Cross Country to New York!

Our New York itinerary (see our entire itinerary here).

Friday August 5

Drove to New York. Be prepared for toll roads.

We'd left a bit late and were concerned the kids wouldn't get to see New York City that night. So we parked at a Target in Hoboken so Dad could take all kids (except the two youngest and I) into the City. I stayed behind because we felt this parking lot wasn't a place we could leave the RV without getting towed.

Note that there is a low bridge to get to this Target. Make sure you know your RV height--including air conditioning unit!!

Target

100 14th St

Jersey City, NJ 07310

They were able to move faster without the littles, and they hit a couple highlights (including Strand (bookstore!!)) and rode the Metro in (the Hoboken Metro stop was a 2 minutes walk from this Target). If I hadn't been so concerned that we'd be towed in this parking lot, I would've taken the littles to the nice playground around the corner while we waited. As it was, when they olders returned, my husband took me to see this awesome view of the city (this is the view on the way to the Hoboken station:

 

We decided we would park the RV at the Croton Point RV Park and take the train into the city. This was a great idea, and we'd do it again, but driving from Hoboken to Croton was terrible! We discovered there are a lot of low bridges that we hadn't planned on! Use the truck route from the beginning, and you will do better than we did. We finally pulled into the park very late (we called on the way to ensure our spot wasn't taken, and it worked out fine). But it was a tense drive, with a lot of turn arounds or pull offs near low bridges. 

Croton Point Park
Phone: (914) 862-5290
$55/night, full hookups
1A Croton Point Ave
Croton on Hudson NY 10520
westchestergov.com

Note: The walk from the Park to the Croton-On-Hudson Metro station is about 2 miles.

2 mile walk with a beautiful view, but hot and humid

That isn't a big deal, unless you're carrying a baby and/or returning from a long day walking in the City. We used a taxi one day: J&S Croton Harmon Taxi & Car Servie 914-271-3333. Another day, we drove the RV and parked it in the station lot. We took two parking spaces (there are only a few spots where this works) and paid for both (I think $20 total). I don't know if this would work for overnight, but it was SO MUCH better than walking with littles and a baby. 

Saturday August 6

Took the train into Grand Central Station.

On the train

The train takes around 45 minutes to arrive from Croton-on-Hudson to Grand Central Station.

Arriving at Grand Central

In Grand Central Station

We looked around NYC, ate at a restaurant, and then the olders lined up for Les Miserables on Broadway, while the youngers and I headed to the American Museum of Natural History. We used Uber to get around the city. 

The youngers were so tired after, that we headed home separately. We took a taxi into Croton-on-Hudson to eat (because it turns out Dad had the RV keys!) and ate pizza at Capriccio Pizza 4 maple St. Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520.

It was a fun day, but everyone was very tired from all that walking! Make sure you bring water bottles or are prepared to buy water bottles. Touring is thirsty work.

Walking in the City

Sunday August 7

We took the train into Harlem and walked from the station to the LDS church there.

LDS church in Harlem

We were meeting family members there too. We picnicked in Central Park with them after church (it was such a lovely day!!).

Extra details:

Broadway:
We really wanted to see Broadway. It was expensive! But it was high on the list for what we wanted. So, we took the plunge and saw Les Miserables. We bought tickets for the Imperial Theatre 249 West 45th St New York NY 10036 through Telecharge. We printed them out before our trip. There is parking for this theater (there will be some info printed on your ticket) and it costs $30-$35 per parking spot, 4x4 and utility vehicles will be charged more. Arrive early as a line forms while security checks tickets.

We did not drive the RV into the City. So we walked (and walked and walked) and used Ubers to get around. Make sure your phone is charged! The worst is ending the day with a phone that's dead and leaves you unable to call an Uber until you figure out how to get it charged. :)

Picnicking in Central Park:
We brought blankets and food and had a picnic in Central Park. Very fun! There is a maze and sculpture garden to see. There's a pond to walk around too. We didn't go in, but there are paid places to go within the park. If you go to NYC, then really, you should take some time to visit Central Park.

Museums
I took an 8 year old and a baby to the American Museum of Natural History. It was a fabulous museum!

The line to get in was terribly long and I thought it would take forever to get it. But they moved the lines through quickly. I recommend you buying tickets online because then you just walk in and flash your ticket to the guard, rather than standing in another line to buy tickets.

Other Activities
We love books, and the Strand bookstore was fabulous!

