Day 9

Well we made it to New Jersey Friday evening and caught our first glimpse of the Manhattan skyline. We also got our first taste of real traffic. We were 30 miles from our destination and it took us 2 hours to get there. However, when we pulled into the Westin Hotel it was worth the wait! The youth were so excited to stay in such a nice hotel and I was happy to get it for such a reduced rate (thank you Hotwire.com).

Yesterday was a crazy day!! We started with the light rail to the ferry. Went by ferry past Ellis Island and then on to the Statue of Liberty. Man she is really big and amazing! After this we boarded another ferry and headed into New York City! While on the ferry Whittany kept hearing someone yell her name and turned around to see her grandma, great grandma, aunts, and some cousins. What a small world in such a crazy big city. We went to Battery Park and had hot dogs off carts. Then we traveled a few blocks up to Ground Zero. We visited Fire Station 10 that is right beside that and were inspired at what we saw. Head over a few blocks and you find St Pauls Church. It is a neat church that firefighters and police officers used during 9/11 cleanup to pray and rest. It was very humbling being there.

Then the craziness began, we took two subway trains up to Chinatown. That was an experience. From there we took the subway again to see the Empire State Building and on to Times Square. After many hours of walking and looking around with wide eyes, we headed back to the hotel via subway and PATH train. The best thing that happened all day is that we took MANY subways and did not loose anyone!!

Today we will begin our journey back. We are all ready to get home to our beds, moms and dads and our pets. Please pray for our journey back and we will keep you posted from the road.