THE BEST IS YET TO COME...

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD: Hot again today. I sat outside reading my book for a while, but the heat drove me inside. I feel for the millions still without power in this heat. Went for a short walk. This park is rated one of the best in the country. It has some great amenities, but the sites are just so-so. At least we back up to the woods. Put a round roast in the oven and watched golf. They’re playing not too far from us—over in Bethesda. Roast beef, mashed potatoes and a vegetable for dinner. Not a great day to have the oven going, but it tasted good.

The huge Prevost next to us--a young couple too.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

KOA, West Chester, PA, to Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD: Left this morning a little after 10:30. Mike drove because I tossed and turned all night last night. We had another storm come through last night, but not as bad as the night before. I guess D.C. got a lot of damage from that storm. We saw a lot of evidence of that on our drive down here. We got here, set up, and did the cleaning by 2:45. This park is really nice. Two pools, a restaurant on the property, and they have a little bus depot here where busses run on the hour into the metro stop for D.C. and Baltimore. So we’ll probably take advantage of that at some point. We have a provost motor home next to us—probably 44 feet and cost around one million. We’re here for 13 days, so we’ll have plenty of time to see what we want and relax a lot as well. Eating light tonight and just relaxing tomorrow. Probably won’t venture into D.C. until Monday. 96 here today.

Water towers of NYC

Friday, June 29, 2012

KOA, West Chester, PA: I knew we should have taken care of the laundry last night. Because a virulent little storm passed through around 5:00 this morning and knocked out our power. We didn’t have electric or water for a while. Doesn’t really affect us at all, but the laundry room was without power as well. Power came on briefly but was short lived. We headed down to the laundry room anyway thinking it would come back on at any moment. Sat around there for a while and then finally gave up and drove into town and did the grocery shopping. Came back and the power had been restored, so Mike dropped me off at the laundry room and he went and put the groceries away. We finally finished the deed and went back and put everything away. Had some lunch and sat outside enjoying the warm sultriness for a while. This area is so beautiful with its verdant, lush rolling hills, scenic streams, and pastoral farms. Wish we were staying here a little longer, but tomorrow morning we leave for an RV resort north of Washington, DC. I think it was like 95 today or something.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Holiday Inn Midtown, NYC: Back to the Flame Diner one last time for breakfast and then back to the room and started packing. Left for Penn Station around 1:15. The train was right on time and we left for Trenton at 2:45. I’m much more impressed with Amtrack after this trip. Arrived in Trenton around 3:30 and walked over to the parking garage where Mike parked the truck. Parking cost $140! About an hour drive back to West Chester. Stopped at the quaint Marshalton Inn for dinner and then back to the KOA. Back in the beautiful Brandywine Valley. Unpacked and relaxed. Was going to do the laundry tonight, but I had two Chardonnays and I’m a little inebriated. Tomorrow is another day.

Water towers of New York

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Holiday Inn Midtown, NYC: Our last full day in NYC. We had breakfast at the Flame Diner and then walked back to 57^th Street and caught the 31 bus which goes cross town and up the east side. Going to tour Gracie Mansion which is the official home of the Mayor of NYC. Bloomberg doesn’t live there but uses it for official functions. A wood frame house built in 1799 on what was a Revolutionary War site by Archibald Gracie, a Scottish merchant. This was their country home. It’s about five miles north of lower Manhattan. The only way to get there back in the day was by boat. I think it’s the only wooden home still standing in Manhattan. After the tour we got back on the 31 bus and got off at Park Avenue and walked around there for a while. Back on the bus and got off on 8^th and 57^th and had a late lunch at C. J. Reynolds on 57^th. There were a couple of guys next to us who were right out of The Sopranos. We were eating outside and I was picturing a black sedan pulling up and a bunch of guys with machine guns jumping out and spraying us with bullets. Nice guys though. New Yorkers are actually very friendly. Back to our hotel and relaxed the rest of the day.

Gracie Mansion

Little lighthouse on the tip of Governor's Island in the East River across from Gracie Mansion.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Holiday Inn Midtown, NYC: Left around noon today and took a cab to “21” on W. 52^nd Street. The famous 21 Club for lunch. We chose lunch so we could possibly tour the “hidden” wine cellar. They have private functions there in the evenings, so the only opportunity for the tour would be at lunch. After lunch the wine cellar attendant took us on a private tour. This “speakeasy” was really popular during prohibition. There was a handle at the bar which, when pulled, would collapse all the shelves of liquor behind the bar and they would drop down a chute into the sewers. Left there and walked down 5^th Avenue and stopped at Trump Tower and walked around there for a while. Then walked up to 57^th and took the bus back to 57^th and 9^th. Picked up my jacket at the dry cleaners. Then we looked at a studio apartment at The Geneva which is next door to our hotel. Really cute and much bigger than we thought. Back to our hotel and put on some comfortable shoes and then took the 9^th Avenue bus down to the West Village. Bought some cup cakes at the Magnolia Bakery and sat in a park and shared one and took two more back to the hotel with us. Took the 10^th Avenue bus back uptown to our hotel. Busy day. Only into the mid-70s today.

The historic 21 Club

The ceiling of the Bar Room dining area has toys hanging from the ceiling--donated by celebrity patrons.

The wine cellar

Private stock of some patrons--like Liz Taylor

The private dining room in the wine cellar.

This is the secret door to the wine cellar. It looks like an alcove. To unlock it, they insert a metal rod into a hole and shove it and it opens. This opened into the basement of the townhouse next door to 21 back in the day. They paid the owner for the use of this area. This is where all the action was.

The pink marble waterfall in the atrium of Trump Tower.

Carrie Bradshaw's "stoop" from "Sex and The City"

Monday, June 25, 2012

Holiday Inn Midtown, NYC: I got out early this morning and headed out to the dry cleaners on 57^th and dropped off my jacket. Back to the hotel and waited for Mike to get ready. Then we had some breakfast at the Flame Diner and then headed out walking to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum at Pier 48. We were disappointed that the Enterprise exhibit wasn’t open yet, but we still enjoyed this great venue. After the Intrepid we walked two piers over and got tickets on the cruise that goes all around Manhattan Island. Started at the Hudson River, then cruised south around the tip of Manhattan and then up the East River, through the Harlem River and then back to the Hudson River. A great cruise even though the weather was threatening. The cruise finished at around 7:30 and then we caught a cab and went to Patsy’s on west 56^th. A great Italian restaurant which was frequented by the likes of Frank Sinatra and others. Stumbled back to our room and crashed. A great day. 76 was the high.