We woke up to another overcast, gloomy day in New York City. We were exhausted and wet and it was time to leave. I can’t wait to go back to New York City again someday and see beautiful weather! What a different trip it will be! But we can’t complain because we have had stellar weather for most of our trip and we certainly made the most of it.
Leaving NYC in our wake. The city kept going on and on for a long time!Another rainy day; perfect for some writing underway! Tobin started telling me his ideas for his journals and we would sound the words out together with him doing all the writing. It was impressive, but it took forever!! After a sentence or 2 I would take over and finish the rest.
We weren’t quite sure where we were headed when we left New York. Many of our looper friends stayed at Half Moon Bay Marina, but we had an anchorage in mind that was right next to a park. The wind was kicking the waves up pretty good coming down the river, so we wanted a spot with good protection. The weather cleared up over the next few hours, but the waves did not, so we decided to head for the anchorage in hopes of checking out the park. We wove our way into the bay next to the park very carefully because we read some reviews that there was debris near the entrance to the bay. We made it in, anchored, and were happy with the protection from the rough water. However, we couldn’t find a spot to dock the dinghy to go ashore. Then, I called to ask and found out it is a private park. A PRIVATE PARK?! You have to pay $22 per person to go there!! What?! New York is crazy.
So we ended up pulling anchor and heading across the river to Half Moon Bay with most of the other loopers. The waves and wind were not our friend in docking, but we got it on the 2nd try and then we quickly off-loaded the bikes for a ride. There was a bike path right by the marina, so we thought we’d check it out.
It was definitely a great day for kite surfing! Sunshine!! Finally!!
The bike ride was a pretty good time. Usually one or two of the children are complaining or crying or screaming bloody murder, but we didn’t experience much of that this time. Unfortunately our trail abruptly ended, and we were forced to turn around, but it was a good ride nonetheless.
Mike and I were lucky enough to sneak out for a sunset walk along the river that just kept getting better and better.
The next morning seemed much calmer though the winds were supposed to pick up again later in the day. We started off with Mike and the boys taking another bike ride. Then we decided to take a field trip to the famous Croton Dam before we headed out of town. Easier said than done, however, because apparently reliable Uber drivers are hard to find around here. We waited about 45 minutes when the wait was supposed to be 10 minutes before we finally gave up and called a cab.
Our view waiting waiting waiting for a ride…
Luckily the dam was worth the trouble of getting there. There is a beautiful park adjacent to the dam and a walkway to go over the top of the spillway. This New Croton Dam was built between 1892 and 1906 when it replaced the Old Croton Dam built in 1842 to supply water to the residents of New York City. The structure was the tallest dam in the world when it was created. It is supposedly the third largest handmade stone structure in the world, behind the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Wall of China. That’s pretty impressive!!
After walking around the dam and checking out the sights for a few hours, we decided to head back towards the boat for some lunch before heading on our merry way. But wouldn’t you know it, more Uber troubles. Our driver just mysteriously stopped moving and we waited for.ev.er before we finally looked up another driver. It was an hour long ordeal just trying to get 10 minutes down the road. If the roads weren’t so fast and twisty and turny we would have just walked, but again, the second driver was the magic charm.
This is our “OMG why does nobody want to give us a ride” picture. waiting, waiting, waiting
We had some lunch and walked back to the marina to get out of dodge. The next round of loopers were getting close to arriving at the marina, so it was definitely time for us to go. The wind had picked up, but we made it past the breakwalls of the marina with little trouble and we were on our way, heading further north up the Hudson.
After an amazing night anchored behind the Statue of Liberty, I was anxious to check out our awesome view again. I peeked out the windows, but I was confused because I literally couldn’t see a thing. Everything was white. That rain I was hoping to avoid the day before ended up bringing in fog as thick as pea soup when it finally moved in at some point overnight and left us without any view of the Statue of Liberty or that massive skyline.
At first I was disappointed, but the more I thought about it, I started to get worried. We were supposed to leave our anchorage and head for a marina that morning an to start exploring the city. We didn’t have too far to travel, and we sure have traveled in thick fog before, but I just couldn’t imagine traveling through the area relying on radar alone with all that commercial traffic everywhere.
