#teamtourist, pt. 2: Manhattan

After our evening and morning in Pittsburgh, we began our six hour journey across the Pennsylvania, which is pretty much just mountains and greenery. Don't get me wrong--Pennsylvania is beautiful, and we made it a point to stop on the way back to Michigan, but those six hours were pretty monotonous in terms scenery from being stuck in a car for one-fourth of a day. But we made it fun.

We got to Newark pretty much when we expected to, and we unloaded at our Howard Johnson hotel. Classy, I know. But it was about $100 cheaper nightly than anywhere I found in the city that was manageable. And it was cheap to take the train into NYC from Newark, so we opted for the New Jersey alternative. And, to be completely honest, the Ho-Jo was totally fine. The staff was nice, our room was clean, and we had air conditioning. Really can't be beat in my mind.

Our first night was pretty lackluster; we just went into Newark to a place called Krug's Tavern for a huge, delicious burger and a pitcher or two of Blue Moon (thanks Google Maps for the recommendation!). Then we headed back to the Ho-Jo for some planning, drinking, and Phase Ten.

The next day was our first day in the city. We took the train into Manhattan and, after opting to save the Empire State Building for a later date, we went to Bryant Park. We took a seat for a while, and then realized the New York Public Library was just around the block, so we headed there.









We then started in the general direction of the Museum of Modern Art, but stopped by St. Patrick's Cathedral first to see a beautiful, old church in still in the heart of this city. I'm not a particularly religious person, but being in old churches like this is somehow really moving; there's something surreal about being somewhere that so many people have poured their faith into and that has probably touched so many lives.







We ended our day with a visit to the Museum of Modern Art for free Friday nights. We were there for about three hours before Dave and I were "art-ed out," and so we walked back through Manhattan to Penn Station to call it a night. But not before getting some street vendor food and making a brief stop on Times Square for a group photo!





Next: Grand Central Station, UN Headquarters, Central Park, and McGee's.

#teamtourist, pt. 1: Pittsburgh

Once again, this is way overdue, but I went on an excellent vacation to New York City in August with some very good, old friends. A perfect way to end summer break.

We left on a Wednesday morning and headed to Pittsburgh to stay a night, so we could cut the driving time in half. Well, not totally in half, but close enough. So we got to the Red Roof Inn just outside the city, and got settled in.



We went into the city, and decided to stop at this park sort of near downtown. We went on a short hike in the woods and got to see a brief bit of Pennsylvania.







Afterwards we went into the city, with the intentions of taking the cable car up the Duquesne Incline. But... the directions took us to the top the incline, so we just stolled along the hillside overlooking the city.







We had a long day ahead of us the next day, so we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel. The next morning we proceeded to finish our drive to New York City, but first... make a stop at a Pennsylvania Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives location! After doing some research with Lauren, we decided for Dor Stop Restaurant, about 15 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. And it was delicious.





New York City is next.