Food
So many delicious restaurants to choose from. I ate at Chopt, a made-to-order salad and soup bar, and my salad was refreshing and filling. Some of the others ate at a made-to-order pasta bar Pret A Manger, which they said was delicious as well.

Recommendations from friends
Although we ended up doing other things, we did receive a lot recommendations on what we should do in NYC. So I'll share those here:

"We did the double decker bus tour and really enjoyed it. You can use it as transportation from place to place or just sit and listen to the commentary the guide gives. My favorite thing was exploring Central Park."

" I really enjoyed Ellis Island. Such a unique feeling there."

"Chelsey Market and Walk the Brooklyn Bridge!"

"911 memorial - even if you don't do the museum just walk by."

"I second walking on the Brooklyn bridge and the double decker tour bus."

" I loved the Met! I highly recommend the Subway over taxis"

"Broadway and the Brooklyn Bridge were our hits there. It's so fun seeing all the artists around the bridge! Statue of Liberty is amazing, but takes some time. You could go see it if you want to, but at least go to the place where they offer tours - you can see the statue from a distance and there are some fun musicians who tend to hang around there. The street artists and musicians were by far my favorite part of New York."

"Don't go to the top of the Empire State building. Go to the top of Rockefeller Center. Shorter lines, cheaper, and you get the view of Empire State Building."

"http://broadwayforbrokepeople.com/ - for any Broadway tickets!! Ask any questions if you have them."


"We ended up with 24 hours in NYC. We got into town around 4pm and left the following day at around 3pm. Here are some notes I took.

FOOD (one of the main reasons to visit NYC)

John's Pizzeria - Times Square - http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/ Best New York style pizza anywhere (in my opinion). Large pizza, order of baked ziti and a pitcher of rootbeer to share for under $40. We stayed very near Times Square so this was perfect. Within walking distance of the subway. Tip: This building is in a converted church and has an amazing stained-glass window. Eat there before sundown for the best "view." Google "John's Pizzeria Times Square" to see how cool the ceiling is!

Friedman's Lunch - Chelsea Market - http://www.friedmansrestaurant.com/
This was easy to find from Stop 13 on the Big Bus Tour. The address says 9th Ave, but you can enter Chelsea Market through 10th avenue and it's closer to Friedman's. My husband says it's the best Reuben he's ever eaten in his life - which is saying something. I don't really like deli food (sue me), but the hamburger was delicious. See the link for prices. Tip: If you are in the mood for something else to eat - I still highly recommend Chelsea Market. It is AMAZING and there are tons of delicious places to eat. Just pull out your tripadvisor while there to see reviews. There's nothing like the Chelsea Market food hall. Google it to see photos of it's awesomeness.

TRANSPORTATION

We took the AirTrain to the subway. This made the trip $7.75/person ($5 AirTrain + $2.75 subway). We purchased ONE Metro Card (available at the station) so that we only had to pay the service fee once (we just handed it back and forth to one another as we went). We loaded the card with $25 or some such amount and added money as we needed for subways throughout the city. If you don't like the subway - there are many other trains/buses/etc. to choose from. We don't mind the subway. It's cheap and efficient. Tip: Download the subway map onto your phones so you always have it available.

Big Bus Tour - http://eng.bigbustours.com/international/home.html
We purchased 1 Day uptown/downtown passes. Because of our time limitation, we only used the downtown bus. This was a great sight-seeing bus with guides we really enjoyed. They give you earbuds so that you can plug in and hear them very well as you go. We got on at 9:00 a.m. and rode (without getting off) to Battery Park, where we got off and rode the Staten Island Ferry. Then we got back on and rode up to Chelsea Gardens where we got off for lunch. Then we rode back to the end-of-line (48th St & 7th Ave) and rode the subway back to our hotel. We picked up our bags and headed back to the airport. I highly recommend the Big Bus Tour. We will do this again for sure. Tipping is encouraged. Tip: Download their app! It was nice to have the map always available. Also, these buses come through every few minutes - so you're never waiting long to hop back on. If you only have enough time to do Uptown or Downtown, I recommend the downtown bus for those who have never been to NYC before. It has the Empire State Building; Battery Park (Statue of Liberty); One World Trade Center and more.

