Spontaneity!
So we were headed to Forts Miffin and Mercer and Valley Forge when Ellen, thinking aloud, said, “We should visit the One World Observatory Trade Center and Memorial “. Clearly we would not drive The Beast through downtown traffic. “OK”, said I, “How should we get there?” Ellen said, “We don’t have to, but it would be good to take a ferry from New Jersey.” That sounded great to me, I had no idea how far off path we would go. It really didn’t matter, the experience of going into New York by boat appealed.
We drove pretty far off path. The roads grew smaller and more rustic. For a while we were not sure what we’d find at the end of our GPS fueled trek. Finally we turned toward the shore and past a huge full parking lot. We drove the parking lot for a while not finding anything even close to The Beast’s size. Finally we drove to the ferry terminal that looked deserted! Oh Oh. Ellen hopped out to get information and I continued the search. I found a good parking spot just outside the main lot on an access road to the state shore that was gated and locked, but with 200 feet of road. Great. I parked and phoned Ellen. She said ferry tickets would go on sale in fifteen minutes, the ferry would depart in forty five. Awesome!
Ellen here: While waiting for the ferry we chatted with Anthony, one of the guy’s that worked the ferry, and he suggested we wait for the next ferry 35 minutes later as that one had an open deck better for photos but we decided not to loose the daytime. Tip: A good idea to ask about types of ferries.
Might have saved some time if we were able to catch the Hoboken/NJ Ferry to Manhattan but but I thought it might be more difficult to find parking for an RV. This side-excursion was last minute. I’m thrilled we took the time to squeeze in this Ferry trip. I do love NYC and we’ll plan a separate trip to visit the city, go to some shows and museums. So much to do…
Monmouth Ferry to New York’s Financial District
Ellen’s Shots from the Monmouth/Belford Ferry
The ferry stopped at Jersey City then crossed the Hudson to the Financial District. We asked RIchard, a ticket sales guy, how to get to the World Trade Center. He actually left the ticket booth and walked outside to show us the way. We were literally one city block from One World Trade Center. Richard said, “I can’t take you there, but you walk one block down there (pointing), cross the highway, and you’ll be right there.” What a great attitude he has.
One World Observatory
We took the elevator the 200 stories to the amazing view of the city below. It was the most surreal experience of our trip. Beautiful, awe inspiring, and too crowded all at once.
Happy Wife
We both agreed that we’ll return to New York and take a week to explore the city and see some shows. Ellen also wants to visit the 9/11 Museum next time.
At the Reflecting Pool, World Trade Center Memorial
Ellen here: The Memorial is beautifully designed and quite breathtaking! For obvious reasons this memorial brought tears to my eyes. We stood for a time taking in its beauty and symbolism.