NY, NY: the High Line & the Freedom Tower

 

COMING INTO NEW YORK, the attraction I had been the most excited for was the Statue of Liberty. I came away with another favorite: the High Line (and it’s free!).

Located on the West side of Manhattan, the High Line is an old elevated railroad transformed into an urban walkway that snakes its way between some of the most ultramodern apartments you’ve ever seen, flowering trees, and secretive murals. It stretches almost one and a half miles and rises about 30 feet above the streets. You can start from Chelsea or the West Side Yard and 34^th, but if you start on that latter northern end, you come out with a view of the Statue of Liberty and the extremely charming Little Island park that boasts kids’ activities & music, a bayside stage, stunning views, and (overpriced) street food.

We got off the subway at 34 Hudson Yards and searched for a way up that had an elevator. Our first try the elevator worked but the overpass joining the High Line was closed, so we had to cross a couple streets to another elevator near 31st Street and Dyer Avenue (Moynihan Connector – also has a restroom). This time, it opened up right to the urban walkway. That was the moment our two year old decided to have a full-on meltdown; the sun beat down mercilessly, and we were all a bit frazzled from the journey over just to reach the dang thing. However, once we got into the rhythm of walking (and snacks, bring snacks!), the tears subsided. I didn’t expect us to do the whole thing, but sure enough, it felt like we reached Chelsea in no time. There were plenty of fun things for kids to do along the way, including little slides toward the end. Quite a gem!

I checked the weather as soon as we got back to the hotel: still rainy for our Statue of Liberty day. We’d bought tickets ahead of time on https://statuecitycruises.com/, the official ticket seller for trips to the Statues. Refunds were available up to 24 hours in advance, but when would we be here again? However, the weather held for our next day outing to the Freedom Tower.

This was another experience not to be missed. It was a very distance memory I had of the original Trade Towers. I’d been in grade school riding the school bus, when a friend had boarded and blurted out what had happened. The rest of the day was a blur, although I still remember George W Bush’s speech and feeling more united as a country than ever, in anger and grief. Visiting now with the next generation who had no memory of the event, indeed, born even after the Iraq War ended, was a strange feeling—explaining the names they were seeing inscribed all around the fountain footprints of the towers, seeing the names of the flights, and then gazing up at the new Freedom Tower.

We visited Wall Street after—it’s about a twelve minute walk. I reflected in a park with the kids while my husband took a swift jaunt to see the sights, and the Bull, mobbed by tourists. Then we caught the subway back to our hotel, lost in myriad thoughts of the day. It truly is humbling the amount of sights to see, whether you're walking above the city streets or among them (to be continued).

Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction, not fact.

NY, NY: Our Toddlers take on the Big Apple

This is Part I of the New York City Travel Series

 

OUR AMTRAK pulled into New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station right on time. I don’t know how they did it. We were about 40 minutes late leaving Boston, where we’d spent a delightful visit with family, but somehow the engineer had put the pedal to the metal and shot us through some fine country sites of New England countryside to reach the Big Apple in roughly four hours.

We rattled about gathering our stroller and luggage, much to the strained patience of other passengers (“if the train’s stopped, you get off!”—maybe we weren’t quite as back on schedule as I thought) and then tumbled off into the sea of people milling the platform.

Okay, we told ourselves. This is the big leagues. Boston’s subways were nada compared to this.

I had a lot of mixed emotions coming back to NYC. You know that feeling you get when you visit a place you haven’t been to in a really long time, and there’s that odd pull of constantly looking for things you remember and then being overcome by all that’s changed. The last time I’d been a child visiting grandparents over in Long Island, and I distinctly remembered the vintage colonial that stretched up and up to three stories, the way the home would get overwhelmingly hot in the muggy grips of summer, and an outrageous green staircase. I remembered the classic train stations, the Empire State Building, and a beach where I’d been bowled over by a giant wave and had to spend the next week feverish in Grandma’s bed with a splitting ear infection.

This time we were doing the ultimate tourist extravaganza in Manhattan with the next generation, and we were going to see it all. The Statue of Liberty. Central Park. Museum of Natural History. Did I mention the “next generation” were toddlers?

