#head out program

[ckwlofton]

Day 3 of our HOP tour brought us back into the city. After the early morning bus ride, we arrived at the Empire State Building where we took the express elevator to the 80th floor and then on to the 86th floor. To say the views were spectacular would be an understatement. The day was beautiful with bright sunlight and a steady breeze as we looked down on the bustling city. I took so many photos from the observation deck! It was so pretty, I just couldn’t stop.

After a trip through the gift shop, because no stop in NYC comes without buying a t-shirt, we met back with our group for a HOP provided meal at the Heartland Brewery located at the bottom of the Empire State Building. It was an eclectic place, and the food was really good. Of course, this bunch from the south was still looking for more spice in our food, something we have not found in the northeast.

After lunch, our schedule called for heading straight to the Broadway show we were attending. Fortunately, we were a little ahead of schedule, and we were able to see Times Square since our show was in the area. That saved us from having to put it on our list for when we headed back in on our “by ourselves” day.

Once we made it to the theater, we enjoyed an excellent presentation of The Lion King on Broadway. It was a fantastic production, from the acting to the costumes. I can see why it was an award winner. I also learned on this trip that the “Broadway” and “Off- Broadway” designation is strictly based on the theater, not the location. If the theater holds 500 or more, it is a Broadway production. If it seats 100 to 499, then it is an Off-Broadway production, and if it holds less than 100, then it is considered an Off-Off-Broadway production. Just a bit of trivia for your day that I found to be very interesting.

There were no cameras allowed during the play, so my photos are of the theater itself. As much as I would like to have photographed the production, I must say that it was delightful to sit back and just watch. It’s amazing how much more you see when there isn’t a camera or phone stuck in front of your face. I am the world’s worst about that because I always want to have that memory on my phone. In this case, the memories of the play are just that–in my memories, and it is pretty nice.

The day ended with a long bus drive home. We arrived back at the park earlier than I had expected, so we were able to prepare for the final day of our HOP.

Day 4 kept us in the Hudson Valley region with a trip to the United States Military Academy West Point. I’m not really sure what I expected from West Point, but I can tell you that I was blown away. The campus is absolutely gorgeous! My photos won’t even touch the beauty we witnessed. We also were treated to lunch at the West Point Club with views over the Hudson River. The tour ended at the Visitor Center, Museum, and Gift Shop. (Again, another t-shirt!)

Our tour guide at West Point was outstanding. She told us so much about the history of the school, the cadets and their programs, the campus, and so much more. We heard stories of those who lost their lives and are buried at West Point, saw sites that held historical significance in the early years of our country, and witnessed new cadets as they were going through their first days on the campus. We had hoped to see the son of a friend that attends the school, but he is an upperclassman cadet and was working with a group of new cadets that day.

We left the campus with the feeling that we had ended our HOP tour with a great place to visit. The future leaders of the Army of our great country are being made right now at West Point. They have a bright future ahead of them and so do we, knowing they will lead the forces that protect our freedoms.

When we arrived back at the RV park, our HOP tour officially ended. We are so glad we chose to participate in this event. We had a great time, loved not having to worry about anything but showing up, and learned so much that we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Plus, we made connections with people who are on this same great journey of RV life that we are living. In fact, our evening ended with some time enjoying visiting with another full-time RV couple that we met on the HOP. It was nice to relax and share stories of our journeys, even though ours have been brief. We look forward to catching them on the road sometime soon.

Stay tuned–the next post will be about our adventures in the city on our own. Also coming, a visit to the Vanderbilt Mansion, and the horrors of trying to fly Lindsey back to Louisiana. Lots still to catch up on!

**All photos in this post were taken with an iPhone X and are unedited.

HOPping Around New York-Days 3 & 4 Day 3 of our HOP tour brought us back into the city. After the early morning bus ride, we arrived at the Empire State Building where we took the express elevator to the 80th floor and then on to the 86th floor.

