Layabout day

Monday, the 25th of July, we kind of just checked around Normandy Farms (the resort we were staying at) and got stuff done, played Capture the Flag, participated in the resort's events (like Bingo and such) and paid bills. I went to the recreation hall, played Ping Pong, pretended I was a mysterious rider for some little kids, met a kid named Tristen, and totally rocked in Capture the Flag. It was a very cool day, but I have some more important blog posts to attend to, in this very small amount of time. If I find time later, I may ad to this and progress it (it being a very long story). For now, I will leave this as it is. But do not despair, I may add to this later.

Andrew

U.S.S. Constitution

For the next part of Sun, 24th, we quickly saw the Boston Shipyard, it's beautiful harbor with sailboats, and the Ironside - the fortunate ship - the U.S.S. Constitution.

It was a big black wooden ship with elegant sails and a firm standing. It was a beautiful boat.

As I looked around on the huge craft, I see a man on top of a platform, a lot of heavy cannons, and an old bell at the center of the ship. I had got to ask the "shipmates" questions. I found out that the U.S.S. Constitution had been named the "Fortunate Ship" for its success for surviving every war it was in. It also was nicknamed "Old Ironsides". I have no idea why it was named that.

We had a good view at the harbor, saw a few more ships, and went back on the train. That time it was harder, longer, and more tiring.

Home, I went to sleep. I was done.

Oh, a whale of a tale or two oh lad. A whale of a tale or two--. With the sun in the skies til the day is done, a whale of a tale or two or rum. A whale of a tale or two. That is a sailor song from the 19th century.

Andrew.

Red Sox Game at Fenway Park

On Sunday, July 24th, due to many peoples' suggestion, we took the train to Boston.

Leaving our car at a station called Riverside, we got a charlie card and made our way to the arrival platform. A subway looking train screeched to a stop, and opened its doors.

The crowd...well, crowded in. Finding a rough seat where I couldn't sit properly, I got out my book and started reading for awhile.

While people were holding on to the rails and leaning over me. Rebecca was on Mom.

It was so crowded!

Finally, a few people dispersed, much to my joy. Our stop came at a tunnel close to the area of Downtown Boston. We walked down the street. Seeing people in Boston Red Sox jerseys and hats. Mom asked one fanatic,"Is there a game today?"

"Yes, at 1:30."

Mom turned toward Dad. She gave him one of those "That could be fun" looks. He said, "Let's do it!"

We got tickets at the E gate, harbored our way through the line, and we got through. We traveled in what looked like underground, seeing stands and shops. We went up on a small ramp, peering into the circular baseball field. It was little, and nice, and green. We asked a man where Section 9 was. He guided us (with his hands) to a shady area in the back, visible to the whole field.

The game was The Boston Red Sox against the Seattle Mariners. The game began with the first pitch, and after, bats were swung, balls were thrown, and bases wound up dirty. The game was very good.

During the game, Mom told me Baseball was a game of averages. She explained no batter expects to hit every ball, but they still go to bat trying to get a hit every time. Getting a hit one our three attempts is a great average.

The balls whizzed by the hitters, sometimes bits of wood and leather flying. When the dusts cleared, Youkilis was on first.

After about the 6th inning, Mom, Rebecca and I went to eat lunch. I had a cheeseburger.

We left the game at the bottom of the 8th, having known we had a great time at America's first baseball stadium. I even purchased a shirt about the 100th year anniversary of the time Fenway was built to now. 2012 would mark 100 years.

The next part of that day, I will explain in another blog post. For now, goodbye.

My tooth hurts,

Andrew.

The Land of the Witches

If you have ever heard the word Salem, you probably think of The Salem Witch Hunt, The Salem Witch Trials, or something about witches and the essence of haunting beings.

Well, here's the real story.

Apart from all the tarots, crystal balls, and palm reading, Salem was once (and still is) a very profitable sea port. Then, a few narrow-minded geniuses saw a few girls acting strange, (for that time-period) and therefore, the Salem witch trials began. Ever since, just because of that misunderstanding, Salem is known for witches, attracts witches (well they claim to be witches) and also lures in ghost hunters, History Channel, and a bunch of tourists.

