Friday, August 20, 2010

Goodbye, New Jersey!

Jill's Journal: True to New Jersey form, the state threw a few expletives our way as we left yesterday. We were literally four miles away from crossing the state line into New York when Newark traffic kicked in with a vengeance. We waited…and waited…and waited…barely inching forward here and there. It took over five hours to go those four miles. Five hours! We could have crawled – with three little kids – faster than that.

The Jersey back-up made the New York traffic look like child’s play, even though we hit some there too. But finally, FINALLY, we arrived in Clinton, Connecticut, albeit more than seven hours late and way, way past everyone's bedtime. Our 145 mile journey took over 11 hours. Thank you, New Jersey.

Some fun memories from the day, in spite of our sore rear-ends from so much sitting:

*As we were driving, I quizzed the girls on their favorite things about the Garden State. Insectropolis, the trains, and the playground ranked at the top. I then asked what their least favorite thing was…Erika’s answer left me in stitches. “How hard it is to get to places around here!” I could not agree more. :)

*As we drove over the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson River, we got a nice view of Manhattan. The girls were able to identify the Empire State Building, but were disappointed they couldn’t see the Statue of Liberty from that spot. They let out a cheer when I told them we were officially in New York. I think it’s pretty amazing that “The City” is recognized as something special even by little kids. I can’t wait to take them there in a few months. I love New York.

*We’ve done some pretty crazy things in life, but driving a fifth wheel through The Bronx is not one even I envisioned. :)

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