It has been nine days since we left home. Eight nights in hotels. Eight days of constant moving, walking. We’re ready to be home! Our last day, though, began at Union Station, where we picked up a train that took us to Harlem and then the Bronx.
By the time we picked up Keagan’s second breakfast (he’s eaten so much food this week!), Evan was ready to check out of his NSLC conference. He was filled with so many stories, experiences, and eye-opening encounters. It was a wonderful week for him. The first thing he said to us, though, was, “I’m sleep deprived.”
Keagan is not sleep deprived, but both boys fell asleep on the subway.
We traveled from one end of the city to the other to find Battery Park and catch the ferry to Liberty Island.
My years long awaited trip to see The Statue of Liberty had finally arrived!
We had tickets to climb all 1900 steps to the crown. It was almost too much for me; I considered turning around when the spiral staircase became tight and looked like this. Then the wind started to blow and I could feel the tower sway. I could hear a young boy crying and thought I just might, too. Keagan was running up the stairs like a billy goat. Evan was bent down at the knees crouching trying to avoid hitting his head.
But I pressed on and we made it to the highest point, the crown! What a feat! What a view!
We took the ferry to Ellis Island. I was captivated by the stories of our nation’s earliest immigrants and the hardships they faced.
I loved the Ellis Island museum, but Evan was done at this point. I came out of the museum to see this.
We walked over 68 miles this week. We have no traction left on the souls of our shoes. We miss the Southern hospitality of home. We want to sleep in our own beds. We miss the dog and cat. But WHAT A WEEK! We saw and did more than this blog can possibly document. We are forever changed by what we saw on the streets of these two great cities, what we learned in the museums and historical sites, and what we experienced with such diverse people.
Our next vacay takes us to Peru. Travel. See the world. It will change you! I promise.