May 27, 2013: Ridgewood/Newark/Intercourse/Hershey

We had another busy day today.    We left North Bergen and headed up to the northeast suburb, Ridgewood, as I wanted to see the new Carlos Bakery there.    We got into a traffic jam in Ridgewood, as there was a marathon going on and the streets were closed.     We found the bakery, but unfortunately, it was closed for the Memorial Day holiday.  It was located right across from the commuter train station.

Our next stop was in Newark, New Jersey, to see where my Grandma Thomas lived when she was a young adult.    The home that she lived in has been torn down, but we were able to see the area and get a feel for it.  There are some new homes on the street, as well as some of the older styled homes.

We continued our journey towards Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is the home of the largest Amish community in the United States. It was about a 4 hour drive from Newark.    We got to downtown Lancaster and were wondering where all of the Amish people were located.   Looked at some more maps and tourist materials and saw that they are living out in the country, which is logical, given the fact that they are farmers.

Our GPS took us into this neighborhood, so we stopped and talked to an older guy who was out tending his flowers.  We asked him how to find Intercourse.    He snickered.    Afterwards, we were laughing so hard, as he probably thought that the four of us were propositioning him.   

We had a nice lunch at Dienners.  It was all homemade food which was delicious.    Then, we went to Intercourse, PA, to this little village.    Of course, I had to buy a coffee cup that said, 'I love Intercourse, PA'.

We drove about another hour to Hershey, PA, as Rose and Rhonda wanted to stop there.     I didn't buy much there, as I was watching my money.   I did buy a Reese's Peanut Butter cup, as that is my favorite.

We took the little car ride that shows you how Hershey chocolate is made.  At the end of the ride, you get a small Hershey bar.    We were not able to take the trolley tour of the area, as it was already reserved for the rest of the day.   My mom and I had gone to Hershey back in 2002 when we were coming back from New York City.
Drove around the Hershey Hotel, Amusement Park, and the downtown area.   

It was a long four hour drive from Hershey to Clearfield, Pennsylvania. I thought we would never get there.     I wish there was a better way to get to Clearfield from there.   

May 26, 2013: New York City

The last time I was in New York City was in October 2002.   Back then, we could still see the mess from the collapse of the World Trade Towers in 2001.   This time, we were able to see the rebuilding of that site.  

We took the shuttle from our hotel to the stop at 42nd and Fashion. We saw the Cake Boss store, so wanted to stop there first. They had opened this location earlier this year.    I am glad we went there first, as it wasn't too crowded, so we were able to get some good photos.   
I am going to order online a chef coat of Carlos Bakery with my name monogrammed. 

We walked around Times Square. I saw where Good Morning America is filmed.    Wish they had tours of the studio.   Rhonda wanted to see St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is where the Kennedys were married.     Unfortunately, it is under restoration, so I couldn't get a good picture of it.   We went to Rockefeller Center and to Grand Central Station.   This was Rose's first trip to New York City, so I wanted her to see as much as possible in a short period of time.

We decided to take the subway from Grand Central Station (42nd St stop) up to the Great Lawn in Central Park.    I didn't think the subway system was the easiest to figure out, as I didn't know if we were going north or south on the train.   In Chicago, I knew the north stop and the south stop, but I didn't recognize the names of the stops here.   A nice senior citizen, originally from Indiana, guided us on the right train to the 86th St stop.  That was so nice of her.   She was going to the Metropolitan Museum.     I think God provided us with her for this part of the trip.    Her husband and kids worked in the financial district.

We walked around the Great Lawn which was beautiful. We saw the Belvedere Castle and ended up at Strawberry Fields near 72nd St.   Showed Rhonda and Rose the building where John Lennon was murdered.  

We took the subway down to the World Trade Center site, which is something I wanted to see.    We had to stand in a line to get a free ticket.  They only allow a certain amount of people into the site at a specific time.    

While we waited for our schedule time, we stopped at a restaurant and got deli sandwiches. I thought my sandwich was good, but I dont' think Rhonda or Rose were too impressed.   I found out later we should have eaten at Carnegie Deli.   That will have to be where I go on my next trip.

