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Topic: Summer Travels (Read 2349 times)

LibertyBelle
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Summer Travels
« on: Jul 28^th, 2002, 8:33am »

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I've just returned from New York City, had a great time!

I've flown through it and driven through it, but never really done it before. This time I had a few days to settle in and enjoy it. The first day we took the train to Yonkers to meet a friend who lives there. Actually she was a friend of the friend I was with LOL. Now she's my friend too and has invited the two of us back to stay with her sometime. Anyway, she drove us up the Hudson Valley to tour some of the wonderful homes that line that gorgeous area from top to bottom.

The highlight was Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate. Magnificent! It was designed so that a visitor standing at the front door can look all the way through the house and see the Hudson River beyond the back terrace. It has wonderful views over the valley, front and back. But I was saddened to see the disrepair of Lyndhurst. Peeling paint and crumbling plaster everywhere, and the grounds are weedy and unkempt. Just a bit of paint can't be that hard to do and would make a big difference! It's a neat old Gothic mansion, worth putting some effort into.

The following day we bought a two day easy on easy off ticket for one of the double decker tour busses. This is a great way to get around the city without having to constantly be riding the subway, or wasting a fortune on taxis. There's a tour guide who tells lots of interesting little side notes, maybe stuff you didn't know before, as well as "here on your left is the Dakota, where John Lennon was shot to death" sort of info. They stop often, run every 15 minutes, cover the entire island, and the pass you buy is unlimited. We rode those things all over the place.

We spent one whole morning at Ground Zero. I was doing fine until the girl behind me burst into tears! Then of course I was a goner, so we cried together. One of the NYPD blue was standing near and he was struggling I could tell LOL, so we stood and chatted with him for a bit. :cop:

He was remembering how it was before, which was good for me because I'd never seen it from that vantage point. I love the NYC accent and told him so. He looked surprised and said, "Wow, I don't get that very often!" Then he leaned over and whispered, "I could listen to you talk forever, I love Southern women." Who says New Yorkers aren't friendly?! Seriously, I find the natives there delightful, helpful, and quite friendly.

Most of the rest of our time we just jumped on and off those lovely little busses, riding the top for the breeze (you can see better up there too), and just hanging out. The highlight was doing Little Italy the last evening with another friend of my friend, an absolute stud muffin Italian who knows how to wine and dine a couple of ladies in style! :faint:

So... where have y'all been, or planning to go, this summer?

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Mzz_Joplin
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #1 on: Jul 28^th, 2002, 2:50pm »

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Sounds like you had a wonderful trip Liberty!
I've never been to New York, but your description makes me want to visit it! Grin

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Addams
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #2 on: Jul 28^th, 2002, 8:28pm »

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So I was wondering where our Belle had wandered of to? NY, NY - glad you had a great time. Nice to meet new friends and enjoy old friends too. I would love to take the time to really see New York. I have been once but only to study for a week and I saw very little. I am a Met, MOMA, Carnegie Hall type though PLUS I want to see all the boroughs etc. I think I need more than one visit.

That policeman saw in real life the special qualities of our Liberty Belle in person . Lucky him! Can't wait until I have the same chance Wink

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Rhune
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #3 on: Jul 28^th, 2002, 9:55pm »

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You have a great way with words, I love how you described everything. Sounds like you had a great vacation.

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LibertyBelle
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #4 on: Jul 28^th, 2002, 10:58pm »

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Thanks y'all.

