Good-bye New York, hello Philly

We made it out of New York — and we didn’t leave anyone behind. It was a great idea to take the tour bus, instead of trying to make our way around the city on our own. Since we stayed in Newark, we didn’t even have to drive — we took the train in, so we only to drive a short way to the train station, park the car in some covered parking (had to pay for two spots, since we have the oversized van!), and walk a block to Penn Station.

At the station, we bought MetroCard tickets for the train. The machine takes credit cards and sells cards in various increments. For $7, we can get four people one way, so I bought two (Zane and Nellie ride free). This took two transactions with the credit card, and I should have been alert as to what to expect on the ride home. I tried buying the same $7 cards to get back, but my card was rejected! I then remembered that the same thing happened in DC. An agent there asked if we’ve used our card twice already that day. Apparently the system doesn’t let you use a card more than that. In DC, I used a second card (one we got just for this trip, which was affiliated with a hotel chain we were going to use), but I in NYC I only had one card. Argh! Fortunately, Samantha had her debit card, so I was able to use it twice to get two $7 cards.

And why did I only have one card, you may ask? Well, I was concerned about pickpockets in NYC, so I left my wallet at home and put my driver’s license, my credit card, and a twenty dollar bill in my shoe! Yes, I walked through the city with a limp.

No rain on this day, but the National Weather Service did issue a wind alert — and for good reason. It was really blowing on the top level of the double-decker bus. Brenda rode up there the whole time, along with most of the family. I rode on the bottom floor during the afternoon, when Nellie fell asleep in my arms and Zane on my lap. Other bus riders would see us in the corner, and point at us and smile. I felt like one of the sights on the tour: “Come see the guy with the sleeping kids!”

We stayed out until 7 or so, then made our way back to Penn Station — not the Newark Penn Station, the New York Penn Station. Apparently, there are two, with almost identical names, and it’s important to know which one you’re talking about. We needed to get to the New York one so we could take a train to the Newark one. New York was named for the Duke of York, and Newark is a shortened form of “new work”, so named by the puritans. No one bothered to think that tourists might confuse these two, especially when they duplicate station names. But such is life in the big apple.

We asked several locals why they liked living there. They talked about the lights, the shows, there’s always something to do…nothing that appealed to us. I guess we’re just midwesterners, and that’s the way it’ll be.

I mentioned how I set up the VCR to record the Kansas game. Well, apparently they don’t show first round Midwest games here in the Northeast, so I instead recorded a collection of games I didn’t care to see. I had recorded the game on my home system, though, so I downloaded it overnight, then the girls and I watched it this morning.

It’s a different tournament for me this year. I’m in more brackets and know more about more teams than in previous years, but I’m watching fewer games. I won’t even see the finals — I’ll be in Mexico, working on some bathrooms at a couple of orphanages. I was there in January and have a chance to go back in April. Turns out a friend has the potential for tickets to the final four — if Kansas is going, he can buy them. He offered one to me, but I’m doing the Mexico thing instead.

Around lunchtime, we arrived in King of Prussia, named after a local tavern which itself was named for the king of Prussia. It boasts a huge mall, and … well, basically being close to important stuff. We already saw Valley Forge. As I kept trying to read important history stuff to the kids as we took the driving tour, they were more interested in seeing the dozens of deer in the park. I admit, the deer were a fascinating sight — they apparently had no fear of the cars, and would continue their activities — feeding, resting, playing — within yards of the road.

Whew, it’s late. Tomorrow is a big day: the Liberty Bell, Society Hill, and a philly cheesesteak or two.