Occupy the Motor Expo! The 99% came to visit!

Life in New York goes fast. I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow! 

Back to the adventure. Getting to church Sunday morning was quite the journey! Walk to the Path Train station (one of the subway systems from NJ to NY), take the Path Train to 33rd Street in NYC, get out, walk to NY Penn Station on 34th, take the Subway to 103rd Street, then walk to International Hostel a block away on Amsterdam Ave. Whew! It was a lot of steps, but I made it with no problems... I was even early! =) Church was great. Class was excellent, and they were studying II Samuel, which is what my daily Bible reading schedule includes this week! People were very friendly and welcoming, and I even met two women from as far South as Kentucky! =) 

I had to jet out right after church to get down to the World Financial Center for work, and I stopped at a hole-in-the-wall little place to get something to eat on the way. Since I'm in New York, I decided I better get something super New York-y, and this looked like just the place. It was packed inside (thank goodness they had a separate section for take-out!), and the accents were STRONG! I went for George's Breakfast Bagel: smoked salmon with herbed cream cheese and capers on a massive and DELICIOUS bagel. It was awesome! I actually couldn't believe how good it was! I'm sure I'd never be able to find the place again, but it sure was a hunger saver on Sunday afternoon! 

I'd already been to the venue for set up, but finding it on foot from the subway with no one to follow was trickier than you'd think. I thought surely I'd just be able to walk toward the Freedom Tower, but from the ground, all the other skyscrapers obstructed the view of even the tallest building in the area! Anyway, I finally made it (after crossing several lanes of traffic and stopping to talk to a couple of ladies who asked me where I got my awesome lunch), and we got to work! Others were there already, just talking to people about the cars and answering questions. We didn't play the Platinum Code game Sunday afternoon, but we sure did talk to a lot of people. I got to work with lots of people I was familiar with from previous events, so it was nice to see some friendly and familiar faces. =) We closed up about 5:00, and that was it! I had some trouble finding the right Path Train to get on so I could go back to my hotel (they change the routes on the weekends and there is ZERO signage! Super irritating!), but I finally made it and picked up something to eat before going back to my room. 

Speaking of my room, I have a lovely, large King sized bed all to myself. I realized after a couple of nights that I'd only been using the left 1/3 of it. So that night, I decided I was sleeping in the middle! It was fabulous. =) 

Monday! I found out I didn't have to be at work till 10, which is pretty great since I thought I had to be there at 8. That's an extra two hours to explore! And explore I did. I got to be honest, I'm not impressed with Jersey. The area I'm in now is better than Newark, the only other place I've been in New Jersey, but it's just not my preference. Anyway, I wandered around for a while looking for a good breakfast place before catching the ferry, but it was kind of a bust. Oh well. The ferry ride was nice! 

Work on Monday was quite the New York experience, actually. All these awesome cars are set up inside and outside of the World Financial Center, and it was a nice day. People were coming over asking questions and playing our promotional game (the prize is a $500 AmEx gift card--woohoo!), and then around 1:00 or so, the Motor Expo leaders came over and told us to lock all the car doors and keep the keys close at hand. Then we started to notice all these people dressed in hippie clothes, cheap suits, costumes, masks, etc., holding signs and shouting something unintelligible, and then we notice police and security people hovering around them, watching to see them make just one wrong move... 

That's right, we were front-seat witnesses for the Occupy Wall Street, 99% one-year anniversary! 

Yes, they were as unorganized as they look there. No one could understand what exactly some of their chants were, but a few people walked by holding signs and looking disgruntled saying, "We're going to find democracy for you!" Nice. Pretty sure that's not a democratic attitude. ;)

Anyway, the police and security guards had things all under control. One of the officers in front of our Lincoln tent  laughed when he told us they know who all these people are--they use facial recognition technology to find out who the "99%" are, and they know all about them, including who has trust funds and what kind of money these people actually have. At one point, about 20-30 motorcycle cops were in formation and ready to rock and roll as soon as someone got out of line. Others walked around looking intimidating with handcuffs and other weapons of mass crowd control hanging down from their pants. 

The rest of the day, security and cops and even some undercover people walked around to make sure no one came and bothered us. There were Occupy floaters walking around the rest of the afternoon, but we didn't have any problems where we were. Around the other side of the building, though, 80 protestors got arrested. SO bummed I missed it! 

That was really the most exciting thing that happened, as you may imagine. Got to love a good protest! I almost felt like I was back home in DC for a minute. =) 

And today was much the same as yesterday, protestors excluded. More exploring this morning (found a better breakfast place, but not much else), set up for work, talked to some people. It rained and we even got a tornado watch up here due to high winds, so we closed up shop about an hour early and headed out. Just one more day and then I'm off again! 