So there we were, standing on the sidewalk and trying to keep walking like we knew where we were going while surreptitiously checking our Google Maps. The hotel was only a 16 minute walk away but my God, the traffic. My God, the people. So we joined the throng waiting for a taxi (31st Street midblock between 8th and 9th Aves). There was plenty to be entertained by while we waited, like our first taxi driver brawl (no cutting in line, folks, you will be called out). The poor guy helping passengers load into their taxis was like a conductor, turning the warmth of his smile on us sweaty and tired tourists while at the same time dancing around catching one taxi that tried to zoom away with the trunk wide open, breaking up fights, and reminding the drivers there would be no sass or they could take a hike. He saw the size of our group and got us a taxi van lickety-split. We were off. At a snail’s crawl. Tons of construction up and down streets; another one closed off for an event. Out comes the phone to show a marathon of Bluey to the displeased toddlers. So in double the time it would have taken walking, we arrived at our esteemed hotel. Step One, done!

There was a playground nearby, and we stocked up on food at Whole Foods—I recommend the smoothies. The hotel had graciously given us a fridge stocked completely with alcohol. We politely informed them that our ask of a minifridge was because we had little kids, and they shuttled a much smaller, but empty one up to us.

But who wants to eat in when there’s so much to see, so much to try! I will say the Australian-flair Bourke Street Bakery on 28^th Street completely stole our hearts. A perfect mix of savory breakfast rolls, decadent croissants, and this truly excellent Culture Coffee plus great customer service had us coming back more than once.

And where else to go first but the American Museum of Natural History!

Let me tell you: we severely underestimated the size of this place. We thought all the time would be spent at the dinosaurs. So there we were, lazing our way past these awesome fossils (gawking at how much we’d forgotten since elementary school). Did you know about the Titansaur? This Cretaceous period giant is so long its neck stretched clear out of the room! It was great. Then we stumbled into the life-like mammal exhibits. Then we come face to face with a blue whale suspended from the ceiling in a marine exhibit that seemed the size of a football field. (You see where this is going, don’t you—yes, nap time was definitely in jeopardy).

So our youngest passed out in the gemstone exhibit, which was filled with brilliant jewels of every kind and size, including a sixteen foot amethyst. We’ve maybe seen a quarter of the place. It’s giant, truly impressive. Really plan for a whole day.

However, with six days to spare, we were off to Central Park, which is right across the street. It was time to run for miles! (yes, the youngest was up now). Again, this is another place that we truly enjoyed and could have easily spent the whole day there. In the space of a couple hours, we stumbled upon Belvedere Castle, a beautiful overlook first built in 1872 that overlooks the Turtle Pond and the Great Lawn. Everyone was out enjoying the beautiful day on Great Lawn with plenty of games, plus we checked out Cleopatra’s Obelisk which carries Egyptian hieroglyphics. Coming back, we found what we thought was the famous tunnel bridge from Home Alone 2 but later discovered it is more toward the far south of the park.

Catching the subway back downtown was... interesting. Rush hour was in full swing, but luckily we had two very tuckered out kids, and one hardened New Yorker appointed himself our guardian and made sure everyone gave us room to exit. The hardest part was trying to find an elevator for the stroller. At one point, we got out of the subway, waited until the crowd died down, and then manhandled that stroller up two flights of stairs as stealthily as we could (can’t wake the toddler!) No, elevators are not standard at every stop.

As such, an early night! Just as I was falling asleep, I caught the forecast for our upcoming day at Statue of Liberty: rain… (To be continued)

Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction, not fact.

 

 

Sea Stack Playground: Cannon Beach, Oregon

IT WAS ONE WEEK FROM LABOR DAY and I sat at the computer, frantically scrolling through hotel vacancies to play a last minute getaway. We had only one criteria: go to the ocean. Sitting on the sand, exploring driftwood beaches, and listening to the surf roll in and out at night is our kind of thing. It’s self-centering. It’s freeing. Dismal rain or breaking sun transforms the color of the sea and is endlessly fascinating to watch. I’ve walked from one end of the beach to the other, passing families, happy dogs, seagulls, and washed up sea creatures on my way. I’ve become ensnared by the small things like glimmering polished stones that light up in the water or daring myself to touch a slimy ring of kelp.

After scrolling through “No Vacancies Available” on every Washington coastal town site, I had an epiphany that the Oregon beaches were also the same distance away. One of my favorite beaches as child was Cannon Beach. I am drawn to sea stacks and climbing every one that looks like I won’t slip to my death on, and Cannon Beach is a treasure trove of these. Particularly notable is Haystack Rock, which although you can’t climb, is full of nesting seabirds (including puffins in late spring/early summer) and has wonderful tidepools to explore.

