Hello New York!

So much has happened the last few weeks, now I'm finally able to catch up on blogging.  My last post related to my most recent trip is about my 2 fun visits to New York City on July 31st and August 3rd.  I've already talked about the nightmare trip on August 1st, so no need to go there again!  Anyway, ever since I found out that the trip was going to be in eastern PA within driving distance to New York I knew I would make at least one trip to the city while I was there.  As time grew closer I decided to make a trip to New York on my own.  What transpired was a lot of fun (and a lot of walking)!

PATH Train from Newark to the WTC

Back in 2009, while my brother was still living in the Washington, DC area, I took a trip to see him on my Spring Break during student teaching.  I didn't really do a whole lot while there (I was mostly just getting out of town and relaxing), but one of the days I drove his car to the nearest Metro station and took the Metro into town and just spent most of the day visiting things I wanted to see and enjoying the scenery.  I also got a lot of great pictures.  Well, with that in mind, I wanted to do something like that in New York; just take a day and go explore the city by myself and not worry about anyone else.  Initially I was going to park in Jersey City or Newark and take the PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) train into Manhattan, but a friend of mine told me if I was going in on Sunday I could probably drive into Manhattan and find on-street parking.  To make a long story short, he was right and amazingly I found on-street parking for free.  Granted, when I crossed the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan I started thinking to myself "what the heck am I doing?!?" but I finally managed to maneuver my way through the river of traffic and I found parking on a residential street between 5th and 6th Avenues.  First thing after parking was I double checked to make sure it was even a legal space to park (it was) and then I found a subway station.  After paying some $26 to ride the London Subways back in 2007, finding out that the NYC Subway was only $2.25 for every time you enter the system (unlimited transfers), it felt practically free!  I got on the first train that came and took it to the end of the line, which was City Hall.  Just FYI, though, on-street parking is only available in a lot of places on Sunday.  Where I parked the sign said "No parking Except Sundays".

Finally got some pictures with the Brooklyn Bridge!

I had a great time re-introducing myself to the city.  I hadn't been to New York since I was in middle school.  My dad took my sisters and me on an East Coast trip in 1996 which included stops in Hershey, Valley Forge, Philadelphia, and New York.  We actually left the van in Philly and took the Amtrak train to New York and stayed there, I think, 3 days in a hotel along 8th Avenue.  In any case, a lot has changed since 1996 as anyone can imagine.  Most of the places I explored I ended up visiting later when I came back on August 3rd with my sisters, dad, and brother-in-law.  It didn't bother me though because I could be somewhat of a guide.  Being able to use the subway system again got me familiarized with the whole map system they use (it's not easy to read quick if you aren't familiar with it), so I was much more of a help on the 3rd.  I was also able to meet up with a friend from Flickr.com who lives in Queens.  He showed me around a bit and it was great to meet him!

New 1 World Trade Center under 
construction in Manhattan

Seeing the World Trade Center site for the first time since 2001 was surreal.  I vaguely remember it from the trip in 1996, where we took the elevator up to the 107th floor of the South Tower to the observation deck.  We couldn't go on the roof that day because of high winds (which we got to experience on the Empire State Building observation deck!).  I remember being up in the tower a lot more than the plaza around it.  Somewhere I have pictures I took of it, but they're in a box I have no idea where!  Anyway, seeing the massive construction site and remembering being there in '96 and seeing what I saw on the news in 2001, it was hard to believe it was the same place.  September 11th is a day that anyone who lived through and was aware of what was going on just never forgets.  I was showing some kids at Roosevelt a documentary about it back in May.  The same emotions I remember from that day were resurfacing as I watched the video.

