Florida Part 1: East

Florida: a state full of contradictions.  Confederate flags and rainbow flags flying side by side.  Alligator zoos next to restaurants serving gator tail.  Sun worshippers and skunk ape hunters.  They all coexist in this environment which is defined by water.  There is water on all sides and water in the middle.  As far as I can tell the whole state is sinking.  Tiny islands dot the coasts.  Barrier islands are the norm.  The key islands are connected to the mainland by a hundred fifty mile overseas highway.

We spent three weeks in Florida, a longer stay than in any other state.  I wish I had a better feel for the people of Florida.  Instead we found ourselves among the aged.  We arrived in Florida in October, before the real tourist season of November through February.  The snowbirds start arriving then, but there are plenty present already.  They are fleeing the Northeast winters, transplants for the winter.

Who are the real Floridians?  I think we met one deep in the Everglades.  He was tall, tanned, bald, imposing.  He was the founder of the Skunk Ape Institute and had an exotic animal park out back.  I would have liked to talk with him, but the mosquitos were so fierce that I could not bring myself to leave the RV.  Meanwhile he sat there calmly in the heat, barely batting at the clouds of feasting skeeters.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We entered Florida along the Atlantic coast and stayed near St Augustine on a barrier island.  On one side of our campground was North Beach, the ocean raging from an approaching tropical storm.  A quarter mile away, on the other side of the campground, was the North River, as serene as the manatees that live within its waters.  The RV park had a floor of white sand and the roads were tunnels through the tropical foliage.

Atlantic

River

The town of St Augustine had lots to offer.  We took a trolley tour at Lukas's request and learned about the town's bloody history filled with Spanish voyagers.  Much of the early city, including the fort of Castillo de San Marcos, was built out of a sedimentary rock made from crushed shells, known as coquina.  The town has some touristy walking streets filled with restaurants, and also hosts the world's largest cross at 208 feet tall.

Lukas and I checked out the St Augustine Alligator Farm, which is an AZA accredited zoo that houses all twenty-three species of crocodilians.  Maximo, the zoo's famed fifteen foot saltwater crocodile from Australia, was having a birthday the day after our visit.  All of the alligator tanks were getting a cleaning for the upcoming event, so we saw the crocs roaming about on land more than in the water.  If one isn't thrilled enough by the teeth on these guys, there is an adventure course above the zoo.  Adventure goers can take the zipline over the open air alligator enclosure which houses at least thirty large gators.  It's a small zoo, but very well done.  They have a few birds and small primates, but mostly stick with the crocs.  It would be great to see more accredited small specialty zoos like this one, rather than the standard mid-size zoo with a little of everything.

Maximo

Life-like zebra carcass in the vulture exhibit

After St Augustine we headed down the coast toward Port St Lucie, a town near the water.  Well, the rain and wind were fierce so we stopped a little further inland.  Lukas and I had an epic swim in the pool while the storm swirled around us.  Next to the RV park was a swamp and we could hear the frogs all night.  At low tide we could smell the sulphur from the swamp, a feature we found throughout Florida.

We planned a night in Key Largo to prepare for our journey down the Overseas Highway.  The highway is a hundred fifty miles of road which connects all the tiny islands, also known as keys, off the tip of southern Florida.  Key Largo is the first of the island chain.  At the end of the highway you have reached Key West, only 90 miles north of Cuba.  Along the Overseas Highway runs the old Overseas Highway, which is kind of creepy because the old highway will look like a regular road then suddenly there will be a large gap in construction where it has been washed away by a storm.  Power lines travel through the water as well.  As expected, the water is clear and aquamarine.  It's a gorgeous drive.

I made a planning error in Key Largo and chose a dump of park.  After navigating the seaweed covered stairs of their advertised swimming area, we literally found a dump floating in the crystal clear Gulf water.  Just up the street was the state park and I made a mental note to stay there on the return trip.

When we made it down to Key West we had an incredible RV park waiting for us.  The site had its own dock and a personal tiki hut with an outdoor kitchen and TV.  There was also an iguana living on top of our tiki hut.  As the story goes, iguanas were introduced to Key West during Hurricane George.  Since then they have taken over and it is common to see three foot beauties basking on the side of the highway.  Unfortunately they are wreaking havoc on the local wildlife, as introduced species usually do.  We celebrated our arrival in Key West with mimosas.  The iguana declined his invitation to join us.

