USA 2009 - New York

Milford Plaza Hotel – 700 8th Avenue – New York, NY 10036

Wake-up at 2 o'clock, even though the alarm didn't go off, the tension of the trip kept us from sleeping. Roberto, my nephew, arrived early, the suitcases were ready and closed, departure for Venice "Marco Polo" airport. At check-in they weigh our suitcases and find 4 kg excess; we had weighed them at our baker's and unfortunately he gave us a wrong weight; in the end we had to pay a surcharge of €110.00; with that money it would have been better to buy another suitcase; Lufthansa gave us the option of transporting two suitcases each for a weight of 23 kg each and not one of 25, it's strange but that's how it is. Later Pierluigi arrives with his wife and son. As Pierluigi had advised me, I had made a list of the electronic products I was exporting and that I would later reimport; I had all this stamped by the finance police; it will save me trouble on re-entry.

At 07.10 regular departure on flight LH 4091 to Frankfurt and subsequent continuation with Lufthansa flight LH 0402 at 13.15 to Newark, departure postponed by 40 minutes due to bad weather. In Frankfurt our group of 35 people for 17 vehicles was completed. Customs in Frankfurt for international flights was a small ordeal, a long line and then meticulous checks. The camera is already in action. I don't want to miss even a moment of our trip. I want every moment to leave proof, not just a memory. On the Lufthansa 747 the seats, in economy class, are very narrow and if you're not near the aisle where you can get up and walk around, it's a real ordeal; during the flight I rested little, I sat through two films I'd already seen. It's about 16.00 (we gain 6 hours due to the time zone) when we land at Newark airport, at terminal B.

This airport is located in the state of New Jersey, but it is practically a New York airport. Compared to JFK Airport it is certainly less busy and closer to Manhattan. We wait for the luggage, which luckily is all there, with a private bus and a guide speaking Italian, Mr. Steve Frey, we head toward the Mildford Plaza Hotel. The hotel is located in the heart of the theater district, on 8th Avenue and W45th St. Built in 1928, it celebrated its 20 years as the most important hotel in New York. Nicknamed the "Butterfly of Broadway", it is located in an excellent position in the center of Manhattan and is a stone's throw from the city's major attractions. The hotel has recently been renovated and restructured to offer the most modern services and comforts. We take possession of the room, freshen up (after all we don't have to unpack) and join the rest of the group for dinner.

With Renato and his wife we go to a Brazilian restaurant on 8th avenue to enjoy some excellent grilled meat; the bill of 150 dollars seemed a bit expensive to us. Then, to bed relatively early but if you consider the time zone change, very late. The meeting for the following morning is in the hotel lobby.

From New York to Jackson state of New Jersey 170 km.

We wake up early, we are still sleepy. Maybe because of the time zone we had a day six hours longer. For picking up the vehicles we will split into two groups. One for: Moturis RV – 3401B tremule point Rd – Linden – New Jersey 07036 And the other at: El Monte RV – 11 Rockland Park Avenue (Off Oak Tree Road) – Tappan – New Jersey 10983 The bus arrives that will take us to the Moturis RV & Camping World in Tappan, a town about 70 km away, to the north. We leave Manhattan and take Route 9W north. We arrive after about 45 minutes. The handover of the RVs is quite chaotic, bureaucratic and long. We have chosen one of the longest RVs.

Unfortunately the condition of the RVs is terrible, some are dirty and haven't been cleaned since the last rental; caught up in the excitement of the moment we neglect to check them carefully in every little detail, a detail we will pay dearly for at handover and many troubles along the way. The internal layout of the vehicle is very different from ours; in 9.30 m of space and 90 quintals of weight you can fit everything and more. We prepare to begin our trip that will wind from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, for a total of about 9,000 km.