I started to feel trapped and panicked that we could be socked in for a while. After about an hour of wondering if we were ever going to be able to leave, the fog started to lift. Mike and I had already looked at the weather and thought we saw a break in the fog coming (unfortunately right when the rain was scheduled to start), but the increased visibility wouldn’t last long. Sure enough, the fog lifted just a bit, that beautiful lady appeared, and we fired up our engines to brave busy New York Harbor.
These kiddos sure were excited to see the Statue of Liberty. They all agreed that she looked smaller than they imagined.
Most loopers arrange for a great shot of their boat in front of the Statue of Liberty to be taken by another boat and then the favor is repayed so both boats get great pictures. Unfortunately, we weren’t with any other pleasure craft as we rounded the island, so we were forced to take selfies instead. Everyone was ready for some quick pictures, as we had to avoid ferries and their imposing wakes, while being sure to stay outside of the bouyed safety perimeter around the island.
What a great shot…sometimes they really do get along!We still didn’t have a great view of Manhattan, but we were thankful that at least we could see the boats around us with our own eyes!So happy and thankful to be here, together, under our own power.
Some quick pics and Mike was back at the helm. We knew we didn’t have far to travel today, but we were a bit uneasy about the commercial traffic in the area. Obviously seeing what was coming at us was a definite advantage (or maybe it made it worse…?).
Pointing out landmarks and boats, oh my!Excited to explore that city!While he’s being funny, I’m pretty sure the captain is also showing us how he really felt driving INNTW past lower Manhattan! It was daunting and overwhelming!Ferries heading here, there, and everywhere.They sure don’t give you much space.
Overall, the ride up the river to the 79th Street Boat Basin was busy and wavy, but not more than was expected for New York City. Mike and I both had our heads on swivel most of the time, keeping an eye out for the next high speed vessel heading our direction. It was wavy with all the wakes, and our grill that was sitting on the floor of the sundeck fell over as well as some fishing poles sliding out of their holders. It was doable, but we sure were thankful when we arrived at the marina.
After a quick pump out and a tricky docking experience, we were all tied up and ready to explore NYC! The forecast was for rain and more rain, so we gathered the ponchos and umbrellas, got a quick rundown on where we could catch the subway, and headed off. Just by chance we came across the captain of the sailboat in our pictures from the night before, and I was able to text him a dozen amazing pictures of his boat in front of the skyline and the Statue. Lucky guy!! Karma pays off, I hope.
We made a quick plan for the rest of our day, as we were leaving the boat around noon, and we decided to head to Times Square. Sure enough, as soon as we came out of the subway tunnel, it started pouring. Ponchos are a good look, don’t you think?! So much for Hayley wowing the fashionistas of NYC! But I mean, look at her…she still tried her best!
Rain, rain, go away!
We wandered around a bit, but we were just getting soaked and weren’t enjoying the sights the way we should have been, so we reconvened. We decided to go to a discount ticket booth to see what shows we could get tickets for that night. Mike took one for the team and stood in line for almost an hour to get us tickets to Stomp while the kids and I took shelter in the nearby M&M store. We were psyched for Stomp, but we felt bad for Mike standing out in the rain for so long.
Look at all those colors of M&Ms!!Hayley with the Statue of Liberty M&M!
Once we had Stomp tickets, we had a timeline for the rest of our day, so we spent some time at lunch figuring out what to do with our afternoon, especially since it was raining. We ended up heading towards the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. We were surprised to find out that admission is free on Tuesday afternoons after 4:00, so we all got in for free–bonus!! Waiting in line was very somber and we spent a lot of time talking to the kids about what happened that day and what we remember going through. While the actual event was so long ago, we can still remember so many details like it was just yesterday.
One World Trade Center stands in the place previously occupied by 6 World Trade Center and is the tallest building in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere and the 7th tallest building in the world. This is the footprint of the first tower, now turned into a massive waterfall.Names of those who died at the WTC are engraved along the perimeter of the waterfall. Roses are placed fresh each day to commemorate each person’s birthday.
The kids seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and were interested and respectful. They had some questions, but not too many. Hayley really seemed to enjoy the room of memorials dedicated to all the victims .
