As Kate left off at the end of last week’s post: Of course I forgot my toothbrush! Of course I did! We turned around and drove back 20 minutes to go pick it up as it is an electric toothbrush and not just a quick pharmacy-replaceable one. I had also forgotten the charger. When we got back we were welcomed and appropriately giggled at for forgetting it. Having properly grabbed everything this time we departed. The Ritter family had graciously hosted us and on the day we left also gave us some departing snacks for the road. A bag of Goldfish snack crackers, some homemade venison jerky, and homemade pepperoni. For a couple of people who trend vegetarian, there sure has been a LOT of meat eating on this trip…

We headed south into New Jersey, stopping for a quick lunch. Then it was time for some SERIOUS BUSINESS. Our bedsheets and pillowcases were in need of a wash as we had been at the beach a lot two weeks prior and there was a decent amount of sand everywhere. We had forgotten about that as this last week was spent indoors sleeping on a bed! So we ended up heading to another laundromat, this time just to wash all the bedding. It started raining when we were inside and we were not prepared for that. After pulling our linens from the dryers we folded them and promptly walked out into the rain and around the corner where we had parked. We only had loose plans for the day so after the wet-dry-wet cycle we skedaddled off to a Starbucks that was open late so that Kate could finish writing her blog post, which she had started writing when we were waiting on laundry. Not to go on at length about these posts but I hope everyone appreciates that they are a multi-hour process. She still hadn’t finished, but as the coffee shop was closing we agreed that it would just have to get done another day! We hustled through the rain-slicked parking lot to the car where I inserted the key into the ignition, turned and snapped the fob completely off the key.

Inside the Toyota RAV4 car key is a small electronics section and the metal key which protrudes outward. That metal isn’t a full-sized key. It is only a partial key, sufficient enough to be mounted in a casing and used but not to be used alone when separated from the fob. There isn’t enough metal to grip and start the car with your fingers. Being resourceful (did Kate mention how I fixed our backdoor when it had locked open, preventing us from driving home less our belongings pour out onto the freeway?) I grabbed my Leatherman Multi-Tool and got out the pliers. Using just the small bit of metal that remains protruding from the ignition when it would normally be inside the fob housing, I pinched it with the pliers and rotated the key to start the car. “First thing tomorrow we need to get this fixed. I don’t want to have to start the car with a pair of pliers all the time!” I said with an exasperated sigh. We plugged into the GPS our next location and drove toward where we’d be spending the night: a McDonald’s! Actually, it was a Vauxhall Service Truck Stop / Service area, with a 24-Hour McDonalds attached. It took about 35 minutes to drive out there. It was still raining.

The only problem with getting the key fixed first thing in the morning was that we already had plans for first thing in the morning, which as you all know is rare for us. This time we couldn’t shove back our plans as we were on a tight time schedule. We were so strict about keeping our plans that we even ate breakfast at McDonalds – which is something I haven’t done in years, if not decades. What had us so tightly locked to the clock? We were going to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and we had a boat to catch. Not wanting a relapse of the boat issues we had in Chicago, we made sure to get to the dock plenty early and didn’t risk doing anything other than wait in line for the 20 minutes or so before departure. By the way, after 9/11 the security process for going to see the Statue has gotten very strict. It is very similar to going through airport security with the exception of not having to take off your shoes. Also, instead of being in some futuristic airport terminal the whole process takes place in a big white tent next to abandoned and decrepit train tracks at the end of a New Jersey peninsula.

