I live, I learn, I travel, I write.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

#teamtourist, pt. 5: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and a brief stop in Rural Pennsylvania

It was our last full day in New York, and I have to say... I think we ended on a good note. We hopped on a PATH train back to the Financial District, and ventured off to find the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, stopping at Battery Park briefly before we walked along the water to the ferry line.





We grabbed a snack from a food cart, bought our tickets, and hopped on the ferry, and we were Statue of Liberty bound. It was a good experience, I think, but I thought Ellis Island was a lot more interesting. But we were good tourists and took all of it in.





After walking around the statue a bit, we got back on the ferry to Ellis Island to check out a landmark for immigration in the United States. It was all really compelling, and I think we spent about three hours at the museum.

When we decided we'd had our fill of history for the day, we got on the ferry and headed back to the Financial District. We found an amazing pizza place, had dinner, and set out again for the next par of our evening. We found a table in the park near New York City Hall, and played Phase Ten for an hour or two.





We ended our night at an Irish pub for a drink before retreating back to New Jersey. It was a fun night and a great way to conclude our time in New York City.

The next morning we checked out of the Howard Johnson and began our 11 hour trek back to Michigan. It took like nine hours to get through Pennsylvania, but we made it a bit more worth the while when we stopped at Big Pocono State Park to see some nature in rural Pennsylvania. We weren't totally sure what to expect from this park (we just kind of got the idea from the internet), but were pleasantly surprised when we found ourselves at the top of a mountain!







We made it back to Michigan in one piece, and I'm sure we were all glad to sleep in our own beds after a week of being on vacation. I had an amazing time with some of my best and oldest friends--it was an excellent way to end my summer. I realized that, although I enjoyed New York, I'm not much of a city person. It was fun to visit, but I know that deep down, I'm a country or suburb kind of guy at heart. And I kind of like it that way.

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