Big Apple Bliss : Camping and City Sights NYC

Welcome to RV There Yet Tuesday, where I discuss everything, RV and Full Time RV life related, whether it's some DIY, our beginnings of the journey or just random tidbits on this wild ride. This category is everything RV related. I hope I've helped you join the fold of the RV life, or have inspired you to chase your dreams. Please read on, and leave comments below if you have some additional experiences to share we'd love to hear them...

The East Coast, what a blast, with tolls, tight spaces, buildings and people. Wedding bells pulled us to the NYC area, and I explain the best I can, what you can do to make your trip just as memorable...

There were two, yes, two campgrounds to chose from this late in the season. I'm talking the last week of October of 2022. My mom and dad followed me to the campground from PA, staying with us in the motorhome. My mom wanted to see some things while in NYC, so I had planned an agenda, on top of wedding rehearsal, and visiting with our daughter and future son in law. The two campgrounds available were Battle Row Campground, nestled on Long Island, and a New Jersey campground Liberty Harbor Campground that is a gravel parking lot with full hook up sites. I opted for the more wooded, sanctioned campground on Long Island. Battle Row Campground it was cheaper, by about forty or more dollars, and quieter. Logistics would be a little more expensive, but in the long run I saved a dollar going with Battle Row, and enjoyed our stay in the wooded sanctuary. As far as campgrounds go, there might have been more, but these were the two choices I narrowed it down to and ultimately picked (they were both closest to NYC and had hookups that late in the season).

Getting into NYC was a trick, but we did it (all links in this paragraph take you to my videos of the sites we saw). When settled at Battle Row campground the only horror related place I saw was the original Amityville Horror House, seen here: Video. I commenced immediately afterward on the agenda and took my parents to Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, and a Broadway show, we bought tickets with the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road, done on a kiosk by the train platform). This was a bit costly, but was a far better means to getting into the city without the hassle of driving a car. A round trip ticket for me, a non senior citizen, was $22 (not to shabby to get a ride into NYC's Penn Station). NYC's Metro card was a bit cheaper, in fact I paid $37 dollars for an unlimited ticket that would last for seven days!

I took my parents to see Death of a Salesman on Broadway at the Hudson Theater, lost them on a subway after Penn Station, found them, visited with our middle child, visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, not in that order. It was a packed week.

Maria struggles with COPD, so I had to find means to help her with transportation in Central Park for the wedding and pictures. I spoke to a man who ran a Pedi-taxi, he was from Turkey and agreed to meet us at Central Park on the morning of the wedding. He was on time, and carted us everywhere we needed to be for pictures and the ceremony. His customer service skills were superb and we couldn't have asked for a better guide. The park was in full autumnal bloom. The trees were golds, oranges, reds, and every fall color in between, the park wasn't as packed as I expected and that in itself was a good things. The scent of maple, oaks, freshly mowed grass, and the sound of fish jumping out of the water nearby where our daughter would complete her nuptials, was a dream. Maria and I felt as if we were floating around on a different planet, nestled outside a very large metropolis, yet surrounded by nature and green, in solitude. We watched as our daughter said her vows, we shed some tears, and then took a lot of pictures that we would enjoy for years to come. We parted the pavilion, were taken outside the park by our guide, and took an Uber to grab breakfast at a diner. The entire experience was once in a lifetime, and our daughter had finally found a happiness that she had always hoped to find, happiness every parent wishes for their adult children.

We said our good-byes and parted NYC, spent the rest of the afternoon calming our neurotic Cocoa down from a long day in the Mothership, and readied ourselves to leave the hustle bustle and toll roads. Mom and Dad were leaving on Sunday morning. Maria and I would depart on Monday, toward Michigan for the rest of the wedding events, the reception. Finding campgrounds in November, in Michigan proved to be difficult, and I'll discuss that treat with you next week...

Stay tuned next Tuesday for more...as I find a Michigan campground open off season...spend another five days there, before departing ways with the future cold arms and head to Arizona for the first time in our life.

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Tim Eagle

Tim Eagle is an author of the novellas Stolen Seed, Life Ship, and the Vasectomus Collection. He lives full time, on the road, with his wife, Maria and their dog, Cocoa. He grew up in Michigan and is inspired by the dysfunction of America. His books are available on Amazon, godless and this site timeaglefiction.com 

Big Apple Bliss : Camping and City Sights NYC