By this time, everyone's feet and legs were very sore from all the walking we'd been doing, but I was really excited because this was the day that we'd be heading to New York City! Woohoo! Unfortunately, we got a later start out from the hotel than we were supposed to because one member of our large group decided to sleep in despite numerous others attempting to wake him up. We were not happy with that particular individual, and since he was a student, I let him know it throughout the day. You just don't do that when 42 other people are waiting for you.
When we finally rolled out of the parking lot, we headed back to Washington D.C. for two final stops. The first was at the Marine Corps monument of the replica of the famous Iwo Jima flag-raising photo. We were fortunate enough to arrive at the same time that two Marines were climbing onto the monument carrying a large bag.
We watched them lower the large flag and replace it with a smaller one. They then raised that flag, saluted it, lowered it, and then they repeated the process with another flag. I think they had many more to do because the bag they'd carried up was large, but we didn't stay to watch the entire proceedings. I am sure that the families for whom those flags were intended will appreciate what those two men were doing that morning.
As a Legion Rider, I've seen those flags draping caskets and then given to grieving families in cemeteries. They become cherished tokens of loved ones that can be passed on down the road.
From this monument, we walked over to Arlington Cemetery. This was my second visit, but the place still filled me with awe. It was the first visit for my boyfriend, who is also a Legion Rider, and I could see that it impacted him greatly.
We stayed to watch the Changing of the Guard twice from two different vantage points. Since both times I've been there have been on school tours during high-tourist time, I would really like to return during a time when the viewing area isn't packed with people. While most of them were appropriately quiet and well-behaved, there were still those who just don't get that they need to show their proper respect to the whole area.
While standing by my son in Arlington as we watched, I heard "Taps" played twice, and every time I hear that, I remember him playing it in high school at military funerals and during the Memorial Day ceremony. I was always so proud of him for doing that, and when I attend funerals as a Legion Rider, I'm always a little bit disappointed in the dressed soldiers who show up only to hold a bugle with a recording to their lips. Nothing beats the real thing, even if the person squeaks on a few notes -- it's the sentiment behind those real notes that matter, to me. Anyway, those are just some thoughts I had while standing and watching the Changing of the Guard next to my grown son who used to play the trumpet in high school.
After stopping to see the Eternal Flame, the memorial to the Challenger victims, and the view from Robert E. Lee's house, we left both Arlington Cemetery and Washington D.C. and headed for New York City.
As we drove along I-95 and the New Jersey Turnpike, I was actually quite surprised at how lush the vegetation was.
Of course, once we got closer to New York City, that vegetation quickly turned to a gridlock of cars that better met my preconceived notions of what driving into New York City would be like! Ha, ha.
From this point on, it became a game of creep forward a little, wait a while. This gave me a lot of time to peek down into other driver's cars from my elevated vantage point in a charter bus. Let's just say that about 99 per cent of the drivers were scrolling through their phones while they, too, played the game of creep forward a little, wait a while. I shook my head, but I can understand the need to fill the long minutes with activity to keep yourself from screaming at the other drivers.
I wouldn't want to drive in that every day. This bottle-neck was completely due to the number of people wanting to go through the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan, but what was strange was that once we actually got through the tunnel, the traffic virtually disappeared!
After waiting an hour to get through the tunnel, it only took us minutes to arrive at the Empire State Building. However, once inside there we were in for another long, long wait in lines before we could get to the observation deck.
And to our disbelief, the first elevator only takes you to the 80th floor. From there, you have to either get in more long lines to wait for another elevator to take you to the 86th floor where the observation deck actually is, or you can do what we did -- take the stairs! The first four flights I managed all right, but for the last two, I was definitely sucking air!
But when we finally stepped out onto the observation deck, it was all worth it!
If only I could have stayed up there for hours! However, when you are with a group, you have to stick to a schedule, so we exited and then split up anyway for supper.
My family ate at Heartland Brewery, a restaurant/pub that is located on the corner of the block that houses the Empire State Building. We were led downstairs into a very nice room with real NYC ambiance where we ate our very first NYC meal. I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich with onion chips right in the sandwich. Yummy.
After we got back on the bus and went back through the Lincoln Tunnel, our great bus driver named Steve took us into Weehawken to JFK Boulevard and pulled over, so we could all exit and take in the amazing views of the nighttime Manhattan skyline.
We were truly blown away by the view, and I immediately envied the people who lived in the houses on that street and who had that incredible view everyday. But then I thought about the cost of living there, and my envy dissipated.
We drove to our hotel in Clark, New Jersey for our final night with the group because, even though we'd be spending the next day with them, we'd be leaving them that night to forge on for ourselves for five days in NYC.
More to come.
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