As divine luck would have it, there were two hotel rooms left in the neighboring town of Seaside—one was a good rate, but looked like you were rolling the dice if the roof would collapse on you at night—and the other was at Gilbert Inn, built in 1885 with an outdoor firepit, a free breakfast that included omelets and waffles, and it was less than 5 minutes from Seaside beach.

Well, the choice had already been made for me. I splurged (my penance for planning a Labor Day trip so late) and that Saturday, we jetted down south to Seaside.

Seaside was mobbed. Gilbert Inn luckily has free parking, because cars and bikes were stashed anywhere with pavement. Our receptionist was lovely; she was knowledgeable about the history of the hotel and its founder, who had dedicated the Seaside beachfront to the public for generations to enjoy. She also recommended the cheapest place to score ice cream—inside the local mall at Seaside Candyman. Our room was everything you could want with antique furnished charm plus a bathtub and creaky floors that in any other hotel would be annoying, but here only served to enliven the atmosphere. There was an old piano and wonderful little patio, too, where we enjoyed breakfast outside. The food and coffee was fantastic. The garden side firepit, too, was where we cozied up when the night brought the inevitable rain. Great place for couples—the Inn can also can hook it up with bikes to explore the beachside path.

The mall is right next door, as is the main walk, where you can find any sort of indoor arcade adventure or bumper cars. The beach itself was sprawling, windy, and crowded with families and volleyball games. A seaside aquarium has seals flopping about as the main exhibit, and kids were getting a kick out of feeding them (adults were, too).

The most memorable place we ate at in Seaside was Sam’s Seaside Café because that Dungeness Crab Melt special was killer. Simple: English muffin with succulent crab meat and dripping in cheese. I had a clam chowder bread bowl which was nice, but let me tell you, my husband ended up sharing that Melt with me. Very fresh seafood, and the place is open late.

Cannon Beach is only fifteen minutes away. We parked at Tolovana Beach State Recreation State and hiked up the beach to the iconic Haystack Rock. There were droves of people from everywhere, admiring the seabirds and exploring the tidepools. I was pleased to find starfish had made a slight recovery, as a wasting disease had been hurting their numbers in the Pacific Northwest. Some beaches I’ve traveled to which used to be full of them now only have anemones, mussels, and limpets holding on. So it was a relief to find purple and orange starfish peeking out from the sand and rocks.

We also visited Ecola State Park which has phenomenal views of the sweeping bay studded with sea stacks, and further out, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. There are little hiking trails everywhere in the woods. Unfortunately, here is where it didn’t pay to visit during Labor Day. On the twisting road up to Ecola, we hit a large back up of cars and spent an hour waiting to get to an overlook. To actually get down to the beach required another wait, so at that point, we called it quits and decided to try our luck at Hug Point down at the southern end of Cannon Beach. We did spot an elk on the way out.

Hug Point was the best decision we made. Small parking lot, so it limited the number of people, and it was an absolute beach playground for children, dogs, and adults alike. There were miles upon miles of sand to run on, and what really made it fun was the tide had just receded enough to allow access to untold stretches of beach. There were plenty of sea stacks for climbing, a waterfall, and sea caves to explore. Plus, the sun was out. We actually had to park in a pull out a little bit earlier than the turn off for the parking lot, but it was worth the hike. Highly recommended!

We also stopped by Cannon Beach History Museum in town to see the “original” cannon the beach was named after. It’s a free museum that takes donations and has interesting stories, including details on the high number of shipwrecks that have happened over the centuries. All in all, a shorter adventure, but sometimes you’ve got to make the time for exploring whenever you can, because you never know what is waiting for you around the next corner.