You're right Addams, I needed more time. I'd love to do those things too! My friend and I are already planning our next trip. Grin

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Irishlass
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #5 on: Jul 29^th, 2002, 10:20pm »

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Mr. Irish and I just returned from Rapid City, SD. We went to the National DeSoto Club Convention. The week was centered around the cars, but we had time to see a lot of the sights too. We attended the convention without our car, a 1958 that we are restoring. Another couple "adopted" us for the week and took us everywhere with them in their bright red 1956. We visited Mt. Rushmore, the lighting ceremony at night was beautiful. We also went to the Crazy Horse monument. The monument is still a work in progress, we were able to see them blast a section that will be the face of the horse. Crazy Horse's face is all that is complete at this time. Another evening we went to the town of Deadwood. Deadwood just recently escaped one of the forest fires that have been burning out west. There were signs in every casino and business thanking the firefighters :fireman:

for their hard work in saving their town. The hills around Deadwood were burned badly and the fire came very close to the town.
Another evening we attended a chuck wagon dinner and Western show. It was great fun. Dinner was served on tin plates and the beverages were in tin cups. The show was very good, with western music and lots of corny down home humor :cowboy:

. After Mr. I and I left the convention we drove through the Bad Lands National Park. How awesome that is with the ravines, ridges, low hills and cliffs. The variegated colors alternating with the grayish-white sediment is just beautiful. We had a wonderful time and like all vacations it was just too short.

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Addams
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #6 on: Jul 29^th, 2002, 11:34pm »

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Welcome back. Sounds like an awesome trip. Any scenery shots you can post here for those of us who are vacation challenged this year?

as an aside - the addams very much like the years 1956 and 1958. Gomez and Morticia have some real personal attachments to those years, respectively. Wink

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LibertyBelle
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #7 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 8:27am »

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OOh yeah Irish, photos! Your trip sounds wonderful. Can y'all tell that I love to travel? And I love to hear other people tell about their travels too, or even where they live. So much planet earth to see, so little time to see it. I've never been to SD. How sad that the fires destroyed so much of the beauty there - but how wonderful that Deadwood was saved! The chuck wagon dinner made me think of Colby. :cowboy:

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Kramer
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #8 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 9:45am »

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Libertybelle,

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip

Ironically, this past week and weekend the Twinless Twins conference was being held in Detroit. My sister attended this (she lost her twin in 1997 from cancer) and I attended Friday evenings events with her.

At the conference was a man from NY city. His twin was killed in the WTC 9/11 bombings. He said that all together, there was a total of 39 twins killed (out of 1500 people, that seems like a significant amount of twins). He was starting a Twinless Twins chapter in NY to help the twins there. It was very sad to listen to his story, but bless his heart for taking something awful and doing something positive with it.

Anyways, not to change the subject on you, I am glad you had a wonderful vacation and hope that the relaxation and joy lasts for many weeks.

I will be going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2 weeks, I can hardly wait!

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Irishlass
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #9 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 10:29am »

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on Jul 30^th, 2002, 9:45am, Kramer wrote:

I will be going to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2 weeks, I can hardly wait!

Kramer, I envy you. The Outer Banks of North Carolina is my piece of heaven on earth. Our family goes there every year. We were there in early June this year and I'm ready to go back already.

Is this your first trip or are you a repeat visitor? We always go to Avon, where are you headed? I need a favor, while you are there wiggle you toes in the sand and think of me. :sunny:

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Kramer
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #10 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 12:24pm »

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Irishlass,

I will definitely do that for you

I have never been there before, nor even heard of it until mr kramer insisted we go to the ocean.

We will be in Waves, which I think is right next to Avon. We have rented a beach house right on the Ocean and while it is expensive, it should be worth every penny.

I can hardly wait to go...I hope I can make it through the next two weeks at work without driving everyone crazy..... :golf:

I need a vacation :sunny:

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Kramer
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #11 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 12:26pm »

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PS...Irishlass, do you have any tips or suggestions for "must see" or "must do" activities? I would love to hear them!

Thanks!!

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LibertyBelle
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #12 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 8:06pm »

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Krams, how very odd, so many twins killed. But as you say, what a neat thing that twin is doing.

You're in for a treat at the Outer Banks! A lovely lovely place. There are wild ponies there, and sand dunes as big as a house - bigger!

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Irishlass
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #13 on: Jul 30^th, 2002, 10:54pm »

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on Jul 30^th, 2002, 12:26pm, Kramer wrote:

PS...Irishlass, do you have any tips or suggestions for "must see" or "must do" activities? I would love to hear them!

Thanks!!