Perimeter box columns.This is the final steel beam removed from Ground Zero. It is covered in missing posters, grafiti from first responders, and tributes to the victims.The Survivors’ Staircase allowed hundreds of people to escape from 5 World Trade Center and is still in it’s original place today, built inside the museum.“No day shall erase you from the memory of time.” by Virgil. The unclaimed remains of victims from 9/11 are ensconced in this wall. The blue papers symbolize the blue sky that morning, the different personalities of the victims, and the missing posters put up around the city. The letters are made from steel from the buildings. Two crews from Ladder 3 rushed into the towers because the call for help came in right at shift change, so twice as many men we on duty at the firehouse. They were inside when the towers collapsed, ripping off the front end of their truck.The original tiebacks used to anchor the original walls of the towers to hold them up.
The museum has some interesting artifacts and captures the events of the day, as well as commemorates the victims and heroes. One that I distinctly remember that I don’t have pictures of is the only window that didn’t break as the towers fell. There is a picture of the collapsed tower with one window intact and that window is in the museum. It was a very sobering stop, but it was an important one for all of us.
From there we headed to dinner at Shake Shack where we were happy to relax and sit down for a bit before Stomp. Stomp was just a few blocks from our dinner spot, so we headed there and went right to our seats. It was an amazing show that literally had Colin and Hayley on the edges of their seats the whole entire time. Definitely worth the hassle of standing out in the rain for a while. We all loved it!
Everyone was excited and not quite sure what to expect!We loved the rhythm and beats–what talent!A sleepy subway ride home from Stomp. What a great first day in NYC!!
The only downside of Stomp was a silly mistake I made. I was taking Hayley to the bathroom in the dark, and I wanted to be respectful, so we snuck out quickly and quietly, and I thought I knew what I was doing. Unfortunately the ramp up the walkway turned out to be stairs and I fell up them, hard, right on my shin. I ripped my jeans and got a huge bruise. It was embarrassing and uncomfortable, but at least nothing was broken?!
The next morning we were up early making plans for the day and figuring out creative ways to dry all the soaking wet stuff we wore the day before. Luckily, the marina had laundry on site. Unfortunately, all our clothes and tennis shoes were soaked. AND, the weight of the shoes kept flinging the dryer door open, so we literally had to stand there and hold the dryer door closed while the shoes bounced around and around. It was annoying!
Our plan for the day started with a trip to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium to see the Yanks beat the Rays. It was surreal to be in Yankee Stadium, just thinking about the history of that famous organization and my favorite, Derek Jeter (he’s from Kalamazoo, Michigan, where I’m from, and was even in my mom’s class long ago!). The kids were all stoked to be there. There was a kids play area close by our seats, the Yanks were on fire, and we even got to see a grand slam!! While it was far from sunny, at least it didn’t rain on us until just as the game was ending!! I’ll call that a win!
The closer the subway got to the stadium, the more Yankee gear we saw! What a fun atmosphere!Being surrounded by greatness just makes you smile!They hit a homerun while we were smiling for this picture!When in Rome!Tobin is showing them how tough the Tigers are in the play area! What a great place for the kiddos to burn off some steam.Colin practicing his speed pitching.In typical Herbon fashion we even snuck in some time behind home plate! What a great spot to see a grand slam!
After the game, we headed for some early dinner, deciding to walk through part of Central Park on the way. It was raining and there were puddles everywhere and it just wasn’t what we imagined, so we headed out of the park and straight to eat. After dinner (lunch?) at a little diner that reminded me of Seinfeld, we walked down Broadway towards the marina. We got sick of hearing Mike sing “On Broadway” over and over and over again, but it was exciting to be there. The buildings were beautiful, the flower stands were beautiful, and the weather was wet. Our poor feet were shriveled up like raisins by the time we got back to the boat, ready for a break from the rain.
I was amazed by the character of the buildings. I would always wonder about the history and life that had taken place there if that was my home!Beautiful flower stands and fruit markets along the sidewalks.So much to see!It was obvious that our kids are not proficient in umbrella etiquette, but it sure didn’t stop them from carrying them!! Oh well?!Heading back to the boat for some “Muppets Take Manhattan” before bed. It wasn’t quite the productive sight-seeing day that we hoped for, but considering the weather, we did the best we could!!