The 9/11 Memorial had airport type security you go through before you get into the site.     I love how they designed it.    The 2 pools are right on the sites of where the twin towers were located.   The names of all of those lost in the tragedy are on a wall around the pool.  
The new Freedom Tower, which is going to be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, was currently under construction.   
There is a directory you can search in order to find where your loved one's name is located on the walls.     

There is also a tree replanted on the site that was the only surviving tree after the 9/11 attacks.  

Our next spot to check out was Wall Street.    It is a pretty neat building.     All of the buildings in that area are solid and right on top of each other.  

It was about 30 blocks to go toward the Empire State Building.  We decided to take a cab up there, as I didn't think Rose would be able to walk that far with her injured ankle.
We were shocked to find out it costs $49 to go to the top of the Empire State Building, with a minimum 3 hour wait.   We decided not to go there and to walk towards the Macy's Department store.     It was very crowded in Macy's. It was nice to see it, but I would prefer to shop at my local Macy's.

Of course, our last stop was back at the Cake Boss store in Times Square.  I bought another cannoli and a cookie.  They were both delicious.    

Around 8 p.m, we took our shuttle back to the hotel, which was so nice.    It costs $13 to drive through the Lincoln Tunnel, so I am glad we didn't drive ourselves.      

Next time I go to the city, I want to spend time in the neighborhoods, Tribeca, Chinatown, etc.  

I bought a FitBit walking pedometer and been competing with my Aunt Charlene, my Mom, and Marnie.   I took it on this trip. I walked 29,000 steps around NYC today.   That is close to 15 miles.

May 25, 2013: Clearfield, PA to Hoboken, NJ

We left early in the morning for our 4 hour trip to Hoboken, NJ.     We got there around 12:30 p.m.  I was surprised by how close Newark and Hoboken were to NYC.  They literally are on top of NYC, with only the narrow Hudson River dividing them.   The roads by Newark and Hoboken are very confusing.    We got off course at one point and went through a bit of Newark, which was very dirty and run down.

I was glad when we got to Hoboken and went down Washington Ave. and saw the Carlos Bakery (95 Washington St).  There was a line outside the bakery, which is what I expected.   

It was hard to find parking, so we ended up parking the car at the lot on the corner.   It cost us $20. 

I was finally going to go inside Carlos Bakery, from the TLC show, 'Cake Boss'.  I asked the worker there if any of the family members were working today and he said Maddalene.  However, when we got into the store, none of them were there.     They had a bunch of pictures of the family on the wall inside.    I had another 20 minute wait once I got inside. It was pretty crowded.

I bought a cannoli, lobster tail, and red velvet cupcake w/buttercreme frosting. I highly recommend all of those.  Before I came to NY, I looked at some videos on the TLC website. One of them was of Buddy Valastro saying which items he recommends in the bakery. His favorite is the lobster tails. He also likes red velvet cake.   He has good taste.

After we got our goodies at the bakery, I called my high school friend, Matthew Johnson, who now lives in Hoboken with his wife, Jocelyn.     They got married in 2010.  She is from Connecticut.  She used to work at Amazon in Seattle and Google in NY. From her reactions, I don't think she liked working there. Now, she works from home at Zazzle.     Matthew is a composer and teacher at Mannes College in NYC.   He said he goes there about 3 times a week.
They bought a condo on Bloomfield St.    

My mom wanted to find a cool restaurant to go to in Hoboken, so we went to Piccolo's.   It was known for playing Frank Sinatra music all day.   

The owner of the restaurant, Patty, was about 52 years old.  He said he loves having a restaurant, but it is hard work.   He said Frank Sinatra Jr. would come into his restaurant anytime he was in town.  
He sat at our table and told us all about the restaurant and Frank Sinatra.  Due to music licensing laws, he isn't playing the music anymore.    There is a fee to play Frank Sinatra's music.    

There were pictures all over the wall of customers with him.  I asked him if he met any celebrities and his response was that all of the customers are celebrities.     I asked him if we could have a picture with him and if he would post it on his wall.  He said he would gladly put us on his wall. Jocelyn said she would bring him the picture.   