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What a fun day. It really seems like the quintessential tourist activity but it was totally worth it. We wanted to make sure we saw both islands and when I asked the ferry worker if there was a particular order that had to be done if we wanted to see both he replied that we’d need to do Ellis Island before Liberty Island as the boat would not return from Liberty, only back to New Jersey. Kate had wanted to see them in opposite order but we did as we were told. For any future readers: you actually can do them in any order you want – there are other boats that go between, even if the one we came on only returned to NJ afterward. We exited the boat and walked into the great doors at the Ellis Island Immigrant Processing Center, like millions of others had before us. There is a free audio-tour that is included with each ticket. We picked up our modified phone handsets and set off. Listening along, we experienced the same process that immigrants of days passed had. Walked the same staircases, stood in the great hall, sat on the same benches, and then winded our way through the halls seeing the history of the processing that happened here. We ended up spending several hours just in this museum. Neither of us had expected to find this place as interesting as the other island but it really was fascinating. I took an entrance exam and failed! I would have been denied entry as an immigrant, which is something that only happened to 2% of all people coming through. It was because I answered that I have a job. They didn’t want immigrants who had jobs or even the promise of one, as it was feared that people stateside would be bringing indentured servants over and forcing them to work to pay off their travel costs. Kate was also rejected for being an immoral woman. Living with a man before marriage!? We’ll have none of that in America. Look to our president if you need an example of how a decent and proper American acts!

I redeemed myself later when I took a try at the citizenship practice test, where I scored a perfect 10/10. We hit up the gift shop while waiting for the boat to the next island where Kate found a teddy bear that she absolutely adored. “What a shape!” she exclaimed at the funny, fuzzy, little-bodied bear. I could explain tons and tons more but these posts are already getting too long, so I’ll let some pictures do the talking while I cover Liberty Island.

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Liberty Enlightening the World is the full name of the statue on the island. It sits atop a pedestal that is actually taller than the statue itself. All told, from the ground up; base, pedestal, statue up to torch is just over 305 feet. When approaching it by boat, I have to admit I had mixed feelings. The sheer size of it, coupled with its iconic nature made it seem impactful in almost a religious way. By no means am I some ‘MERICA-style patriot but to see this icon that for my whole life, throughout childhood even, has been attached to the idea of America – a symbol which has been featured in countless films and television shows as a stand-in for New York, and America as a whole. Seeing this emblem which represents something bigger… viewing it up close gave me a visceral reaction. I got emotional, and it kind of bothered me. Why? In a way it feels like I have been indoctrinated to view this hunk of 3/32″ copper which covers a steel infrastructure as something important inside of my psyche. It is just a statue, one that has been rebuilt inside to replace rusted iron, and changed multiple times as the torch has gone through multiple revisions. It doesn’t mean anything other than what people say it means – and that is what gets me, being raised in this country prepped me to have a reaction upon seeing it up close. A weird feeling to recognize. At least it wasn’t raining.

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We ended up catching the last boat back from Liberty Island at the end of the day and upon returning to New Jersey, Kate put the busted key into the ignition and used the pliers to start the car. We drove to another Starbucks to actually finish the blog post. While Kate was typing up a storm, I walked across the shopping center parking lot to a Home Depot. Hoping to get a replacement key made, I walked around the store a while until I found the key-osk. I got in line behind 4 or 5 other people. After waiting a few minutes I noticed a small sign that read “No Car Keys Today” then turned around and left. I guess replacement car keys need to be cut by a licensed/bonded locksmith and theirs was not present. Another day I guess… So back to the coffee shop I went to try to get some remote work done while Kate finished up last week’s post.

When we left for the evening, she was done and we were destined for a Cracker Barrel parking lot. It was however getting late and we were concerned about drawing attention if we were to try cooking in a parking lot, so instead we stopped at The Edison Diner. A true roadside diner. The kind with a menu that seems to go on for pages and pages, where the prices read as though they must be a decade out of date, and where customers of all sorts pour in with nothing in common other than late-night hunger. I ordered breakfast: scrambled-eggs with grilled onions, potatoes and toast. Kate ordered an eggplant parmesan sandwich. After a healthy wait, two plates with enormous portion sizes appeared before us and we knew immediately that we would not finish everything. After a concerted effort, I finished the egg breakfast and helped Kate eat as much of her eggplant parm as we could muster. She took the filling off of the bread in an attempt to reduce the size of the monster staring her in the face. We ended up saving the bread her sandwich came on as our only leftover. We used it the next day to make PB+J sandwiches as we hadn’t yet gone grocery shopping and were out of bread. We paid our reasonable bill and left. Drove, parked, and slept the rest of the night.

