Tiffany's Tuesday Tunes: New York Never Sleeps

Yesterday, I wrote at length about the fact that we saw The Long Winters perform in New York City over the weekend.  But I have to explain a little more about this trip to the Big Apple.  The SOLE purpose of this trip was to attend that concert.  The goals were, in this order: 1. See concert, 2.  Not spend a ton of money, 3. Make it home alive.  So, the easiest way for us to achieve all three goals was to plan a whirlwind, NO SLEEP trip.  We left home Thursday night at 10 pm, drove to Harrisburg, and caught the train at 5 am Friday morning to Manhattan.  We got into the city at 7:30, and proceeded to spend the next 12 hours wandering the city.

Since we had both been there before, and done a lot of the traditional touristy things (Central Park, NYSE, Empire State Building, etc) we were more interested in sticking to the lower part of Manhattan  near the concert venue and finding interesting things slightly off the beaten path.  We so totally achieve that goal.  Among the things we did: Walked the High Line, roamed the Village, found a geocache, saw the Stonewall Inn, watched an after school youth program play basketball, saw a rainbow in the Washington Square fountain, ate amazing and affordable gluten free food, spotted a Free Little Library, watched strangers get married, saw amazing examples of art in the wild, found several cool little shops to visit, saw tons of cute dogs, and sat in a branch of the New York Public Library.  All that (and in reality so much more) was just 12 hours of our 23 hour trip.

Another 7 hours or so were devoted to the concert itself, then the rest of the time was spent at Penn Station, exhausted and waiting for the train.  We wanted to do more exploring after the concert, but we were just too tired, I was ready to pass out.  I had been awake since 8 am Thursday, and stayed awake until about 7 am Saturday, when we boarded the train back to Harrisburg.

Was it crazy to undertake this trip?  Yep.  Did we accomplish all 3 goals?  Yep.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely.

New York is called the city that never sleeps.  While we were there this past weekend, we also never slept.  When I finally did drift off on the return train ride, I slept with a smile on my face, remembering the adventures we had in that gorgeous city.  I am still smiling as I remember, so of course this experience is inspiring my playlist for today.

I love you New York, and promise to see you again real soon.

 

To see the rest of the photos from our amazing NYC trip, click here.

Tiffany's Tuesday Tunes: Ridin' the Rails

We like to travel, but not the typical travel you might think of.  Rather than going to exotic locals, we like unusual places,  kitschy places, filming locations, natural beauty.  In short, our destinations are often as nerdy as we are.  And I would not have it any other way.  We always travel by car, as neither of us is fond of flying, and so far we have not traveled anywhere that requires flying, though one day I am sure we will.

We have some upcoming travel plans that include an entirely new adventure for us: traveling by train.  Sure, I have taken novelty train rides, but to actually travel to a large bustling train station?  This is going to be fascinating.  Train travel gaining popularity a bit, but Americans really do not use it as much as Europeans do.  If we decide that we like this mode of travel, we may expand our travel area a little.

In order to prepare for our upcoming adventure, I have compiled a playlist devoted to songs of the rails.  Have a seat and enjoy the ride.

 

Out of Town: Niles, Ohio

Last month, we took a weekend road trip to Mansfield, Ohio.  The driving distance was scheduled to take about 3 hours to cover.  However, I am always too excited and impatient for departure, so we decided to leave early and take our time.  Which was good, since we could not check into our motel until about 3 p.m.  So, we struck off, onto the open highway.  We grabbed some breakfast, and motored our way to the Ohio State Line.

Once we were in the Buckeye state, I decided we should take a little side trip to see a couple of sites and look for a geocache or two.  When I saw a sign for the William McKinley Memorial and Library, in Niles, I knew we had found the perfect sidetrack.

Growing up in Ohio, part of the public school curriculum was a course in Ohio History, during which we learned about some of the presidents who had hailed from our great state.  So I was really kind of excited to see the McKinley Memorial.  I never expected it to be as large, or as beautiful, as it was.  We both spent some time exploring the grounds of the memorial.  We also got to stop nearby at McKinley's birthplace.

