Appalachia to New York City. (Sep 22)
The final leg – Appalachian mountains to New York.
Summary: For the last week of our trip we swapped the peace & tranquility of the Great Lakes and wilderness of the north for the noise and vibrancy of New York City. We travelled across four states, through the Appalachians and visited Harrisburg, Gettysburg & Washington en route.
I’m still pinching myself that we managed to pull this trip off with relatively little planning. Everything just slotted into place and the weather, well, it was just perfect. Karin, who I first met trekking up a mountain in Morocco, invited us to stay in her Manhattan apartment literally a few minutes walk from Broadway theatres and Times Square. It was the perfect way to end the road trip. Isn’t it just crazy how the universe works? Emma is just the best, throws herself into absolutely everything!
A road trip to remember!
The story: Having left the Great Lakes at Niagara we spent a few days heading southeastwards through the northern part of New York State and then into Pennsylvania, the lakeside campsites being replaced by motels an hotels.
We drove through the Appalachian mountains, the pine trees eventually giving way to vast, dense deciduous forests and huge areas that remain hunting grounds for the locals. Our route took us along remote backroads many of which resembled scenes from Deliverance or the Walking Dead. On reaching the Susquehanna River we stopped, first at Harrisburg and then Gettysburg for some sobering lessons in American history. We ended up spending longer in this area than planned, visiting museums and the well preserved civil war battle grounds.
Onto Washington next, via Maryland and Virgina.
We parked the car at Arlington National Cemetery and, after witnessing the changing of the guard ceremony, we walked the four mile round trip to the White House and back via the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.
The peace and tranquility of the road trip came to an abrupt end when we hit New York City, a place that has completely blown me away. Words and pictures alone cannot do it justice – it is a place that has to be felt.
Unlike Emma, it is my first time here and I absolutely love it! Totally buzzing.
It helps that we’re staying in a friend’s apartment in Manhattan, smack bang in the middle of the theatre district, only a few minutes walk from Times Square. A great way to explore the city which is quite literally on our doorstep.
Within hours of arriving, and shortly after ditching the hire car, Karin (a crazy traveler I met trekking in the Atlas Mountains near Marrakech last November) had shown us a number of her local bars in and around Hells Kitchen. We got back to her apartment around 3am. What an introduction!
The next few days saw us exploring the sights and sounds of the city, both on and off the map. A doorman I got chatting to in a hotel near Central Park gave us a great tips for rooftop bars overlooking the park; he also pointed us towards another with a great skyline view over on the Lower East Side which we found a day later. Karin also had a long list of “must dos” which we did, both on our own and with her when her work commitments permitted. We spent time at the Italian feast of San Gennaro after walking the “high line”, an old disused raised railway that used to cut across the city but has now been turned into an amazing garden sanctuary and pedestrian walkway. Greenwich village and the area around Stonewall had a great vibe and of course we did all the usual things you’d expect 😉😉!
We were completely blown away by a spectacular performance of Moulin Rouge, which was made all the more perfect by us having some great seats and it being performed in a compact theatre!
After mastering the subway and getting my head around the city layout, the last night in Manhattan came around far too soon. It turned out to be equally as crazy as the first, bar hopping away from the tourist traps and meeting some great New Yorkers – some of the most friendly people on the planet.
New York is a place that you don’t come to see, you come to feel; a crazily cosmopolitan place that I’ve fallen completely in love with and can’t wait to come back.
We got home just in time for the Queen’s funeral which, as some of the photos show, is being closely followed over here too. Many flags at half mast and lots of respect being shown along with genuine sympathy.
NYC was a great place to end the road trip. Minneapolis feels such a long time ago now. The northern shores of Lake Superior a distant memory and a complete contrast to the craziness of the last few days. We’ve honestly had the most amazing time, met some wonderful people and seen some great places so I apologise in advance for the photo and word overload.