Staten Island Ferry - http://www.siferry.com/

This is a FREE ride from near Battery Park (easy access from the Big Bus Tour stop). It gives you fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty and also of the city. It takes about an hour if you go out and get straight back on the same boat. Tip - Go DOWNstairs (or elevator) instead of up and go to the end of the boat for great views without the crowds. You can also exit the boat from this level and not fight the crowds. They should let you back on without going all the way back up again. We grabbed breakfast at the station - nothing fancy, just a little something to hold us over until Chelsea Market later in the day!"

"Katz's Deli. It's on Houston Strett and it's AMAZING! If you like pastrami sandwiches, this is the best one you'll ever have! I also loved the frozen hot cocoa at Serendipity and the burgers/concretes at Shake Shack. And go to a Museum while you're there. They are incredible."

"Matilda the musical and finding Neverland were our favorites LOVED THEM- highly recommend seeing both shows but at least Matilda if you can only go to one. I heard the king and I revival is also awesome. Skip- phantom of the opera, on the 20th century."

"Just remembered one more thing... The High Line was really cool too!"

"You gotta make a stop at Magnolia bakery, get their cheescake and Banana pudding. It's by the Rockefeller center."

"Max Brennars chocolate restaurant. On 14th and Market I believe. Right around corner from Virgin Records. SO YUM!"

"Go to Levans bakery after you go to the temple. Best and biggest cookies ever. The boathouse in Central Park great food a little pricey but we ate looking right at the beautiful view of the lake."


~HarmonRV

Cross Country to Nauvoo!

Our kids dragged their feet to go to Nauvoo Illinois--but it turned up on the list of everyone's favorite spots! Make at least two days and nights here. You'll want to see both pageants, and there is far more to enjoy than you can in one day.

Eating
Be advised that it's difficult to find food here! Seems like things closed at 2pm. Call around first and find a place, if you intend on eating in town. We did end up finding a place (with Wifi, my teens were happy about that):

Nauvoo Mill & Bakery,
1530 Mulholland St,
Nauvoo IL 62354,
217-453-6734.
www.nauvoomillandbakery.com.
Hours: 8am-5pm M-Sat., Sunday 11am-4pm Summers only (closed Sundays November to May)

For those of you who don't have an RV, these gals also have an inn: White House Inn, 3 rooms with private baths www.whitehouseinnnauvoo.com.

They took a long time to make the food (and we were so hungry!) but it was delicious. They had gluten-free options as well. We had cold and hot sandwiches, they cost about $4.50 each.

 There is a very small grocery store:
Nauvoo Market
1385 Mulholland
Nauvoo Ill
217-453-6526


Lodging
We stayed at the Nauvoo State Park. We arrived when it was very dark, and that made it complicated finding our spot, but we managed. It's among the trees, which was nice, but didn't spend much time in the park itself. We drove over and parked at the Visitor's Center and in a parking lot next to the horse wagon rides. There was plenty of room!

Visitor's Center
Go to the Visitor's Center First Thing! You'll get a schedule of everything going on, be able to get the free tickets you need, and hear the tips for seeing Nauvoo. Plus you'll get a copy of the Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper.

Nauvoo Temple
For those of you who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, call the Nauvoo Temple and reserve a time for baptisms for your family. It was wonderful!!!

For everyone, visit the Temple Visitor's Center for information on tracing your family history, and a free 14 minute movie called The Temple Reborn, which explains the purpose of temples and shows many of the beautiful rooms in the Nauvoo Temple. The temple gardens also have a statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on horseback.


Oxen Ride
We rode a real covered  wagon behind real oxen. I recommend it! I realized I would have walked rather than ride if I were a pioneer crossing the plains headed West. That wagon was bumpy even with a short ride.  Fun!

Wagon Ride
We rode a horse wagon tour to see all of Nauvoo. We wanted to see it all before we started walking--so we could decide what to focus on. I'm glad we did. It was a nice overview, covered, and fairly comfortable.

There was another horse wagon ride that had a long line. It took people out into the countryside. I wanted to go, but we only had one day. :(

Red Brick Store
My husband gave each of my children money to spend in this store--on anything they liked! They really enjoyed that. They bought horehound candy, pencil sharpeners (in cool shapes, like a paddle boat with a moving wheel), and a tatting kit.
This store is run by the Community of Christ church.

Red Brick Store
865 Water St.
PO Box 338
Nauvoo, ILL 62354

Pageants
In 2016 Nauvoo boasted two pageants: The Nauvoo Pageant and The British Pageant. We regretted only planning one night here, because they rotate the play every other night. And The Nauvoo Pageant was FABULOUS! Even cynical teens enjoyed it. If you want good seats, rope off your seats around 2pm, otherwise it's luck of the draw. We were in the second section of seats, but were able to sit together in spite of not reserving our seats in advance. And we could watch just fine.

