Camping in New York City?

Well not exactly……When it comes to camping near Manhattan, there are not many choices.  There’s an RV park in Brooklyn, an expensive “parking lot” across the river in New Jersey and a peaceful campground about an hour north on the Hudson River called Croton Point Campground.

After weighing our options, we finally decided on booking a spot at Croton Point. It’s a beautiful campground with ample shade which offered us a secure place to leave our trailer for a couple of days.  After a good night’s rest, we packed up a couple of duffel bags, dropped Sato off at a boarder, then made our way to Ossining station. We quickly learned that the only parking available was short term, so we had to pivot to plan B.  We searched our maps and found that the Yonkers station had a long-term parking garage close by, so we parked there, got our tickets and about 30 minutes later we were at Grand Central Station!

This was my first time to New York City, and it was one of those better late than never experiences. I have a vivid memory that has stuck with me since I was in the 5^th grade when one of my teachers was planning a trip to New York and I told him that I wished I could go.  He then said to me “You’ll be in New York before you know it kid”.  Ever since then I have been wondering when I was going to see the Big Apple up close and personal.  Years would go by, and other life priorities just kept getting in the way.  Fortunately, our journey that began in early April had opened a whole new world of possibilities for me. No longer was I held back by the confines of life like material things, a house, or a job. I was free to do whatever my heart desired, essentially allowing me to check the New York box (and many other boxes) off my bucket list.

Hello New York – We’re here!

We pulled into Grand Central Station, took a proverbial selfie, and began our two-day whirlwind tour of Manhattan and tried to get in as many sights as we could.

Highlights:

Empire State Building

• As one of the most well-known buildings in the world, I had to check it out. Kandace had been to the top a couple of times before, so I went on this one solo. As I entered the lobby, there were several kiosks where visitors can buy a ticket to enter the famous skyscraper. It was a fun experience walking through the lower levels and learning about the history of the building including the various movies it has appeared in such as King Kong and Spiderman….But for me, the experience was all about capturing the spectacular views from high above both in my mind and with my camera of course :-).

Times Square

• When I think of Times Square, I think of big screens, flashy lights, large crowds, and sensory overload and it certainly lived up to the expectations. We stuck around just long enough for a selfie, then moved on to our next location.

Statue of Liberty

• With not much time to “see it all”, we decided to take a river cruise so we could “see it all”. We took a sunset cruise, which was a great way to enjoy the city skyline, the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges and of course the Statue of Liberty.  All magnificent sights to see from the water.

World Trade Center Memorial

• It was a cold rainy day adding to the eerie and chilling feeling of standing at ground zero where so many innocent people lost their lives. Seeing all the names of the victims at the footprint where 2 massive skyscrapers once stood was a moving and emotional experience.  The fountains are a stunning artistic tribute to the brave souls who perished there on 9-11.  The subway station is also a spectacular sight to see and photographs well.

Shopping Area – SoHo

• In addition to finding tasty local cuisine, shopping is a common theme pretty much everywhere we go.  One of Kandace’s favorite neighborhoods in NY is SoHo, so of course we spent some extra time exploring this top retail destination!

Pizza Tasting

• And speaking of eating, what’s a trip to New York without sinking your teeth into a slice of doughy, cheesy, meaty goodness? Over the 2-day span, we made it our mission to find the best slice of pizza and after several satisfying attempts, we narrowed down our favorites to Joe’s on Carmine St and Scarr’s Pizza on Orchard St.

Lastly, here are a few more of my favorite photos from NYC!

The Vessel

Brooklyn Bridge

WTC Station

NY Skyline from Manhattan Bridge

Cheers,

Tiny Trailer Trips Crew