The most fabulous part of the Keys was that we we were basically on a Caribbean island, and yet we had driven our home there!  The Bluewater Key RV Resort was supposedly in Key West, but it turned out it was actually on a smaller key fifteen miles north of downtown.  That was a good thing, because downtown Key West was over run with touristy kitsch: bars, shops, mediocre restaurants.  It was fun to walk around for a day, but not somewhere I would like to stay.

Did you know that Florida is the only state in the US with a coral reef?  As the coral erodes due to weather and nibbling fish, white sand is created.  Thus, the white sugar beaches of Florida.  Thank you, coral reef!  One day I went out on a snorkel boat.  Visibility was "limitless" and waves were up to one foot high.  It was clear as day and flat as a pancake.  The picture below is taken while on the boat and you can see the bottom, thirty feet below.  It was incredible.  I saw all of my favorite species of parrotfish and angelfish, and much larger than I'd seen on previous snorkel trips.  It was so cool to be floating next to a two foot long parrotfish who was crunching away at the vegetation on the coral, totally unconcerned about my presence.

What else did I learn about the Keys?  That gulf shrimp is mighty tasty.  Black grouper is yummy on the grill with blackened seasoning.  Key lime pie dipped in chocolate and frozen on a popsicle stick is too much.  Crabbing is popular in the Keys - blue crab and stone crab are the species caught in Florida.

Other highlights: being in my pajamas at the water's edge, watching the full moon rise at night and the sun rise in the morning.

It was also pretty special to be licked by an endangered Key deer.  I didn't feed the deer, but obviously someone else had since it came right up to our car.

On our way back north we stayed in Key Largo again.  This time we had a reservation at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  True to their name, the park includes the waters out to the coral reef.  Since Lukas and Brian had missed out on the snorkel trip, I insisted that they take a glass bottom boat tour of the coral reef.  We saw lots of jellyfish, a hawksbill turtle, and a couple sting rays.  Visibility was okay, but it was impossible to get a good picture.  At least they boys had a chance to get out on a boat and get a sense of the wonders beneath the water's surface.   

The land part of Pennekamp park was also worth exploring.  Of course since we were in Florida the land part of the park was also mostly water, as in swamps, lakes, a sulfur spring, and the shoreline.  White ibises were moseying around in flocks or pairs, poking in the sand for possible food bits.  Mosquitos and no-see-ums were biting.  And some ants started invading the RV, even bringing their eggs with them!  But none of this got us even remotely prepared for our next adventure: the Everglades.

RV PARK REVIEWS

North Beach Camp Resort, St Augustine, FL: A+

  Atlantic beach access, North river access, two restaurants in walking distance, playground, pool, white sand roads, lots of foliage, friendly staff.

Treasure Coast RV Park and Campground, Ft Pierce, FL: B+

  Paved roads, nice sites, pool.

Riptide RV Park, Key Largo, FL: D

  Construction work.  Semi truck parked in the dock area with a resident and his pitbull. Small sites, dirty.  Dog log in the swimming area!  Beautiful sunset, friendly folks (after a couple beers).

Bluewater Key RV Resort, Key West, FL: A+

  Private dock, tiki hut with outdoor kitchen and TV, pool and laundry, resident iguana.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo, FL: A

  Site next to mangrove swamp, nature trails, swimming area, boats to coral reef.

New Jersey to Savannah, GA

We left New York in late afternoon to retrieve our RV from storage in New Jersey.  From there it was another two hour drive before we arrived at our destination.  Laurel Pond sounded amazing on their website, and they weren't half bad.  I would have really liked the place if they hadn't talked themselves up so much.  Since they had spots with personal hot tubs, we had to get one.  Lukas swam around in our tub with his water wings on, splashing up a storm.  Finally I met one of the owners, and she admitted that they weren't focusing quite so much on the park at that time, due to their six week old son.  Okay, forgiven for the state of the bathroom.  However, I think they should update the website to more accurately reflect the park.

Our whole reason for staying in the area was to visit my grandparents, who are living in a senior community near Princeton.  Upon leaving New York, Lukas came down with a cold, which cramped our style somewhat.  On Monday Lukas and I focused on getting the RV up and running again while Brian played golf.

