Getting Phat in Philly

Our first stop in Philadelphia was to do the cheesesteak challenge. Pat's, the King of Steak vs. Geno's Steaks. These two restaurants are on opposite corners and there has been on going debate for many years as to which is the best. We now can say we have officially settled the dispute...Geno's wins our vote!! Both were very good especially with the roasted cherry peppers but Geno's had more meat, the bread was softer and just all around more tasty! 

                                   Above: Pat's King of Steaks vs Geno's Steaks, Below

A visit to Philadelphia wouldn't be complete without seeing the 2,080 lbs Liberty Bell. Even with it's famous crack it still declares, "Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto the inhabitants thereof". Leviticus 25:10. Originally, the bell hung in the steeple of Independence Hall which is in the background of the picture. Right there in Independence Hall was where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin in 1776. Thankful for those men with vision and courage to make a stand for freedom. 

Lorraine is giving a wimpy impression of Rocky Balboa who is a fictitious rags to riches hero in Philly.

And now its time for baseball!! Philadelphia designed a great sports complex featuring the Phillies, the Eagles and the 76ers. There was plenty of parking to accommodate all the fans including us in our rv. The baseball park, Citizens Bank Park, was spacious with a mix of modern and traditional style. 

An usher recommended the sausage dog with peppers and saukraut. It was delicious! 

Their adorable mascot, the Philly Phanatic, did his best to get the crowd excited but didn't have much to cheer about because the Phillies are in last place and lost again tonight.  

We didn't get to hear the Liberty Bell ring since no home runs were hit but it was a beautiful warm evening and we enjoyed our time at Citizen's Bank Park.

Day 3 New York

Day 3 in New York: what better way to start the day than a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River

          When we got to Brooklyn we caught the subway for a date day trip to Coney Island. Nathan's original hot dog was a good way to begin our Coney Island experience. The annual World Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place here in July. The count down is on.

A stroll down the boardwalk led us to the world's oldest ferris wheel so we hopped on to take a spin.

                                                             Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaawh.

 Looks like Tom is here to stay except....

                                                 .....there aren't any waves. 

A quick subway ride back into Manhattan for Tommy and Lorraine "Bourdain's" food sampling extravaganza. Brick oven pizza at Lil' Frankie's in Little Italy, freshly made Kielbasa sausage and tasty mustard at Katz's 147 yr old Jewish Delicatessen, finishing off with Italian gelato at the trendy Laboratorio del Gelato. All of these eateries received 5 stars on the MeadowMeter.

Good night, good bye to New York and to all the fun times we had here. Thank you to the friendly and gracious people we met everywhere we went; cab drivers, waiters, baseball fans, helpful people on the subway and local New Yorkers on the streets. We are leaving your city with wonderful memories. This pic is of the night view from our rv in Liberty Harbor. Next stop Philidelphia.

New York, New York

Day One: After getting settled in our RV spot in Liberty Harbor we noticed Tom measured as tall as the new World One Trade Center building in Manhattan. (You be the judge) 

Then we caught the ferry to Ellis Island and got up close and personal with Lady Liberty. What amazing historical landmarks! This Building is the infamous Immigration Center where many foreigners registered upon arrival in America, the Land of the Free.

   An awe inspiring beauty! Thank you to the people of France for this lovely gift that has been an emblem of freedom throughout the decades.

 By ferry shuttle we arrived in Manhattan and took the subway to the Bronx,
the home of the New York Yankees.

 We had a slight delay in getting our tickets so we enjoyed a couple of sliders and suds at the legendary "Stan's Sports Bar". Seems to be quite the tradition with die hard Yankee fans. Many thanks to the Casselberry's for arranging our connection who went the extra mile to get us great seats.

Day Two: This morning we boarded the water taxi to Manhattan's Pier 11 to visit the Financial District.

Glad we stayed dry inside on this ride cause we didn't pack our wetsuits.

First stop of the day was Wall Street where Tom checked out the New York Stock Exchange to review investment strategies and give advice to his stockbrokers. Haha

This George Washington statue stands in front of the Federal Hall National Monument where he was inaugurated as the first president of the US.

On a more serious note we took time to visit the 9/11 Memorial. A sobering but remarkable tribute to the many who were lost in that tragic event. We are standing in front of the new One World Observatory they built. I guess it is a little bit taller than Tom!

                                On to Times Square to join in the festive crowds and energetic atmosphere.

This is a photo of everyone taking a picture of themselves that is being shown live on a mega-tron  video screen on the side of a building. A giant group selfie! See if you can spot us.

Riding the subway we headed off to Queens for a day game to see the New York Mets at Citi Field.

                               At first glance we thought the Mets had gone to the dogs.

 But as you can see this is a fabulous baseball stadium. It gets the highest ranking so far on the baseball park MeadowMeter.

            The Mets mascot is definitely going old school with this T-Rex. What a crowd pleaser!

After the game we headed back into Manhattan for a ride through Central Park in a pedicab.

        Here is the Boat House Resaurant in a lovely setting on the lake. It is one of two 

restaurants in the park.

                                     Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon

                                           Columbus Square where the old meets the new

Kudos to Jay, our tour guide and rickshaw captain for the informative and pleasant ride through Central Park. Good luck to as you finish up your MBA in finance.

On 59th Street, across from the Park, we hob nobbed with the rich and famous while dinning at the Food Court in the basement of the Plaza Hotel. Luke's Lobster roll was a delicious delight to end this fun filled day in New York City.