There is the Salem Witch Museum, (which we didn't go to) The Salem Witch Memorial (we didn't go to that also) and the execution sights (not visited also.) During our whole visit, we tried to avoid anything to do with witches.

But it was hard.

Sat, July 23, 2011:

When we parked out of Salem Place (a mall) we went in to the mall to find a restroom. After only seeing Buddha statues and tarot rooms, we asked around. Finding a bathroom in the corner of the entrance to the mall, we went and got back out. Even from that point in time, I wanted to leave Salem.

Then, it took us a long time to find the Visitors Center. When found, we decided we were going to go on a trolley ride around Salem and the Maritime Museum. We wouldn't get enveloped in the witch junk. We purchased tickets by two guys on the street, and then looked to find the Mariners Museum. On the way to finding it, we saw many creepy and weird shops.

The Museum was closer than I thought. We just had to go out to the harbor, (beautiful by the way) and turn on the corner to a small building. The boats that we looked at in the harbor were mostly wood ships, with a nice painted color. We saw a lot of yellow and green, but occasionally a blue appeared.

In the Mariner’s Museum, was only one small building with a movie theater, (small too) on the left side, (if your facing it from the front) and on the right some pictures, computers, and a booth where a man sat. There was also a gift shop in this tiny area.

Seeing the movie, it mostly contained information on the history of Salem’s seaport legacy: from it’s wealthy captains to trading with other countries. There was also underground trading to avoid customs.

It was a very interesting (for me and Dad anyway) documentary.

After that, we searched to find a place where we could wait for the trolley. We sat outside the House of 7 Gables for about 20 minutes, talking to an old lady and her daughter, waiting. As a trolley pulled up, it zoomed right past us, despite our frantic waving. Most of the people we were waiting with said things like, “I want my money back!” or “I’m just getting a cab!” and “So hot!” and many others.

Dad made a phone call, and he explained the next trolley would be here next time it made a round trip. “It just left here though! That could take 20 minutes or more!”

Later, the trolley came around and we boarded with complaint. After finding a good seat, I flipped on my video camera. The guide was hard to understand (for a southerner) and it wasn’t worth it. All the guy told us about was homes that belonged to certain people, haunted houses, the witch museum, and many other unnecessary things. All in all, (and you think I’m going to say something nice) it wasn’t a fun adventure. By the way, The Trolley company refunded our money.

Mom’s response: Wasn’t worth it.

Rebecca’s comment: I liked it; there were not many witches.

Dad’s input: Beautiful harbor, nice old ships.

My take: I’M NOT GOING BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although there will be better days. The only thing I got out of Salem was fear. Deep fear.

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!,

Andrew

Errand Day

Even on a one-year vacation, there are some days where you have to get errands done. Like that day in PA, when instead of looking at Amish people in wonder, we shipped pillows home and got our hair cut. On Friday , we left Normandy and tried to find a new video camera charger. We found a universal battery charger at Radioshack and then went around and found a verizon card able to provide Internet for 5 computers. Then, we looked around at Borders. It had a sale going on, so Rebecca got the new Guiness World Record Book, and I got the 6th book of the Left Behind Series: Assassins.

Later, we ate a 4:00 linner (a combination of Lunch and Dinner) at T.G.I.F. It was a good Linner.

I then took Rebecca to the movie theatre in Normandy. We also had fun in the kids lodge. At the kids lodge, I was reading a book when 3 fourteen year old girls started rubbing 4 boys' hair. Then they started rubbing mine. It was a weird experience.

Then, later, I went to bed in my blown-up air mattress and had a very vivid dream about singing purses.

When life gives you lemons, make cranberry juice,

Andrew.

David here...6 weeks into our big trip

David here,

I know you all are disappointed it is not Andrew, but I am checking in today. We have been on the road for 6 weeks now. The motor home is working wonderfully. Driving on these New England roads can be a little dicey for our 45-footer, however we are making it around. There have been a few ---ut-o’s. The GPS kept sending us down roads that had 12’ underpasses. Not good when you are 13’. But these are just little things. The BIG things have been just great, 24x7 with 2 great kids and a wonderful wife. Learning about America, first hand, up close and personal.

This trip has been a dream of a lifetime for me. The inspiration for our trip came as a result of the trip I got to take with my dad to Australia, some 20 years ago. My mom and dad had planned to go; however, illness prevented her from going. I got the call to attend in her place and went.