Tuesday I took Lukas to my favorite farm, Terhune Orchards.  When I was a little kid visiting my grandparents, they would take me to Terhune and I would spend hours feeding bread to all the animals.  Now that I'm a zoo keeper I know how bad bread is for most of the farm animals, but it doesn't diminish my fond memories.  The farm also makes apple cider and in-house donuts.  You used to be able to walk into the bakery and get a warm donut, eat most of it, then feed the crumbs to the animal of choice.  Now all baked goods are sold in the open air store, and instead of donuts I buy pellets to feed the goats.  The place has gone pretty upscale.  It is now bottling its own wine and has a playground area filled with toy tractors.  I'm glad Lukas likes Terhune, because it remains one of my favorite places to visit.

That evening Brian and Lukas dropped me off at Meadow Lakes to meet my parents, who traveled to NJ from MD for the occasion, and my grandparents, who are both in their nineties, for dinner.  We caught up on current personal events and compared generations.  Liz was in a cheerful, chatty mood and Carl sang for us in his deep baritone after dinner.  Accompanying him was Don, a wonderful friend who played piano with the New York Symphony for many years.  It was a real treat to have an evening with my grandparents, made even more special by the presence of both my parents.

The next morning we drove the RV over to Meadow Lakes for Lukas to have a little time with his great-grandparents.  It had been hard to describe RV life to my grandparents, but I think it became clear as they toured our moving home.  Brian showed off the RV slide out while Lukas showed off his toys. It was nearing lunchtime and it was time for us to go.  Many pleasant wishes to my wonderful grandparents, and thanks for a lovely visit.

Our afternoon plan was to drive to Maryland in the RV while my parents drove their car - we would meet at their house around four in the afternoon.  We had to reroute in order to avoid tunnels.  RVs usually have a large tank of propane on board, and hazardous materials are restricted within tunnels.  Sometimes it's not entirely clear that the navigation system is pointing you toward a tunnel until it requires a lengthy detour to find an alternative.  This time the course change only cost us a half hour.

The next consideration regarding the RV was where to park it near my parents house.  My parents live on a very steep street, and their driveway is at about a thirty-five degree angle.  Prior to arriving we asked the neighbors across the street if we could park at their place because they have a long, flat driveway.  My parents still live in the house I grew up in and I have known the neighbors for about twenty five years.  We have a long running family friendship, so it seemed a small imposition, but was much appreciated nonetheless. 

It was nice to be at my parents' house.  While Silver Spring no longer feels like home to me, it is a very comfortable place to be.  I got Lukas's cold, and what better place to be sick than with your parents to take care of you?  My mom and I drank tea and watched House episodes on DVD.  

One evening I went out with Rose, who has been a close friend since elementary school.  We went to Langano for amazing Ethiopian food, then walked around downtown Silver Spring and just chatted.  My mom and I spent a nice afternoon in downtown Takoma Park, perusing the shops and stopping for an afternoon coffee.  Brian met up with friends as well, checking out a pirate bar one night and a sushi restaurant in Dupont Circle the next.

We exposed Lukas to some of the DC museums.  My mom, Lukas and I went to the Air and Space Museum and saw "Journey to the Stars" at the Planetarium.  Lukas thought the movie was scary but sat through it anyway.  It's not surprising that he preferred sitting in the model airplanes, acting as pilot.  We had our afternoon snack in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden.  The day reminded me how awesome it was growing up in DC with so many free museums a quick subway ride away.

The next day Brian took Lukas to the Architecture museum, which was featuring a large Lego display. They came home with a Lego front loader kit for ages 12 and up.  Brian spent about three hours putting the thing together, then taught Lukas how to turn all the operating levers.  I'm still not sure which one is more excited about the new toy.

It rained most of the time we were in Maryland, and the weather had turned chilly.  On Saturday afternoon we loaded up on quality groceries and said goodbye to my folks.  We were headed south to Virginia.  It felt good to be back in the RV.  In Virginia we made a fire to burn off the evening chill.  

The next day we drove to South Carolina where it was about fifteen degrees warmer.  A month and a half earlier we had driven this same path, going the opposite direction.  We passed the South of the Border complex, complete with a thirty foot sombrero mounted a hundred feet above the ground.  Then on to Georgia, a new state for us.

