bus to the Newark airport and picked up our rental car. And that went smoothly. Cost was $24 for both of us.

I've read that taxis cost about $50. And I read this week that some dishonest taxi cab drivers were charging $100 and were caught by undercover police.

The first day in NYC, we took a five and a half hour bus tour which was very nice. Cost: $120. It included the bus trip and several short walking trips. This was a good way to see the highlights of the city and then we could pick and choose later where we wanted to spend more time.The next day we bought a 48 hour bus pass. These special, double decker buses stayed on 4 loops. We could hop on and off any time at any sightseeing destination. Cost:$98.

Our plane rides on Midwest were smooth and trouble free. And Midwest is still handing out those great chocolate chip cookies.

Rental Car
The car we rented was a fairly new Ford Explorer. It was a very nice car. The ride was a little stiff probably because it is a truck. Mileage was about 18 miles to the gallon. This isn’t a car I would buy but I liked trying it out on vacation.

Gasoline
Gas prices ranged from as little as $2.67 a gallon to as much as $3.25 a gallon in New Jersey. I saw this big price difference within a 100 mile distance. Cheapest gas was around Pocomoke, Maryland. The most expensive gas was in New York and New Jersey. In NYC, most people take the bus or the subway station and don't own cars.

Food
Just like when we were in Hawaii, we found that we could eat as cheaply and expensively as we wanted. The food from the street vendors was actually very good. I had a great pastrami sandwich at Smith’s across the street from our hotel, the Milford Plaza.Also there were few grocery stores. We were told that most people eat out all the time.

Our Hotel
We stayed at the Milford Plaza, which was in a great location. The room was a little smaller than what we are used to but it was not a closet. We paid $169 a night.

Sites
There were a lot of things to see in NYC. We got in quite a few sites, but will return someday and see some more. Chinatown, Rockefeller Center, pier 17, and the Staten Island Ferry were a lot of fun. A sad note was when we visited the Dakota building where John Lennon was murdered and the visit to Strawberry Fields, which is a memorial to John Lennon in Central Park.

Crowds
It was crowded in Manhattan but no more crowded than State Street in Madison on a Saturday with good weather.And I was pleasantly surprised that the people in NYC were friendly and polite with very few exceptions.

Ground Zero
We were disappointed when we viewed Ground Zero. They have it fenced off and there are visual barriers too. So, there is little to see.

IPOD Nation
I’ve read where in the big cities there are a lot of people listening to music on portable MP3 players, for example Apple IPODs. And New York City proved that. Walking down the street, I saw a lot of people wearing and listening to these devices. It looked a little weird seeing all the people with ear plugs in their ears. But there’s a reason why these people have tuned out the world. New York City is a very loud place because of the buses, traffic, and people. So, I can see why one would rather listen to music.

Atlantic City
After we left NYC, Wendy and I drove down the coast to Atlantic City. We were not impressed. We’ve been to Las Vegas. Atlantic City was kind of tacky. We wouldn’t go out of our way to go back there.

Lewes Ferry
Wendy and I took the ferry from Cape May, NJ, to Lewes, Delaware. This was a very enjoyable 80 minute trip across the Delaware Bay. There were snacks onboard, sea gulls swarming behind the ferry, and lots to see. This also saved us some miles. Cost: $43.50.

Deb, Dave, and Justin
Our driving ended at Deb, Dave’s, and Justin’s house in Virginia Beach. We had a great time there. We went crabbing, went to see the movie “The X-Men: The Last Stand,” took a pontoon boat ride, and drove down to the Outer Banks.

Outer Banks.
The Outer Banks has some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. And it was not crowded. There was a story that after one hurricane, the water cut across a road and the traffic had to stop to let the dolphins cross. We plan on returning to the Outer Banks and staying a few days. Beach houses are for rent for about $10,000 a week. But I’ve checked on the Internet: hotels are reasonably priced.Believe me, if I won the lottery, I would have a beach house.

Home
We arrived home with no problem at all: no flight delays, no problems with the rental car. And we are grateful for that.