Manhattan Temple

It was cool to see the Manhattan LDS Temple, right across from Lincoln Center and only a block from Central Park.  Both trips I went to the park via the 66th Street Subway Station, so I saw the temple both days.  It's not the most spectacular temple, but it fits in without totally blending it.  Kinda cool to see Angel Moroni on a spire in the middle of Manhattan!  Both trips were a lot of fun.  Being there solo was just a chance for me to be on my own and go at my own pace.  It was also a chance for me to be alone, which I really don't get a lot of these days.  The trip with my dad, sisters, and brother-in-law was fun too getting to spend time with them and seeing all the sites.  It was also nice having been there a few days earlier so I had a little bit of familiarity with where everything was.  The laminated map I got from my friend (who also recommended driving into Manhattan on Sunday) was a HUGE help!!

Vesey Street at the WTC site

Couple things I did learn: 1st, New Yorkers in general are very aggressive drivers.  Not just New York City, but the entire metro area.  They won't honk or swear at you if you just barge over into their lane or drive close to them (especially in congestion), but don't go slow.  Going slow is the ultimate sin in New York driving.  Keep up with traffic.  Don't drive like that in Ohio though.  We'll think you're nuts and probably give you the finger if you cut us off or drive too close like that!  Next, I also learned that I never really want to drive in New York again.  It's so slow (SOOOO much congestion everywhere) and frustrating.  Traffic congestion is one of the quickest ways to drive me insane.  I'm just not sure why anyone would ever commute into New York by car.  If I ever lived in the NYC area, I'd definitely live near a subway line or a train line.  Not only is traffic absolutely miserable, but there are tolls galore on pretty much every bridge and tunnel (at least in one direction).  The tolls are cheaper for residents and those with the automated EZ-Pass, but still...that can add up in a hurry!  I also learned that for me, New York is a great place to visit.  Keyword VISIT.  It made me even more grateful for living in good old Kent, Ohio and the whole road system we have in the Cleveland area.  It's not because I think New York is a horrible place; New York is a great place, but it's definitely not for me.

On the subway

Anyway, a great couple of trips sandwiched around one of the worst driving experiences of my life!  I'm glad I was able to go to New York and hope my next visit is in less than the 15 years between the first and second visits!  

Roller coaster

So in my last post I alluded to the "roller coaster" I was in the midst of when This is Kirtland! opened at the beginning of July.  Basically, it was just a series of events one after the other that took me from the end of June to the middle of August.  Well, here I am in the middle of August and that roller coaster has basically come to an end, but in ways I never thought or hoped!  Don't worry, I'm still OK and overall the "ride" was fun, but there were some unexpected surprises along the way that I could've done without.

With Katie at Camp Pennyroyal in Kentucky on July 23

Soon after the show was over I went to Nashville with my Mom to visit my brother and sister-in-law.  While we were there we also took a side trip to visit my sister at the summer camp she was working at in Kentucky, about a 2-hour trip from my brother's.  While we were down south, the weather was hotter than hades down there and even here, part of that huge heat wave that covered most of the US.  Thankfully, I was able to stay inside through most of it and have a relaxing time in Nashville.  It was also nice to visit my sister and meet all the people she was connected with at camp.

We got home from that Monday, July 25th, and then I had a few days before I had to get ready for my next adventure, the Ridinger family get-together in Bushkill, Pennsylvania.  Before I left for that I had most of the week to myself and even helped my mom teach kickball to 2 cub scouts (it's not easy with just 3 people!).  I also discovered that all 4 of my tires needed replaced, so I had that done Friday during the day, the same day my sister Becky was visiting with my brother-in-law and my nephew (they were here to come to the get-together in PA too).  Little did I know that would be the least of my car's problems soon!  On Friday night (the 29th) I had the opportunity to "reprise" my role as Lorenzo Snow as part of the Kirtland Stake's Youth Conference.  We had several of the cast members come back and get into costumes to portray their characters in Historic Kirtland.  My role was that of tour guide and I took my group to 4 different places in Historic Kirtland where different characters talked to the groups.  It was a lot of fun even though it was suuuuuper humid that night.  Because of that commitment, I had decided to put off getting a haircut until after I did that (though no one else did so), so the next morning I finally got a haircut and it felt absolutely wonderful!