[ckwlofton]

Does anyone remember the Pace Picante Sauce commercial from many moons ago where the cowboys are playing a card game and one orders more salsa? The others question it because it isn’t Pace and one reads that it was made in New York City. All of the Pace cowboys say “New York City” at the same time in the most country accent you can imagine. If you remember the commercial then you probably just said New York City in your mind in that same southern tone. While Lindsey was with us and we were touring NYC, the three of us said it is that same accent more times than we are to admit. It became the family delicious of the week for us.

Back when we were still working, we signed up to do an Escapees Head Out Program or HOP. The tour was based out of a KOA park in Plattekill, NY, and would give us four days of touring not only the city but some other attractions as well. It was a great event, and we are so happy that we participated. We were able to visit so much without the headache of transportation because we traveled by bus everywhere…and the bus was always where we needed it when we needed it. It was a full schedule for each of the four days, and we were exhausted at the end of each, but we had a blast and met some awesome folks along the way.

Day one was a visit to the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Museum. We boarded the bus at a bright and early 7:15 that morning, which is incredibly early for us now…well, not Lindsey, but for the old folks in the RV. The ride into the city took a couple of hours, but the bus driver was great in the traffic. We went through the Lincoln Tunnel, and for those of you that travel the Mobile, AL, tunnel, think about three times the length. After arriving in the city, we traveled on to Battery Park where we boarded the ferry to Liberty Island. If you know much about me, you know I’m not a fan of ferry boats, but this one didn’t seem to bother me too much. I think it was the excitement of where I was that kept me a little bit calmer. Once we arrived on the island, we only had a little over 30 minutes to see everything. Our tickets didn’t come with access to the statue, but we still were able to see her in all of her glory. We were also able to see some stunning views of Manhatten from the island and then even better from the ferry back. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit Ellis Island as our tour didn’t have time to take it in. We did dock there briefly on the return trip, but we didn’t get off the ferry. Here are a few photos from our visit to Lady Liberty.

After boarding the bus at Battery Park, we headed over to the area of the 9/11 Museum. We had a lunch break and were on our own for about an hour. The three of us walked down to a little place named Charly’s. It was really good, and we had a nice view of a park across the street. Just so happens that the park was where the Occupy Wall Street protest happened several years ago.

Once we all met back up after lunch, we moved on to the 9/11 Museum. I must say that I have never visited such a moving place. There were many times that I was almost in tears and would have to move on to the next exhibit to keep myself from crying. There were also several things that I avoided listening to just because I didn’t think I could hold it together. I took so many pictures that I couldn’t even begin to put them all on here. Photos can’t do justice to the impact of seeing the relics of the twin towers. There was one section of the museum that did not allow photos. It was tough, I’m not going to lie. It was tough to see all of this and imagine what those people and their families went through on that fateful day. I could go on and on about the impact of this place on me, but I will leave it at this–if you even have the opportunity to visit this museum, do it. Don’t think about the cost or the time, just do it. You will be forever moved. Below are a few of the photos I took inside the museum. Again, these can’t do justice to what you see there.

Outside of the museum, we visited the 9/11 Memorials, one for the north tower and one for the south tower, standing in the locations of the original towers. Each memorial listed the names of the lives lost in that particular tower on that horrific day. There were flowers, flags, and such left in some of the names as people had visited the memorial looking for their loved ones or friends. The two fountains are a touching tribute to remember those who did not survive.

  And above it all, the new One World Trade Center watches over:

After a long bus ride back home, I think all three of us went to bed that night with solemn thoughts about the things we saw on day one of our tour. From the welcoming of the Statue of Liberty to one of the most disastrous days in our country’s history, we felt the emotions of the day. We went to bed enlightened, exhausted, and ready to jump into day two…a blog to follow.

**All photos in this post were taken with an iPhone X and are unedited.

HOPping Around New York-Day 1 Does anyone remember the Pace Picante Sauce commercial from many moons ago where the cowboys are playing a card game and one orders more salsa?