We were stopping by Savannah on a whim.  A friend had mentioned the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," which portrays Savannah as a high society southern town filled with colorful characters.  Savannah also happened to be right off Interstate 95, which we would be taking all the way to the southern tip of Florida.  It was a good place to stop for a few days.

As soon as we drove into Savannah we saw the town's signature oak trees covered in Spanish moss.  Toss some moss on those forests, and suddenly they become enchanted glades.  As the story goes, early settlers used to stuff their mattresses with the moss.  Unfortunately, moss is also home to chiggers, the little red bugs that have a bite like fire.  Thus the saying was coined: "Don't let the bedbugs bite!"  We also had some issues with the mosquito population.  Lukas and I got pretty well chewed up out at Skidaway State Park.

Lukas and I spent a morning walking the path around the park.  Skidaway Island is surrounded by wetlands.  We had fun looking at the fiddler crabs and digging in the dirt.  But I don't know what I was thinking to bring the stroller.  The path was covered in roots.  Lukas refused to walk.  So I bumped that stroller up and over so many roots that I'm amazed it didn't bust a wheel.  The nature center was nice.  Native reptiles were on display, there was a bird watching room with a large window to some bird feeders where one might get lucky and see a painted bunting, and there was a life size skeleton of the extinct giant sloth that used to roam the area.  The sloth was about sixteen feet tall!  I would love to see one of those roaming Savannah in modern times.

We also spent a day on the town.  First we went to the Pirates' House for lunch.  The house began as a sailor's tavern in 1753, now it serves up a Southern buffet with crispy fried chicken and good cornbread.  A pirate was wandering around checking on the diners and telling stories about the days of yore.  We saw the opening to the underground passageway that leads to the sea.  Don't get too drunk or who knows where you'll end up!

The Pirates' House

Then we hopped on a trolley for a tour of the city.  The most prominent feature of Savannah is the Squares.  The city was built with twenty-two open squares, providing numerous grassy areas for people to enjoy.  Many of the houses downtown have been restored.  One of my favorite houses was a Sears model house: the parts arrive and the customer puts them together.  Only this house is special because the builder put the window frames on upside down!

One of Savannah's Squares

The Sears House, with a special twist

It was a beautiful town and we enjoyed our tour.  It's hard to imagine what the real Savannah is like nowadays.  We were on the tourist circuit, and it feels like we missed the real life of the city.  But sometimes it's fun to just be a tourist.  Next up on our travel itinerary: Florida.

RV PARK REVIEWS

Laurel Pond Luxury Wilderness Lodges and Ultra RV Sites, Cream Ridge, NJ: C+

  With a name like that you really need to deliver.  Unfortunately, this park was a bit of a braggart.  We did have a personal hot tub at our site, which was lovely.  But the bathrooms were dirty, the lake was a mud puddle, and the wilderness area was off limits due to construction work.

Larry's Driveway, Silver Spring, MD: B+

  Level, across the street from my parent's house, free.

South Forty Campground, Petersburg, VA: B-

  Lots of downed wood for fire, playground, woods trail (if you follow the signs one is led to a dumping ground.  There are lots of trees across path, are they signaling hiker not to continue?  I continued).

Florence RV Park, Florence, SC: B+

  Upgraded from last visit.  With cooler weather were able to play on the metal playground equipment.  Grass no longer brown.  Ducks still friendly.

Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA: A

  Spanish moss draped over whole park.  Large pull through sites.  Walking trails through wetlands.  Nature center.  Fancy church playground at park entrance.  Half hour drive to historic Savannah.

New York City!

After five months in the boonies, we were putting the RV in storage for ten days and heading to the Big Apple.  We found a storage place in Belleville, New Jersey that allowed RV parking and said goodbye to our rig.  The Mini was packed to the brim with suitcases and food (we had to turn off the power to the RV during storage so needed to empty the fridge).  Of course we ended up starting the drive from New Jersey to Brooklyn at around four pm, just before rush hour.

The amount of activity crammed into each square foot of New York City was mind boggling.  We inched through Holland Tunnel traffic into Manhattan, then took the Manhattan Bridge toward Brooklyn.  Finally we made it to our destination: Shia and Pat's place in Park Slope!  It was nice to be in a familiar area with wonderful friends.  After getting Ayla from day care we ordered up some Thai food from Beet restaurant.  Yessss!  To be back in the world of good food.  So delish.