For 40 days we wandered around Australia and New Zealand. What a trip. We talked about everything 2 men could ever talk about. We laughed and cried and laughed some more. We took a million photos. All of you know how much that trip meant to me, you have heard me YACK about it too many times to count. Anyway, if 40 days are great 400 will be super great.

My goal for this trip is to REALLY see America, REALLY get to know my kids, REALLY spend some quality time with the love of my life and REALLY leave my young children with a memory that will truly last a lifetime.

We miss Lauren and Julie and all the rest of our family and extended family. But as you surely know, time flies when you are having fun. We will be back before you know it.

Drive to Normandy Farms, MA

On last Thursday, we packed everything up and left to drive to Foxboro, MA. Getting the jeep hooked up, rolling in the slides, securing every thing that would fall, putting the fold up chairs into the basement (yes, we have a basement) and placing my computer on the dining room table; we did the whole thing. Then, after saying goodbye to all of the other campers, we pulled out.

The drive was 5 hours.

During this time I mostly blogged. After about the 4 hour period, we had arrived in MA. It was a very foresty state, nothing like Boston. At the arrival of Foxboro, we came into sight of a very cool looking campground called Normandy Farms. Normandy had 4 swimming pools (3 outside, 1 inside), a movie theater, a restaurant, a dog park, a volleyball court, two baseball fields, a camp store, a gym, and many more things. This isn't an R.V. Park, it is an R.V. Resort.

Later, Rebecca and I had fun on walkie talkies, and then the family and I had dinner at their little restaurant. It was a fairly good day.

Robot Giraffes,

Andrew.

An account of a day.

The day after that dinner with the Wilsons, we kind of just had a lazy day, finding out how long it was to Boston. Due to no cell coverage, Dad and I had to go into supermarket in Cooperstown to finally find bars on Dad's iPad. I just looked around at the different shoppers and talked to Dad a little. He was directing that a route to Boston, MA, was about 4 hours by car. That means about 6 by motorhome. Of course, we probably couldn't get into Boston, so remained 2 problems: We needed to find an R.V. Park at a reasonable distance to Boston, and yet not in a big city. Foxboro was that city.

Dad and I visited a body shop of Dad's friend father. We had a good talk with him.

While we were out, Dad told me stories about his childhood. We saw and talked about bundled hay and the use of cows. I said I've always wanted to milk a cow (foreshadowing).

We also stopped at a boat rental stand and got a brochure. Dad said he always wanted to ride on a boat on a finger lake, and that's what was close by. I was excited to ride on a finger.

Later, at home, (the RV) I went into the petting zoo at our current campground. Before telling you of the petting zoo episode, let me say that the campground we were at was mostly a trailer park.

It also looked pretty old and was tended by a few toothless older women.

It still was fun at the petting zoo though.

There were many exotic kinds of birds, a really loud and spectacular peacock, and other animals.

The only bad thing was, the brother of the friend we had met was shooting his water gun at the birds. I asked him nicely to quit.

He didn't.

I asked again.

Still he didn't stop.

One more time I asked him.

Same results.

I went off to tell someone with authority.

A teenager on a four wheeler who looked like he worked there was in my range of sight. The kid who had been shooting the birds yelled,"Okay, I'll stop!"

"Too late for that."

"Hi," I began to the teen,"What do you do if a guy starts shooting at the birds."

An old but firm looking woman was sitting behind him. She heard me.

"Oh, no, no one hurts the birds!" She then got up and firmly asked me where he was.

By this time (or so Rebecca knew) he was in the barn, hiding.

"Get out of there! Come HERE!"

Long story short, she took his water gun, gave him the riot act, and took him to his father. I was there to see the whole bit, sadly.

Then, after that, Rebecca and I went back to the petting zoo. Karen (the firm woman) asked us if we wanted to milk the cow. Dad said that would be, and I quote,"mighty fine". He asked what time. She said about two. Dad said we would be on a boat at that time and she said she could do five. Dad thanked her.

