NYC- The Statue of Liberty

Lady Liberty. A gift from the French and a monument to our freedoms. (We paid for the pedestal, they did the rest.)  She certainly is an interesting statue to look at and you can see her from really far away at the port welcoming boats in the harbor. Most people who are emigrating to the US come in on planes now, but she is still waiting in the ocean. This is one of America's most iconic landmarks and has been used in numerous films over the years.

My first tip is if you are planning on going to the Statue of Liberty you must buy your tickets way in advance. Especially if you want to go up into the crown. Just like most national monuments there are only so many people they allowed in everyday. I got our tickets a month in advance.  The ticket includes a ride to Ellis Island for the history of emigration (if you are into that sort of thing).

We bought tickets for the Pedestal, which is basically just bottom of the statue. The crown was sold out for months, so if you are planning to go up there buy tickets in advance.  We took the elevator up and the stairs down. It was a lot of stairs. I recommend taking the elevator. There is security again before going inside the statue. It seems a little excessive because we had to go through security to get on the boat to the island, but I guess it's better safe than sorry.  It is a national landmark.

Inside there is a statue of the torch and a museum.  The, y have a replica of the foot, which my hilarious aunt pointed out the sign reads, "Don't stand on the foot" and she kept saying what else are you supposed to do with a foot???




It was a lot of fun to walk around the island. My aunt and I took selfies and we walked around the statue. Here's some more pictures.

Here's more information about the statue and how to get there:

http://www.statueoflibertytickets.com/?gclid=CKOTqdW95M0CFQQbaQodlSYBbA

The Empire State Building

Our tour of NYC would not be complete without venturing up the 86th floor of the Empire State Building. This giant building used to be the largest in the world, even though it is not anymore it's still an impressive site to behold. The top of the building is actually on the 102nd floor, but the main viewing deck is on the 86th floor. It takes about an half hour to reach the top. The elevator ride is only about 2 minutes, but it was crowded, they pack as many people as they can safely fit in it.  Also, it is old, so there are some strange sounds. Only so many people are allowed up at a time, so the time you are there needs to be carefully coordinated. Luckily, this time when my aunt and I visited we made it up in about 45 minutes. It really depends on the traffic.
 

Entering the building is like a blast from the past. Everything is marble and gold. It looks so, 1930ish, which makes sense because the building was built in 1930, but obviously it has been renovated to it's original designs. It is designated as a historical landmark and it even has it's own zip code (The more you know....)

There is security all over the building. Post 911 has made everyone more cautious, they screen you through a metal detector, you cannot have glass bottles (obviously you could throw it off the building and kill someone or use it as a weapon), and you must put your bag through a x-ray machine. 

There are four sides to the 86th floor. This is only my second trip, but I learned how to distinguish what we were looking at by finding the Flatiron building. It's like my true north (I am aware it's not north- it's really kind of in the middle). I only know where things are in Manhattan in correlation to where the Flatiron building is... (at least in respects to where my hotel was located and where my cousin lives) but that is a story for another time.


You may purchase tickets to go all the way up to the 102nd floor, it's a just a little more money and it's indoor, but on a clear day they say you can see about 80 miles out.

There are so many things to do and see in NYC, you don't have to do touristy stuff, but it is a good view from the top and there is Wifi available if you want to broadcast videos on Facebook. Also, there are pictures available for purchase if you are into that sort of thing.... obviously we were!

This is where we went: http://www.esbnyc.com/

49 States (No Pictures)

At the beginning of this year I set out to visit the 13 states I had never seen. It all started with a Facebook Quiz about "How many US States have you visited?" I took the quiz and discovered I was only missing 12. So in February I began my journey, I even visted Washington DC.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. I started this journey a long time ago and I didn't even know it. I have always enjoyed traveling. I like to explore. So getting in the last 12 states wasn't really a huge challenge. Although, it was expensive.