In Manhattan at Battery Park with the new 1 WTC rising
 behind me, July 31, 2011.

After the haircut, I headed off to Pennsylvania and made the 6-hour trip along I-80 to a resort called Tree Top Villas in the little town of Bushkill, PA, right along the Delaware River and the border with New Jersey.  That trip was uneventful and very smooth.  The next morning (after staying up late to talk to my brother!) I drove myself to New York City (about 2 hours away) and amazingly parked for free on the streets of Manhattan.  I had a great time visiting New York for the first time since 1996 and doing so by myself.  I met up with a friend of mine there and we hung out for the evening before I headed back to the resort.  I'll definitely blog more in detail about that as well as the 2nd trip to NYC a few days later with my dad, sisters, and brother-in-law.  The next day was the big 5-year family photo, which went OK I guess.  Later that day I took my sister and her friend to the JFK airport in New York so her friend could go back home to the England.  Getting there was somewhat of a struggle, mostly though traffic, but getting back was a nightmare.  What should've been a 4-5 hour round-trip turned into an 9 hour round-trip.  Part of it was me missing a turn and not being totally sure where I was headed on Long Island's antiquated Parkway System of roads.  The other factor was the absolutely horrible traffic.  It seemed no matter which way we went there was total gridlock.  I cannot stand traffic congestion for long periods of time, so I was going crazy.  There were points it felt like we were never going to get home.

New York Stock Exchange, August 3

Just when it seemed like we were finally back on track and clear of the traffic, then things REALLY got interesting.  I had begun to notice that it seemed like I was having to push harder on the brakes while were constantly stopping and going.  We came to the Triborough Bridge (between Queens, The Bronx, and Manhattan) and I was trying to get the toll out and bumped into the lady in front of me.  Thankfully nothing happened as a result to either car (I was obviously not going very fast since I had been in line forever), but I then noticed that the brakes went completely to the floor.  I thought I had pretty much lost the brakes completely and then I have this toll worker telling me I need to slow down since it "coulda been a lot worse."  At that point I was so tired and irritated and now worried because I didn't know if I had brakes that I just nodded and drove away, albeit slower (which made someone honk their horn at me...New Yorkers HATE it when you go slow for anything).  I wanted to say "Slow?!?  I've been stuck in your $%*@*%$ city for 5 hours going 5 miles per hour and you wanna tell me to slow down?!?"  Anyway, next I had to cross the George Washington Bridge from Manhattan to New Jersey and used the emergency brake just to make sure.  I debated pulling off and calling AAA but at that point I just wanted to get home, so once we got across the bridge and back onto I-80, I simply was a little slower and kept my distance from any car in front of me.  I did have minimal use of the regular brakes; it just took much more effort on my part.  I came to find later it was basically that the brake boosters were out, but I still had brakes.  We finally made it back to our condo at like 11:15 after leaving around 2:30.  I pretty much lost it with my sister.  I was physically and mentally exhausted.

Times Square, August 3.  I absolutely love this picture!

Well, I figured there was obviously a leak in the brake line, so two days later I took the car into a local dealership to have it looked at.  I left it there as I went back to New York with my dad, sisters, and brother in law.  Well, of course I come to find that not only is the ENTIRE brake system rusted (on a 6 year-old car no less), but that the work would take me into the next week.  Too bad it was Wednesday and I was due to leave Friday.  Initially I said go ahead and do it, but then after talking to Mom (cell phone reception in Manhattan is actually HORRIBLE!) and others decided not to.  There was no way I could stay there with the car and no way to tow it back without renting a U-Haul truck.  My AAA towing only got me 100 miles and I was 350 miles from home.  I ended up hiring a company to have it shipped back here to Kent.  It cost me the same as if I had rented a U-Haul truck and towed it back myself ($350).  The car was delivered Tuesday and work started on it Thursday (for less than the original estimate too).  Shockingly, the car was done today (Friday) and that included some other work that needed to be done.