Many, many thanks to our boat buddies onboard Manatee who took this picture of INNTW at the 79th Street Boat Basin as they passed right by, leaving us in their wake as they headed towards our home waters of Lake St Clair to finish their 29th loop. That’s right!! 29!! They loop from Michigan to Florida EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR., chasing summer all the way. And they still are kind enough to take pictures of other boaters. Amazing.
INNTW sighting in NYC
Our last morning in NYC we were headed to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It wasn’t raining, but our shoes were still soaked from the day before and puddles were everywhere. Staying dry was a losing battle.
All loaded up on the ferry to head to the Statue of Liberty!Mike was excited to let someone else do the driving for a while!
We were all able to listen to audio tours packed with tons of good info about what we were seeing and the history of the Statue. Each receiver had numbers, so you entered a specific number for what language you wanted to hear or for the kids’ version of the tour. It was a genius idea! The kiddos were extra motivated because they wanted to earn another Junior Ranger badge!
Everyone agreed that she looks much bigger up close.The museum told the whole story of the Statue. Did you know her full name is Liberty Enlightening the World and she is only as thick as 2 pennies? Awesome! Using teamwork to earn those Junior Ranger badges.This beautiful poem was written in 1883 in a fundraising effort to build a pedestal for the Statue. The poem focused on immigrants arriving in our country, knowing they would be awed by seeing the Statue upon their arrival.We climbed 215 steps to get to the top of the pedestal she sits on. The pedestal is 89 feet tall and sits on a 65 foot tall fort (Fort Wood–one of NYC’s defense systems built for the War of 1812). The actual statue is 151 feet tall.A similar view of the city from when we last left Lady Liberty. It was just about to start raining, believe it or not!From the pedestal, this is the view up into the statue. She has a steel skeleton in place to help hold her up. Gustav Eiffel created the skeleton shortly before designing the Eiffel Tower. You can go all the way up to the crown, but you have to be able to climb another 354 steps to the top and plan months in advance for when you’ll be there. Not conducive to a boater schedule. Getting sworn in as Junior Rangers. I love how the Park Rangers always add something about “cleaning your room and eating your vegetables.” Funny rangers!
After exploring the Statue of Liberty, we boarded another ferry for the very short trip over to Ellis Island, where about 12 million immigrants passed through on their way into this new country. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing and moving the stories and the buildings were at Ellis Island. Listening to the audio tours really made the experience of arriving in America come to life, and it made us understand the adversity that people faced upon arrival, after a long, strenuous journey.
Many of the immigrants who arrived here between 1892 and 1954 came directly upstairs to enter the massive Great Hall to begin their screening and processing. Doctors stood watch and gave physical exams as well as offered opinions on new arrivals’ health status based on observation. If you were found to be ill or suspected of illness, you could be sent right back to your home country.
Colin and Tobin are listening to their audio tours in the Great Hall. As part of their Junior Ranger badges, the kids had to read flyers recruiting new workers and settlers to different areas around the country and decide who should head where and why. It was a very thoughtful exercise.On 1/1/1892, Annie Moore was 15 when she was the first immigrant to enter the United States through Ellis Island. It took her and her family 10 days to travel over from Ireland in steerage.
New arrivals headed inside and left their only belongings in a big pile unattended while they proceeded upstairs to undergo physical exams. Approximately 120,000 immigrants were turned back and sent to their home country either because they were unwell or because the workers thought they would become a drain on the system (unescorted women and children). All arrivals were supposed to have a recommendation from someone who could vouch for their character and productivity.
The outside of the beautiful Great Hall. Many people spent the night in the Ferry House at Ellis Island, or probably several nights. If there were health problems or visa delays, immigrants were detained.
Interestingly enough, we thought we might be able to get some good info on Mike’s ancestors from when they arrived in the United States, but they were mostly all in the US well before Ellis Island even opened. Mike’s mom traced the family geneology back and knows where their families lived in Europe, but we also learned that people traveled to main port cities to catch their steamships across the Atlantic, so their departure port wasn’t necessarily where they were from. Also, many immigrants had never seen their name written down, so workers did their best to spell the names correctly, but many names were unknowingly changed during this transition from spoken to written language.