For navigation almost all of us have satellite navigators; from the internet I downloaded the topography of the United States and Canada; PL or whoever, did a good job, for each day he listed the road to take with the various stopping points and the coordinates of the various sites to visit and the campsites where to spend the night; should anyone fall behind, they cannot get lost. It's very late when we manage to refuel and, at a supermarket, food and many other items missing from the RV such as a simple broom, the toilet brush and many other necessary things we thought were already included; among the groceries we notice that here the packages are bigger than ours, both flour and sugar are sacks of about two kg.

The pasta, Barilla, De Cecco and Voiello, are packages of about 450 gr, we bought too much and we brought it home with us; the mineral water is in one-gallon containers, or in small bottles; at the checkout we found that the shopping is cheaper than at home; I didn't check piece by piece, but on the total we spent less than in Italy. The other group had many more problems than us, their vehicles are even more beat up than ours. We reunite at the supermarket and then everyone to the Indian Rock Campground very late.

We come across, for the first time, an American campsite, much nicer than ours, better equipped and with more space: every pitch is equipped with a drain and fill-up; first of all you connect a hose, provided for the drain, first the gray water and then the clear water, then the water hose that fills the tank with an electric pump, then the electricity; all the connections will remain until we set off again, so that we will continue to drain and take on water without using that of the tank. We have dinner and seek well-earned sleep in a nice double bed, individually inflatable. Indian Rock Campground campsite – N 40 05 53 W 74 24 57

Milford Plaza Hotel – 700 8th Avenue – New York, NY 10036.

In the morning a wander around the surroundings of the hotel and then back before noon for check-out and placing the luggage in the hotel lobby. At 13:00 a bus will transfer us to the airport for United Airline flight UA014 departing at 16:00. Arrival at JFK airport at 00.39. During this flight we will move the clock hands forward three hours, we regain those lost on the way out, snack and dinner on board with the usual films already seen. It's late at night when we arrive at the Milford Plaza Hotel; we struggle to get the suitcases to the room; first they tell us the bellhops would bring them, after half an hour of waiting they tell us that to bring the suitcases they want to be paid; furious, each of us goes to get them and as soon as possible to bed, very tired.

Milford Plaza Hotel – 700 8th Avenue – New York, NY 10036

We are unlucky. This morning New York is sulking. Thunderstorms and rain greet us on waking and the forecast says the rest of the day will also be rainy. We don't lose heart and immediately start with a nice breakfast, in a nearby café, and as we had already noticed at the beginning and during the trip, we see many people, both men and women, obese, having breakfast with plates of gigantic pasta and drinking that coffee that has only the color of coffee, I call it dishwater…. At 11.00 we are ready for the appointment with our guide for the city tour; his name is Ivan Kraskin, he is of Russian origin, speaks 5 languages, is elderly but has financial problems that force him to work occasionally as a guide. We start from Times Square where the most famous intersection in New York is located. It has achieved the status of landscape icon and has become the symbol of the city.

It is also known for the large and numerous animated and digital billboards, comparable to those of Las Vegas, which are officially called "spectaculars". Here many theaters are located, including the New Victory and the New Amsterdam which, with their new productions and with the help of the bars and restaurants in the area, attract many spectators every evening. In the square of the same name, we visit Madison Square Garden, one of the most famous concert halls in the world which, when needed, also becomes a sports arena capable of hosting thousands of basketball fans, or hosting the Barnum circus when it passes through New York, or even being used for boxing matches. We head toward Central Park; along the way many houses inhabited by actors or famous people who from their windows look at a spectacular and lush area immersed in greenery, immense green lung of the city of New York.

We arrive at a beautiful little lake, The Lake, bordering the Strawberry Field garden that Yoko Ono gave to the city of New York in memory of her husband John Lennon, who lived in the nearby Dakota Residence. Ivan takes us to see and admire the majestic entrance of Columbia University, initially only for males, the female part is nearby, no less beautiful architecturally, but detached. Another visit, another imposing mausoleum, that of General Ulysses Grant; here the general who won the Civil War against the Confederates commanded by General Lee is buried with his wife. A quick view of the Cotton Club, a famous New York nightclub that operated during and after the Prohibition era. Although its fame came from African-American jazz artists such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Ethel Waters who performed regularly at the venue, access for black people was not allowed.