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When we woke up we were still concerned about cooking in the parking lot, plus it had started to rain again. We ran to yet another Starbucks a couple stores down to get a hot coffee and then back to the car. We ate our PB+J on leftover bread sammiches, turned over our engine with a pair of pliers, and set off for Philadelphia.

Our first stop in town was the Reading Terminal Market. This indoor market features vendors from local shops to international purveyors. It is a destination on its own. One could walk the aisles, taking in the sights, smells, and samples for hours. Initially we had talked about getting our groceries here but seeing as most of the prices were a little higher than we wanted we held off on that. We did however get a grab-bag of apples for $1, and the MOST DELICIOUS BANANA PUDDING EVER. Seriously though, it was so good we had to get some. Sweet Nina herself was there working the stall with a young protégé. We sampled the coffee banana pudding which was a heavenly blend of banana pudding and tiramisu, but ended up purchasing the classic. We split that one as we walked back to the car.

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Our evening was reserved for the Philadelphia Art Museum which offers “Pay What You Wish Wednesdays” – a real nice set of words for travelers on a budget. After 5 pm every Wed. you can gain full access to the art museum for whatever price you wish as long as you pay something. Hours of wandering through hallways of art, armor, people doing yoga, a replica Japanese ceremonial tea house, tapestries, and more! All for the low, low, price of $1 each + $5 parking. We stayed until closing time. One more Philly must-do for the typical tourist: a cheesesteak sandwich. We opted for Tony Luke’s, as we read that they famous spot where Geno’s and Pat’s are is a nightmare and both shops overcharge for basically the same sandwich. It was pretty good but reminded me of pretty typical bar food. The salt ‘n vinegar fries though!

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We spent a good amount of time trying to figure out where to sleep this night and ended up trying two or three locations until we settled on a Planet Fitness parking lot back in New Jersey.

When we woke up, we headed inside of the gym for some exercise and a shower. We then left and when we plugged into the GPS where we wanted to go next it told us that we’d have to drive for an hour and 45 minutes to get somewhere less than 20 miles from us – as it was set to avoid all tolls. We checked how long the route would take if we were okay with paying tolls and it cut down to just 30 minutes. We felt that this was worth it. We hopped onto the toll road and got charged $5 to cross a bridge. Harrumph. About 20 minutes into our drive we passed a bird in the road eating carrion. At first we figured it was a hawk as we’ve been seeing those everywhere along the eastern part of the country, it wasn’t until we got close and it refused to fly out of the way of the oncoming traffic that we saw it was a vulture. It looked gnarly and bloody. $5 for a bridge crossing? Boo! $5 for a bridge crossing and a live nature documentary? Worth it.

As we hadn’t fully or properly gotten groceries the day before we headed to Grocery Outlet which is apparently the chain that averages the lowest cost groceries in the entire nation. They do so by only offering slightly damaged, or near expiry items that other grocers won’t sell. We picked up some essentials as best we could find from what they offered and resolved to get the rest of what we needed from an ACME (which is Pennsylvania’s equivalent to Albertson’s) later in the day. Another afternoon / evening spent in a Starbucks for me to catch up on some remote work. Now that we had stocked up on groceries again, we ventured into a neighborhood to make ourselves some dinner. The park that we found had a sign saying that the park closed at dusk and it was just about sunset time. I set about cooking some dinner while Kate finished organizing the food area of our car, travel bags strewn about the car behind her. Not but a few minutes after saying to Kate “I doubt any police officers will come, but if they do just mention to them that we’re aware the park is closed and just pretend we’re finishing up and repacking the car” did a police officer show up just to tell us the park is closed. Kate explained that we were aware and were just about done packing up. He bid us goodnight and drove away. We finished cooking quickly ate before we were off to where we’d be sleeping for the evening: The Biden Welcome Center in Delaware.