The next day we took a walking tour of Brooklyn, ending in Cobble Hill at the Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6 playground.  First of all, I was completed stunned by the ridiculous number of great food options.  If there was just one artisan ice cream shop in any of the towns we had been in for the last many months, I would have been ecstatic.  And here there were, on one block in Brooklyn, no less than three ice cream shops boasting house made eclectic flavors.  We picked up Vietnamese sandwiches from Hanco's to eat at the park.

Pier 6 playground is split up into different sections: Slide Mountain, Swing Valley, Sandbox Village, and the Water Lab. At Slide Mountain there are at least six slides, one of which was several stories high and required climbing up a rocket ship to get to the top.  Swing Valley had a spongy, hilly floor and the swings were set at interesting angles to promote maximum swingage.  Sandbox Village had a big wooden train, which is where Lukas spent most of his time.  The water play area was closed that day, but we were pretty tuckered out by then anyway.  We did see some rather large rats, boldly running about the playground in mid-day.  But hey, it's New York, what do you expect?

That evening I had plans with friends in the Lower East side.  It was an easy subway ride from Park Slope to Bowery Electric.  I felt like a country girl let loose in the city, fancy free without child or car, and the night seemed full of possibility.  The plan was to meet at 7:30 when the doors opened for the band, then grab dinner after.  I got there first and had downed a beer before anyone else arrived.  Of course the band wasn't going to play until nine, something I would have known in my younger years when I used to go out more.  At that point it would have been wise to go get dinner.  Instead I stayed and caught up with Ben, who happened to be in town on business, and Liz, who lives in New York, as well as Liz's friends, including some of the band members.  The band was called Pati X, and they  were awesome: strong female singer over a dark pounding beat.  I was fully immersed in the music and we stayed for a little while after the show.  By the time we left the bar at 11 pm I was four beers down and still without food.  Our crew somehow all made it to the same pub where we finally ate and continued to drink.  By one in the morning I knew I needed to get home.  

Out on the streets you would think it was daytime.  There were drunk twenty somethings everywhere, filling the squares and stealing all the cabs.  I tried to find the subway for a while, but kept getting lost.  Finally I decided to try the cab route.  The first several cabs I managed to wave down refused to take me to Brooklyn.  By the time the fifth cab pulled up I jumped in, slammed the door, and ordered him to take me to Brooklyn.  Then I burst into tears.  It had been a long day for a girl that lives in an RV.  My synapses were overloaded with stimuli.  I was drunk, out of my element, and it was way past my bedtime.

The next morning we had brunch plans in Manhattan with my friend Miriam, her husband Ori, and their four month old daughter, Maya.  I was a total mess in the morning.  After praying to the porcelain god and taking a shower I felt almost able to navigate the stairs.  Somehow we made it to Manhattan and were greeted by a wonderfully expressive smiling Maya.  Such a sweet baby.  Miriam took us down to City Bakery, a way upscale version of Fresh Choice.  I piled my plate high with salad, caramelized french toast, gourmet macaroni and cheese, and a buttery chocolate chip cookie.  In the corner there was a kid's play kitchen which kept Lukas busy for a while.  Maya is a city baby who loves to be out and about, so she was just fine.  When the cookie got Lukas too crazy we took a walk down to the playground at Madison Square Park.  There was a lot going on at the Park, new statues being installed, a concert in progress, and a zillion kids enjoying the playground.  It was a beautiful park and in other circumstances I could have stayed there all day, but as previously mentioned I was not operating at full capacity.  After losing Lukas in the throngs a time or two I decided we should call it quits and move on to the next adventure of the day.

At that point Brian left us to go meet a friend in Brooklyn.  We had an invitation to Riki and Gili's baby naming celebration in upper Manhattan, so Lukas and I were doing a bit of subway travel.  I should have been able to get on the subway right outside Miriam's door, but instead I got lost for a half hour.  Finally I realized the subway entrance was inside Union Square and found my way to the appropriate line.

I have to stop here and give a shout out to all the NYC parents, because it is not easy to get a stroller age child through the subway system.  There are so many stairs!  Up, down, through a tunnel, switch trains, up, down, through another tunnel, am I still going the right way?  Oh this line isn't running because it's a weekend.  Now you'll have to take a shuttle bus.  For every set of stairs the child comes out of the stroller, stroller goes over the shoulder, parent must carry child and stroller, or make child walk while parent carries stroller and all accompanying bags.  This is stuff for parent experts, not Mommy 101.