Getting ready to leave the island, Tobin was trying to get a better look. This was about 20 seconds before the skies opened and dumped buckets on us and just about 40 seconds before we could take cover on our ferry back to Manhattan.Another subway ride!These kids are not intimidated one bit by mass transit!!
Luckily the pouring rain was short lived this time, so after happy hour and a quick lunch, the sun was shining. We headed right to Central Park to take advantage of decent weather. We were surprised to see giant rocks perfect for climbing and a huge, flooded playground. We climbed around and burned off some of our rainy day energy stores.
Hayley was thrilled with her Unicorn something-or-other fruit and yogurt bowl for lunch!Look at that crazy crew!Always an adventure.We loved the contrast of nature and city. What a beautiful spot. If the weather was different, we would have spent much more time here!
Knowing we were heading out of town the next day, we decided to head to Times Square to get a better idea of it’s energy in decent weather. We weren’t satisfied with our first attempt at a visit in the pouring rain, but on this night, the weather was clear and the lights were bright. It was perfect. We were amazed by all there was to see. And we were exhausted after a busy few days exploring the city.
More fun on the subway!!Off on another adventure!Times Square was worth the 2nd visit with good weather!The kids taking it all in–so much to see!
Thank you so much for reading and following along on our adventures, and thank you for your patience and continued interest!!
**Okay okay, I’m finishing the blog, I promise!! I hear that all of you are telling my mom you want to finish the story, and Mike keeps telling me to work on the blog, and today even the librarian told me she’s waiting for more blog posts, so here I am!!! Thanks for being so patient and for still being interested!! It is so fun to look back on these amazing days!!**
Leaving AC in our wake.
We were up and out of Atlantic City early, excited about our destination for the day (RIGHT NEXT TO the Statue of Liberty!!), but first we had to make it through the gauntlet that is the New Jersey ICW. Remember how I mentioned that the ICW is extremely shallow and unpredictable? “If you’re not running aground in New Jersey, you aren’t boating” is what they say, and we were sure hoping to avoid any excitement like that.
The channel was certainly very narrow, but it was very calm and quite scenic along the route. Luckily we were able to stay in the channel without too much trouble, despite some shallow spots and a few 90 degree turns.
After about 60 miles, we headed out the Manasquan Inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. We weren’t quite sure what the ocean would bring us because…well, because it’s the OCEAN. We were watching possible afternoon storms for most of the morning, but so far we were able to avoid them, and we really hoped they would wait for us to get off the ocean before they showed up. At first glance, it seemed a little hazy and a little bouncy, but it turned out to be extremely calm. There were some well-spaced 3′ swells, but we surfed up and down them pretty easy.
Back in the ocean, heading north.Looks calm as can be, but I promise it was a little rolly.
Anytime we are in the ocean, we just never know what to expect. We try to plan ahead and make sure the water is as calm as can be (especially because it’s been a while since we were out there and we are chickens when we’re in the ocean!). I was a little on edge with the chance of storms and the haziness out there, still looking at 40 miles until the Statue of Liberty. But then, we noticed that a small little aluminum boat that followed us all morning through the ICW had also followed us out into the ocean. For a minute, Mike thought he might try waving us down for a ride, but after a while it became clear that he was just fine running in the ocean in that little aluminum boat in 3′ swells. We kept an eye on him to make sure he was safe, but also because it made me feel better that there was someone much crazier than us out there.
This boat was about 12′ long with a tarp rigged up over the top for protection. The guy was making coffee on his extra bench when we woke up in the morning in AC…sure seemed like he lived on it!! He followed us the whole entire morning, but I sure never thought he’d make the turn into the ocean!
We saw just a few other boats on our 40 mile run to NYC, but they were faster and obviously headed to other destinations. Any loopers we were keeping in touch with were stopping in Great Kills, NY, so we were pretty much on our own. Just us and the crazy aluminum boat guy.
Aluminum boat guy, still back there.Romer Shoal Lighthouse is north of Sandy Hook, NJ at the entrance to New York Harbor. It was first built in 1838 and badly damaged during Hurricane Sandy. This is about where we lost aluminum boat guy…he headed a bit more north towards Long Island.