We ate lunch, and then at 1:45 we traveled to the marina. A middle aged man with a cap and a tall, thin brown haired lady with a red dress greeted us. They explained we would be renting their pontoon boat, a red, little craft. Gary (the man) showed Dad how to maneuver it, and showed him the paperwork he had to sign. Mom asked me to buy drinks (three waters and a coke) at the nearby restaurant, and Geri (the lady) offered to come with me. Coming back, with the drinks, Dad had learned the ways of the lake. Geri pushed us off, and Gary drove us out of the marina. Then he got off on another part of the dock, and told us to be back at 3:30, calling him 15 minutes before arrival.

Dad rode off.

In this finger lake we saw a tiny castle- looking, the restaurant where we had spent the night before, and many other things. The sky was sunny but not blinding, the fish in the water swimming elegantly, the motor buzzing, the wind swaying. It was so great...

Stretching my feet out on the front half of the boat, I slowly crept into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up and we were pulling into the marina. I had been awake for a while til I dozed, but I still slept for 15 minutes. At the dock, we said goodbye to Geri and Gary. They were very nice.

We went to the grocery store, then arrived back at the campground and rode the pony. I wasn't scared of that creature and it was very fun. But now for the cow.

We went into the barn, and there at the very entrance was the cow going,"MOO!" I was terrified.

Karen sat down on a stool by the cow, and asked,"Who's first?" All arms pointed towards me. I raised my hand anxiously. "You? Okay, come over here. Pull here and squeeze really quick and short. See?" I tried pulling the thing, felling weird. I pulled and nothing came out. I tried again, this time making it short and quick. Doing this many more times, I had a pretty good amount of milk in my bucket. Rebecca tried too and hit it straight on the mark.

Later, we had dinner, played a game with all of the trailer park kids, and had a fire. I went to sleep at like 11.

Farmer Andrew

Dreams Park and The Baseball Hall of Fame

On the morning of the 19th, we drove in the jeep to Dreams Park, where the Wildcats would be playing at 8:30. We came and sat in the watcher's section, and said hello to Shayne. He welcomed us, and we said hello to Tanya (Shayne's wife) and Amelia (Shayne's daughter). They were very nice. Mom bought an egg and cheese sandwich, which I ate while watching the game.

Dreams Park had many, many fields, and many, many teams. The Wildcats were competing against a team from Hawaii, who they later smoked (11-2). I got some pretty good shots with my video camera, of pitching and batting, running and stealing, home running and outing, the whole package.

When the game ended, the Wildcats took a picture on the stone welcome sign that said,"Welcome to Dreams Park" Everyone took a picture.

We had time before the Wildcats next game at 1:00, so we decided to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Baseball Hall of Fame was very fun. It consisted of a theater, a museum, and of course, the hall of fame. We at first saw a small theater presentation, which talked about how important baseball was to America, and then we went into a museum. It talked about old versions of Baseball, the first team, the first baseball stadium, Baseball's greatest players, Babe Ruth, the different teams, the mascots, the fans, the souvenirs, a lot of different players, the lockers of the different teams, and many other things. It was a nice museum.

Then came the actually heads. We turned left, and saw a big hall with booths where on the corners where written many dates. Also, I saw many faces on plates, having dates upon birth and death. I saw Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, and many others. It was fun.

Later I saw the 1:00 game of the Wildcats against a team from Michigan, and in that game the Wildcats made a grand slam. (Got a good video of that) It was very fun.

After that, we had a very satisfying lunch with the Wilson's. We were on a sea shore, and while eating I could hear the rush of the waves against the sand.

In the dinner I had some very interesting conversations with Forrest, and also his friend(also on the team )Zach. Zach's father was actually the father of someone I knew from church. Her name was Peyton.(I had worked with her in a few skits) It was a wonderful dinner. We were right on the shore of the finger lake, and the waves were very calm and beautiful. It was pretty soothing.

The whole day was great. I really enjoyed Cooperstown. It had a nice rural twing to it.

YOU'RE OUT! NO I'M NOT! GET OUT OF HERE! WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO? SECURITY! POLICE BRUTALITY! POL... OH FORGET IT,

Andrew.

Our first look at the Baseball central

The following is an original song, being a parody on "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"

"Take me out to Cooperstown, home of the Hall of Fame. For it's fun, true, and totally cool at the Cooperstown!"