This trip I’ll always remember as the last happy moment of summer. Fall has brought a late stage colon cancer diagnosis of an immediate family member which has turned all of our lives upside down. It has been emotional. It has been humbling. We’ve gone from believing there was no history of colon cancer in the family to learning that it actually did exist in a second cousin. I’ve taken heart from the small things: well-differentiated cells in the biopsy, the cancer not spreading to his lungs, and an amazing surgeon and staff who performed a late night emergency surgery to remove the tumor. We feel so thankful that our family member not only survived but was able to return home, as opposed to going to a skilled nursing home. I have seen the most eerie, miraculous timing happen—a while ago, an aunt and myself just happened to plan our vacations for the very week the diagnosis occurred, so we were fully available to jump in and help. When the first round of a 48-hour chemotherapy treatment finished, it was suddenly discovered that due to new lab results, an emergency surgery had to happen to remove the tumor blockage now. This got more of the tumor out in a shorter period of time than the chemo ever would have. It also meant he got in a first treatment round just in time, since recovering from surgery takes weeks.

When my family member walked back in the door of his home, he went straight to his favorite chair and gazed outside, peace finally falling over his face for the first time after four long, hard weeks of fighting.

Now it is a different fight in front of us for his future. We’ve truly appreciated all of those who have supported him. Colon cancer, as I’ve learned, is unfortunately very common but also very curable when caught early during a colonoscopy at the polyp stage. As such, I do want to share this story as I would encourage everyone to speak with each other about any history of cancer in the family and to get a colonoscopy done—as pleasant as it is. This family member had never had a colonoscopy due to belief that there were no risk factors, and his doctor had agreed with him. Unfortunately though, other alternative tests that are less invasive like stool tests can’t substitute in place of the doctors actually being able to see inside your digestive tract to catch the polyps early and remove them before they become cancerous. Speak to your doctor about the frequency of colonoscopies for you and make all the changes you can today to protect your health.

For us, we are looking back on our adventures, celebrating the good memories, and being thankful to God for every single day. Running around on Cannon Beach as a kid and climbing the rocky sea stacks was one of my favorite recollections as a family. It will be a marathon ahead but this has taught me to never hold back: tell those you love how much they mean to you now and always.

Disclaimer: The above story is depicted as fiction and not fact.  

Thailand Travel Series: Loy Krathong at Ao Nang, Thailand

This is Part 9 of the Thailand and Cambodia Travel Series. Read Part 1 Here.

THE LOY KRATHONG FESTIVAL is well-known for how it is celebrated. In November, people across Thailand gather at the banks of rivers or the sea to set candle-lit floats adrift. Krathong refers to a piece of wood wrapped in banana leaves and flowers with a candle on top. It is a time to show respect to the water from which much of Thai agriculture and lifestyle revolves around, as well as to say goodbye to misfortune and make wishes for the coming year. Loy Krathong is based around the Lunar New Year, so the exact date it falls in November will vary each year.

One of the most exciting places to be during this time is in Northern Thailand: Chiang Mai. That is because Loy Krathong often occurs around Yi Peng, which is the famous lantern lighting event that graces many magazine covers. However, we enjoyed our time in Ao Nang as well. It was certainly quieter, but we found a hotel that taught us how to make a krathong and then we gathered on the banks of the sea to set them off. Of course with these festivals, ecological factors are a big thing to consider. Krathong options that are biodegradable (like those made out of bread) are becoming more commonplace, but avoid ones made out of Styrofoam.

Being part of Loy Krathong was a great wrap up to our journey. We had one train ride left to depart back up to Bangkok, because it was time to say goodbye to Thailand.

Upcoming Blog Post: Traveling By Train: Southern Thailand to Bangkok

Disclaimer: the above is depicted as fiction, not fact

Thailand Travel Series: Ao Nang, Thailand

This is Part 8 of the Thailand and Cambodia Travel Series. Read Part 1 Here.

UPON OUR DEPARTURE FROM RAILAY BEACH, we asked our hotel front desk the night before about the ferry’s departing schedule to Ao Nang Harbor up the coast. Due to the tides, the departures happened early. We caught a longtail boat and in just about 30 minutes, we stepped off at the pier of Ao Nang.

Ao Nang is a busy coastal town in Krabi Province. By this point in our trip, we were looking forward to spending a couple days of relaxing on the beach. We also picked Ao Nang as a jump off point to Wat Tham Suea, or Tiger Cave Temple. This is a 1237 step climb up a steep cliff to a beautiful temple. There is also a main temple grounds and cave for exploration if you’re not looking for a strenuous work out! I would say allow 3-4 hours for up and down if you’re in moderate shape so you have some to enjoy the area and main grounds, too. Those in extremely good shape can probably do it in 2 hrs or less. Keep in mind the humidity and heat is intense so bring lots of water, and also to dress appropriately for the temple. Also keep in mind that there will be a spectacular view!

