OK, so the last time I posted, I was pretty much at the Newark airport with Dan, we "slept" over there, that is he slept, and I overed. I then checked that it was OK for me to stay with Chris that night, and went to the mall, where I chilled in Starbucks for the day, since the mall was really tame. He picked me up at 5, and we went to one of his friends' place in Jersey city to watch the starting match of the NFL season, the Packers vs the Saints. It was a pretty close game, with the Packers winning in the end. We then drove back to Glen Rock (where Chris lives) and packed it in. I was sleeping on Chris' very comfy couch. The next day I just chilled, but we went into NYC for the evening to meet up with Laura and Kaylee, who had just arrived in NYC. We went to a little pub to have supper, and then we trekked across town to go meet up with Ariel who was in a pub near NYU. It turned out that this pub was quite strict on carding people (Chris, who is 23, had to show 3 different types of ID before the bouncer let him in!), so Laura, who is 19, couldn't get in, so she and Kaylee went off to Times Square instead. We had a few drinks, and then decided to go to Chris' sister's apartment, which is situated on the other side of town. Oh, did I mention that I had all my stuff all this time! I had left a few things at Chris' in my duffel, but I had both my back pack and day pack with me. And it was not raining at this time, rather it was very warm, so I was quite drenched (I changed my shirt at Chis' sisters). A few minutes after arriving, Chris decided we were going to leave, so we went, we had to hurry and take a taxi, but in the end we had plenty of time. On Saturday Chris had a surprise party to go to, so I decided to go into the city instead. I was fairly sure I could find my way around. I went off, and walked around town for a bit, making sure I was back in time for the last train to Secaucus (the New Jersey junction station) I got there in time, and took the train that I thought was going to Glen Rock, only to discover at the end of the trip, when they announced "last stop, New York Penn Station" that it wasn't. So while I had planned not to drink during my night out, I ended up having a few beers in various pubs around town, and catching the 5:15 train back. There was only a 6:30 train to Glen Rock, so I got a bit of sleep at the station, and got back to the house at about 7:30.
Needless to say, I didn't end up doing all that much on Sunday ;)
Monday I went back into the City to meet up with Sam, James, Laura and Kaylee at the Museum of Natural History. I thought it was going to be very similar to the movie Night at the Museum, since that is based on the NY museum, but it was rather different. Granted I didn't go see the indigenous American peoples exhibit, which might have contained the Sacgewea scene, but I definitely didn't see the Aztec/Wild West/Roman exhibit or even the Theodore Rooseveldt figurine. Maybe they mixed the museum with Madam Tassauds down the street...
We then parted from the girls, went to have dinner, and did some gift shopping for Sam and James' family (it was their last night), after which I went back to Glen Rock, taking all the right trains.
On Tuesday I got up at 8, made sure everything was packed, and got a lift with Chris' friend (they were off to the beach) to the station. I then got a train to NYC, and walked the block or so to the bus stop. I got the bus to Philadelphia, where I followed the instructions Brett had given me, to end up at the place where he stays. Its a pretty run down area, reminiscent of the dodgy parts of Observatory/Woodstock. There is apparently a lot of drug dealing/prostitution in the area. I put down my stuff, and got settled in, checking my Facebook etc. When Brett and Val were finished their chores, we set off into Philadelphia proper, where we had dinner at a little Restaurant in town, the food was fair, but not amazing. The next day, after helping Brett with doing the beds for the guest house, I went into Philadelphia to see the sites. I saw the Liberty Bell, which was very unimpressive, and then went for a walk around the historical district. There were plenty of interesting statues, and a park dedicated to William Penn, the founder of Philadelphia, which was pretty cool. I then went through Chinatown to the Museum of Art, which is also where the movie Rocky had its stairs scene. At the bottom there is a Rocky Statue, and at the top some "footprints". It also has the most spectacular view of the city, and the Museum itself is very impressive.
I then went back, later than I probably should have, but it was still good. Tomorrow I go to Washington, which should be exciting. I have secured a place to stay tomorrow night, and possibly Friday and Saturday as well.
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