New York, New York

We were fortunate enough to go to New York!!

Luckily I have family in the area and we were able to stay in Brooklyn.

My Step-brother John showed us all around the city. It was so nice to have an insider perspective of the city. First stop, Central Park.

We visited the John Lennon Memorial where several people were gathered, some even singing.

Then we headed to the heart, Time Square! Talk about hustle and bustle. People everywhere and lights lights lights!

Grand Central Station

9/11 Memorial

New world trade center

in the train tunnels

Coney Island

Last day they were open for the season.

 

Sleeping Giant Trail

In Connecticut we found a trail called Sleeping Giant Trail. It was a 3 mile round trip moderately easy trail. I had beautiful views at the top. 

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is a tiny state being only 48 miles by 37 miles, it is easy to explore it in one day. We were heading to Narragansett in the southern part to visit a friend named Amy. She works at a place called the Ocean Mist in Matunuck that we went to as well. It was a fun beach bar that had free bingo and good company. Amy was a great hostess, she showed us some cool places in Rhode Island like the Cliff Walk. It runs behind many of Newport's famous gilded mansions.

Amy's dog Winston and Cricket chillin'

Plymouth Rock

Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history.

In September 1620, a merchant ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, a port on the southern coast of England. Typically, the Mayflower’s cargo was wine and dry goods, but on this trip the ship carried passengers: 102 of them, all hoping to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic. Nearly 40 of these passengers were Protestant Separatists–they called themselves “Saints”–who hoped to establish a new church in the New World. Today, we often refer to the colonists who crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower as “Pilgrims.”

  

Check out this dog we met. It looked just like Cricket, only it was 120 pounds.

I believe it was an Irish Wolfhound.

Hiking in Massachussets

Great Blue Hill Trail is a 2.3 mile loop trail located near Milton, Massachusetts and is rated as moderate. It was pretty rocky, and a lot of up up up. The views at the top were awesome.

Boston

The first stop in Boston was at Union Square Donuts. How delicious!!! We started with a Sea salt bourbon Caramel donut and a Brown butter hazelnut crunch. I could have had a dozen of both of those. Jonathan apparently didn't get enough sugar, so he went in for a maple bacon donut to top it off! The best donuts we have had!

Boston is so incredibly full of history, we took a self guided walking tour to explore a few things. First we ventured to the Bunker hill Monument.The Bunker Hill Monument was erected to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major conflict between British and Patriot forces in the American Revolutionary War, fought there June 17, 1775. The 221-foot granite obelisk was erected between 1827 and 1843 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, with granite from nearby Quincy conveyed to the site via the purpose-built Granite Railway, followed by a trip by barge. There are 294 steps to the top.

It was closed when we arrived so we did not go to the top.

The street leading to the monument was beautiful, all the homes were full of character.

Below is the USS Constitution. Constitution is most famous for her actions during the War of 1812 against Great Britain, when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships: HMS Guerriere, Java, Pictou, Cyane and Levant. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of "Old Ironsides" and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping. She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons, and circled the world in the 1840s. During the American Civil War, she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy. She carried US artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878.

On 17 October 2014, Constitution set out into the Boston harbor for her fifth and final voyage of 2014, the historic warship's final Boston Harbor cruise until 2018, as the ship is scheduled to enter dry dock in March 2015 for a three-year planned restoration period. A special ceremony was held aboard the ship to celebrate its 217th birthday

 Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge

 Old North Church, at 193 Salem Street, in the North End of Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent. This phrase is related to Paul Revere's midnight ride, of April 18, 1775, which preceded the Battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolution.

Massachusetts

 As we are always looking for a walk or a hike, we found one on our way to Salem, Ma. We just saw this on the side of the road, a few cars and people helped us spot a neat walk around a marshy area. It was about 2 miles, and very well maintained. It lead us on a section of the East coast green way, which is a traffic free trail that goes from Maine to Florida. It stretches 2,500 miles. 

When we visited Salem, Massachusetts, it was still a couple of weeks until Halloween. You would have never guessed with the huge crowds everywhere you turned. The whole month of October they have "Haunted Happenings", it is a constant festival of Halloween celebrations. Haunted houses on every corner, psychic readings, ghost tours, and on and on. Being hungry when we arrived, the first order of business was to find a place to eat. On the way we found this big chair!

Now with a few beers and full tummies, we set off to explore the town. One of the most widely known aspects of Salem is its history of witchcraft allegations, which in many popular accounts started with Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and their friends playing with a Venus glass and egg.

 William Hathorne's son, Judge John Hathorne, came to prominence in the late 17th century. People generally believed witchcraft to be real. Nothing caused more fear in the Puritan community than people who appeared to be possessed by demons, and witchcraft was a serious felony. Judge Hathorne is the best known of the witch trial judges, and he became known as the "Hanging Judge" for sentencing witches to death.

These are the reasons this area is so popular during Halloween.

Cemetery in Salem. 

Just a glimpse of the crowds. We did visit a haunted house, it was hard to choose one because of the amount offered. We settled on one, and were a bit disappointed with the lack of scare.