I have to be quite honest with you. There are not many places in the world where I feel absolutely uncomfortable, but the New York area is one of those unique places where I just feel completely out of my element! It's just not my favorite place to be. Just one more day! I can make it! =) Please keep me company along the way! 

PICTURES! 

Quick Whit Loses Her Mind: Driving in NYC!

Hello from New York City! Again, I'm traveling for work, this time to help out at the New York Motor Expo. I've only been here two days, and it's already been full of firsts for me! Please join me on this latest adventure...

Those who know me well know I like to get up and at it--woohoo Morning Person! So when my boss told me to get there any time on Thursday, September 13, I took an 8:26am flight and arrived around 9:30. My kind and considerate boss said for me to check in at the hotel in Jersey City, NJ, first, then she'll call or text when she's ready for me to go into the city. I did as ordered, then hit the ground running... time to go exploring!

First order of business: get a map of Jersey City and Hoboken! I got one from the hotel's front desk and started in that direction. There's a nice river walk that is unfortunately broken up with lots of construction and an entire train station, but for the most part it went right along the Hudson River from Jersey City to Hoboken. Speaking of, Hoboken is just about a mile from where I'm staying, and that happens to be Frank Sinatra's hometown! Next order of business: find his house.

I found it! OK, I stopped at the Old German Bakery first, but it was on the way. =) I wish it had been a museum so I could go in and see some Sinatra keepsakes and memorabilia. I know, I'm such a tourist.

Onward! I'd seen a "castle" on the map, so of course I needed to check that out, too. A castle in New Jersey? Right on the water? Hmmm.... upon further examination when I arrived at the site, I found out it's the Stevens Institute--an engineering school! Someone had a sense of humor. =)

So now I was hungry and I decided to go back to the hotel to wait for my boss' call. On the walk back, I found a fabulous smoothie place called Rejuiceanation. Think about it, laugh. I like it! And just as I was passing by the train station, smoothie nearly consumed, I got my phone call! New York City, here I come! Mary Beth (Mrs. Boss Lady) said to ride the train to 33rd and then take a cab to her office at Manhattan Ford.

Taxi riding in New York City was an experience I don't soon wish to repeat! The guy was one of the most reckless drivers ever, and I was praying the whole time that we'd just make it to the place! Thank Heavens we did. That was by far the scariest thing I've done in a very long time! Anyway, I made it unscathed.

Next up: driving in New York City. In a brand new car. Woohoo! Mary Beth, her friend Debbie, and I all went out to this place called Mahwah (the name of a township in NJ) to drive some cars into the city to get ready for the Motor Expo where I'll be working this week. I got to drive the Ford C-Max, which is a hybrid SUV that Ford is introducing in 2013. My GPS took me a really long way, unfortunately, and at rush hour no less, but I will forever remember my first drive in NYC: new car, crazy cabbies, pedestrians with no fear or respect for laws, cars with no regard for basic traffic laws, drove down Broadway, and it took me an hour and a half! Whew.

We got a few more things squared away for the Motor Expo, but Mary Beth had to wait for another car to get delivered, so we ended up being there until 9:00 or so. I needed to be able to driver her car over to the place where the other car was to be delivered for logistical purposes, so I stayed with her. We went and got a couple of cars washed and got one gassed up, so there was other stuff for us to do while we waited, too. Anyway, she dropped me off at my hotel with the promise to pick me up again at 6:45 the next morning. =)

And that she did! Friday morning was a pretty one. I got some sunrise shots of the Freedom Tower and New York City Skyline, and got some awesome breakfast at a cute little market across the street from my hotel. She and Debbie and I needed to move some more cars and get a few more things accomplished, but as usual, things tended to take longer than anticipated.

Ironically enough, all five of us car movers (MB had a couple other guys come in to move cars as well) piled into a 2012 or 2013 Ford Taurus, and I was seated in the middle back. What's ironic about this is that my dad used to drive a 1992 Ford Taurus. Then Jared, my older brother, drove it. Then I drove it. Then Joel drove it until someone back ended him a few years ago. Oh, the Taurus. Anyway, when we got to the cars, I was instructed to drive the MKZ Hybrid Lincoln back to the car dealership where MB's office is, and boy is it always fun to drive a hybrid! So that was my morning NYC rush hour adventure. This time we took a shortcut so it only took half an hour or so to get back.

Next adventure: Driving in the BRONX! It was definitely a rough area, and that drive to and fromM took nearly two hours, but Debbie and I made it! We needed to drop off one of the MKXes, which is the Lincoln cross-over SUV, for a film shoot (crazy stuff!), so Debbie drive that and I got to drive the MKZ (hybrid) again, this time playing the role of "chase car"! Meaning I followed her out there, then drive us both back to the car dealership.