The last part of my roller coaster wasn't that bad as I had two more performances.  The day I got back from Pennsylvania, I had about 20 minutes to change and then my mom and I went up to Kirtland to sing in the Kirtland Temple for the Joseph Smith, Sr.-Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion going on that entire weekend.  We sang the 2 number that we sang at the 175th anniversary of the temple's dedication back in March and then did some of the actual hymns performed at the temple's dedication.  I was sooooo tired and irritated at that point, but it's always nice to sing in the Kirtland Temple.  I also performed again for the same group at a dinner they had in Mayfield, Ohio (very close to Kirtland) with some of the cast members from This is Kirtland!  I performed "Lorenzo's Song with Rylee Mitchell, who played my sister Eliza R. Snow in the show.  Other cast members performed 2 other songs from the show.  It was nice to see a few cast members again and sing that song one last time.

Reconnecting with Church History

Anyone that knows me knows I absolutely love to study history. In particular, my absolute favorites are local history (Kent area) and LDS (Mormon) history. The two briefly overlap in the 1830s when the Church was headquartered in northeastern Ohio from 1831-1838. I've documented my adventures photographing and learning about local history pretty well on this blog and every so often have made mention of Church History. Being so close to sites in Hiram and Kirtland, Ohio I'm around them quite frequently. Being in the cast of This is Kirtland! for five of the last six years has given me lots of opportunities to spend in Kirtland and learn more about the finer details of the LDS history there. Leading up to Memorial Day weekend, I was wondering what to do with my time. I had really considered going to the YSA (Young Single Adult) conference in Kirtland called Zion's Camp, but decided against it. Part of it was I just wanted to be alone; another was that I was "Kirtlanded out". Don't get me wrong, I love Church History in Ohio, but I needed to go somewhere else! So, much like a trip I took with Mom and my sisters back in 1999 to the same place, Mom and I did a kind of "spur of the moment" trip up to the Church History sites in western New York in and around the towns and villages of Palmyra, Manchester, and Fayette. It was my first time being there since 2000.

The sites in western New York are where the Church basically began. The farm where the Smiths lived, the cabin where the Church was officially organized, the building where the first Book of Mormon was printed, the hill where Joseph was shown the golden plates, and the very grove of trees where Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ are all in the area. We arrived around 7 PM after traveling less than 5 hours from Kent and getting settled in at our motel in Farmington, NY, just down the road from Manchester. The motel didn't look all that spectacular from the outside, but inside I was pleasantly surprised! It was decent, clean, and comfortable. Anyway, by the time we got in, there really wasn't much time for anything, so we got some dinner and went to the Hill Cumorah, which is where Joseph Smith was shown and eventually given the golden plates, which he would translate to become the Book of Mormon. There's a visitors' center there, but it closed at 7, so we went back to that the next day. Instead, we took our food and drove up to the top of the hill and ate there before taking some pictures around the monument there. We met some nice people who were also visiting from various parts of North America including the Canadian Maritimes, California, Utah, and elsewhere! We also drove in downtown Palmyra to just see where everything was (and to look for somewhere to get ice cream!).

Moroni monument on top of Hill Cumorah

Just me on top of the Hill Cumorah. Left shows the view from the monument; Right is a pic mom took with her camera.

