New York to Maine

Hi from Old Orchard Beach! We left NYC this morning and picked up our trailer and then headed to Maine, through NY, New Hampshire ("Live Free or Die") and into Maine. This is a beautiful campsite, with the added attraction of being near the ocean and the waterslides. This is also the first campsite we are staying more than one night, so the kids have their bikes out and are enjoying some downtime.

Our last day in NYC was great; Mary Poppins was a terrific show with an absolutely amazing set. It looked like a doll's house with three levels, like you are looking in the back of a doll's house. In one scene, Bert the chimney sweep tap dances up the wall, across the ceiling and down the other side! The theatre (the New Amsterdam) was like a tarted up Royal Theatre. We walked home through a market, got some souvenirs, ate watermelon and smoothies, and then went home to pack up for this morning.

Parking in NY is insane. Parkades offer a half hour of parking for $7. Street parking is non-existent. I also think that most people in NY must have standing or sitting around jobs, there are traffic cops, regular cops, front doormen, people who sell touristy stuff in stores and stalls, ushers, ticket sellers, people who work in toll booths...everyone is standing around. Mhairi says she misses the "busyness" of NYC, and there certainly is a buzz. However, there were some things that amazed me. Starbucks seems to be the only game in town. In fact, Starbucks locations are at almost all the rest stops, and McDonald's are everywhere.

When Dennis and I talked about it in the car, we both agreed we enjoyed the European cities we have visited more...they seemed friendlier, much cleaner, and (obviously), had more going on historically. We are glad we went, though!