Cooperstown. If your a baseball fan (or even just a fan of sports) you might know that Cooperstown is the town where the Baseball Hall of Fame is kept. Now you might think Cooperstown was picked to be the hall of fame location because maybe it was the home to the first baseball stadium, or maybe Babe Ruth's birthplace. Well, you thought that, than you'd be wrong. Cooperstown was picked mostly because an entrepreneur wanted tourists to come to Cooperstown. This certain entrepreneur had opened a hotel, and so he thought a baseball hall of fame would bring in money for him. I don't exactly how he accomplished this, but it worked. The Baseball Hall of Fame was established in Cooperstown, NY, and brought many, many tourists. As many as our fish in the sea (well maybe not that much).

Anyway, also at this town, is the Dreams Park, a little league park that has a competition every year. The competitors usually range from 12-13, and they arrive from all over the country. It just so happened that two teams from Georgia, the Sandy Plains Wildcats and the Roswell Rockets, contained people we knew in them. at my church. For the Wildcats, a friend of Dad's named Shayne has a son it it. The son's name is Forest. Shayne is also one of the coaches for this team. The Wildcats are a very good team.

The Dream Park's competition this year had 104 teams signing up, and 103 teams would go home sad.

How does Dad know Shayne? Shayne works in an Metro Atlanta Auto Dealer Association, training people in the sales, mechanical, and fiance departments in the auto business. I was 7 at a car show when, much to my surprise, a robot on a stage said, "Hey Andrew, I'm your long lost brother, Bob Bourne! I know your sisters Julie, Lauren and Rebecca!" It then went on to talk about Mom and Dad, and all of my family members. I, seven, wondered how this strange robot knew all this about me, and if he really was my brother.

2 years later, at a Chinese restaurant in Woodstock, I ask Dad what had happened. He explained that a man named Shayne had operated it, placing a speaker into the machine and speaking into it. I went,"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Flash Forward to Present. We drive the R.V. to Cooperstown Family Campground, a nice old fashioned R.V. Park. We meet friends there, play a little, and then try to see the Wildcats play in the tournament. We missed it. The next day we see them play though; don't worry.

For now, goodbye.

Looking at stone heads,

Andrew.

Erin McCall

Thurs., July 17th 2011:

We left our hotel for the last time, and, taking all our luggage, got the jeep back. Then, we put all the luggage in the jeep and drove off.

Due to Dad falling on Staten Island, he made a crack in his lens shielder of light thingy, and so he traveled into B&H and purchased a new one. During that time period, Mom, Rebecca and I all sat in a parking lot across from the store. I read for most of the time.

After Dad got back in the car, Rebecca stated how she always dreamed of having a portrait painted of her on the streets of NYC. (Yeah right, she didn't even know what NYC was until she was like 7). After a few minutes Mom and Rebecca departed to look for an artist, while Dad and I drove around Times Square.

Later, Mom called me and told me that they we're done. We then picked 'um up at Regals, and later exited NYC. I hope to go again.

Mom and Dad told us we were going to visit a friend of theirs named Erin McCall. Erin had worked at Mom and Dad's photography studio a while ago, and Mom and her have been in contact only through Facebook and Christmas Cards. Erin lived in New Jersey, so Mom said we were going to travel to her house and have dinner.

A few hours passed, and, we arrived at her house. Erin welcomed us and told us to come in. There was some hugging and we walked to Erin's backporch.

The following hours were filled with joy and laughter, fun and running, and chicken and salad.

I met Lauren and Erin's 2 year old son, who was a joy to play with. His name was Nolan. I got to play with Nolan a lot. He was very fun.

Erin and Mom talked about former employees and got each other up to date on their statuses. Erin also told us of her job, the work they did on their kitchen, and of the neighbors and aquaintances. She was very interesting.

The visit was altogether fun. Erin's family was very warm and fun.

As we left, I said goodbye to Erin and her family. I had a great visit.

Later, we drove back to our RV Park where the RV was stationed in Rhinebeck, NY and went to bed late that night.

Hitting homeruns,

Andrew.

The city that never sleeps Part 3

This blog post details the events that took place in July, on the 16th

In the morning of the 16th, we booked a ride on the double decker bus to see Harlem. It was interesting. My mom kept telling me it was very grassy and scenic, and when the tour was over she said we didn't go to the part that was scenic.