We did not have too much more time to spend in Niles, nor did we really have anything else specific we wanted to see.  However, we did take a chance to commemorate our little jaunt with locating a couple of geocaches, one near a giant iron man statue.

As far as nerdy, odd sidetrack trips go, this one was pretty awesome!

See all the photos from our foray into Nile, Ohio, here.

Out of Town: Shawshank Trail

Loyal readers of this blog will know that I kind of have a thing for visiting movie locations.  Since I live in a town that has been used for numerous movie scenes, and since Pittsburgh has become an increasingly popular place to film movies, often I do not have to go far to visit a cool filming location.  But sometimes, we are willing to travel a bit for something extra cool.

Which is exactly why, a few weeks ago, we traveled to Mansfield, Ohio.  Why there, you ask?  Well, Mansfield provided about 90% of the filming locations for the movie "Shawshank Redemption".  And that happens to be one of my favorite movies.  It is within a few hours' drive for us, so off we set for a weekend adventure.

We got to see several different things throughout the area that were used for shots and scenery.  The "road to Buxton".

The tree where Andy buried the money for Red.

The 'halfway house" where Brooks and Red lived.

But the most exciting part was touring the prison.  So many cool things to see, and facts to learn.  Not everything we saw there was movie related, but we did see quite a few places they filmed, like the Warden's Office, the parole hearing room, and the props used for Andy's escape tunnel.

One of the coolest parts was the room they used (in the prison) as the filming location for the interior of Brooks' and Red's room at the halfway house.

Brooks was here.  So was Red.  And so was I.

View all the photos of our tour of the Shawshank Trail here.

Out of Town: Outer Banks (Part 2)

This continues my recap of our wonderful vacation earlier this summer.  Make sure you check out Part 1!

On day 5 of our vacation, we decided to head up north again, this time to visit Roanoke Island.  I had big plans for all the things we would do there, but I seriously underestimated how far of a drive it was.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get there, including the ferry ride.  Because we did not want to be away from the dogs too long, we decided that we would spend our time on Roanoke visiting the Elizabethan Gardens.  They were stunning!  We also took some time walking around Festival Park and taking in the sites before heading back to Ocracoke.  If we ever go back to the OBX, I really would consider staying in Roanoke or Manteo.  There is a ton to do and see, and it is not only cute but chock full of history.  We wanted to see the Lost Colony play, but it just was not feasible. (It was so bright that day, and the sky was cloudy, so all my photos look hazy and washed out, stupid white balance.)

Because we had been packing so much into our days, by day 6, we needed a day to just chill. We slept in, and then we walked over to a nature preserve on Ocracoke, called Springer's Point. This is allegedly the area where Blackbeard's treasure might be buried. We did not dig however, we simply enjoyed the view. We went to the beach later that day, and were shocked to find it compl full etely empty. We soon realized why; the winds were whipping sand all around and the water was too rough to venture into. We went out for a little date night for the best meal we had all week, dinner at Howard's Pub. I even got to see a bit of the sunset from their rooftop deck.

  Saturday, day 7, was our last full day of vacation, and we decided to make the most of it. We got up at 4:30 am, and went to the beach to watch the sunrise. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it. It was simply spectacular. We went back home, and Hubby took a nap, while I walked to a part of the island we had not seen, the houses there were so lovely. Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. Which was great, until I realized I had a horrendous sunburn. It made it tough to get a good night's sleep.

  The next morning, it was time to say goodbye. We headed out pretty early, and on our way back up through the Outer Banks, we drove through the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Sadly, we did not see much wildlife. We spent the car ride home dealing with two car sick puppies, and my terrible sunburn. Still, it was all worth it.

I have spent a lot of time trying to determine what my favorite part of the trip was, and I have come to the conclusion that there was not favorite part.  It was all amazing, every last second of it.  I am so happy that Hubby and I had such an amazing week.  While we are not the kind of people to go to the same place every time, and we like to have variety in the trips we take, I do hope someday we return to the Outer Banks.  We had an amazing time, from the car ride there, to the ocean knocking me down (quite a few times), to eating dinner at our beach house.  I would not change a minute of it, not even the sunburn.

