Over holiday break, we had an opportunity to stay with family near Miami, and we did some scuba diving in Key Largo during our stay.
We were staying in Hollywood Beach, so the drive to Key Largo was about 90 minutes each way, but it was worth it. We arranged four check-out dives with Scuba-Do and were very happy with their service. We’d completed the bookwork and pool components of our dive certification in Wisconsin, so we only needed the open-water dives to become certified. Our instructor, Shannon, was fantastic and the whole crew took great care of us.
Over the course of two days we did four dives off the coast of Key Largo. Three were reef dives and one was a dive to the shipwreck “Benwood”.
We all completed the check-out components of the certification, despite some high waves on the first day, that made my husband sick. We were all pretty tired by the final dives, but happy to have our testing out of the way.
In addition to the awesome fish and coral we saw throughout the reefs and wreck, we also got within a few feet of a stingray. He’d been watching us do our testing underwater – he didn’t seem concerned about us at all as we demonstrated our skills.
We highly recommend Scuba-Do for diving needs near Key Largo. There were divers of all skill levels on our boat, and they had a max of 10 divers. We felt very safe with all the pros on board.
Our final stop on the way home from NYC, was at the Indiana Dunes National Seashore. Needing a break from the road anyway, the Indiana Dunes offered an excellent opportunity for us to play in the water and have lunch.
Located near otherwise-unimpressive Gary, Indiana, the Indiana Dunes are a welcome haven for families wanting to enjoy the sun and waves. We were impressed by the apparent cleanliness of the beach and the water as well, since the park is located so close to industry. One of the favorite activities is to run full-speed down one of the dunes, toward the water. One teenager was even using the slope to do flips as he ran down the hill.
After a two-hour stop, we were back in the vehicle for the final night of our trip – in a hotel on the West side of Chicago.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
Niagara Falls
After visiting Manhattan, it was time to return home to Wisconsin. We only had a few days to get back, and we knew they’d be long, but a stop in Niagara Falls was a must.
On the way to New York from Wisconsin, we’d figured out by about Ohio that we’d forgotten our passports. Since our research showed we’d have a better view from the Canadian side, and since we’d planned to cross Ontario to get to Detroit’s Ford Museum, it baffles me how it never crossed our minds to take our passports. Nevertheless, we didn’t, and we knew we’d be stuck with whatever the American side had to offer.
Luckily for us, it offered a lot. The town is nothing, but the National Park and facilities are excellent. It was a gorgeous day, the views were spectacular, and a family of four gave us their tickets to Cave of the Wind! We had only planned to take the Maid in the Mist tour, so this was an unexpected bonus.
Niagara Falls never fails to impress, and the kids were as amazed by it as I was 150 years ago:)
Tips:
* Bring your passports (duh!)
* Put your camera in a sandwich bag when you climb the steps to Cave of the Wind. You will get seriously wet!
* If it’s hot, don’t put your plastic poncho on until you get on the boat.
* If you get an online deal for a three-star Millenium Hotel in Buffalo, ask to stay in the main hotel – they try to put the third-party online reservations into the super-crummy (one star!) part of the motel.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
Niagara Falls
Of course, no trip to New York City can go without a visit to the Statue of Liberty.
Luckily, when we traveled there in early August, it was still open to the public and beautiful as ever! We left from the New Jersey side, at Liberty Park, which was close to our hotel and eliminated one trip into Manhattan.
We purchased our tickets online before leaving on the trip and had to hope the weather was good. I’m glad we purchased in advance, though, because many who were on our ferry were not able to go into the base of the statue, and our tickets allowed us to do so. Even purchasing tickets a month in advance, we were not able to get the $3 crown tickets – they were sold out. But we were so worn out even climbing to the top of the foundation, I think a trip to the crown would have done us in!
While the statue was spectacular, I think Ellis Island was the most informative and interesting. Every American should sometime visit the place where so many of our ancestors first step foot on American soil.
The audio tour is an absolute must and well-worth the $7 price. We initially rented two, but quickly changed our minds and rented one for each of us. It walks visitors through the building just as immigrants would have done two hundred years ago.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
When we visited New York City in early August, there was none of the turmoil we’re now seeing on the news. We took the train to Grand Central Station and boarded our tour bus right in Times Square.
It went right past the Wall Street bull, with only the normal tourist and business fanfare, although we did see security when we walked down Wall Street. Who could know how much would occur on those same streets just a month or so later.
We were a little annoyed that the tour bus required us to get off at Battery Park – we really just wanted to stay on the bus for the loop because the hop off/hop on feature seemed doubtful. It was too hard to figure out where to find the bus and we were concerned it would be full the next time it came around. So we just walked from there, past the future 911 memorial construction site, shopped in China Town and bought lunch from a corner vendor – we even walked in Central Park. And by the end of the day our legs were tired and we were ready to take the train back to New Jersey.
Tips:
1. To save on parking, stay at the Robert Treat hotel in Newark, and take the PATH train to Manhattan. The hotel was old, but nice, and there’s a great deli just around the corner. Not much to see in Newark, but if Manhattan is your destination and you only plan to stay a couple days, it can be a decent budget option.
2. Look for a deli near Central Park, on 5th Avenue, with a place to eat upstairs. We people-watched from the second floor while we enjoyed a cold drink and snack.
3. Research and buy tickets for attractions before you go, looking for deals on bus tours.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