There is no shortage of places to stay in Ao Nang, from everything from $10 night accommodations to luxury. We stayed at Krabi Tipa Resort which was friendly and accommodating, a quick walk up the hill from the harbor (we used our phone to navigate). Open space, continental breakfast, and there was an outdoor pool which was quite nice. The TV reception was a bit fuzzy but we weren’t there to watch TV.

There are plenty of restaurants and shopping excursions as well. Shout out to Bussaba Thai Restaurant - wow this place was good! My dish came in a woven bowl of noodles, all edible, and the aesthetic quality to the drinks and eats was top notch! A bit more pricey, but worth it. Absolutely delicious. It was pretty close to Krabi Tipa Resort. 

We were really impressed with the communication at one stall that sold wood carvings. My spouse stopped by and really liked a dragon candle that breathed smoke when you lit the incense candle at the bottom. Of course, he couldn’t buy it right then since he had to ask my permission! So we returned the next day, and the shopkeeper wasn’t present. We asked the vendor next door if she would be back. The vendor didn’t speak much English, but went off to a neighboring restaurant. He came back with a woman who had been working in the kitchens there. She didn’t speak much English but she whipped out a smartphone and pulled up the shopkeeper on Facetime. It turns out the shopkeeper was off doing laundry, but they all looked out for one other. She recognized my spouse and after laughing about it, we agreed on a price. We gave the money to the lady from the kitchens and departed with our dragon carving. She even gave us a discount!

We found a tourist stall to set up our Tiger Cave Temple trip. There were various brochures available to do half or full day. We did a full day which included the Temple, elephant riding, a lunch at a natural pool, and a dip in a hot springs park. Our mistake was not asking how long we would have at each place. Definitely ask! You’ll need at least 2-3 hours if you want to climb all the steps up to Tiger Cave Temple and not be in a rush. Some of them only allow 30 minutes to just walk around the main temple grounds and not go all the way up to the top. Again, keep in mind you’ll get what you pay for. There are taxis around that you could pay to go just to that destination, and there were a lot of drivers waiting in the parking lot to go back to Ao Nang. There’s also probably public bus options as well for the best deal.

On the tour, we actually had a centralized meeting point near the tourist stall where we boarded the bus. It was quite an operation. We were each given a different color sticker depending on our tour package and then divided into different groups.

The Tiger Cave Temple was so much fun. This is a sacred Buddhist temple in the northeast of Krabi Province. There are tiger paw prints in the cave in the cliffs. We didn’t have much time to explore the main grounds because we wanted to do all 1237 steps to the very top. Come prepared in good hiking shoes and again, can’t stress the water and sun screen enough! Bug spray too, since the majority of this tour is in a jungle. The stairs can be stall and it’s steep, back and forth in short zig-zags up a cliff. Monkeys will be watching you closely – one innocently allowed a group of weary hikers to pass and then made a swipe for one of their hats, so keep your stuff close whenever you pass them!

The view is just breathtaking. There is a large golden Buddha statue and dramatic, plunging views of the nearby valley. There were many other shrines as well and small but intricate carvings that are exciting to explore. We really enjoyed this. Getting back down took half the time, but our legs certainly felt like rubber after! Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to explore the rest of the grounds because we were on a time crunch for our tour. To be honest, having 3 hours here would have been best to really explore/do the steps and not feel so rushed.

We visited Krabi Emerald Pool (Sa Morakot) after where we had a nice stew lunch. There was a boardwalk that led you through the jungle to the Emerald Pool, which quite lives up to its name. The waters were crowded with visitors but everyone was spaced out enough. There were also little fish darting in and around the pool. I really liked the boardwalk through all the mangrove trees and seeing the jungle and birds. It’s quite a unique environment than our colder climate.

The last spot was a stop at a local hot spring park. It was pretty cool, after a short 10 minute walk, we passed by a number of different hot springs. One was more family friendly near a playground, and another natural hot springs with copper deposits overlooked a river. And that water was truly a real hot springs – the temperature was blazing!

Once we returned back, we couldn’t rest too long. Loy Krathong, the Festival of Lights, was the following evening.  

Upcoming Blog Post: Loy Krathong

Disclaimer: The above is depicted as fiction not fact.