It's lunchtime, we go to "Carmines" where Ivan had booked in advance; it is, or at least was, an Italian restaurant, but now only the name remains, the staff are all Mexican, anyway we ate excellent spaghetti and mixed fried fish; the only problem is that you have to consider each portion is for 4/5 people and if there are two of you, it's a problem; for me this doesn't happen because if a dish is good….. I eat it. Ivan, having learned that this day was Attilio's birthday, had a little cake with candles brought to the table and the waiters sang in chorus "happy berti tu yu", it was a very nice and joyful thing. Ivan, passing by, pointed out to us where the National Museum was; some of us interested in the visit took note and tomorrow, a free day, plan to go there. We continue to Rockefeller Center.

Built in the 1930s, it is an imposing structure extending over an area of 22 acres, whose construction lasted over nine years; it was the first project in which shops, entertainment venues and offices were made to coexist and therefore defined as a city within a city. A strong shiver runs down our spine when we reach what was the World Trade Center, now called Ground Zero. Of the seven buildings that made it up, including the two twin towers, none remained standing after the tragic September 11, 2001. We still have before our eyes the tragedy broadcast live by NBC. Today, the reconstruction of the World Trade Center is entrusted to the Italian-American architect Daniel Libeskind.

The flagship building will be the Freedom Tower, whose height should be 541 meters (1776 feet), a symbolic reference to the date of the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence of the United States. Completion of the new complex is expected in 2013. In one of the already rebuilt parts there is the Illy bar, where you can finally drink a good Italian coffee. We continue to South Street Seaport, once called "street of sails", the heart of the port of New York, restructured with much imagination and now turned into a tourist center. Luxury shops and restaurants coexist with maritime craftwork, historic buildings and museums, with splendid views of the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River. We stop in front of Pier 17 and take photos of the bridge and, in the distance, the Statue of Liberty and the Giovanni da Verrazzano bridge.

We arrive, still in the rain, at the Glass Palace, 154 m high, headquarters of the United Nations secretariat. Our guide informs us that the entire complex of the United Nations headquarters stands on extraterritorial land although it is located near the East River of Manhattan. We return to the hotel at 19:00 already, tired but satisfied, even though the rain has plagued us all day. Quick dinner and then to bed, tired but happy.

Milford Plaza Hotel – 700 8th Avenue – New York, NY 10036.

I wonder what the weather will be like today? We open the windows onto an already busy New York. Rain again……a shame but we don't want this to ruin the day. But why, being in New York, resist the temptation to take a look at the Statue of Liberty, climb the 354 steps that lead up to the crown and take curious photographs, it's impossible. We are told, however, that the climb inside the statue is closed and that it will reopen on July 4. To see it at least up close, we would have to take a boat departing from Battery Park that circles Manhattan and thus we could photograph it up close. But given the inclement weather we give up.

Covered and sheltered from the rain, we set off on foot along Times Square; it's raining, but among the plastic chairs and deckchairs we see a guy, in short shorts, lying down, covered by an umbrella, calmly reading the newspaper, heedless of the rain, the people passing by and the cold. Along the way we encounter and admire the imposing St. Patrick's Cathedral (in English: St. Patrick's Cathedral); it faces elegant 5th Avenue (at the corner with 51st Street). In the heart of Manhattan, it is located a stone's throw from Rockefeller Center and is the main church of the Archdiocese of New York. It was built between 1853 and 1878 in neo-Gothic style according to the plans of architect James Renwick Jr. It follows the designs of medieval European cathedrals. Built in Gothic style, inside it has very tall columns with their characteristic arches.

We arrive at an imposing skyscraper, raised on Fifth Avenue, next to the Tiffany jewelry store, a sumptuous skyscraper, the "Trump Tower". We go up to the second floor, to a café with a view inside the building; we enjoy a good coffee, finally an espresso. And here we are, again, at Central Park, on the square in front of which several school buses are pouring out a noisy group of children who, accompanied by their teachers, probably are going to visit the park. We go in and walk alongside a small lake with its little bridges and paths, all very beautiful, but the bad weather plagues us; this spectacle seen in the sun would have been another thing.