I couldn't decide whether to PM you this information or post it, I finally decided to post it in case someone else was interested.

First of all, you made the right decision in renting an ocean front house. We always rent ocean front, it's the only way to do the Outer Banks. I suggest that unless you are in excellent shape, you start now doing some stair climbing and leg strengthening exercises. There will be dunes to climb in order to reach the beach and all of the houses and most of the businesses are built on "stilts". We always say that by the time our legs get used to all of the climbing it is time to to home.

One of the must see things, IMO, is the outdoor production of "The Lost Colony". It will give you the history of the area and it is a very good show. It is held nightly on Roanoke Island. You might want to make a day of the Roanoke Island trip, there is much to do there. There is a beautiful Elizabethan Garden. There is a great Christmas store there and a wonderful store for cat lovers called The Cat House. While you are there, you also have to go to the Weeping Radish restaurant...............great food and beer. This year we also took a dolphin cruise that left from Roanoke Island Festival Park (we did see a pod of dolphins and followed them for over an hour).

Another thing that I would say is a "must do" is a trip to Ocracoke Island, reachable only by ferry. The ferry ride is fun and Ocracoke has lots of shopping and Howard's Pub. If you do this one, plan on getting to the ferry docks early, the later you go the longer the wait.

If you are so inclined, there are lots of sports to try. Windsurfing is great on the Sound and surf fishing is very popular. If deep sea fishing is your thing, charters are available. Our "kids" (late 20's early 30's) enjoy kite flying on the beach and kayaking on the sound.

I can give you more ideas, but I don't want to overwhelm you. If you have any questions you can PM me or ask and I will post more here on the boards.

To be honest, I enjoy sitting on the deck and reading or just watching the waves break. I also spend a lot of time on the beach. The sunrises and sunsets are beautiful. There is nothing like an early morning walk on the beach letting the surf slap your ankles.

One other important thing................bug spray if you plan on a visit to Pea Island or the remote parts of the area, the "skeeters" and biting flies can be brutal.

Okay, I'll stop now, but if you have any questions, ask away. As you can see, I could talk about this for hours.

« Last Edit: Jul 31^st, 2002, 7:36am by Irishlass »

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Kramer
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Re: Summer Travels
« Reply #14 on: Jul 31^st, 2002, 6:47am »

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Thanks for the suggestions Irishlass! It sounds wonderful

I was planning on visiting the Elizabethan Gardens, now I will definitely make sure that I make an entire day of it and watch the Lost Colony show and visit those stores (I am a HUGE cat lover).

We are planning a trip to Ocracoke Island (I want to ride a real ferry at least once in my life) and I will make sure that we get there early (thanks for the suggestion).

I am making Mr. Kramer take our bicycles (we are driving) against his will, is this going to be a good idea? I got the impression that we could bike around our general area fairly easy, but I would like to have your opinion.

Thanks for your reminder about the bug spray, biting flies and mosquitos can ruin a trip for me (I can't take it) so Mr Kramer will be happy if I goop myself up with the Deep Woods Off.

Mr. Kramer wants to take one day to go deep sea fishing but I can't go (seasick), so I plan to spend a day on my own to go shopping, any suggestions for that (somewhere closer to Waves?)

Also, we are planning to take a guided tour to go out and see the wild ponies, I have read quite a bit about them and they sound interesting.

On the Internet you can go out to a website and look at the menus of the restaraunts in the area, I am already craving crab legs and lobster. Oh my, I can hardly wait!

So, anything else you can think of that I am missing, I will be there from Sunday afternoon to the following Monday (8 nights).

I am taking a long plenty of reading so I can just relax by the ocean. I am NOT looking forward to all of the climbing that you mentioned, but I appreciate you mentioning it because now I know I will need to take my arthritis medicine (yes, at 35 I have athritis in my hip joints, knees, and ankles). Normally, I am okay without it at this time of the year, but excessive stair climbing or leg heavy excercising will cause me a lot of grief.

If you can think of anything more to add, please, I would love to hear all about it!

Thanks

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