Later, we took a tour through Downtown, seeing Central Park, Times Square, and the Empire State Building.

It was so amazing to look at that thing, with its high point and 82 floors. It's dark sky gray cast a menacing look of evil onto us, like it was about to topple and crush. The thing kind of scared me.

Although we didn't enter the towering giant, we took a good look at it. It was extremely huge!

After that breath-taking experience, the family and I got off in Chinatown. Rebecca went to the restroom and got an "I love NY" shirt. We traveled to go on The Staten Island Ferry.

On the way, I spotted a metallic blue cap with white dotted lines through the whole hat. It also had a blue-coloring NY, the N overlapping diagonally with the Y. It also had a white trim around it. I like this certain hat.

It was $5.

After purchasing this strangely in-expensive hat, I thanked Mom and put it on. (replacing it with the other hat that said JC, and putting the JC hat into the bag) It had a good feel to it.

Only in NYC can you get a high quality hat at only 5 dollars. Supersaving! (another pun)

We approached where the ferry took off to see Staten Island. It was a fairly big, nice place, that had a line for the departure for the ferry.

This ferry was supposed to go past The Statue of Liberty, and then stop at Staten Island. Riders on the ferry were supposed to exit off the ferry, and then were allowed back on in about 25 minutes.

As I boarded the ferry, we walked up some stairs and went to the outside deck of it. There we saw NYC harbor, and off in the left in the distance I could see what looked like to be a green figure holding its hand up.

Farther into the ferry ride, we saw this figure up close. Passing by it, we knew it was the one, the only (except for the little one in France) Statue of Liberty.

It was graceful; it looked strong, powerful, everything that represented America.

On a tiny island surfacing the statue, were tiny dots identified as people.

All I know about Good Ole Liberty is, well, that she was a gift from France. That's all I know (not really a history on the statue).

When coming on to Staten Island, a few men started telling people to prepare to get off. They told everyone that anyone on the boat had to get off and come on again only in 25 minutes. These men were strict.

The Staten Island departure building was a lot nicer and different than that of the former.

When exciting, Dad started looking on his iPad a place to eat. He was so concentrated on that though, that when we were going up some stairs, Dad tripped and fell with a BLOP!, dropping his camera and iPad. He was okay, but his accessories were not. His camera had a big crack in the lens shade, the tool shielding off light that would normally go into the lens. I believe his iPad was fine.

We went looking around in search of someplace to eat, although it was mostly vacant. We were walking by a bus stop trying to back to the boat when an old woman with a walker said, "Are you four looking for a place to eat?"

Dad answered yes.

She then told us of about 3 diners, a park, the beach, and even an amusement park.

Later back on the boat, I reconnected with my friend Caleb and read Sherlock Holmes on my phone. With the day about over, I needed food.

And that's exactly what we found in a mexican restaurant!

The following part is written by Rebecca:

As we walked past a window these cute 15 year old-girls pointed to the ground and looked surprised and like I was in danger so I kinda believed them and they got a picture of my confused face. Then, when we got into the restaurant we thought it was a good idea for me to wave weirdly at people through the window so we did. After we did it a while my dad got tired of it and told us to stop. Then, the same girls that played the trick on me got tired of sitting at a table so the went outside. They played around and they posed on other peoples bikes! They saw Andrew's video camera and started dancing in front of us! When the got bored of that they went back inside. Turns out Andrew got that all on tape even when I waved through the window at the people on the sidewalk. My mom wrote down our facebook page and gave it to the girls we got to talk to them for a few minutes. Their names are jess talor giuna searra and ? I can't remember but I'm sure Andrew can. Actually one of the moms used to live back in roswell and her sister taught at Westminster for 30 years! Well, that's all that I'm writing today readers bye:)

Rebecca said it best. Later that night, I went to sleep for the last time in that hotel room. NYC made me realize how big the world is, and that it isn't just Roswell. It showed me that I'm just a little part, but that I still mattered. NYC would be one of the first of many great cities I would see.

And that's the end of this blog post.

Having fun,

Andrew AND Rebecca

The city that never sleeps Part 2

This blog post describes the events that took place on the 15th of July, 2011.