Feel free to check out my photos from the whole trip here. There are many really great pics, but a word of warning, there are over 1000 pictures total!

Out of Town: The Outer Banks (Part 1)

I cannot believe I put off writing about our vacation for over a month now.  I guess I did not want to come to terms with the fact that it is over.  Also, that is the same reason I am citing for still having sand in the trunk of our car.  I am splitting it into two posts, so that it won't be as long or as picture laden.

Since we started dating, Hubby and I have been fans of taking small extended weekend trips, but had never gotten to take a big vacation.  Partly, this was due to the fact that Hubby was never able to get a week's vacation in the summer time.  Last yer, however, Hubby changed positions at work, which meant he was only competing with a few other people for vacation availability.  He was able to get a vacation time in June, so off to the beach we went!

I volunteered to do all the driving on the way down.  I was so excited to go, we actually left an hour early.  We loaded the bags, put the dogs in the car, and off we went.  Our destination was Ocracoke Island, which meant 14 hours of driving, a 40 minute ferry ride, then a short drive down the island to our beach house.  We actually arrived several hours early, but I called the reality office and told them we were going to be early.  They let us check into our house 5 hours early, so that really gave us half a day extra, which was so awesome.  We spent that first day unpacking, exploring the island, grabbing some dinner, and then, we went to the beach.  I had not set foot on these shores in 12 years, so it was good to be back!

The next day, we got up, ate breakfast (we ate most of our meals in), and headed out for a busy day.  We went to Teach's Hole (the Blackbeard museum), the Preservation Society Museum, the Visitor Center, and the British Cemetery as well as some family cemeteries, explored the streets and shops, and ended the day with an amazingly romantic sunset cruise.  The island is so quaint, and full of history.  It is necessary to take a ferry to access it, and most people either walk, bike, or ride golf carts to get around the island.  I just love it there!

On Tuesday, we ventured north into other areas of the Outer Banks.  We took the ferry to Hattaras, to visit the Graveyard of the Atlantic museum, the Hattaras Lighthouse, the Bodie Lighthouse, and the Pea Island Nature Preserve.  Back on Ocracoke, we also visited the wild pony pens, and of course the beach.  We actually took the dogs to the beach that day, and they were unimpressed.

Wednesday morning was a pretty exciting start to the day.  I had decided to go para sailing.  Hubby opted to stay shore and watch.  The rest of the day was really low key.  In late afternoon, we went to the beach, just to walk and take some amazing pictures.  Like the big kids we are, we spend some time writing in the sand, and admiring some sand sculptures.  We stayed on the beach and watched the sunset.

So that is a brief summary of the first half of our vacation.  I cannot even put into words how wonderful and relaxing it was.  I loved the fact that we stayed in a beach house, which felt so homey.  We were able to cook healthy foods, snuggle up with our dogs, and just relax.  Out internet was not working at the house, which was a blessing in disguise, because we really just got to unplug.  Stay tuned to hear about the rest of the trip, and feel free to check out my photos from the whole trip here.  There are many really great pics, but a word of warning, there are over 1000 pictures total!

Thankful for.... being waylaid

We have been at the beach this past week, and today was our last full day here.  I was determined to make the most of it.  Hubby is not much for swimming in the ocean, so he happily sat on a blanket in the sand and read, as I swam.  Periodically, I would leave the water to sit and chat with him, drink some water, and make sure I was not getting too much sun (I failed at that last one, ouch!).