Alabama- Visited in childhood. My parents drove through to Florida one year and stopped in Birmingham. I do not remember any of this.
Alaska- Once I visited in the summer, once I visited in the winter. Both times I was almost gored by moose. It's hard to remember they are wild animals when there are as many of them running around as there are squirrels.
Arizona- The first time I visited Arizona I was 14. My friend Kristy went with me. It was hot. I got dehydrated and had bloody noses all over the place. My aunt in Scottsdale made me soak in the bath tub and made me drink many many glasses of water.
Arkansas- Went to the home office. The entire state smelled like fresh cut grass. If you pronounce the state name wrong intentionally in public, you can be given a fine. Just a warning.
California- Went to LA for Randy's show premiere. Ate at Katana.
Colorado- I have been trapped in the Denver airport many many times.
Connecticut- I went here once when I was 22 to buy beer. I was staying in Rhode Island and at the time Rhode Island did not sell beer on Sundays. Beer is important when you are 22 and on vacation.
Delaware- Drove in to visit a Gun Powder museum and mansion. For such a small state with so many trees there is a lot of traffic.
D.C.- Drove to it in February 2015. The weather was amazing and I stayed at a lovely boutique hotel. Went running in Georgetown.
Georgia- Drove through on the way back from Florida with my mom and sister and her friend. It was the worst vacation I ever had.
Florida- Held an alligator and large snakes. One time Randy planned a vacation without me to Disney, I couldn't go because of work. He scheduled it on our first anniversery of marriage. He felt bad, so he booked me a flight and I saw Disney in one day. 23 hours of Florida.
Hawaii- I have not gone here yet.
Idaho- Lovely to drive through. lava trails, mountains, plains, interesting weather and nice people. Speed limits are high. Everyone eats pie.
Iowa-Drove here while visiting for a wedding.
Illinois- Chicago. Pizza. Sears Tower. Museums.
Indiana- New Buffalo Food Festival. Oh wait, that's not a thing, it's something I made up to hang out with my friends in South Bend when I was 16.  It was a good day.
Kansas- Went to a wedding.
Kentucky- Drove through on way to Florida. I was five and thought I was in England because, "they talk funny here". I actually said that.
Louisiana- Went to New Orleans. Drank Hand Grenade. Thought it was gross.
Maine- beautiful, ate lobster. Slept in Acadia. Ate wild rice and climbed to the top a a giant hill everyone said was a mountain and saw a thousand tiny little islands off the coast. All the sea shells were purple and it was like heaven.
Maryland- Nice little mountains.
Massachusetts- Went to Boston. Learned about Paul Revere. Stayed next to the Neccos factory.
Michigan- I live here, it's nice. Winter sucks.
Minnesota- went to Minneapolis/St. Paul drank beer.
Mississippi- Ate BBQ watched a TV get filmed. Had dinner with Neil and Brian. Made new friends.
Missouri- Went to St. Louis. Saw Arch. Had awesome hotel right on the river.
Montana- Drove through entire state. Stopped to see some caves. Spent the night surrounded by casinos.
Nebraska- Drove around here at that same wedding. It was in this corner.
North Dakota- Drove here to get out of Montana
North Carolina- Rented a car Drove to S. Carolina. Drove back. Canceled trip to Mayberry.
New Hampshire- Drove through on way to Maine. Bought antiques. No sales tax.
New Jersey- Landed in Newark, walked to the Marriott across a field to my hotel. I'm pretty sure this wasn't super safe.
New Mexico- I lived here and went to school and saw a Korn concert in Albuquerque.
New York- Drank blueberry beer at the Waldorf and talked to crazy people on the subway (also wasn't super safe). Oh yeah and took a boat tour and ate pizza.
Nevada- Las Vegas like a hundred times with different zip lines.
Oklahoma- Drove through and saw all the storm damage from tornado's that swept through in 1999. Entire stores demolished. It was frightening.
Oregon-Went on an Ariel cable car. Saw a waterfall. Saw some vineyards and drank some flights of wine. Learned about the show Dexter.
Ohio- I lived here once. I'm not THAT ashamed of it.
Pennsylvania- Speed limits suck. Really really slow, like 55 MPH everywhere.
Rhode Island- Found beach glass. Ate more wild rice, saw where Jackie O. grew up. Got drunk and sat at the steps of the Capitol building.
South Dakota- Mt. Rushmore, bronze presidents. Wall Drug, bought black hills gold, and saw the bad lands.
South Carolina- Ate pizza. Talked to gas station attendant. Bought lottery ticket. Went home.
Tennessee- Drove through on way to Florida. Stopped in Chattanooga.
Texas- Drove through the top of it on my way out of New Mexico. Discovered it really is big sky country. Also, was able to go to El Paso one night and see the boarder of Mexico from a mountain. I remember thinking it was strange how the lights lined up and it was another country.
Utah- Toured the capital, went to the Great Salt smelly lake.
Virgina- Drove through it and around it. Went to Arlington National Cemetery.
Vermont- was enchanted by the lovely green hills (they called them mountains) and flowing maple syrup.
Washington State- Seattle. Layover.
W. Virgina- Drove into it. Took a selfie at a rest stop.
Wisconsin- Ate cheese that was not squeaky. Was almost attacked by ostrich.
Wyoming- Drove to devils' tower. Thought about what it must be to climb it. Went back to South Dakota.