And then we were finished for the day! It was about 4:00 by the time we got back and got things squared away, and one of the guys drove me over to the NY Waterways Ferry so I could get back over to the New Jersey side. The ferry drops off right behind my hotel, which is super convenient! (There's a Path train station back there, too. Loving the location!) The ferry was by far the most fun thing I've done so far on this trip. It went so fast! We even caught air in the wake of another boat! =)

Whew! And then came Saturday! More car moving, but this time to the World Financial Center, where the twin towers used to be. That's where the Motor Expo is being held, and the work they've done revamping the area is wonderful. It's right on the water, and there's a fabulous view of the Statue of Liberty on one side and the Freedom Tower on the other. We moved a lot of cars, but mostly the whole day was just a lot of hurry up and wait. We got done around 4:00 or so again, so this time I wanted to make sure I got some sight-seeing in.

And what better way to see the sights than from the Empire State Building! It was expensive and not really worth it (WAY too many people and it took forever just to get to the elevators--lots of security lines and stuff), but I'm glad I did it. The pictures turned out well. =)

And then I came back to the hotel and ate and read my book. And I decided to sleep in the MIDDLE of my king-sized bed instead of the left 1/3 like I had been doing the last couple of nights! More to come. Church on the Upper West Side, first day of work, and the worst signage (or lack thereof!) in any rail system ever. The adventures just never stop!

Pictures? You want PICTURES? Here you go! 

Annapolis: Y'all Got Any Laaaaathouses?

Greetings from Annapolis, my friends! This is the story of a day trip. A trip to a major seaport... with no visible lighthouses. We'll get to that in a few minutes! 

Jill and I have been trying our hardest to find the time and place for an adventure, and it happened that September 10 in Annapolis was it! Her daughter Kayla was off school that day, so she got to join in the fun, too! Bright and early Monday morning, flowing with DC traffic, off we went! We got there in just over an hour--pretty impressive at rush hour, if I say so myself!--and set out to find the Visitor Center. 

We got some information about the lay of the land, and since we had a while before our tour was to start (and for reasons that will remain a secret between me and the Goynes girls) went in search of a t-shirt for me. It's cute and tie-dyed and says "Annapolis, MD" down the side. =) Next stop: coffee! We found ourselves sitting in an adorable, historic-looking coffeehouse across from the Visitor Center, enjoying iced coffee drinks--well, Kayla had water and I had decaf, but Jill was exposed to the full experience! 

Ok, now we're into the fun stuff! Did you know that Annapolis has the most remaining Colonial-era buildings in the nation? Who knew? Now we all know! The community was started in 1666 and was called Anne Arundel's Town, after Lord Baltimore's wife. The MD capitol was moved there in 1695 and renamed "Ana-polis," or as we call it now, "Annapolis." It was, of course, right on the water and quickly became a bustling port city, complete with taverns, businesses, and over 100 ships coming in and out of port each and every day. 

First major stop: St. Anne's Church. It's one of the oldest parishes in the area (perhaps the oldest in the town), and the road system was literally designed around it. The roads make a figure 8 around the church and the capitol building. Pretty cool design, incredibly irritating for drivers. =) Also at St. Anne's, we looked at the cemetery. Of course lots of people are buried there, but the most interesting of them is Joseph Simmons, an ornery old man who was very influential in Annapolis and lived to be 100. The poor man suffered from narcolepsy, and he was buried alive three different times! The third time, his would-have-been widow heard her husband from inside the coffin and tried to stop the grave digger, but the guy just kept shoveling and told her, "If he's not dead yet, he oughtta be!" He got out, but as you could imagine, I'm sure it made for a rather awkward situation! 

Next up, the Maryland State House! This is the oldest state house in the nation that has continually been in legislative use, and it even served as the Nation's capitol building for two years (1783 and 84). The September 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution was signed here, and George Washington resigned his military commission in December of 1783. They actually have a copy of the written resignation speech, and our guide pointed out the writing that had been scratched out instead of erased. She said George did that on purpose because he wanted people to see that he had put great thought and taken great pains in writing his speech. A mixture of lemon juice and milk would have erased the ink back then--which interested me because I'd always wondered how all those hand-written documents back in the day had looked so perfect! 

The dome on the building is kind of an architectural marvel because it's made entirely of wood--no nails! It's a hexagon shape, so that's also kind of complicated as far as architecture, I guess. It's also haunted by Thomas Dance, one of the architects who was working on it from the inside and fell to his death. His family was never paid for his work because he didn't finish (ah!), and supposedly he's still around trying to finish the job and causing mischief. But the most interesting thing about this dome is that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison sat up inside the dome one evening, drinking with a local resident and getting the low-down on the people of Annapolis. Ha! 