Before the pageant begins, there is a Country Fair. There was round dancing with a live band, old fashioned games, children's activities/crafts, and picnic tables/concessions/restrooms. The cast (which is large) helps out with the games while in costume and it was tremendous fun. Our kids sawed off a round of wood that was burned with a Nauvoo logo.

Nauvoo and British Pageants
July 5-Junly 30
Begins at 8:30pm on the alwn south of W. Grove on Partidge St (following the Country Fair that begins at 7pm). No performances on Sundays or Monday

Sites to See for Tours and Demonstrations:

• Brickyard
• Brigham Young House
• Browing Home and Gunsmith Shop (we loved this!)
• Cultural Hall
• Family Living Center
• Heber C Kimball Home
• John Taylor Home
• Land and Records Office
• Lucy Mack Smith Home
• Lyon Drug Store (I enjoyed this one)
• Pendleton Home and Log School
• Post Office
• Print Shop
• Quarry Overlook
• Riser Boot and Shoe
• Sarah Granger Kimball Home
• Scovil Bakery (free cookie!)
• Seventies hall
• Stoddard Tin Shop
• Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop (free nail ring)
• Wilford Woodruff Home

The Browning Gunsmith Tour

Outdoor Activities
There are lots of other activities--I wish I had known about some of these in advance:
Handcart Trek--Treks can be 1, 2, or 3 miles in length. Call to schedule a time 217--577-2603 7:30am-12:30pm.

Carriage Ride to Inspiration Point-Need free tickets from visitor's center. 8:15am-1:45pm

Pioneer Pastimes-Participate in pioneer games, stories and activities with your whole family, 9am-6pm

SHOWS (for 2016 anyway)

Just Plain Anna Amanda
10:30am, 12:30pm
Cultural Center
Free tickets required

Nauvoo Brass Band and Nauvoo Singers
Performing before Sunset by the Mississippi at 6:30pm

The Promise
2:30pm, 4:30pm
Historic Nauvoo Visitors' Center
West Theater
Free tickets required

Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo
7pm, 8:15pm
Cultural Hall
Free Tickets Required

Pageant Bagpiper Band
11:15am-12pm
Uptown Nauvoo on Mulholland St

Sunset by the Mississippi
7pm
(pre-show 6:30pm Brass Band Concert and Children's Parade)
Nauvoo Outdoor Stage

You can see why one day and night was not enough here!
Enjoy!
~HarmonRV

PS Sunday services are at 7:50am, 9:30am, and 12pm at 385 N. Wells St.

A Little Prep for RV Living

Living in an RV after living a house, no matter the house size, will be an adjustment. Here are a couple things that stood out to me, so you can know in advance;


Things stay cleaner if your shoes come off. Things stay more organized if you have a box by the side door just for shoes.

Be prepared: The back bed is very bouncy while driving. This turned out to be a blessing. Everyone, including our teenagers, congregated toward the front of the RV. We got some GREAT conversations with everyone squished up front. And that's part of what made this trip SO absolutely beneficial for my Mother's heart before my two eldest left home for good.

The cupboards slam shut. This is tremendously startling at first. And people need training to shut the cupboards without the SNAP.

Paper goods are awesome on this trip. Washing in the sink takes water (which makes more dump stops) and it takes time away from the vacation portion. I highly recommend paper goods and plasticware!


Check with your cell phone service. It was cheaper for us to add a month of extra minutes in advance, than rack them up on the road. This made it so we could occasionally use our cell for a hot spot to use our laptop or watch a movie. Since we've moved to VidAngel, Amazon Video and Netflix (rather than hands on dvds) we enjoyed this benefit. Alternatively, Red Box still exists and they rent dvds that can be dropped off along the road, so that's another idea.

We preferred our C-Class RV. This type of RV has a bed over the driver (as opposed to A-Class, which looks like a tour bus). That bed was voted "The Best Spot in the House" by our kids.


When looking for an RV stop for the night:

1. Make sure there are showers at least every couple days. There is a shower in the RV, but we never used it for anything more than storage (well, a laundry basket to gather dirty clothes). Showers can cost at truck stops, so make sure you ask the right questions (Is it the same price for two people as one? Are towels/soap/shampoo included? Is there a timer? Does the timer start immediately or after I lock the door?)