Anyway, we did eventually make it to the baby naming party and it was worth the journey.  Riki and Gili's twins, Mika and Eden, were super adorable in their tight jeans and headbands.  Lukas loved the helium balloons and scattered bon bons.  Shia, Pat and Ayla arrived after a morning spent at the Bronx Zoo.  Liz was there, too, looking much fresher than I after our late evening.  The twins were surrounded by loving friends and family, as all babies should be.  It was a beautiful ceremony and a lovely party; thanks to Riki for including us!

Liz holding Eden (or is it Mika?)

Shia's mom, Marilyn, was in town for the evening.  It was adorable to watch three generations of women together.  Marilyn offered to babysit a sleeping Lukas so we could go out to dinner, but I was too exhausted to move.

We decided to take it easy for the next few days.  I way overdid it our first two days in town.  So on Sunday we hung out in the apartment and went to the playground a couple blocks away.  Lazy Sunday, just what the doctor ordered.

Chillin' on the stoop

The rest of the week Brian and I alternated child care while enjoying time with friends or taking advantage of shopping in the city.  We both got hair cuts and updated our wardrobes.  Each of us had a full solo day, something we rarely if ever get on the road.  Shia and Pat watched Lukas one night while we went out to a fancy dinner at Al Di La with our friend Peter, a foodie and native New Yorker.  Every day we ate something ridiculously yummy, be it a bagel with lox from La Bagel Delight, or a slice of pizza from Albanese, or the best cupcakes I've ever tasted, found at Butter Lane.  New York is oozing with great food.

We did some mild touristing.  I took Lukas to the Prospect Park Zoo, a very nice tiny zoo perfect for younger kids.  We enjoyed watching the sea lions cavort about their tank before feeding time.  Lukas had fun milking a "cow" in the barnyard.  In my opinion, the best part of the zoo is the Discovery Trail.  On this visit we got there too late to traverse the whole trail, but it's an enjoyable little walk with animals around every bend.

Lukas and I also spent a day exploring the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  It's pretty big and only some of it is worthwhile.  Lukas really liked the Discovery Garden, where kids can dig in the compost and pump water down series of pipes to a small creek.  I found the Rose Garden riveting but thought the Lily Pool Terrace was lacking.  We by no means saw the whole garden, but it was getting late and it was time to turn toward home.

By the end of our walk I needed a little pick me up, so I aimed for the Chocolate Room.  Along the way we crossed through Grand Army Plaza and got a good look at the Union Defenders.  Back on 5th Avenue, a hot liquid dark chocolate drink was just the thing I needed to power me through the rest of the walk.  Lukas had a cookie and milk and declared "I'm a happy boy!" while dancing in his seat.  It doesn't get better than that. 

One morning I met Miriam in Manhattan.  Leave it to Miriam to, unplanned, provide a unique New York experience for her visitor.  We met at a little biscuit joint called Fredi's, named after the owner's dog, Fredi Mercury.  We had tasty egg and biscuit sandwiches and discussed the New York coffee scene, or surprising lack there-of.  As I was walking her to work, Miriam noticed a little storefront with Italian children's books in the window: an Italian bookstore called S F Vanni.  She rang the bell and a man in his seventies came to the door and allowed us to enter.  By the time we left twenty minutes later Miriam and this Italian-American gentlemen were fast friends.  S F Vanni has been open for seventy years in the same location.  The proprietor had big ideas about the world, and after a bit of encouragement from Miriam, was happy to share those thoughts with us.  Next we went to Patisserie Claude, a French bakery, where Miriam inquired after the owner, who of course she knew on a first name basis.  Finally we wandered through a park where there was a display of used refrigerators that had been turned into art.  Every moment is magical with Miriam, who can appreciate the details of city life and enjoys making contact with strangers.  Thanks for bringing the city alive for me, Mir!

One day our little family made a trip to Coney Island, but it was a September weekday and the rides were closed.  A rare fog enveloped the boardwalk while we played in the sand.  Coney Island had an awesome old timey feel that significantly reduced the cheese factor found in most boardwalks.  It's pretty great that New Yorkers can take a short subway ride to a beach.  I was impressed.

