Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village in New York City is very similar to what I had envisioned through the years it might be like.  Artsy and colorful with beautiful old buildings!

Having arrived in the City the night before, with only four days to explore, I got an early start the following morning walking the 3/4th of a mile to the train, from the home of my Couchsurfing hostess–Maria and her parents–in Brooklyn.  The train ride into Manhattan took anywhere from 35 – 50 minutes, depending on where I was headed, and if I needed to transfer trains.  My experience taking trains in Europe was good practice for the subway here.

I had purchased a book about New York City and tore out the walking tours to have some type of map and plan.  Even with the map, the streets in Greenwich are a bit confusing, because they wind around and connect here and there.  As you can see, It was an overcast day.

This grouping of sculptures is very creative.  I like that they’re devoid of color, except for the one pair of tennis shoes.

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Couchsurfing New York City and Salsa Dancing

After my 2-day whirlwind walking tour of Philadelphia, it was time to catch a $10 Boltbus to New York City!  Upon my arrival, I knew to take the N train from Penn Station and what stop to get off of, but I didn’t even have the address of my Couchsurfing host…Maria.  She was picking me up at the train station at 9:00pm, so I had to have faith and trust.  It was a short drive to her family’s home in Brooklyn, where she is staying temporarily.  They are Italian and although her father is a Chef, her mother made some outstanding meals!  And she has a to-die-for Cappuccino maker!

I did most everything on my own in New York, but one evening, Maria and I went out Salsa dancing and to a neighborhood bar.  This is Maria…

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The Time Machine

The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia has a very creative exhibit in their foyer known as “The Time Machine“.  I didn’t have time (no pun intended) to see their free musical called “Flash of Time”, but just stopping in to take photos of this installation was interesting!

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Spunky South Street Philadelphia

The area known as South Street in Philadelphia is approximately 10 blocks long and has a fun bohemian flair!  With over 300 shops and 60 restaurants, it’s a great place to people watch, wander into eclectic shops, have a famous Philly Cheesesteak, or listen to music!  I had read when I returned home, that the area has been known for being a bit seedy or perhaps even dangerous…but I didn’t sense that and felt perfectly safe as a solo female traveler!

As I passed this colorful bar, I knew I had to have a photo…

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Independence Hall, Graveyards and Art in Philadelphia

My second day in Philadelphia began with an absolutely delicious egg, bacon and cheese biscuit sandwich at the Metropolitan Bakery near Rittenhouse Square.  The biscuit was so flaky and yummy!

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Philadelphia Beauty

Philadelphia has so much natural beauty!  Not only its architecture, but all of the small Squares, Parks and Gardens.  This is one of the small parks…

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Elfreth’s Alley, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

There’s a magical street in Philadelphia called Elfreth’s Alley that has colorful and quaint townhomes dating back to 1736.  It’s a short street, but full of charm and history and is our nation’s oldest residential street!

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Lovin’ Philly

With just two days to explore Philadelphia by foot, I saw some beautiful architecture, flowers and scenery.  I don’t remember the name of this park, but it is beautiful!

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Tour of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia

For $10 you can tour the beautiful Masonic Temple in Philadelphia!  The Mason who led the tour wasn’t the nicest fellow or the most dynamic, but the Temple made up for him!  The photos are in order of my tour and there were quite a few rooms, so I didn’t post all of them.

Oh and in case you’re wondering what Masons or Freemasons are…according to Wikipedia…

“Freemasonry (or Masonry) is dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of God. It uses the tools and implements of ancient architectural craftsmen symbolically in a system of instruction designed to build character and moral values in its members. Its singular purpose is to make good men better. Its bonds of friendship, compassion, and brotherly love have survived even the most divisive political, military, and religious conflicts through the centuries. Freemasonry is a fraternity which encourages its members to practice the faith of their personal acceptance. Masonry teaches that each person, through self-improvement and helping others, has an obligation to make a difference for good in the world.”

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What to See in Philadelphia

There is so much to see and do in Philadelphia!  I started walking towards the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Boathouse Row.  This domino sculpture is pretty cool!  I like it sometimes when there is someone in my photo, because they become an actor…like in this photo…it’s almost seems this lady was posing for me!

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City Life in Philadelphia

I arrived in Philadelphia Monday evening to the home of my lovely Couchsurfing hostess…Claire.  She was still at work, so I had detailed instructions on where to find the keys to her beautiful City apartment that is located near Rittenhouse Square.  All of the lights were on when I arrived to welcome me.

This is her living room.  I love window seats!  She is a voracious reader and just outside of this photo on the left is another built-in bookcase with books!

