Day Twelve

So we started off the day in the wrong direction, meaning we totally walked away from NYC and the transit to get us there for at least 30 minutes, in the rain, before we figured it out. Nevertheless, today was a day of firsts for me. My first ride on a public bus came via the NJ Transit and only cost me $3.20. Then I hopped on the Subway which cost another $8 and change for an all day unlimited pass. Pictures below:

I mentioned it was raining, but I failed to mention that it rained all day long. Here are some photos we snapped of each other walking around. Deb looked hunchbacked due to her back pack and I either looked pregnant as pictured below, or like I had an abnormal stomach with one side bigger than the next. Deb was told she looked fetching in her rain poncho.

It took 2 hours to get from our hotel to our first stop and to be honest by then I was cold, wet, tired and hungry so we had breakfast at the European Cafe. I had a quiche and Deb had a breakfast burrito. It was pretty good.

When we finished eating we headed next door to try to catch our 11 am session at the Manhattan Temple. It was so nice to leave the rain and noise of the city behind even if only briefly.

When we were done there we walked around Chinatown a bit and then headed over to Little Italy where we ordered the Mixed Family Pasta. They weren't kidding when they called it mixed it was a trio of pasta dishes, but they were all on the same plate and it was quite easy to get the flavors of one coming through on the other. The food was ok, but I think I have made better. The total cost for lunch for two was right at about $22 with tip.

Next we took Jac up on her recommendation of Ferrara's. We couldn't decide what to order so we decided to each order something and get some gelato to share. I took Jac up on her recommendation of the Pasticiollo Ricotta. Imagine if you will a mini pie crust with a cheesecake like filling. It was pretty good the menu said something about fruit, but sadly mine did not have any in it. We also decided to get some gelato since there was a display case and it looked fabulous. We chose Strawberry, Chocolate, and Pistachio. It was not as good as it looked. There was only one piece of strawberry in all of the strawberry portion, no nuts to speak of in the pistachio, and the chocolate tasted a little funny so we pretty much didn't eat it. Deb's Chocolate Mousse cake left us wishing we had gone to IKEA. The total for our visit was $26 with tip. Kinda pricey for just dessert.

At some point in the day we did get to see the Empire State Building or at least most of it. There was a lot of rain which made a fog. We tried to go to Top of the Rock as a coworker of mine suggested, but the rain and fog made visibility dim at best and I didn't wanna pay $21 to not see anything. So now I have an excuse to come back.

Many of those that know me know I am a huge Project Runway fan. So what trip to New York would be complete without a trip to Mood. Unfortunately I am not yet a New Yorker. I thought that the D train went to Penn Station so we hopped on it only to discover we wanted the 1 train. Of course we didn't realize this until we got off at Fashion Ave. So we got back on the one train and took it up one more stop to Columbus Circle where we were able to transfer to the 1 train.

Of course by this time it was 5 pm and the trains were getting full we had to wait because the first train that came by was so full we could not both get on. Below is a pic of Deb pointing at where we wanted to go.

Mood was awesome. Two floors of fabric, what could be better. It took me back to when I was a girl and my Mom would take us to Fabric King in the Palatka Mall. Sadly they did not have a button bin for me to run my hands through, but they did have a wall of buttons. Which was pretty cool. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I just wish we had more time. We arrived about an hour before closing and let me tell you I could have spent all day there. I feel like maybe I got to look at 10% of what was there. I have no idea how the designers on Project Runway can decide what to buy in only 30 minutes. We snapped some photos for those at home.

After saying thank you Mood. Yes they had t-shirts that said that for $17, we went back out into the rain and back to Times Square where we found the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. It was a blast looking around the store.

Here is a video that Deb shot of Times Square enjoy.

Check back tomorrow for more of the Adventure.

Day Eleven

We had breakfast with Bob at the Fairgrounds Cafe again this morning. We almost started to feel like regulars after 3 mornings. Then we headed off towards the big city.

We stopped for lunch at a place I had seen on Diners Drive ins and Dives called Crazy Burger. The burgers were good, but I will be honest I was a little disappointed with the Milkshake and Fries that I ordered as well as the total $36 with a lousy tip since the service was also less than stellar.

Then we drove to see what Rhode Islanders call a beach. It was beautiful, below is some pictures:

We made it to our hotel about 6:30 and got settled in and then decided to venture into the city. We headed for the famous Gray's Papaya which also did not live up to my expectations. We had the recession special 2 hot dogs and a drink for $4.45. I have to say the Papaya juice was way better than the hot dogs, and Deb agreed. Below are some of the photos we took while wondering around.

Day Ten

So we got up and had breakfast and went to church. Once we got back, Bob was ready to head out on our next adventure. This is a picture that I snapped of Bob while he was driving us around.

We made a trip to the Lobster shop. We got a dozen for 5 people. I thought it sounded like a lot, but I had no problem eating both of the lobsters that were purchased for me, and I have to say that they were fabulous.