Since the hill closed at dusk, we headed back to our motel and ended up watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban on TV before going to bed. The next day ended up being quite busy, but thankfully we had GREAT weather! We started off by making the trek to the Peter Whitmer Farm in the town of Fayette, New York (just south of the village of Waterloo, NY), about a 30 minite drive from Manchester. The Whitmer farm is where the Church was formally organized on April 6, 1830. The cabin was rebuilt on the same site as the original and adjacent to the cabin is a church building that also has a small visitors' center. Mom and I had quite the time getting to the Whitmer Farm because Waterloo, NY had scheduled their Memorial Day parade right when we needed to come through and the detour posted directed traffic to a road heading east out of town (SR 5 and US 20) and we needed to go south (SR 96). After a failed attempt to get on the wireless Internet with my iPod Touch at a local McDonalds, I ended up having to trust my inner directional skills and logic and we found another detour south and were back on our way. Turns out Waterloo, NY is the "birthplace of Memorial Day." We had a nice personal tour of the center and the cabin, which was reconstructed and dedicated in 1980, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Church. When it was chartered in 1830, the Church was officially known as the "Church of Christ". The full name we use today did not come around until 1838 in Missouri.

Left: Fayette Ward building. The left side wing is the visitors' center.

Right: Inside the reconstructed Whitmer cabin, site of the Church organization April 6, 1830.

The Whitmer Cabin

Another view of the Fayette Ward building and visitors' center...the cabin can be seen on the far left.

Our next visit was to the village of Palmyra. There I got a picture of the village's main intersection, which has a church on each corner. I have never seen another intersection like it. Not only are all 4 churches Christian, but they are all Protestant. Just north of those 4 is a Roman Catholic church. We also visited the E.B. Grandin building along Palmyra's East Main Street, which is where the Book of Mormon was first printed in 1830. Next I got a picture of the grave marker for Alvin Smith, the older brother of Joseph Smith. Alvin died in 1823, shortly after much of the very early events which would lead to the organization of the Church occurred. After that we went to a park right on the border between Palmyra and Macedon and I got some pictures of former as well as current Erie Canal structures. The Erie Canal goes right through Palmyra and is still maintained, though the original route has been bypassed in places. The canal did play a role in Church History transporting people as well as allowing Mr Grandin to acquire what was then one of the newest and most advanced printing presses at the time just prior to the publication of the Book of Mormon. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Left: the four churches at Palmyra's main intersection.

Right: Inside the E.B. Grandin building, site of the first printing of the Book of Mormon in 1830

Left: One of the 5,000 original copies of the Book of Mormon

Right: Inside the Grandin Building in Palmyra

Front of the Grandin Building in Palmyra

Left: Thumbs up for the Book of Mormon!

Right: Grave marker of Alvin Smith. On the backside is the original marker, which is more white and weathered.

Left: Historic Erie Canal structure...most likely a former aqueduct and towpath bridge.

Right: Current Erie Canal lock No. 29 right near the previous picture. This section is still maintained and used (though not much anymore). Apparently this was bypassed around the original route to be more direct.

More of the historic Erie Canal structures. The waterfall disappears when the nearby lock needs to be filled. The bridge today carries a hike and bike trail.

We next went to the Smith farm, which is located on the border between the towns of Palmyra and Manchester, which is also the border between Wayne and Ontario counties. In Joseph Smith History, Joseph Smith describes the family's "removal to Manchester." In reality, they moved about 2,000 feet down the road from their original log cabin (which was rebuilt on site in 1997 and sits on the Palmyra side of the line) to a frame house. The majority of what was their land is in Manchester. Anyway, there's a small visitors center there and then you tour the rebuilt log cabin. Not only was the cabin built on the same site as the original, but it was built using similar wood and using 1820s building techniques, so it has a very authentic feel to it. Next, we walked down to what is known as the "frame home" which is the original building. It was restored in 1999 and 2000. When we came in 1999 the restoration had just begun inside, so the walls had been stripped and the furniture removed. It was pretty cool to see. Part of that restoration included rerouting Stafford Road around the back of the house so no one needs to cross or walk along a live road to go to the other sites. An operating temple opened just north of the frame home in 2000. There is also a rebuilt barn and cooper house across the street from the frame home. The biggest site there, though, is the grove of trees opposite the frame home. This area is known to members of the Church as the "Sacred Grove" and is where Joseph Smith had was it referred to as the First Vision around the Spring of 1820. There he prayed out loud for the first time in his life and was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ in what ushered in the Restoration of the Gospel. For Latter-day Saints it is quite the site and to me is probably one of the most significant sites in not only LDS history, but human history.