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Philadelphia and New York City…Here I Come!

I can’t believe I’m leaving in 10 days for Philadelphia (2 days/3 nights) and New York City (almost 4 days/4 nights) on a jet plane!!  Frontier Airlines had a special for $32 round trip flying out of Columbus, Ohio.  I’ll have to drive from Cincinnati, but from my house it’s only about an hour and 40 minutes.  Parking at the airport is only $4 a day!  I’ve been around the world…but never to these two Cities.  I’ll be Couchsurfing with a lady in each City and they’re really cool!  They’re both about 40 years old, beautiful, and fun!

I’m in the process of researching.  I’ll fly into Trenton, NJ which is about 40 minutes from Philly and a little over an hour from NYC by train.  I’ll have to pack in a lot in a short period of time (especially for NYC)…but I’m thinking for Philadelphia of doing a 3 mile self-guided walking tour called The Constitutional Walking Tour and it includes 33 sites such as The National Constitution Center – Liberty Bell Museum and 13 other non-constitutional sites.  I’d also like to make it to the Museum of Art – Longwood Gardens – Boathouse Row – Magic Gardens – South Street.

And for New York City–possibly the free Staten Island Ferry (if it’s not too cold) – from Battery Park you can take the free Downtown Connection bus to South Street Seaport – walk across Brooklyn Bridge – Ground Zero – Chinatown – Little Italy – Washington Square Park – Greenwich Village – Highline – Chelsea Market – Midtown to include — Times Square (a 1.5 mile walk along 42nd street to see architecture such as The Candler Bldg., W. R. Grace Bldg. – New York Public Library, Grand Central Station, and the Chrysler Building) – Rockefeller Center – Radio City Music Hall – Museum of Modern Art – St. Patrick’s Cathedral – Central Park – Brooklyn (possibly the Apollo Theater and Lennox Lounge in Harlem and/or some sites in Queens).

I’m not planning on going up to the top of the Empire State Building because I’ve read that it’s less crowded to go up the Rockefeller Bldg. and that way you have a view of the Empire State Bldg.  I won’t be able to go in the Statue of Liberty due to repairs.

I thought about renting a bicycle in NYC.

If anyone has any “must see or dos” please let me know.  Of course, the ladies I’m staying with are locals and will be able to give me lots of good information.

One of the ladies does pole dancing in a studio to keep in shape and wants me to join her…I’ll be so busy, you’ll have to wait until I return for a recap!

Oh…the people I’ll meet, the places I’ll go, and the things I’ll do!

Travel Confessions

Letizia from Dutch Goes Italian tagged me for the Travel Confessions series. Thank you so much Letizia!  As you can tell from Letizia’s blog name…she’s Dutch, but loves everything Italian!  If you ever plan a trip to Italy…she’s your travel source!

There are a few rules in the Travel Confessions series:

  • Post a photo (or photos) and description(s) of your confession(s) in a new post.
  • Tweet your post with hashtag #TravelConfession and follow/tweet @Traveling9to5
  • Tag 3 other travelers you’d love to see

Travel confession No. 1

I prefer traveling solo…most of the time.  For some of the obvious reasons…you pick what you want to see and do…eat where and what you want…walk at your own pace…decide when you’re ready to leave…don’t have to deal with a traveling partner’s annoying habits (we all have them)–such as complaining..moodiness..overly talkativeness, etc..odd sleep schedule or snoring, etc.

I also enjoy it because I love to meet new people and it’s easier when you’re on your own.  This is a photo from my solo six week road trip through the Southern U.S. back in November.

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My Life Lately

I thought I’d give you a more personal look at my life lately!  I joined a new Meetup.com group a few weeks ago that focuses on cooking.  Seeing that I’ve made over 160 new recipes from Pinterest this past year, it’s quite appropriate.  I volunteered to host the first gathering, which was held at our house Saturday evening.  The theme was Mexican and there were 12 of us.  Because I was the hostess…I didn’t need to cook.  Everyone else brought the food.  It was still quite a bit of work to make sure the house was clean, to assist the night of, and to clean again afterwards; but I enjoyed the company and the food was delish!

I joined another Meetup group for creative people and attended the first meetup the other night.  There were about 9 of us…so we went around the room and shared a little about ourselves and I’m signed up for the next event, an art exhibit for one of the members!

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Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail was another bucket list experience!  I discovered that you can hike Lodge to Lodge, so you don’t have to carry a tent and food (other than snacks and lunch), along a 17 mile portion of the trail through Virginia in the Shenandoah National Park.  If you’d like to plan your own trip, the details are here.

These are some of the images I encountered while hiking…

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