The year without Janet meant that three day weekends were made for traveling. Knowing my daughter was only half a day’s drive, meant that holiday weekends with nice weather were perfect opportunities to head back down to New Jersey.  Autumn told me she wouldn’t be home from work till Saturday evening, so I stopped in New York for a walking tour.  I decided not to do any subways, museums, or shows and walked seven miles through the east side of city.  My sites included Grand Central Station, the United Nations Building, the Library, St. Patrick’s cathedral, and Central Park. Some of the things I learned from this walk would be helpful in future trips.  One of the most exciting experiences was to actually drive in Manhattan. I don’t know if I could have done it without Samantha (the GPS).  It was a great learning experience, and I’ve driven many times since. Prior to this year, I’d been to NYC three times. This was my second time in 2 months. I was beginning to feel like a regular.

Since I’d already been to the city, Autumn and I felt it would be good for us to visit the beach. They live about twenty minutes inland from Seaside, NJ, but hardly ever go.  During hurricane Sandy, this town lost its roller coaster and experienced significant damage to its boardwalk. Not more than six months later, the boardwalk experienced a large fire as well. Autumn and I went to visit the boardwalk and enjoyed a cup of frozen yogurt.  During this visit, I helped them get a futon for their home.

Dads with trucks can really be handy.