On this day, Rebecca and Mom went down to eat breakfast in a cafe inside the hotel. I stayed in the room, writing my blog a little and taking a shower.

After over 30 minutes, Mom and Rebecca came back. They told us that many people came on the elevator and they went off (due to the weight). They then, (they told us) had to go on the outside stairs and walk up. When Dad and I went down to eat, that didn't happen.

I had a very nice breakfast, consisting of eggs and bacon, plus a few fruits. It was good.

After the breakfast and after going back up to the room, we had retrieve Rebecca's tennis shoes out of the jeep in the parking deck. It was slow because we had to have our parking ticker. We weren't allowed in the deck. When that was done, we finally left the hotel completely and caught a cab. He took us to B & H, a very, very popular camera store. And, as I later found out, the biggest.

Entering B&H, I saw telescopes to binoculars, handycams to professional cameras, iPhone cases to pro audio equipment. It was really cool!

And really big! B&H had three floors, all full of camera equipment. B&H is the biggest camera store ever.

We looked around, browsed, and Dad got a few hardrives and a camera card. I just looked around.

The first floor contained the binoculars and telescopes, and all the video and lighting equipment, plus checkout. The second floor (sadly reachable by escalators) was mostly security cameras, computers, and other things.

The third floor was vests, cases and small cameras. After sweeping through the whole place (which took a long time) we left. I had a lot of fun seeing how massive the place was.

Later, I went on a subway for the first time. We went down into this hole type thing, already having tickets. After that we stood on the side until a big, fast train-looking thing stopped. It then opened doors and we stepped in.

Riding on the subway was different. When we stopped one place, a few people got off and a few got on. It was kind of like life.

After departing the subway, I came up out of the subway and saw a building that was still being built. The place I was looking at was Ground Zero.

Ground Zero is the resting place for 4,000 Americans who fell by trying to save others in the 9/11 attack,planned by the Al Quida terrorist group. It was very sad to look at the pictures and videos from the attack. I listened to Eyewitness interviews and the recording of reporters.

It was very sad. A tear even rushed down my face. To think that someone would be this cruel as to take the lives of 4,000 people, for no real apparent reason.

We'll never know exactly why they planned and delivered this attack. One thing we do know, is, that we'll be careful not to let it happen again.

Later, we walked to the MOMA. (museum of modern art). Rebecca was very interested, but I brought my book - you can tell how excited I was.

Now, I enjoy looking at art. I just don't like touring a whole museum just looking at art. I also don't like to paint, draw, sketch, or sculpt.

I do, however, enjoy a little Salvador Dali and Frida Kahl. (I wrote a report on Frida Kahl and on Dali).

But upon entering the museum even I was amazed.

They had Picasso, Van Gough, Matisse, and many others.

And they had the original starlight moon! The swirly star one!

The museum was pretty cool. We started on the fifth floor and visited every floor. I admit I eventually got bored. I started reading my book, and after a while we left.

But before that, Dad and I didn't want to look around at art any more so we sat down at an abandoned information booth.

A man came up and asked us where the Frida Kahl section was. I, seeing the exhibit, knew it was on the 5th floor. I didn't know, however, why he was asking me. Then, I noticed in the corner of my eye, that a sign said information. I decided to play the part.

"Ah, yes, the Frida Kahl exhibit is on the 5th floor. "

"Thank you."

I had just imitated an information person at the desk.

After that imitation, we (Dad and I) moved.

We finally excited MOMA. After that, we took a night tour in the streets of NYC.

Getting on a double-decker bus, I had my video camera on ready.

It was spectacular! All the lights in Times Square beamed and reflected off of my face. The Brooklyn bridge allowed us to zoom across the water. It was something from a movie.

I had a wonderful day, and won't forget it.

Living Life Large,

Andrew.

Broadway

Broadway! It has an it's own section of NYC, it's own definition, and, in this blog, it's own separate post.On the night of July 14th, we booked a seating for Mary Poppins, in New Amsterdam theatre, located on Broadway. It was going to become the greatest musical I had ever seen.

As you probably know from the last post, we had gotten tickets from a concierge at Holiday Inn. Later after dinner, we walked a few blocks to go to the theatre district. It had so many theatres and adds for performances: Wicked, Zarkana, Anything Goes, Spider Man: Turn off the dark, and, of course, Mary Poppins. It was awesome.