I have learned a lot about each state in my travels. Like about Blueberries in Maine. Or beach glass in Rhode Island. Or lava trails in Idaho. Each state and each place has a lot to teach. Going to the state capitols in nice too because you can learn about their histories.

I am hoping to go to Hawaii next year if I can save enough money for it. Anybody know how to get there cheap?

Pumpkin Carving

This blog assumes no responsibility for anyone who chooses to carve a pumpkin with a chainsaw, in fact it is advised that you do not carve pumpkins with chainsaws. It can be unsafe. 


I love the fall. It's my favorite time of year. The leaves, the colors, the cider, donuts, pumpkins. Yes, pumpkins and the talent it takes to make them amazing.

Pumpkin carving isn't always just carving pumpkins. It's so much more than that, it's about spending time with your family. Randy had the fabulous idea last year to carve a pumpkin with a chain saw. This meant that we had to get very very large pumpkins for carving. I do not recommend people using chainsaws to carve pumpkins. Randy is able to do this because he is a trained professional who has been using chainsaws for years. If you are not a trained professional do not do this.

First we had to buy a giant pumpkin. The pumpkin had to be large enough to carve it with the chainsaw. Randy practically had to wear a hazmat suit while doing this because the pumpkins shoot seeds and debris everywhere.

I did some carving of my own, but on a much smaller scale. I used a regular pumpkin carving kit and regular pumpkins. I was not about to use a chainsaw.

Randy made a giant mess when he did it.

I used the regular cheap pumpkin carving kits that you can buy at the store. My pumpkins did not turn out too bad either.



Here's the video on youtube:


https://youtu.be/E2D3_BpIGik

Great Potato Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k

I love fun runs. Ever since that first color run I did three years ago I love them. There is so much excitement and energy at these races. Anyway, this one is Famous. With a Capital F.  The pick up packet was my favorite one ever, it comes in a potato bag. The race is put on by the YMCA and the Idaho Potato Commission, it has been around for 37 years. There was probably about 2,000 people in attendance.

What I found particularly cool about it is after completing your race, they hand out baked potatoes. You get a baked potato and there is all sorts of green onion, chili, sour cream, cheese, butter and its delicious. Well for me, I only ran a 5k, I don't know how I'd feel after a 10k or a half marathon. 

The  path for the race was wonderful, there was very little of the 5k that was actually on a road. The organizers did a very good job carving a path that was within the many parks around Boise. Most of the race was right along the river bed. 

They also have a mascot in Boise, Spuddy Buddy. It is a potato. It was not a terrifying fur costume. It was more like a friendly bald potato. There was also a beer walking around. 

It was all in all a wonderful experience and a great way to end my trip. My very long long road trip throughout the amazing states of Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Idaho was a great place to finish, it was beautiful and I would love to come back and visit someday. I will be sad to give the Acadia back tomorrow, that car was wonderful. 

Idaho

Idaho was not a disappointment. I always kind of wanted to visit it, probably because of its shape. It seems like the kind of place someone drew up when they were drunk, or maybe its left over pieces that the other states didn't want.