In a large square near Central Park where there is the statue of Giovanni da Verrazzano, we find a shopping center where, on the lower floors, there is a fabulous supermarket where, besides doing the shopping, you can buy whatever you want to eat right away; there are ready-made dishes, you pay at the checkout, from a shelf you take cutlery and napkins, sit at little tables and eat; this is certainly the destination of many people who work and, not having much time available, solve the lunch problem this way. We too take advantage of the occasion and have lunch peacefully. It keeps raining and we are tired of walking; we return to the hotel to rest. For dinner we went to a pizzeria, where pizza is served by the slice; you choose it, they heat it up and you eat it only with Coca Cola; there are no alcoholic drinks, no beer, no wine. Anyway it was good, almost like in Italy.

New York Newark Airport Flight LH 0403 departure at 17.50

Dawn finds us already awake. Perhaps because of the agitation that grips us at the end of the trip. Perhaps because of the sorrow of leaving America. At noon we have to vacate the room. We go down right away to have breakfast and today too we taste other particular pastries that we find at the nearby café. It's very cloudy but it's not raining. A shame, after so many days of good weather these last 3 days have turned out to be rather gloomy, and right in New York, where there are truly so many things to see. We believe 15 days are not enough to try to visit at least a part of them. A few more steps on 8th and we return to the hotel; we have to take the suitcases to storage because the bus will come to pick us up at 14:00 and the rooms must be vacated by 12:00. Once the suitcases are stored, you also have to pay for this… we go to lunch at the little restaurant across from the hotel.

At 14.00 sharp the bus arrives that will take us to New York Newark, in good time for the Lufthansa flight at 17.50, direct to Frankfurt. Goodbye America, we will carry you in our hearts for a long time.

Flight LH 4084 arrival at 13.40 Venice Marco Polo Airport.

After a regular flight, we arrived in Frankfurt, where we regained another six hours on the time zone; here we split into various terminals, each for their own destination, we for Venice, others for Bologna, Rome or Malpensa. After saying goodbye to everyone, resigned, we waited for our plane's departure. At Venice airport Roberto was waiting for us and drove us home; immediately a refreshing shower and immediately to pick up our Schizzo in Moruzzo, a nearby town, at a cat boarding house where he was treated very well. When he saw us, he acted offended, but then I picked him up and he began to purr.

Conclusion

So much effort and so much fatigue for this trip that gave us emotions difficult to describe. Every day was unique, unmissable, extraordinary, thanks also to the commitment and determination of all our adventure companions. What do we remember most? Hard to say. Every place, in its own way, was marvelous. This trip will be memorable.

Our thoughts go, in order, to the impetuous charm of Niagara Falls; to the badlands of the Badlands; to the faces of the Presidents carved into the mountain; to the magnificent Devil's Tower, to the moving Old Faithful and the whole Yellowstone Park (even though we didn't see Yogi Bear and Boo Boo), to Monument Valley, and its delicate arches and spires; to the light filtering through Antelope Canyon; to the legendary Lake Powell with the Glen Canyon Dam; to the superb, great, beautiful, breathtaking Grand Canyon; to the lights and sounds of Las Vegas; to the very hot Badwater in Death Valley; to the very old and very big General Sherman and the unexpected snowfall in Sequoia National Park; to the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline seen from romantic Sausalito; and finally, to the great big New York, its skyscrapers, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of

Liberty (seen from afar). There would have been so many other things to tell that we haven't included in this text. Others that we could have mentioned but that are found in all the tourist guides. Still others, like the most intimate feelings and emotions….that can never be described but that will remain prisoners forever within us. Now it's really all over. It's time to return home, see friends again, continue our usual life, while waiting for another wonderful trip to savor together.