A Whale of a Rock

You can't go to Massachusetts and not stop by the Plimouth Plantation. It was just like you would expect. Log cabins, dirt floors, and people with funny accents. We went with some friends (Josie and Taylor) to check it out. 

 After visiting with the pilgrims and learning all about their struggles to survive, we stopped by the Native American camp around the corner. It didn't take long for us to realize that it was a miracle that any pilgrims survived and that if we had to go back in time we would sprint to the Indian camp. They had huge structures built in an oval shape, a fire in the middle, and animal skins for warmth and comfort. They even had a separate summer homes for when it was hot outside. As you can see from the picture we even got to try out the canoes. We didn't get far and you can tell Jenn has no idea what she is doing (look how she is holding that oar...what is it a guitar?)

Drum roll please....ta-da!!!

Plymouth Rock! I know, I know...pretty amazing. This is picture is really close to actual size. When I was a kid in history class, I always pictured something more similar to pride rock from the Lion King. Not even remotely close. They have it gated off, not because it needs to be protected, but because if they didn't some toddler might pick it up and throw it into the ocean. Or maybe it would get really windy and blow away. Unbelievable right? I knew you would like it.  

After the rock we had the opportunity to board the Mayflower 2. We spoke with a crew member that insisted on calling me Angus because I was tall. He said that we were made of wax and somehow that was what made me so tall. I wish I could remember the details, I think he may have been on to something. 

 The next stop was Cape Cod. We originally had planned to stop at some beach along the way but ended up at the very tip of the cape. One more advantage of off-season travel: No Traffic. Most people said that it could take hours to make it to the end but we did it in less than 2. I saw my first live whale (from a distance using some strange woman's binoculars thanks to Taylor). The beach was beautiful and there were very few people. Too bad the water was so cold or we could have enjoyed a nice swim. I guess it never really warms up though.

 On the way home we drove through Provincetown. It wasn't until later that we found out it is the homosexual capital of the Northeast. Apparently we missed something...although there were a lot of subarus. 

 The next big adventure was New York. We were pretty nervous about where to stay and how to get around. We stayed for 3 three nights in a cheap hotel in Brooklyn. This was after weeks of searching for closer/nicer hotels. It was almost impossible to find rooms for cheaper than $250/night and that was a little more than we wanted to spend, so we decided we'd stay farther away and take the subway. After I got off work on Thursday and a little tired/frazzled from New York driving we arrived at our hotel. We stayed across the street from an abandoned building (or at least it look that way..there were probably some homeless people crashing there). The hotel was small but surprisingly clean. 

 We used the subway everywhere we went. What a great deal! It was like $30 bucks per person for unlimited use for 7 days. We definitely got our money's worth. There were a few funny ads on the subway, the one above reminded me of my dad. The first day we stopped by the today show. It was very exciting to see Al and Ann in person. I don't think we got to be on TV though. We didn't wake up in time to beat the crowds. 

 Here we are at the Statue of Liberty. We didn't get to go up, it was under construction (sort of a theme for our travels).

Again, more construction at the 9/11 Memorial. Still, it was very neat and helped put in perspective the number lives lost and the impact it had on the area and the world. 

 Time square was crazy. So many people and so many lights. We tried to eat close by but everything was at least 3 times more than normal. We stopped by the M&M store, Hershey's, and a few other places. Central Park, FAO Schwartz, and Coney Island were a couple other stops. 

It has always been a dream of Jenn's to go to a show on Broadway so, we went to see Mary Poppins. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting because it was so different from the movie, but it was a very good show, and the Bert was awesome. The only problem was the seats were all about 6 inches from each other...not a lot of leg room. It was really enjoyable though. 

Me and Jenn at the Top of the Rock (roof of the 30 Rockefeller building).The building in the back is the Empire State Building. 

One of the last things we did while in the Boston area was go on a whale watch. It was the first trip of the season and so we were lucky the see whales. They weren't very active but we did see 4 humpback whales. It was hard to believe that something that big was swimming around us. 

You can tell in the picture below from our rosy cheeks and watering eyes that it was cold and windy out on the sea. Luckily we didn't get sea sick though. It was sad to see those around us throwing up over the side of the boat. Of course, before we headed back home to start packing for the trip home the next week, we stopped by Mike's for some cannoli and a lobster tail. Jenn wouldn't have it any other way.