We got the Lobsters at a place in Topsham. Above are a picture of a sign on display in the shop and the girl working hard to pull our lobsters out of the tank. After picking up the lobsters we drove over to David's to cook em up and eat em. Below are some pictures taken by Deb from left to right and top to bottom are: David and Bob preping the pot for the lobsters, a plate of cooked lobsters, Deb looking at the lobsters trying to decide wether to have one (just kidding, she had a cheeseburger), and then us with our feast.

After leaving Davids we drove back to Bob's and then headed out towards Popham Beach. We stopped along the way for ice cream and it was fabulous. Deb and I had peanut butter soft serve ice cream in a waffle cone, and Bob had a small coffee ice cream. We went to the Popham Fort first there are some pictures below.

Bob and I are looking out the window at some seals playing in the sea. Deb went outside on the beach and got some great pictures and videos of the seals, there were about a dozen total.

Next we drove to Popham State Park. Here Deb and I took a walk while the tide was out to an island and climbed to the top of the rocky hill barefoot to get a better view of a nearby lighthouse. Below are some pictures:

Check back tomorrow for more of the adventure.

Day Nine

If you are ever in Brunswick Maine, you should have my uncle take you around. He drove us all over today. The best things to see are always known by the locals, and though Bob only lives in Maine 6 months out of the year, he grew up in Brunswick Maine and his family has ties going back as far as 1763. We took lots of pictures and they are pretty, but trust me when I say that the view here is way better than the photos. Our first stop was a bridge stretching from Brunswick to Topsham. A fun fact about this bridge is that it is the same bridge that was here when my uncle Bob was a child. This is a picture of the bridge and one of me and Bob on the bridge.

Up next was a cribstone bridge. Apparently there are only 2 of these in existence, and this is the only one on the North American continent and this one is being repaired. It is made by stacking granite pillars. It looks "like a game of pick up sticks" according to Deb.

Next stop was Mackerel Cove. There was a cute tire swing here along the water that some kids were playing on when we got here. There were several boats in the cove when we arrived, it was totally picturesque.

We then went to Land's End. It was beautiful. The rocks looked like petrified wood. There was quartz and iron running through them. The rocks were so pretty I grabbed a few of them to bring home. Some are quartz and others have Micah in them so they sparkle. There was a gift shop there that we got some Salt Water Taffy, postcards and Deb got a magnet.

We had lunch at Danny's on the park. A hot dog trailer that is hauled into the park daily by the owner's sons. Danny's has been a staple in Brunswick for over 40 years, and you can tell the dogs are good by the line. We stood in line for a good 30 minutes for our dogs and they were well worth the wait.

After Danny's we came back to my Uncle's and I have to admit that I fell asleep too. For dinner we went to the New China Super Buffet, it was fabulous. I didn't actually eat any Chinese food, they had Crab Legs on the buffet and they were the best Crab Legs I have ever eaten. Deb said that the Chinese food was good too.

Day Eight

Today we went back to beautiful Acadia National Park and climbed the beehive trail, pictured below.

The precipice trail was closed due to nesting falcons, so we settled for the beehive which was shorter and probably better suited to us as it is still quite a hike. There are several patches of the trail where the cliff is exposed and there are other portions with only rungs to climb up. Some guys passed us as we were climbing and offered to take a picture of the 2 of us in exchange for one of the three of them. This picture was taken about half way up the trail.

At one point I reached for the rung and scraped my finger on the mountain. It was bleeding pretty badly and we had not thought to bring bandaids. Luckily Deb thought quickly and gave me the label from her water bottle and guess what it worked.

The trail was a lot of fun. There is a video of me climbing a small portion of the trail to give you an idea of what it was like.

After tackling the beehive, we drove around Acadia and saw some more of the sights jumping out at most of the pull offs and snapping a few pictures. Deb wanted to look for the pebbled beach that she kept seeing in the postcards, and we found it.

On the way to visit my Uncle we stopped for dinner at the A1 diner in Gardnier, Maine and had the famouse Onion Rings. They were fabulous. We took out almost an entire take-out container full though and we ate quite a bit. I suggested just eating onion rings and mint patty cheesecake for dinner, but Deb talked me into ordering some real food, so I had the Mac and Cheese with Ham. It was very good, but I was too full to order the cheesecake. In retrospect I should have ordered it to go, but I think I will live without it.

We are staying with my uncle for a few nights. He is going to take us around tomorrow, and don't tell Deb, but I am actually looking forward to a day free of driving. She has offered, but I am being overly protective of my car especially after the mirror incident.

Check back tomorrow for more of the adventure.

Day Seven

We mostly drove today. From The top part of Maine to Acadia National Park. It is beautiful here. We took lots of pictures, but I am afraid that the beauty is lost in translation. We had dinner at Geddy's a cute restaurant in Bar Harbor. We then took our time in some of the shops around Main street in Bar Harbor. Deb and I both bought sweatshirts and we decided to wear them as it was freezing on top of Cadillac Mountain. Once we got back to the hotel to load pictures, I noticed that my charger for my laptop is nowhere to be found. Luckily Deb let me use her computer while we watched Survivor tonight. I am going to try to get a new charger at Radio Shack tomorrow.

Check back tomorrow for more of the adventure.