The rain held off, the water stayed calm, and New York came into view in the distance. Woo Hoo!! We were on a close watch because of all the ferries and commercial traffic. A looper friend of ours had a close call with a ferry and we realized why when we passed through here. Those babies fly through the harbor out of nowhere and they’re HUGE!! I can’t imagine traveling through this area without AIS (automatic identification system) where commercial traffic can clearly see us on their navigation screens and we can see them.
The skyline of Brooklyn.Heading towards the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. It is a double decker bridge which was cool to see!! Two layers of traffic!! Heading through New York Harbor to the mouth of the Hudson River.All kids were on deck for this exciting trip! Hayley was psyched to learn that 900 fashion companies are based in the city. Manhattan to the right and Jersey City to the left!Tobin’s heading to NYC!We were watching our navigation app closely to lead us to our anchorage (marked here with the blue push pin), but we were also keeping a close eye out for ferry and commercial traffic.A cargo ship headed out to sea.The captain keeping a close eye on our situation.
We were so busy navigating, looking for boat traffic, and searching for fun New York facts when we had a spare minute, we arrived at the Statue of Liberty in a flash!! We heard about this amazing anchorage for months traveling the loop and now it was finally our turn to stay here!
Tobin drew a big apple to help him remember New York City’s “other name.” (See who’s over his shoulder there?!) He was also really hoping we could go to the Central Park Zoo to see Alex, the Alex (from Madagascar, the movie). When I told him that Alex was just a character in the movie, he agreed, but he said he knows the giraffe and the hippo really do live there…so…hmmm.
We had an amazing view of Lady Liberty and the skyline of Manhattan and Jersey City that changed but remained just as magnificent as it got dark. We did deal with some wakes from the ferries until they stopped in the evening (about an hour after we dropped anchor). It was so cool to sit with this view! We shared fun facts about New York and the Statue of Liberty all evening from the sundeck and told our personal stories from 9/11. The kids were in awe of the history of the city, as were we. It was a magical anchorage and really added to the experience of being in NYC for all of us!! It was one of those “hard to go to bed” nights because the view was just that amazing.
One last picture through the mini-blinds.
Thanks for reading and following along on our adventures from long-ago!!
Can’t imagine where they get their silliness from?!
Remember the fiasco we had trying to get into this marina?? Well getting out was just barely doable. The fairway behind us was so narrow that we literally had inches behind us and inches in front of us getting out of the slip. The captain handled it like a pro, but it gave me a few gray hairs, for sure. This picture was taken at 5:19 am, just before we cast off the dock lines.
We left Cape May early in the morning because the wind and waves were forecast to pick up in the afternoon. The ICW in New Jersey is infamous for being shallow and narrow with very unpredictable depths. Nearly all of the Loopers who have gone before us go outside (in the ocean as opposed to traveling the ICW) all the way from Cape May to New York City. Anyone who attempted the ICW probably ran aground…maybe even twice. It just isn’t a good spot to attempt staying inside. So we heeded the experiences of those who went before us and headed out to the great blue ocean.
We were lucky the tide cooperated with the wind and let us escape the shallows early in the morning, before the sea kicked up. We distinctly remember getting waked by a trawler as we headed out of the inlet into the ocean. Nothing like a polite “good morning” from a fellow boater.Passing by the Wildwood boardwalk we enjoyed the day before.
I think we were feeling a little restless on the voyage this day. Maybe it was the unknowns of heading into the ocean or cabin fever from being stuck in Cape May for a while. Either way, everyone was getting a little silly underway.
Big Slothy provides great entertainment for all of us! Colin’s new best bud.It’s nice when he shares something so exciting with everyone!Tobin is always good for some entertainment!I’m not sure I’m quite as entertaining as Tobin or Big Slothy, but I try.After an early start, the captain needed some shut eye as the skyline of Atlantic City drew closer. You can see the waves starting to pick up a bit. In hindsight, we had perfect timing for arrival in Atlantic City because we were able to get docked and tied up before it got really windy. And by really windy, I mean there were 10 footers out here just hours after we arrived in port. Thank goodness for technology, helping Loopers everywhere make accurate weather and wave predictions!!Ocean Casino Resort dominates the skyline heading into Atlantic City. It had a cool glowing beach ball at the top that changed colors and spun around at night.Absecon Lighthouse towers over the inlet.Everyone’s happy we made it to calm waters before the waves kicked up. Plus, Mike and I were excited to find Nucky (anyone watch Boardwalk Empire?!).