On Thursday we moved camps.  Shia had scored us a free sublet in Park Slope for the weekend.  Someone on her mother's group list was in need of a dog sitter, so we took over their house in exchange for walking the dog.  This place was pimp: 2,000 square feet, roof garden, washer/dryer, half a block from the 5th avenue corridor, and very nicely decorated.  Their dog Lincoln was a real sweetie and was happy to have us around.  He needed about an hour and a half of walking per day, but we enjoyed being out with him.  He is of the Pointer breed, so would hunt pigeons at every opportunity.  When in the house, Lukas would keep Lincoln entertained by rolling balls and hiding under blankets.  Lincoln kept Lukas entertained by retrieving balls and pulling off blankets.  Overall, it was a real win-win situation.

Rain came in on Friday.  I didn't think it would be a serious storm and decided to take Lukas on a trip to Chelsea Piers with Shia and Ayla.  Chelsea Piers is a huge indoor complex including a gymnasium, bowling alley, ice rink, and golf range.  My optimism got the better of me that day and, instead of the light showers I was expecting, it totally poured as we walked the few blocks from the subway to Chelsea Piers.  We had one umbrella for both myself and Lukas, and Lukas was holding it over himself in his stroller.  By the time we arrived at the gym we were both completely soaked.  I literally had to wring out my sweater.  The gym was really special, with a fun toddler area and an amazing gym with trampolines and ball pools for kids and adults.  Ayla and Lukas had a great time, but I was feeling kind of miserable and not looking forward to the return trip.  We took a bus back to the subway which was a good call since it was still raining pretty hard.

After taking a couple hours to warm up and dry out our clothes, we walked over to Shia and Pat's for make your own sushi night with another family.  The nearby fish market, Park Slope Seafood, was sparkling and had lovely looking sushi grade fish.  I brought salmon and the other family brought tuna, so between us and all the veggies we had quite a sushi feast.  The other family has a son Lukas's age and they played really well together.  It was a way better option than trying to get the kids out to dinner, and we were able to hang out for a few hours while the kids ran around together.

On Saturday we had plans with a friend of Brian's at Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg.  Ruthie is a beer expert and is employed by the Brewery.  We showed up and were let through the rope into the VIP room right by the front bar.  Then Ruthie proceeded to give us free beer for the rest of the afternoon.  Lukas did surprisingly well in the busy bar and even let us hang out for a couple hours.

We left the bar in a very happy go lucky mood and wandered down to Smorgasburg, a Brooklyn Flea Food Market at the East River Waterfront.  For months, Shia had been telling me about the amazing fare at this food only outdoor market.  We caught the tail end of the market, just in time to see the BBQ booth carving up the head of a pig.  I asked whether people actually eat the nose, and the reply was yes, here you go!  So I found myself chewing on a pig snout.  It was very tender, rather fatty, and had a strong flavor.  After I while it grossed me out because it was just so "right off the pig" looking.  I carried that thing around for a while, though, before I decided to finally dump it.

To wash down the pig snout, I had some grilled corn on the cob with peach butter that was delicious.  At one of the few stands left open it looked like they had kegs of beer.  The guy offered me a reduced price peach kombucha so I said sure.  Wow that was disgusting.  Apparently it's fermented tea, not the fermented barley and hops that I was hoping for.  We got a great view of Manhattan across the East River.  On the taxi ride home we even spotted the Statue of Liberty silhouetted against the sunset.  The taxi dropped us off in Park Slope right in front of a pie shop called Four and Twenty Blackbirds, another place on the "must try" list provided by Shia.  They had the best fruit pie combination I could have imagined: rhubarb fig!  Topped with fresh whipped cream it was incredible, and provided a perfect ending to our New York stay.

Helicopter and Statue of Liberty

On Sunday we tidied the sublet, took Lincoln on a few long walks, stocked up on coffee beans for the road, and packed our stuff to return to RV life.  A huge thank you to our friends Pat and Shia, who gave us their bed and kept us fed and happy for over a week!  We will miss Ayla and her parents, and all of our big city friends, quite a bit.  While we had a wonderful time in the New York, we were ready to find the peace and quiet of RV life once again.


RV PARK REVIEWS


Uncle Bob's Self Storage, Belleville, NJ: D+
  Cheap parking in lot that was was possibly secure in sketchy neighborhood not so close to NY.  No damage or break-ins occurred.