As most of you know, Broadway is a DISTRICT not just one theater. Upon entering the theater, I thought it was the latter. I was later corrected.

The New Amsterdam Theatre was very classic. It had dark green trim and decoration, based upon the early 2oth century design. There were many statues in on the columns and many other places. It was pretty unique. After finding our seats, (and sitting down in them) we looked at the playbill for awhile. There were 2 acts, both being pretty short (for musicals). As I was reading about the different characters, the show began.

The show was pretty much like the movie equivalent, except for a few changes. For instance, they bring in another character from George Bank's (the father) youth. The character is Ms. Andrews, the evil nanny of Banks who made him a strict father.

Also in the musical, is a few new songs and reprises. All in all, they kept the same story.

It was spectacular! So cool! Best musical I've ever seen! Truly high flying! (pun, because Poppins flies on a umbrella).

She actually flew! It was so cool! Also she went up the stairs on the railing! And she also made a bed out of thin air! Finally, she took things out of her little bag that could never fit in it! Theater magic!

I really loved the musical. I will be coming back to Broadway. My hope is that next time I will be coming back as a participant, not a part of the audience.

It was very amazing, and I won't forget the experience!

I also know how to spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Supercalifragi... oh forget it,

Andrew.

The city that never sleeps

This following blog post details the events that happened on July 14th 2011.

As most of you know, we left the R.V. to go stay at a hotel in NYC. We also gave the dogs a kennel to stay in until Monday when we will pick them up. We're currently staying at a holiday inn on 57th street. Why are we doing this? For three reasons: First, the R.V. could never fit into the city.

Second, going to and fro from the R.V. Park and the city would take a lot of time. We wouldn't have a lot of time each day.

Finally, the dogs would be yelping and barking all day 'cause they need to go. By go, I mean go to the restroom.

So, we drove across into Long Island. My first look at New York was from across a tiny body of water. We were on the bridge, and in the distance I could see a number of skyscrapers and tall buildings. It was skyscraping!(pun)

Then, we entered NYC.

There was never a moment where I didn't have my video camera on. The tall, tall buildings; the bustling people to and fro; the shops right on the street with no parking areas; it was all so different and unique. There wasn't one etch of space that nobody was standing on. There were so many people!

After finding our hotel, we had to take all the luggage: clothes, books, cameras, barbies (sadly), and toiletries. The employees parked the jeep for us.

We waited with our luggage in an employee smoking area. Dad went inside to check in. I (at the time) needed to go to the restroom. Mom noticed this.

"You can follow Dad."

"Thank you."

I went in, and it seemed like every employee was busy. I told Dad of my situation. He left to go get the luggage... with the bellhop, of course.

"When you're done going to the restroom, stand at this podium."

He left.

I ran across the room and saw a guy (employee) in the bar, typing on his phone.

"Where's the restroom?" I asked with anseity.

He didn't speak english.

"Thanks for nothing. I ran up some stairs and turned left. A lady was sitting at a desk.

"Where's the restroom?"

"On the other side of the hall."

I ran to the other side, slipped into the men's restroom, and went.

Then I went back down the stairs, and saw Rebecca and Mom at lounge area beside the information desk.

We then were given the room key and went to the room. It's nice.

After the luggage cart arrived with our stuff, we got ourselves together and left the hotel to embark on New York.

We saw many shops right on the street. And we crossed multiple crosswalks.

After that we ate dinner, and went back to the hotel. We saw an information booth, and asked the guy about family performances on Broadway this night. He told us of Mary Poppins and Sister Act. Dad chose Mary Poppins.

After Broadway (I'm mentioning that expireance in another blog) we traveled around Time Square.

The beautiful lights glowing off of the skyscapers echoed into the night. It was spectacular. I saw a giant Toys R us, a number of hotels, and countless shops. The following is a list of weird things I saw in New York:

1: A naked cowboy with a guitar in Times Square

2: A man in a mask who you have to give money to make move (don't ask).

3: A hobo in the streets shouting: "Blahh!"

I saw more weird things in New York in one night than I had in a month in Roswell.

Then, at 11:30, we crashed.

Living life to it's fullest,

Andrew.