A day in the Big Apple

We drove from Philly to Staten Island and

caught the ferry to lower Manhatten.

We saw the Statue of Liberty and of coarse

the beautiful New York City skyline.

One of the first things we did was find Canal Street where all of the street venders are so we could buy $1000 look alike Dolce Gabana purses for 20 bucks.

(I'm not sure if this guy is a purse salesman or a plumber! Sorry for the view!)

This is Wall street


and the New York Stock Exchange.

This is as close as we got to the Empire State building but I thought that this was a cool view of it.

Then we jumped on the subway

and headed uptown. Our first stop . . .

. . . Central Park.

It was really pretty and huge. There were so many people enjoying the beautiful park and weather.

I loved it. This one one of my favorite parts of NYC.

A few of the other things we saw~
Break dancers in the park -

Trump Tower -

Where they film David Lettermen (would have liked to go to a show but didn't have time)

The Hello Deli (wanted to eat there but it had just closed for the day.)

And of course - Times Square.

I couldn't believe how many people there were. As the day went on the streets got more. . .

and more . . .

and MORE crowded. It was crazy!

Of coarse we had to try New York Style pizza (it was yummy)

And we finished off the day with the best cheese cake around. (I'm not sure who that couple is next to Hollie and Cam but they enjoyed getting their picture taken!)

There is way to much to see in New York City in just one day so I hope that I can go back some day and spend more time. But we had a blast and it was a great experience visiting the BIG APPLE.

Stay tuned for our next stop - Washinton D.C.

See where we've been

The Liberty Bell


Independance Hall


Joe reading The Constitution


We even met Ben Franklin


Of coarse we had to go see the Rocky Statue


Philadephia has cool statues everywhere


Ocean City, New Jersey


The Boardwalk


The beach at Atlantic City-Too cold for swimming!


Beautiful view of Atlantic City


It was a long day-


we're resting up. . .

. . .so we can head to New York City tomorrow

Yummmm. . . .

We ate Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches at "Pat's - King of Steaks today." Cheese steaks are one of the specialties here in Philly. This place is where the sandwich originated back in 1930. It is located in South Philly. They have sliced steak, grilled onions, and cheese whiz on them. You can order it other ways but this is the most common.

When you order at the window they say (in a loud Philly accent), "What cha want?" I said (in my sweet Idaho accent), "I would like a Philly cheese steak sandwich, please." Then he said (again in his loud, rude Philly accent), "Wit or wit-out?" I think he was asking if I wanted it with or with-out cheese whiz. Or maybe it was with or with-out onions! I'm not sure - but I just smiled and nodded. Then he said (in his loud, rude, impatient Philly accent, "Ya gotta pay!" Then he handed me the sandwich - all of this took about 2 seconds. Then you go to another window to order drinks and fries. And pay again. (In case you've never been to Philly, people are naturally rude out here - really different from little ole Idaho! Culture shock!!

But I have to say it was well worth being yelled at because it was really good. It was dripping with greasy, fattening goodness! Oh yeah!

I think we're going back again!! But this time I'll know how to order!

Day One in Philly

Well we have only been here for about 12 hours and we have done so much and are already exhausted. We flew in on the red-eye (and yes our eyes are quite red from no sleep)but we are having a blast and it is so fun to see Hollie and Cameron and spend this time with them.
Today we went to a little town close to Philly called Chestnut Hill. It is a quaint place with alot of unique shops and places to eat. There is a Catholic College there and here are a few pictures of it. It sits up on a hill and looks like a castle.



It was founded in 1924 as a women's college by the Sisters of St. Joseph. It was originally called Mount Saint Joseph College and assumed its current name in 1938. In 1980 it established a coeducational graduate education progam. Chestnut Hill College didn't start to admit male students to its undergraduate programs until 2003.


Chestnut Hill is a fun place with cobblestone streets and fun little shops. It reminds me of other tourist stops such as Park City in Utah or Balboa Island in Newport Beach, CA. If you are ever in this part of the country you definately need to come spend some time in this fun little place.



This was a fun way to start off our first day here. Check back for more pics and see the fun places we go.

The countdown has begun!

We are so excited because next week we are going to Philadelphia to see Hollie and Cameron. It is the first time for us to go out there so we are really looking forward to seeing their house and everything. We will be there for a week.

Of course we are going to see all of the sights in Philly, NYC, Washington DC, Atlantic City, and Amish Country. We can't wait!! It is going to be so fun! And hopefully I'll have some great pics to share when I get back.

Timing is everything . . .

Isn't this a fun picture of Scott and Amy's sisters? In the words of our photographer explaining the moment, "I love this photo of the girls running into place for a fun "Sisters Only" photo. It was the perfect set up..."3, 2, 1...GO!" Run into place, arms out, smile....See a little niece run into the shot just before the click of the shutter. Great timing!"

A great shot and a fun memory for all who were there.

Finals Week!

I showed this picture in January and I said that I had no time to blog because I had to read all of these books for my classes this semester.

Well, my semester is winding down and I'm getting ready for finals. And I actually DID read all of these books!. WOW! It has been crazy for the past few months trying to keep up with everything - school, my family, wedding preparations, etc. But in one week I will have a 5 month summer break before I start back into my senior year next fall. I can't wait! It's going to be party time all summer!!

And then I will also be able to find time to do more blogging. I haven't been the best at keeping up with this blog stuff. But don't give up on me yet, keep checking back and hopefully I will have more posts.