Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Broadway & Broome, downtown Manhattan

Just finished getting myself organized and sorted out for traveling by car instead of by plane. So I'm checked into my hotel and sitting comfortably on the couch (holy cow, there's a couch!) ... and I'm doing push-up pyramids since I can't use the pool (I arrived too late for that). Gosh, it's midnight now...

There were only a couple of delays today. We had to sit on the tarmac for a half-hour or so in Baltimore because there were a lot of planes trying to get off. And my niffty-diffty GPS sent me straight through downtown Manhattan on my way to New Jersey. So that was 45 minutes for 3 miles that I wasn't figuring on. :) I did get to watch a bunch of New Yorkers though, as they passed by my car on the sidewalk (and in front of my car, as they wove their way through the solid mass of cars on Broome St. And when I turned right onto Broome, the GPS said I had to turn to the *left* up ahead. Yikes! So I navigated my way across two lanes of bumper to bumper Manhattan traffic, only to find out later that all of the lanes turn left up ahead for the Holland Tunnel under the water to New Jersey. So, my first hour in New York was interesting, at the very least! I didn't mind at all, driving in Queens and Brooklyn. From the freeway I had a great view of the Empire State Building to my right and the Brooklyn Bridge straight ahead, all lit up and looking rather fabulous. I spent my first few moments crossing the bridge into Manhattan and passing a commuter train with my mouth agape. And as I finally freed myself of NYC (I thought how wonderful it would be to return as a pedestrian) and continued south in New Jersey I noticed a beacon of light to my left, out in the harbor. It was Lady Liberty herself. I nearly... wait! I did... cry out with joy. She did not look impressively tall from my vantage point, especially after I had just gawked at the towering buildings downtown, but her torch was lighted. Call me sentimental, but that made me proud to be an American. :) It's something else entirely when you see it in person when not expecting to.

My five-hour flight to Baltimore today ended up only being four and a half (we had a nice tail wind). But even at that long, it seemed very fast. Right after we took off from Seattle, I put on my blindfold for sleeping and it ended up working! I rested/slept for a full two hours! I remember being aware of some things... I knew when the attendant came by with snacks... but I couldn't have been awake that whole time. For the next two and a half, I read steadily in "1812: The War that Forged a Nation". As we were coming into Baltimore, I was reading about Old Ironsides. Under normal circumstances I would have quit the chapter before that. I don't usually read for so long at a time. But the subject matter captured my full attention. :) When we landed, the attendant welcomed us to Baltimore-Washington, and I thought he had messed up, saying, "Baltimore, WA". :) The guys next to me and I thought, "Wow, we spent 4 & 1/2 hours flying in a circle."

In Baltimore, I didn't have to walk far at all to see where my gate was. And there was a bit of a food court on the level above. I did eat a granola bar midway through the flight, but it was several hours later and I was... hungry. Quizno's won out against all others and I had a delightful Cobb Salad with shredded lettuce and small hunks of chicken, bacon, egg, blue cheese, tomato and red onion. I ate it dry because dressing would be way too much at this point. But with those things in it, it didn't really need any anyway.

And strangely enough, I sat near a Navy 2nd Class at the gate in Seattle and a Navy Captain in Baltimore. Some things are hard not to think about. :) And as we flew into New York, I nearly missed seeing Manhattan from the air because I was reading about "Don't Give Up the Ship!"

LaGuardia seems like a small airport. I guess they're allowed, since NYC has *three* airports... but I was expecting it to feel bigger. The ceilings were very low and it felt old and worn out... a lot like the Miami airport (it is about 30 degrees warmer here than at home), except it's not Cuban.

Jp