Left: Smith log cabin; authentically rebuilt in 1998. The Smiths lived here twice.

Right: Inside the log cabin

Left: This is my "removed to Manchester" photo. The cabin on the right is in the town of Palmyra (Wayne County); the house just to the left of center in the distance, known as the frame home, is in the town of Manchester (Ontario County). The border is the fence in the center of the picture.

Right: View of Palmyra Temple (which is actually just inside Manchester) from the road connecting the log cabin to the frame home.

The frame home. The Smiths lived here in the late 1820s. It was originally started by Alvin Smith before he died and lay incomplete for a few years after his death. The "incomplete" look inside is trying to hold true to how it may have looked while the Smith's were there as they moved in before the interior was completed. This house looks a LOT different than it did just 10 years ago before the restoration.

Inside the frame home. The bricks in front of the fireplace on the left is one of the places where the Smiths hid the golden plates from mobs in the late 1820s.

Left: Inside the barn across the street from the frame home.

Right: Inside the Sacred Grove!

Two pictures of Mom and Me in the Sacred Grove. The one on the left was all my camera could do (no flash) and I doctored it a little; on the right is with Mom's camera and flash.

Thumbs up for the Sacred Grove!

After that I got a few pictures at the Palmyra Temple, which is on land that was part of the original Smith farm, as well as the Palmyra chapel across the street before heading back to the Hill Cumorah. There we went through the visitors' center, which opened in 2005 I believe. It replaced a smaller center on the same site, so I hadn't seen the new one. Well, come to discover it's designed more to be a starting point for people visiting the area as it has info and small displays on all the various sites along with videos. Oh well. So, if you ever go to the sites in New York, make sure you go to the Hill Cumorah visitors' center first!

Palmyra Temple. It's a typical "small" temple design (our temple in Columbus is the exact same layout reversed) but this temple has unique stained-glass windows.

Left: Main doors to the Palmyra Temple showing the stained glass made to resemble the woods of the Sacred Grove just down the hill.

Right: Palmyra New York Stake Center. It's a typical LDS meetinghouse built these days but I liked the columns and portico, which usually isn't seen on other buildings of this layout. The building also seems longer than a typical LDS Stake Center as it has to regularly accommodate lots of visitors!

Hill Cumorah Visitors' Center. It opened in 2005 replacing a smaller center on the same site.

Inside the Hill Cumorah Visitors' Center with the beautiful Christus statue on the left (it's in that room with the rounded windows) and a Book of Mormon display on the right.

Left: Interior of the Hill Cumorah Visitors' Center

Right: Looking up the Hill Cumorah. In June and July this area will be covered with a large, multi-level stage to host the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant. If you haven't seen it, take a trip!

It was a great trip. I'll admit Saturday was a bit rushed and I was totally exhausted on Sunday after we got back, but it was totally worth it. I'm glad we not only did it, but were able to do it. Being able to visit Church History sites makes it so much more real and adds to my testimony that it's all true. This was the 4th time I've been there: twice for the Hill Cumorah Pageant (1997, 2000) and twice now at non-pageant times (1999, 2010). While I highly recommend seeing the pageant when you can, make sure to visit another time too when the pageant isn't going on to really experience the sites. The pageant draws tons of tourists from all over the country, so the sites are crowded and tours are much faster. You'll get to see the sites for sure, but not long enough to really get a feel for what happened there in my opinion. When you visit during less busy times (usually before the Summer rush...my favorite time was a visit in early Spring) you get much more personalized tours and attention from the guides (who are all full-time missionaries) and all the time you want to visit and enjoy the sites.