We read about a dock in Atlantic City run by a maritime museum where you pay for the dockage and also get to visit the museum. Upon arrival, the other boats at the dock said no one ever pays, and sure enough, we never saw anyone from the museum, so free dockage it was! Tobin and Mike did claim to see a seahorse swimming along the edge of the dock along with lots of crabs. Sure enough, it was gone by the time we all came to check it out.
We ate lunch at a local breakfast restaurant that was very busy and well known before we headed off to find the lighthouse. We had to walk a few blocks to get there and it wasn’t the most comfortable walk. It seems Atlantic City has torn down lots of it’s old, abandoned buildings to avoid problems, and as a result, the area where we stayed seemed far away from the actual town with many empty blocks along the way. We kept our eyes open and stayed aware of our surroundings, and we were fine. We also squinted our eyes a lot to keep the blowing sand out of them because the wind was really kicking!
At 171 feet tall, the Absecon Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey. It was built in 1854 and has a light keeper’s house down below that has been turned into a local maritime museum.
Lucky for Mike, the lighthouse offered free climbs to the top for fathers since it was Father’s Day weekend. Woo hoo!! The boys decided to climb to the top, too, but Hay and I were too cheap to pay $10 per person. We like lighthouses, but we’ve been in enough of them to actually pay for one!
This is where the ladies stopped, but the boys continued up 228 steps to the top.What a view!!Hayley and I enjoyed some sunshine while the boys climbed.
After the trek to the top, we took part in shenanigans in the park before heading to the beach.
3 on 1 horseback rides are always fun for dads.
After we left the lighthouse we headed towards the beach. We were looking for the boardwalk or any liquor bottles left behind from the bootlegging days (not really, but Boardwalk Empire was my only background knowledge for Atlantic City), but instead we found all kinds of things flying in the air. We had to check it out!!
We stumbled upon the first ever east coast FPV Wing Racing event!! What is FPV Wing Racing you ask?! Previously we had no idea, but we loved watching people fly these super fast, super agile lightweight planes around inflatable uprights on a race course. It was amazing how fast they could go and that they weren’t blown right out of the sky with the major winds. Plus, the pilots wore virtual reality-style masks as they flew their crafts which was really intense.
We got to try out the virtual reality racing part ourselves and it was crazy. Colin and Mike were hooked!! After everyone got a try we headed on our way back to our search for the boardwalk.
Thanks for all the fun FPV Wing Racing!!
Finally we made our way to the boardwalk. It was wider than Wildwood and instead of the motorized “tram car” there were all these people pushing little buggies around with people inside getting rides. Interesting. It was great for people watching, but we weren’t too impressed. The wind was way too windy to cross over to the beach, so we checked out the sights, found some snacks, and eventually ended up finding some roller coasters.
Hayley was desperate to ride “Crazy Mouse” so Mike took one for the team and rode with her. Looks like she had a blast based on that face!! The boys rode another, smaller roller coaster but had tons of fun. It was great that Colin rode with Tobin to help him feel comfortable.
We climbed up to the observation deck of some hotel on our way back down the boardwalk. It was so windy, it was freaky being out along the open walkway with that wind!! But the view was nice!
Walking back to the boat, we passed by some fishermen. One of them just happened to catch this baby shark (doo doo do do do) and of course, Tobin had to give it a little kiss. We also got to feel his dentacles, which are like scales on his skin that make it feel rough, but allow him to swim faster. We love these real life experiences!!
When we got back to the boat there was a full on party going on at the restaurant next to our dock. We hid inside from the music and dancing crowds, but after things settled down that evening, we enjoyed the view. There were tour and fishing boats that went past our boat regularly at this spot and they were interesting to see.
The next day was Father’s Day and I can’t believe I don’t have a single picture of it, but I sure can’t find them. It was extremely windy all day and we were feeling lazy, so we stayed put. It was a big tv and relaxing day for everyone. Mike and I watched some of the PBS Jamestown series and the kids watched lots of PBS kids. I guess we’re a PBS family!! It doesn’t sound like much fun, but it was apparently what we needed and it matched the windy weather day, anyway.
Thanks for reading along and being so patient while I update you on all of our adventures!!