Idaho is a beautiful state, full of trees, mountains, rivers. Even when driving though it there are lots of things to see.  When I got to it I had just driven through Yellowstone National Park. I was still reeling from all the pine trees and snow covered mountains. It was lovely. There was a river winding around it and I followed it. I stopped and took pictures in a few places and I saw some deer, but this is not Idaho, this was still part of Montana and a tiny corner of Wyoming. Idaho was a lot different. The land sort of parted and there was mountains and a lot less trees. I was lucky with the weather, it got sunny and rained just a little here and there. The mountains were amazing, snow topped and I noticed every couple of miles there were historical landmarks. They were cute little pull offs that had metal and wooden placards describing the events that occurred in the area. Most of them were Native American spots, places were small battles occurred or where settlers traded. They are valuable parts of history. 

This drive was long. I had been going for about five hours when I arrived in Idaho. I was a little bit nervous because there was flooding in the area I was supposed to be arriving in, but there really wasn't, it was just wet. Some random lightening would go off in the distance, then it would disappear as my miles increased. 

One place which caught my eye in Idaho was the Lava Trail. It was a rest stop. The name was Hells half acre.  Seeing the land scape change in front of my eyes while I was driving made me know this place was something special. There is lava very close to the surface of the earth in Idaho. Geologists study this. The lava trail is where lava poured through fissures in the earth and cooled. Now different kind of plants and animals live there. They've adapted.  I was surprised to see cactus, I didn't know it grew this far north. 

J

Randy showed up in Boise my first day to surprise me and watch me run in the Famous Potato Marathon`s 5k. This is going to be a blog all by itself. We went to the capitol and took pictures, then wandered around downtown. It is a very busy little place. 

The rotunda in the capitol was beautiful. There was a wooden statue of George Washington carved out of Idaho wood. 

Great Salt Lake and Utah in General

One of the states on my list was Utah. I was not real excited about it, but it turns out I was wrong. I always did want to see the Great Salt Lake, so I did put that on my list. It always seemed mezmerizing to have a giant salty lake in the middle of no-where. How did it get there? Plus, the pictures of it always seemed amazing.  It was pretty anti-climatic, some it may have been the weather, it was over cast and windy. Strangely enough, it did make excellent pictures. Sometimes when I see an amazing place I know my camera isn't going to capture it right, this place is the opposite. It was perfect. Extremely photogenic. The colors were just mute enough and the difference in them was distinct enough, it worked. Being there in person though, it seemed depressing. 

My questions were answered: the lake has several rivers that empty into it and none that go out. Therefore, the only way the water leaves is by evaporation. Of course this leaves behind enourmous amounts of salt and minerals. There are no fish in the lake, only algae and brine shrimp, it makes the lake a greenish color. Also, on the beach I saw a lot of foam, I'm not sure why. It wasn't really that exciting.  Unless you like taking pictures, then its like Disneyland. One last thing about it, the smell. It smells really, well, ...not good. It actually burned my eyes a little the air was so salty. The smell of dead fish was in the air, but it did not make any sense.... there is no fish. 

My cousin Courtney lives in a city near Salt Lake City and I had only met her on Facebook, so I was lucky enough to have her reach out to me. She took me up into the mountains and I got to see a place called Rock Canyon. She lives near Lake Utah, a fresh water lake, it was visible from these mountains. Also we went to Bridal Veil Falls, a really beautiful double waterfall. There used to be a cable car traveling up the mountain. It looked like it would be scary. 

We then had lunch at the Sundance Grill. This is home to the Sundance Film festival. I had no idea there were so many movies filmed in Utah. I found that out at the capital building in Salt Lake. There were posters from every film shot in Utah. There were a lot. 

Mostly the city was beautiful. There were a lot of Homeless people wandering around and the public transportation wasn't that great. One thing that caught my eye was a busy intersection had these orange flags on both sides, when crossing you carry them with you for greater visibility and leave them on the other side. I've attached a video link to my Facebook account. Its a public video so it should be visible. 

https://www.facebook.com/elizabetsy.finch/media_set?set=vb.100000080108905&type=2

To watch future live videos I am on Periscope now at user name: Elizabetsy_