Friday in New York City

It was a chilly, rainy day today as we began our day heading to the Statue of Liberty.
We headed to the New Jersey state park near our RV park, where we had good views of Manhattan and we could catch the ferry.
We took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
Our time at the statue was actually the rainiest part of the day.
The Statue of Liberty even photo-bombed our selfie.
After taking the ferry to Manhattan, we took the Subway to. . .
Times Square!
We stopped by the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. . .
and dessert.
Rose joined me for a selfie with one of Jeff Ament’s bass guitars.
After lunch we walked to Central Park, where we decided to take a rickshaw ride through the park.
We stopped at some key places for photos.
After that we headed to the Foley-Murphys’ for dinner and to spend the night. We failed to take enough pictures of this. We did enjoy some New York style pizza, an episode of Project Runway, and playing on the air mattress.

Elk River Beach

The kids found a fun beach on the shores of the Elk River that is on a hike from our campground (our campground is on a peninsula, with the Elk River on one side and the Chesapeake Bay on the other). We walked there yesterday and they all had fun playing. The older kids built a raft out of driftwood – it almost floated. They had a lot of fun. 

Lighthouse Walk

Today we went for a walk to a lighthouse that is at the end of the peninsula we are staying on.
The kids had fun working on their handstands.
On the way back we found a small beach on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Everyone had fun playing in the warm sunshine and gentle water.

DC -> MD

Today we made the drive from a state park in northern Virginia to a state park in northern Maryland, right on the Chesapeake Bay. We are staying here for a few days until we head to New York City for the weekend.

 

Back to the Mall

Today we were back on the Metro to head to the White House and a monument tour of the Mall.
We started at the White House.
Next up was the Washington Monument. When we were here last weekend it was cold and rainy. It was much nicer today.
Andrew & Abraham Lincoln
Mari & Martin Luther King, Jr
Speaks for itself. . .
Also speaks for itself. .
We walked around the Tidal Basin.
Susan and Thomas Jefferson
It was important that we complete our walk before the Carousel closed. We made it.
Carousel Fun
Yea!

Smithsonian’s National Zoo

We spent this afternoon at the National Zoo. We arrived just after lunch and the Thompsons met us around 2. Highlights included the panda bears and the new baby gorilla.

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A Visit from the Thompsons

Thanks to a lucky twist of fate, we had a visit yesterday from our old neighbors and family friends, the Thompsons. Andrew and Will are good friends and stay in touch online. They happened to be in DC for the exact same time as us and they came over last night for dinner. 

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Elliot!

Elliot often has a messy face.
Elliot does not hesitate to be silly and have a good time.
Elliot gets Rose to sleep every night.

Mason Neck State Park

This afternoon we braved the elements and went for a hike in a state park near our campground. It was nice. Trees, mud, bird blinds, swampy areas, a big bay, the sun came out for 5 minutes, playground. 

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Washington, DC

This morning we headed into the city for our first visit. We took the Metro to the National Mall. When we left the RV it was sunny and warm and by the time we were off the Metro is was cold, rainy, and windy. We decided to spend the day visiting some of the Smithsonian Museums. 

Susan wants to make sure I note that it was freezing. 

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