Well I am new to this "blogging" thing...not the reading of them - just the writing of them. But I figured it was time to enter the 21st century and give it a try.  My husband and I are empty nesters, still working - but with an eye towards retirement. We love to travel and are hoping to do more of it in the near future.  We have a 'bucket list' trip planned for early October, which is why I decided to start a blog - mainly as a way to share our travel experiences with family and friends;

I won't aspire to be as witty or engaging as my daughter's blog...but I hope to put my own mark on it.  Read it if you wish...share it if you like it - delete the link if it's boring. At least I will have a written record of our adventures. There is so much we want to see and do...so here we go....

As a practice blog, I will share a recent day trip we took to lower Manhattan to visit the South Street Seaport, Trinity Church and the 9/11 Memorial.  It's amazing how you can live in an area your entire life and not take the time to visit interesting places that are right next door.

Ambrose Lightship

On a summer Friday (August 24) we headed into the city via the Seastreak Ferry out of Atlantic Highlands.  Aiming to catch the 8:55 a.m. ferry we had enough time to enjoy breakfast at Sissy's, located on the Atlantic Highlands harbor.  We had heard how good the breakfast was here and finally found a day to enjoy it.  And the day was a beauty - sunshine, warm, cloudless sky - and not very crowded. We sat outside overlooking all the boats and watched the commercial fishing boats head out with their morning fishing tourists anxious to catch some fish. Breakfast included eggs over easy, an omelet, toast and jam, coffee, OJ...plenty to hold us until lunch and then-some.

Our ferry ride was uneventful and on time - I can see why this is a popular way to commute to the city.  Upon arriving we spent time enjoying the seaport, visiting the museum that was offering a collection of folk art; we also enjoyed a 22 minute film about New York City - its beginnings as a bustling seaport and its transformation into the major destination it is today. Again, a history lesson is always in order.

New York Stock Exchange

After lunch at the seaport it was time to walk to Trinity Church where my fourth-great-grandfather and others are buried.  I had always intended to get my Dad back to the Trinity Churchyard, but time slipped away and now it would be impossible for him to visit there; so we did it for him. We walked via Wall Street (another place I had never visited in NYC). Made myself look like a real tourist as I used a small video camera to video some of the sights along the way. Saw the Stock Exchange but, of course, since 9/11, it is blocked off by railings with entrances guarded by security officers - what a sad commentary on the times we now live in.  Plus, much of Wall Street is no longer traversed by cars - walking only; actually that was fairly nice to be able to walk on the cobblestone street without worry about the wild NYC traffic.

Trinity Church visible at the end of Wall Street

Trinity Church, visible at the end of Wall Street, is having some outside restoration done so, unfortunately, we were unable to view the beautiful architecture and spire as the entire building was draped with scaffolding - so there will be no pictures of the outside of Trinity Church.

We found the grave without a hitch - Trinity Churchyard has a great website and I had already determined where the grave was located.  Pretty amazing to think about relatives that lived long ago in New York City - attending Trinity and eventually being buried in their churchyard alongside some pretty famous names: Alexander Hamilton (famous for the duel with Aaron Burr); the Astor Family. And Trinity Churchyard is very much a park-like setting in the middle of a busy city. Benches in the cemetery offer a refuge for lunch or a resting place in the shade of a tree. The grave stone lays flat and is near the church building.  According to the records, there are twenty family members buried in this vault...not sure how they are all fitting in there but it continues to amaze me...and lets me know I have a ton of detective work to do.

The Family Grave

As far as the line down to me - here is how it goes, starting with my fourth great-grandfather, Samuel Benton (born in Bath, England); Thomas Benton (born 1780 in Bath, England); Posteritas Benton Pope (born 1813 in New York); Harry Benton Pope (born 1869); Henry Alexander Pope, Sr. (born 1893 in Manasquan, NJ); and finally, my dad, Henry Alexander Pope, Jr. (born 1920 in Philadelphia, PA).

Okay - enough with my family history. It was now time to head to the 9/11 Memorial for our 3:00 p.m. entry.  Well organized and a bit of a convoluted path to enter the memorial, including security similar to airport security - but all in all - well organized considering they are still in the midst of construction in and around the memorial including the Freedom Towers and the 9/11 museum.  The South Pool and North Pool memorials are very impressive and moving - to know they are in the footprint of those World Trade Center towers...just makes you angry all over again.  We visited the names of 2 individuals who lost their lives from Little Silver. Also saw the name of Todd Beamer, famed for his heroism on the flight that went down in Shanksville, PA.  The 'Survivor Tree' - growing well in the shadow of the new Freedom Tower.  Lots of people visiting and most were well-behaved and respectful.

South Tower Pool - Museum visible in background

Freedom Tower

Survivor Tree with Freedom Tower in background

Following our time at the memorial, it was back to the Seaport to catch a 5:30 ferry, with a stop at the NY Yankee shop. Had a little bit of time to sit along the East River in bench seats provided right along the river. Again, such a beautiful day - it was a wonderful, relaxing way to end our trip.  The Seastreak Ferry arrived on time as we lined up with lots of commuters to catch the ride home.  It was Friday and the commuters were enjoying the end of the work week with some beers on the back deck of the ferry.  We even surprised our neighbor who was on that ferry heading home - what a relaxing way to commute; Of course if was a nice day. Not sure what it's like on a cold winter's day - think I would be sitting inside for that ride.

We were back home by 6:30 p.m.  And that's it - my first blog about a day-trip vacation to NYC.  The next blog should be coming from London in late September....so stay tuned!