Day visit to Atlantic City, New Jersey

23/9/14 -Atlantic City, New Jersey

Tom - I have always thought of Atlantic City as being the Las Vegas of the east coast of the USA, how wrong can you be, it was a huge disappointment and no wonder the casinos are closing down, the place is a run down dump. Perhaps in it's hay day it would have been the place to visit but it was a big disappointment to us.

The famous Atlantic City boardwalk which has been destroyed by hurricanes and rebuilt.

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A view of Atlantic City from the pier, by the way that is the Atlantic Ocean so we have gone from coast to coast in the USA and also all the way from South to north.

Betty - so we parked at Caesar's Casino ($5 all day parking) to be close to the Boardwalk. We passed this beautiful array of gelatos at the Cafe at Caesar's.

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Next to the gelatos was Gluten Hell but I could not resist taking a photo of all these gorgeous cakes that I could not part take of.

A statue of Augustus Caesar ..the lay out was quite similar to Caesar's Palace at Vegas but on a much smaller scale. We found this venue to be pretty convenient for access to the Boardwalk and also to Tangers Outlet Shops.

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Clarksboro, New Jersey

25/9/14 - Clarksboro, New Jersey

From New York we headed south to Timberlane Campground in Clarksboro, New Jersey for a week so that we could visit Atlantic City and Philadelphia plus I needed to play golf in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

On the way to Clarksboro we stopped at a rest stop for coffee and Betty found these horse carts parked next to us so she could not resist taking some photos.

What a treat! I said to Tom I could smell horses....lo and behold, there were 4 horse trailers parked one rv away from us.

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So I googled Hermann's Royal Lipizzaner Stallions...it would appear these horses were on their way back to Florida after a gig in New Jersey.

Lovely autumn colours as we whizzed by at 60mph!

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Okay..here's how not to back your 5th wheel on arrival. This poor guy left a dent in the gutter of the toilet/laundry block. There's nothing worse than trying to park with an audience.

We spotted a couple of deer grazing amongst the trees at FDR golf course in Philadelphia. It was a public golf course named after Franklin D. Roosevelt who would probably have rolled over in his grave if he knew what a terrible golf course it was. You needed a 4 wheel drive - it was like playing a cow paddock, cart paths were all torn and broken up, heaps of beers cans scattered throughout the woods...worst municipal golf course we've ever come across.

Anybody knows what this is?

Well the commercial gurus have once again found a way to generate business. Lots of homes have "Halloween" themes adorning their houses. This is the entrance to Timberlane Campground.

I went walkabouts whilst Tom was out golfing..found this nursery just around the corner from Timberlane.

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More Halloween pumpkins and scarecrows! Aisles at Walmart are crowded with Halloween paraphernalia....

And yet more of New York City

September 19th & 20th

The Guggenheim Museum...disappointing in that only 4 floors were open the day we went, 2 being S.american techno art which is not my scene and 2 with limited masters. More info:

1. 1. 
      
   2. 

1. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

   
   
2. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum located at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Wikipedia
4. Address: 1071 5th Ave, New York, NY 10128
5. Hours: 
   

   Open today · 10:00 am – 7:45 pm
6. Founded: 1939, Manhattan, New York City, NY
7. Phone: (212) 423-3500
8. Founders: Frank Lloyd Wright, Solomon R. Guggenheim, Peggy Guggenheim
9. 
   

Pierre Auguste-Renoir painting...Lady with Parrot painted in 1871.

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Pablo Picasso...Fernande with a Black Mantilla

I was lucky enough to get photos of the NY Mounted Police as they finished the German American Parade the day we were at the Guggenheim.

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Miss German America...what a melting pot New York is.

5th Avenue skyline across the reservoir at Central Park.

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Central Park in Manhattan. 843 acres of beautiful trees, lawns.

Entry to the American Museum of Natural History(AMNH ) with a statue of Theodore Roosevelt.

Great exhibits of mammoths and dinosaurs.

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More bones...no dogs allowed in obviously.

This "boatel" looks like a tug boat but I'm not sure.it was moored on the Liberty Harbor Marina and RV Park where we stayed.  Check out the croc on the boardwalk!

More of New York City

September 18th 2014- New York

The New York skyline with the Freedom Tower rising tall behind all others.

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One World Trade Center or colloquially known as Freedom Tower - a monolithic structure standing at 1,776 feet is the tallest building in the western hemisphere as at July 2013. Construction began April 2006 and is not complete. Costs as at April 2012 is US$3.9 billion.

Ground zero...one of two empty spaces where one of the Twin Towers stood before 9/11. Starkly beautiful, this black square "hole" commemorates the sad, tragic day where many lives both Americans and Internationals, were lost and are now remembered by the inscriptions along the 4 sides of this water feature. The water from the sides of the walls drains into a single black hole in the centre....one can't help but get emotional here.

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Getting lunch from one of the many street vendors at corner of Liberty and Broadway. For $6, I got a delicious helping of Chicken Bryani and a soft drink. Tom got the Chicken Tikka...yum!

2 iconic street names - one representing greed(as portrayed in The Wolf of Wall St) and the other representing entertainment, talent and escapism.