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In the morning we left the welcome center and ventured into town in search of a park where we could cook some breakfast/lunch. We ended up driving to a few different “parks” before we found a spot where we could actually cook. Y’see Delaware likes to list things as parks even if they have no park-like amenities. No place to park a car, no benches, no walkways, no picnic areas, nada. Just wilderness with fences around it. After driving from fake park to fake park several times, we eventually found Brandywine park. Under a freeway and adjacent to a little creek it was actually really lovely. The turning colors in the trees and gently falling leaves striking the grass and water were so peaceful.

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We made the best of our time here. We made some food, cleaned and organized the car some, and then set off for a walk in the park. Soon we found some workout bars for pull-ups/chin-ups and decided to goof around for a little while. Flash forward a few minutes into playing and Kate drops her phone. It fell from her back pocket while she was hanging from the bar, her arms and legs over the top of it. As you may recall from a previous post it had already had a single crack in the screen but this was too much, it landed screen down on some rocks beneath the exercise bars. The screen was shattered. We called up the phone carrier we have and went through the process of getting a replacement. Both of our devices are insured and we can get replacements if anything happens to them. There is a deductible of $59 to completely replace the device. We were initially concerned that a replacement phone would have to be shipped and we’d have to ship back a replacement. Couple that concern with the additional worry that we may not be able to ship it to a temporary address – we were extremely pleased to learn that to our luck, rather than a full replacement they authorized us to go to a repair shop not too far away and get just the screen fixed. Furthermore, if all that needed replacing was the screen the deductible would only be $19. The representative on the phone organized everything for us, so all we had to do was go visit a repair shop called UBreakIFix. So we left the park and spent the rest of the afternoon doing just that. All fixed now! Hooray! We didn’t even need to pay the repair shop, the $19 just gets added to next month’s phone bill.

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Wanting to prepare dinner for ourselves, and having learned the lesson of the infinite fake parks we headed back to that same park we were at in the morning as we knew it offered picnic tables. We got there and started to cook when a few moments later at the other end of the park a police officer was driving around making announcements that the park was closed. Can’t we catch a break!? We finished cooking while most other patrons packed up and left. Luckily we were able to pack up our cookware and eat before being escorted out. Back out to the Biden Welcome Center for sleep. We arrived a bit earlier than we would consider our bedtime and took the opportunity to watch James and the Giant Peach before bed.

The next morning we again dined on PB+J sandwiches before heading to a Planet Fitness, are you seeing the pattern we’ve developed? Even on vacation life becomes routine! Now, I’m about to mention that we again visited a Starbucks for most of the day. If you’ve been following the blog for the past few weeks you’ll notice that we’ve been eating out a lot. This has stretched out monthly budget THIN, but we kind of knew that would happen in NYC. It is for this reason that we didn’t spend much time in Philadelphia (everything costs money). So today’s visit to Starbucks was mostly just to hang around all day, using up the free Wi-Fi and killing time.

We went to a ‘bucks in Newark, Delaware. On the drive in we both noticed just how many young people were about. Youths everywhere! We found a place to park, and walked across Main Street after passing through a tiny alley quaintly painted with a mural of bumblebees. It was a brisk day out and after sitting in the Starbucks for a couple hours we couldn’t help but notice everywhere the young women walking around were dressed for much warmer weather. We asked ourselves if we were getting old. It wasn’t that we felt they should be ashamed for their clothing choices or anything, it was just that we couldn’t reconcile what they were wearing and how cold it was outside. Maybe our desert living has weakened us against hardy-weather living? Who knows. All there is to say is that young women everywhere in Newark, DE were dressed in 70’s style crop tops, ripped bell-bottom jeans, mini-skirts, and no warmth. It struck both of us as strange. Just very strange.