After one of my breaks, I was heading out to the waves, when I heard a tiny little voice cry out "follow me".  I turned around to see a little girl playing in the surf.  I though maybe she was just talking to the water, so I started to walk out into the waves.  Suddenly, she ran up to me, quite insistent, and cried "I SAID, follow me!".  She then ran off to a pile of sand she created, and kept making sure I was following her.  When I got over to her, she told me the pile of sand was from her digging her own pool.  She then told me that she would let anyone come to her pool, all they had to do was ask.  It was so simple, so sweet, so accepting.  She said "You can come into my pool if you want".  So, of course, I sat in the wet sand, and chatted with her.  She rattled on and on, about how she was at the beach with her mommy and daddy, and it was a "honeymoon", which I think was her word for vacation.  She asked if I lived at the beach, and when I told her no, but I wished I could, her breathless reply was "wouldn't that be lovely?".  She told me her name was Kate, and pointed her mom out to me.  Her mom smiled and waved, which leads me to believe she is used to Kate making friends with strangers like this.  

Kate began drawing in the sand and squealing when the surf would wash away her drawings.  Then she noticed that when the surf receded, tons of tiny little clams could be seen.  She then picked a handful of them and gave them to me, and told me to take them home with me.  I thanked her, and told her I was going to put them in my beach bag.  

I walked over to Hubby, told him I never made it to the water, and explained why.  I finally did go into the waves, and during my next break, I watched Kate frolic with more of her new found friends.  She approached people of all ages, races, body types, you name it.  She was spreading joy with equal opportunity.  

As I watched Kate walking along the beach with her dad, I could not help but think of all the people she must have made smile today.

Out of Town: Fredonia

A few weeks ago, when the leaves were just starting to turn, I began my annual lament that our area does not get the vibrant color changes like some areas do.  It is my dream to drive to the Adirondaks or Catskills to see the leaves change color, and some year we will.  But since both locations are about a 7 hour drive for us, we will have to plan and schedule in advance to get the vacation days.  In the mean time, this year we opted for a one day trip to a part of New York a little closer to home: Fredonia.

There is no specific reason we chose to visit Fredonia.  We just woke up one morning, and I said, "let's go to New York".  Hubby agreed, and we found a pet friendly inn that was within a 4 hour drive for us.  We called, and got their last room, packed some clothes and the dogs, and off we headed.

 The drive on highways would have been less than 3 hours, but we like to avoid major highways on leisure trips, particularly with the dogs, so we got to see gorgeous sights along the way.

Finally, we got to the inn and it was adorable!

 Our room was so charming!

Hubby and I settled in, fed the dogs, and went exploring.  We only had a couple of hours of daylight left, so we drove along Lake Erie,

went to Lake Erie State Park,

then watched the sunset in Dunkirk.  Finally, we headed to dinner.

After we ate dinner, we headed back to the inn.  We had dessert in the inn's restaurant, and I said to Hubby, "this feels like we are on a date", to which he replied "who says we aren't?".  It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

The next day we got up and headed out.  Our trip to New York was a short one, but enough to satisfy me for another year of leaf peeping.

More pics from our trip and the drive home can be seen here.

Out of Town: Sights of Deep Creek, Maryland

Earlier this summer, Hubby and I traveled to Deep Creek for the wedding festivities of our very good friends.  While we were there, we took some time to do some really cool things, like the Garrett County Bear Trail.  But we also took the time to see some really gorgeous sites.

First off, we stayed at the Wisp resort, just like last time, and this time we took advantage of some of the things the resort had to offer.  We actually rode a chair lift up the side of the mountain, which gave us an absolutely breathtaking view of Deep Creek Lake.  Even though I am scared of heights, I really enjoyed out little ride.  After all, how often do you get a chance to do something like this?

In addition to the Bear Trail, Garrett County also has a Barn Quilt Trail.

 Barn Quilts are these gorgeous quilts, based of of actual existing quilts, painted in barns, to help showcase Appalachian heritage and culture.  We did not get to see all of the barns, but we did get to see a few, and they are breathtaking.

We also got to visit a petting zoo, quite unexpectedly.  One of the shops in the area, Schoolhouse Earth, has a petting zoo full of rescued animals.  They were so adorable!

This just goes to show you, there is always something new to do and find when you are on vacation, even if its a place you have been before. I can't wait until the next time we visit Deep Creek, to find even more treasures!

To see some more of my Deep Creek pictures, click here.