Outside the capitol was an old cannon that had been brought over in 1634 on the first ships to what's now Annapolis. It was fortunately never fired (the Indians were friendly), and recovered from the St. Mary's River in 1822. In 1970, a mischievous midshipman from the Naval Academy decided it would be awesome to give the cannon its first opportunity to be fired. He drilled a hole, loaded it up, lit it, and fired away down the street! Not sure what happened to him, but I could imagine he got in trouble! This is the hole he drilled: 

And that makes for a fabulous segway to... the Naval Academy! Our guide made sure to get us there in time for the noon formation, which is their routine before going into lunch. I would definitely recommend a tour of the place. It's very historically significant, as far as meetings that have taken place there, it's got the largest dorm in the world, the place was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and John Paul Jones's remains are kept in a crypt below the church there. A few things I learned about John Paul Jones: he was a Scotsman, stood only 5'2", was a ladies' man, never lost a battle, received 70 medals, was buried under an apartment building in Paris before he was found in 1905 and sent to Annapolis to be buried, and he's the one whose famous quote is, "I have not yet begun to fight!" 

I found it interesting that John Barry's name was never mentioned and I didn't see any monuments to him. There's a big statue in Philly that claims Barry was the father of the US Navy, but I've always heard more about Jones. Sounds like I have a mystery to solve for my own knowledge benefit. =) 

They have a lot of traditions and rules to follow, along with going about their own studies. It's a very difficult school from an education standpoint, but their requirements there are also incredibly physically taxing. All the stuff you hear about regarding memorizing rule books, swimming 30 laps with your clothes on, jumping from an Olympic-sized high-dive, making your bed perfectly tight, not taking any shortcuts or walking on the grass, etc., etc., etc.... it's all true! The freshmen are "plebes," sophomores are "youngsters," juniors are "juniors," seniors are "firsties," and graduates are official "midshipmen." Terminology is important. 

One more interesting thing about the Naval Academy: Did you know the superintendent's house is the second most visited building by foreign dignitaries? Second only to the White House. There's a random and unexpected fact for you. =) 

On our way out, we saw Bill the Goat, the Navy mascot--quite ferocious! And then we made our way to the harbor to end our tour. And it's a good thing... we were all hungry and the restaurant where we wanted to eat happened to be at the harbor! 

Middleton Tavern happens to be the oldest tavern still functioning in Annapolis, so of course that's where we had to go! I got the seafood crepe (which was pretty amazing!), and Kayla and Jill got a burger and a chicken sandwich. I think we got the major food groups in: cow, chicken, and bottom feeders. =) There's a special flag there that none of the three of us had seen before, but we found out it's call the John Shaw Flag, and it was first used in 1783. There are a couple of different interpretations of it, but this is the one from Middleton Tavern: 

Sorry it's not a better view, but there were pesky people in the way from a better angle. ;) Still got 13 stars and stripes, but the stars have eight points instead of five, and there are seven white stripes and six red stripes--opposite of the current US flag. 

With our full bellies and renewed energy, we set out in search of more fun sights to see and things to do! There were a couple of museums and giftshops we looked in, which were pretty neat, but we sort of wanted to see a lighthouse. We thought surely this major port city would have a cool, historic lighthouse to see. So we saw a couple of locals sitting on the docks, and I asked them--intentionally, in my best and most natural Southern accent--"Do y'all know if there's a lighthouse around here we can see?" (It may have sounded like, "laaathouse.")

Both ladies looked at us in confusion, "A what?"

I repeated, "A lighthouse?" (I suppose it perhaps sounded like "lothouse.")

Again with the look of confusion, and then, "You mean a lighthouse?"

I smiled as if nothing was amiss and said, "Yes ma'am." 

She sort of looked at me funny, but at least now we were on the same page. She said, "Oh, well, not that you can see from here. If you go down the road on your way out you can see one farther out int he water." Or something to that effect. 

As we walked away from earshot, I whispered to Jill and Kayla that I'd said it like that on purpose! HA! We all had to giggle at that. I really do get a kick out of my accent in times like these! =) 

We walked around a bit more and got back to the car, but on the way out of the parking garage we decided to ask the cashiers if they knew where a lighthouse was located. (OK, it was partly for the giggle factor!) I asked, "Do y'all know where a lighthouse is?" (lothouse, laaathouse)

Again, puzzled looks. "Um, you mean the liquor store?"

HA! Again, we had to laugh and said no. I think they must have thought we were nuts. ;)

And then went on our way back to Virginia! I'd thought we'd be able to stay a bit longer, but I wasn't sure what else there was to do--we'd seen everything on our list, and I was sort of apprehensive about going back in rush hour traffic if we got back to DC at a certain time. I was actually quite surprised that it only took us a little over an hour to get back to their house! 

I hope Jill and Kayla enjoyed the trip as much as I did! Thanks for coming with me, girls, and thank you to my readers for coming along in a different capacity! =) 

Pictures! CLICK HERE.