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Though we are on a budget and had recently grocery shopped, we still yearned for Chipotle. We got a burrito bowl and split it. It really is a good amount of food for how much you pay. After dinner we went out to the car and noticed we were parked not too far from a large recycling bin. We took this chance to empty our storage box of its recyclable content, some of it we’d been holding onto for over a month! While filling a small bag with the used materials, the bag split open and spilled its innards all over the parking lot. It would have been comical if it weren’t so frustrating. Alas, we picked it all up again and made sure it made it safely into the bin. We got in the car, again started it with pliers, and drove back out to the Biden Welcome Center for one last night of rest. Or so we thought.

You know how the coolest place to hang out in Delaware is the Biden Welcome Center? No? Well, it is. Not just for families that need to pee and sleepy travelers. Until about 2 a.m., a group of college-aged people the next row over from us was loudly blasting music and laughing and partying. It made for a long night. While not being able to sleep we also discovered that Kate’s toothbrush is possessed by the evil spirits. Maybe leftover from our visit to the Satanic Temple? After a bit of internet reading we found out that this model of toothbrush has been known to randomly turn on and or off when too much water has leaked into the internal cavity and gotten onto the circuit board. Typical toothbrush, can’t even get water on it. We did our best to disassemble it, and to be sure a bunch of water droplets came freely splashing out. Oh no. Some vigorous shaking and toweling brought the bulk of the water out, we’ll give it a day or two to see how it fairs. So far, we still get random buzzing noises from the toiletries bag every now and then. It took both of us using earplugs for us to be able to get to sleep.

In the morning we got up and agreed that seeing as there was a college party in the parking lot the night before, that no one really cared what happened at the Biden Welcome Center. So we decided to just set up our cooktop and make some oatmeal and coffee. No one batted an eye. It was oddly refreshing. The rest of the day would be spent in a new locale – Baltimore, Maryland. It was my day to drive so I put the key stub into the ignition, turned the pliers, and we were on our way.

On the drive in we got caught in a bit of traffic, which afforded us the ability to finish the second audiobook in the Game of Thrones series. Our destination was The Book Thing. What is The Book Thing? In Baltimore there is a free bookstore called The Book Thing which is only open on weekends. It is a volunteer run project that offers free books to anyone. They accept books and monetary donations to keep the project going, the mission is to find homes for all books. I donated the Agatha Christie book that I picked up back in Denver, and thought I’d look around for a book to replace it. What on Earth was I thinking. Agreeing to bring Kate to a bookstore where all the books are free… We split up and wandered around for about 45 minutes before catching sight of each other again. Kate saw me, holding my selection. A poetry book that seemed interesting to me. I saw her, holding 13 books. “Where are we going to put these?” I asked aghast. “We’ll make space.” She rebutted. We left each other alone for another few minutes and before we left we signed out. The sheet asks how many books you’re leaving with. I had 2 books. Kate had 15. We signed the sheet and left when on the way out the door Kate said “Oh I saw boxes in there, I’m going to go grab one!” We now have an extra box of books in the car.

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We were destined for a library to use some free Wi-Fi and hang around for the day and as it happens there is one accessible to the public on the campus of Johns Hopkins University. I would love to tell you all how lovely it was, except we never went! It was prohibitively expensive to park nearby and we would’ve had to move the car to a new parking space every two hours. So ….we went to a Starbucks. A few miles out toward the edge of town. Here I sit, writing to you all about our adventures. A week in and out of Starbucks. The next few weeks will be more interesting as we set our sights on exploring Baltimore, visiting Washington D.C. and staying with a friend of Kate’s in Virginia. We’ve also got some camping in our future, and after a jaunt into the south-eastern part of the country we’ll be visiting a friend of mine in North Carolina before heading further south. There is so much more in store on this trip but this week was a bit of a business-only one. As always, thanks for following along and we love you all!

Until next time!