It is amazing how many buildings can get crammed into a city like New York...that's why most people walk. We did notice many New Yorkers are pretty fit and trim.

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Not easy to lose sight of One World Trade Center..like a Sentinel its presence is not to be ignored. A mix of the old and the ultra new.

Okay...this hummer was decked out like an upmarket Pimp mobil. The vehicle rego said ' Dr Gordon' but we think he might be more into "sexual healing". Ha!ha!

The Madison Square Garden...what a great entertainment venue.

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The accoustics in the theatre was the best we've come across for a venue of this size. Even Glen Frey of The Eagles said so when he came on stage.

What a blast...The Eagles live. All looking much older of course but still sounding terrific! Unfortunately we didn't stay for the whole show as we had to catch the tube back to New Jersey as the last train leaves New York for NJ at 11.45pm on a week day.

New York

September 17th 2014

Ellis Island in Upper New York Bay was the Immigration Processing Centre for the millions of people from 1892 to 1954(sort of like Manus Island, Australia but probably lot less amenities). The Centre houses historical records of immigrants and one can search for one's ancestors here.

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The Statue of Liberty...stands on Liberty Island. Gifted by France to America on its 100th anniversary of American Independence. More info below.

1. Statue of Liberty

   Sculpture

   Directions
2. The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City.Wikipedia
4. Artist: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
5. Address: Liberty Island, New York, NY
6. Construction started: September 1875
7. Opened: October 28, 1886
8. Height: 305' (93 m)
9. Media: Copper, Wrought iron, Steel
10. Architects: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, Gustave Eiffel, Richard Morris Hunt

As you can imagine, there are numerous companies doing tours to the SOL(Statue of Liberty). We took one from the New Jersey side at Liberty State Park as were were parked in NJ. You can opt to climb all the way to the crown at extra cost. Did you know that SOL actually stands with her right foot raised...I checked to see if she wore Nike shoes...nope, she wears what looks like rope thongs.

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There are 3 statues of Lady Liberty..the original stands at 15ft and is in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris. She was the original mold for the Americal SOL who stands at a magnificent 151feet. The other Lady Liberty resides on Swan Ally Island on the Seine River, Paris..she stands at 35ft.
More info at :
http://www.french-at-atouch.com/Statue_of_Liberty/statue_of_liberty.htm#Paris_Luxembourg_Gardens

One of the many ferries that trawl between NJ, Ellis Island and Liberty Island.

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Took a photo of The Clipper City as we passed her on our way back to Liberty state park. She ran aground a few days later. More info: http://nypost.com/2014/09/20/130-stranded-after-ship-runs-aground-near-the-statue-of-liberty/

Side view of SOL with the Freedom Tower dominating the New York skyline.

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What a beautiful day it was...what views!

When we got back to the rv park after the SOL cruise, we had new neighbours...Judy and Simon from Traralgon, Victoria.  I know how ET must have felt......home....ET phone home.....

New York City - September 16th

September 16th 2014

New York! New York! We don't like New York...we LOVE IT!!!!

What can I say..wow! We walked and walked and walked. We took the subway from New Jersey and walked all over New York. The State Empire building used to be the tallest building but it hasn't for a long time now.

The crush of people, the smells, the sights....one is quite mesmerized and don't know where to start looking first.

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There must be just as many tourists in New York as there are residents.

The weather was wonderful and people were out enjoying the last days of summer.

Okay, now were were planning to take a ferry to visit the lady...but there she was in New York! I heard her speaking Spanish was well!

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The Chrysler Building with its scalloped  art deco metal facade. Built between 1928 and 1930, it stands 1,046 ft tall with 77 floors.

Grand Central Station...how many movies have been shot here. What a beautiful building...we were impressed at how well it is maintained considering the number of train travellers pass through the halls.

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Grand Central Terminal
View inside the Main Concourse, facing east
Station statistics
Address	89 East 42nd Street at Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Coordinates	40°45′10.08″N73°58′35.48″W
Line(s)	Hudson Line   Harlem Line   New Haven Line   New Canaan Branch   Danbury Branch
Connections	MTA New York City Subway:        trains at Grand Central – 42nd Street  MTA New York City Bus:M1, M2, M3, M4, M42, M101,M102, M103
Platforms	44 high-level platforms (43island platforms, 1 side platform, 6 tracks with Spanish solution)
Tracks	67

Radio City..at 1260 Avenue of the Americas -  home of the Radio City Rocketts.  More info about the Rocketts at  http://www.radiocitychristmas.com/  Can you see the Statue of Liberty in the foreground? She does get around doesn't she?

67th floors above ground on the Observation Deck of the Rockefeller Building looking out to Central Park.

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Can you see Tom waving...we were waiting to go into a show at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway. Went to see the musical "The Book of Mormon"...loved it, very clever and hilarious!

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We had great seats as the theatre is not overly large.

The iconic Time Square, mid town Manhattan at 10.30pm and still pulsating with throngs of people.

Police presence for crowd control...very cool and calm and interacting with the people in a nice way.

One Time Square or the Times Tower one of the major focal points in Times Square due to its annual New Year's eve "Ball Drop" festivities.

Way past his bedtime I think!

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