I DON'T LOVE NEW YORK!

I had this writer's conference to attend in New York in mid -August but went early as I  have always wanted to visit Philly and had convinced my daughter in law to let us use her car to go there and tour.

So off we headed but stopped first just over the George Washington bridge to visit my new born grand niece in New Jersey. Their home has the most fabulous view of the Hudson river and bridge so the trip was off to a good start.

Whenever I am doing road trips in the USA I have always stayed with the Comfort Inn group and made a reservation with them to stay at their Rodeway Inn in Gloucester City, new Jersey, (just outside of Camden,) the plan being to commute to Philly daily for sightseeing.

But that place was a mess as they were doing major construction there and instead of closing it to the public, they put visitors in rooms which were musty and had dangerous walkways as building material was scattered everywhere  and cement dust was literally covering everything.

We stayed there less than an hour then moved to the home of a friend a couple miles out of Philly.  Naturally I subsequently complained to the head office but only got a partial refund. 

Will never deal with the Comfort Inn group again.

A scene in Betsy Ross' home

Our friend's house was fabulous as are the gardens and they made us feel most welcome. Besides we walked into a party as our friend was having  birthday and her husband had planned a surprise for her.

Despite them having  young children, everyone kept it  secret and she was really surprised. We had to hurry back from Philly to be there when she returned but we didn’t mind at all.

During the day, we visited the Constitution hall, Betsy Ross' home and the liberty bell. The Constitution hall tour is a must for anyone visiting Philly as it is most educational.

T
he next day we finished up our touring by going to the art museum which has 72 steps. It was on those steps that  Silvester Stallone stood triumphantly in one of his Rocky movies.
We learnt that all 6 of those movies were made in 

Philly. Naturally, as it is so high there, you get a great view of certain sections of the city.

We then visited the African American museum and that was really an eye opener. Glad we returned for we certainly learnt a lot about the prominent role African Americans played in the civil war as well as standing up for their rights in every possible forum. As you know, in the history books in America, they tend to exclude the role of the African Americans, so if you do not go to that museum you can come away with  distorted view of American history.

This museum is therefore a most important institution and no visit to Philly should exclude a trip there.

Out of curiosity, we visited the nearby Dutch market where some Amish sell their products and I was shocked to see how they are now embracing modern technology like credit cards and air condition.

A traditional Amish transport outside the market

A few decades ago I visited one of their settlements in Belize and if anyone had told me they would reject their lifestyle and embrace these modern things I would have laughed.

I really don't like new York, never did.....could never figure out why so many people buy souvenirs saying "I love New York." Of course, most being tourists, they probably never venture further than Times Square! That would account for it.

Many years ago I had gone there to settle and stayed only six months as I could not stand the drab appearance of the place especially those monstrous red brick apartment buildings, the huge buildings blocking out the sun downtown, the lack of trees and greenery in general plus the terrible rusting subways.

Of course Times Square is a different scene and I always enjoy going there to see what weird happenings are taking place and to take in a Broadway show. This time it was  the Book of Mormon and it was really hilarious.

As I had a few days to spare before the conference, I took a quick trip over to the statue of Liberty from Battery park and really enjoyed the vista. I had not been there since I was 14 years old and that was a long long time!

I got another pleasant surprise too as less than half hour out of the miserable city is Bear mountain. It has the most beautiful hiking trails, both difficult and moderate.

My hosts went off on the difficult section but I stayed with the moderate trails and it was really charming and peaceful, with Hessian lake right in the at the center.

There is also a quaint looking hotel there and I hear it is a popular spot in winter. When  we were there, dozens of families were all around , barbecuing or exercising.

It is a beautiful place with the most trees you will probably ever see in new York state I guess.

When the time came for work, I had to head downtown from Mt. Vernon early each day to catch the subway to the Hilton in Manhattan where the Writer's Digest annual conference was being held. The trip was as tedious and unpleasant as I remembered it to be when I spent my 6 months there many years ago.

However the conference was excellent with great, knowledgeable presenters and participants from just about every continent. I made a number of contacts and learnt a whole heap about the writing industry in the USA.

Great value for money.

I will be back next year even if it is held in miserable New York!