More of New York City

Those who have seen the lights of Times Square understand these two pictures better than others. Even during daylight hours the Square was impressive. On Saturday night, there was a huge line outside of Toys-R-Us to buy a new Nintendo game that went on sale at midnight! So a few roads were blocked and they had a band and news cameras at the scene.


Here is a night shot of Times Square,tons of people, cars, buses, limos...and of course, lights everywhere! It was just fabulous at night. Pictures don't give it justice. According to my guide book, Times Square is the only place in the city where businesses are required to advertise in bright lights.


Another night shot of the city and famous Radio City Music Hall decorated for Christmas.


I also enjoyed walking through Central Park, it is a huge expanse and we walked for a long time without going on the same route. Here is a fountain for your enjoyment.


Last, but not least, we took an elevator to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. What a great view from the top. It was a little cloudy, but we could easily see the surrounding region, and sights like the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Central Park. It was a great weekend in the city and I'm so glad I was able to do it before driving home to Oregon in another week. There is so much to see and do in NYC, I know I"ll be back someday.

The Big Apple!

Shauna and I headed to New York City this weekend. Shauna is an upstate New Yorker, but she has never made it to the big city. I was so excited to see the city and so many famous sites I've always heard about. Of course one stop was the Statue of Liberty. Here I am standing in front of the Lady


We also walked through Central Park for quite some time Saturday and Sunday. Some of the trees still had their fall colors! The park is huge and really beautiful. We saw ponds, fields, sports complexes, trails, bicycles, numerous people jogging, horse-drawn carriages, ducks, swans, dog walkers, and even someone riding a horse.



We waited for 45 minutes to take a ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. After a security check and x-ray machines, we were crammed onto the ferries and ushered to the two islands with a grand view of the city in the background and the Lady in the foreground.

Mom and I

My mother came to visit me about a two weeks ago. It was a wonderful thing to have her here for a few days, especially over my birthday weekend! During her stay we did a few things like going to the Ben and Jerry's ice cream factory and enjoying a maple syrup farm near Montpeiler, which is the state capital. The above building with the golden dome is the capital building. We walked around the little town of Montpeiler and mom took many pictures of all the churches there.


We also drove up to Montreal so my mom could see the cathedrals and monuments there. It didn't rain at all and here is a good picture of the downtown skyline from a bridge. Mont Royal is in the background.


We also enjoyed walking around Burlington a bit, although it was very chilly when she was here, so we didn't stay outside very long! Here we are at the waterfront in Burlington. November is really not the best of months to come to Vermont. Some of the museums and famous mountain passes are closed due to the weather, so mom missed seeing a few things that I wanted her to see. But it was better to have her here than not at all. I guess we'll have to come again!!

I am leaving this wonderful state in a little more than a week. I have a hard time believing that my assignment is almost over. I will miss all the good people I've met here, especially Allie, but overall it was a great experience! I do have one more adventure before I head home. I'm heading to New York City for the weekend with another friend, Shaunna! I'll try and post those pictures before I start the long drive home.