2. Is there a way to wash clothes? We traveled for 3 weeks, and we needed to do laundry every couple days. There's normally a charge to wash/dry (save your quarters!!! Sometimes there's no change machine and the office is closed for the night!!).

3. Is there wifi? We had teens. They missed Wifi. However all Wi-Fi is not created equal. We stayed at several RV parks that supposedly had Wi-Fi, but it was too slow to use, or all the slots available for Wi-Fi were full.

4.  Some RV Parks have a limit on the amount of people who can stay in one RV spot. You'll have to decide how you interpret that number yourself.

5.  Where available, we picked RV spots that were pull-through. Not because our rig was particularly large, but it did make it so much easier to enter and exit the RV spot.

6.  Read the reviews about the RV park. We found that very helpful!

 I am so excited for the memories you will share like going across country in an RV!

-HarmonRV

RV 101 for those New to Motorhome Living

This is a list I created as my family crossed the USA in a motorhome for the first time:

THINGS TO ASK BEFORE YOU DRIVE AWAY:
Before you drive away and begin your trip, make sure you know how to do these things:

1. How to dump the gray and black water (code for waste water and sewage). Bring GLOVES!!!

2. How to run your air conditioning (when driving, when not driving, when plugged in or not)

3. How to run your generator (note its hours BEFORE you drive off, most people charge for hours used past their minimum)

4. How to work the outdoor step and lock the side door

5. How to run the TV and other media hookups

6. Is there a plug that works while you're driving?

7. How to light the pilot light of the stove and oven, safely

8. How to turn on the propane in the first place

9. How to fill up the propane tank when it's time to return the motorhome

10. Where is the nearest dump station by home (for when you return it, it must be emptied)

11. How to work the refrigerator (a cheap thermometer will help you ensure safe fridge temperatures are being met)

12. You will need special RV toilet paper, do you need to stock it before you go?

13. The pieces most likely to break on an RV (in my experience): the toilet paper holder, the table. Check them before you leave.

14. Fly papers, a flyswatter and a broom/dustpan. Make sure you have them. There are hordes of flies all over during the summer time. And flies in small RV spaces make things feel dirtier and miserable. However, I hate the standard fly papers like this:

because they look like this: 

And that's just so gross. When I visited Washington DC, a friend handed me these:

These are clear squares that you place wherever the flies congregate (on the microwave door or bathroom mirror in our RV) and it's much less intrusive or disgusting. Just passing on the love! You're welcome!

15. Ask what toilet treatments are preferred for your RV. Make sure you have some on hand. Few things are worse than driving with your black water stinking up the space....

16. If you're going cross country, you'll need to do 1-2 oil changes. Set those up in advance, the wait time for RV oil changes can be a month.
We were in Indiana when we got one and it cost us $52.12 (so you have a point of reference, granted, this was in rural Indiana).

Rick's Auto Repair & 24 hour towing
127 Manchester Ave
Wabash IN 46992
260-225-0567

17. Know the length and height of your RV BEFORE you go. The Eastern US has lots of bridges that cap out at 9.5-10ft!! One night, a drive that should've taken 20 minutes, took 3 hours, because we kept having to find alternate routes to avoid bridges that were too short. The key word is Truck Route if you want a route with bridges of a safe height. Wish we'd have known this in advance!!

18. I downloaded a lot of different apps to help us find RV parks for the night. Truthfully, it was a waste of money. Googling "RV parks near me" and looking for a city a couple hours away from where we wanted to end up gave us the most success. After looking at their online reviews and website, I would simply call to reserve a spot. Now, don't get mad at me if this doesn't work for you! But this worked best for us, even if it went against me be-prepared-far-in-advance personality.

19. Note: Some parks limit the amount of people who can stay at their RV. You'll have to decide how to follow this for your family.

20. Things will break. Be prepared to fix things, particularly the toilet roll holder and the table that turns into a bed. Bring a screwdriver drill, FiberFix, duct tape, toothpicks, wood glue, spackling, and you'll be ready for whatever we had to overcome. :)

21. Make sure you can read your gauges for Gray Water, Black Water, Culinary Water, and Propane.

22. Know how to plug your RV into the electricity hookups

23. Know how turning on lights affect the battery when the RV is not plugged in or driving

You're going to have the BEST memories of this trip.

Best Wishes,

HarmonRV