He knew Buddy Valastro, from Carlos Bakery, since he was a small kid.    Buddy's mother lives in Hoboken in Maxwell condos, which overlooks the Hudson River.   

This is a friendly neighborhood restaurant where you could come for a steak & cheese sandwich.    I love restaurants like this.

Then, we went to see where Frank Sinatra was born and the church he was baptized in.

We stopped for coffee and then went back to Matthew and Jocelyn's condo to see that.    It was very nice inside.     Jocelyn said there was bad flooding in Hoboken from Hurricane Sandy last October, but it didn't affect their condo, as they are on the 2nd floor.    
I was very glad we were able to meet with them.   They are wonderful people.

Rhonda wanted to stand in line at Carlos Bakery as she wanted to buy some more things there. I was surprised she wanted to do this again.    Rose, my mom, and I walked down to the waterfront in Hoboken and got a great view of New York City. I think this is the best spot for a photo of the city.  Unfortunately, it was a cloudy and cold day outside.   

I had to walk down the alley behind Carlos Bakery, as they have had scenes from the show there.   

That night, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in North Bergen.  It was confusing to get out of Hoboken, so was so glad to arrive at the hotel and not have to move the car for 2 nights.  The hotel has shuttle service for $7 roundtrip into New York City. It drops off at 42nd and Fashion, near Times Square.    

May 24, 2013: Muskegon to Clearfield, PA

I decided that I wanted to take a trip back to New York City, with a stop in Hoboken, NJ, in order to see the famous bakery, 'Carlos Bakery', from the TV show, 'Cake Boss'.     Also, I wanted to visit my friends, Matthew and Jocelyn Johnson and see the 9/11 Memorial.    

Money was tight for me, so I wanted to go as cheaply as possible.   I thought it would be fun to have a couple of friends come along on the trip.    My mom, Rose Carlson, Rhonda Collins, and I decided to take a trip together.    Rose was my roommate one semester at Western Michigan University.  We met Rhonda at the Hampton Court apartments when we were living there.

I sent out an itinerary to everyone with the places I thought were interesting to see.  

We left Muskegon around 7 a.m. and stopped at Cabelas and Russell Stover Candy in Dundee, MI.    Rose had never been to Cabelas, so this was a nice stop.

We drove about 540 miles to our first stop, which was in Clearfield, PA.   We stayed at the Comfort Inn, as suggested by my bus driver friend, Tim Shelton. 

As soon as I saw Clearfield, I remembered that it was the same city my Mom and I stayed in when we went on our last driving trip to NYC back in 2002.

Had dinner at Dutch Pantry and then took a drive around Clearfield.   I wasn't too impressed with the area, but it was a nice stop for the evening.
We found their little mall which had a Peebles Department store, Hallmark, and JCPenneys.

May 12, 2013: Mother's Day

Mom and I had a nice breakfast at Golden Corral.  We went to my church,  Harvest Bible Chapel, in Spring Lake.  Then,  we took a nice nap.   We went to the 3D movie, The Great Gatsby, which was excellent.   We finished off the day with free hot fudge sundaes at Whippi Dip on Pontaluna Road.   

I am very blessed and thankful for my wonderful mother!   She got me a salad cooler container for Mother's Day from Maggie.  I didn't expect any gifts,  but it sure was nice.   

Bus driver Tim got married this weekend to Katy down in southern Illinois.  Chris Labelle and his fiancé, Aly Rosema,  had their baby boy,  Lennon, yesterday.   

May 11, 2013: Countryside Greenhouse & Grandville

Mom and I took a walk on the trail before we went shopping at the mall in Grandville.  We both got a shirt and I got a pretty belt.   Then,  I drove around Jenison and Grand Valley.  The road was closed midway down the road so I couldn't show her much of the campus.   Then,  we stopped at the new Countryside Greenhouse on Lake Michigan Drive.  It was even bigger.  I liked the nice wide aisles.  It took us a while to agree on the flowers and stand we would buy.   We got a beautiful hanging basket,  some marigolds for my grandparent's stone, and red ones for our planters.