Day 85

Look at this - an early blog. First time in 85 days!

Tom and Carol's son Jonathan (age 27) took charge (and his mother's car) and drove me to NYC! We first retrieved my driver's license from the Bergen County Surrogate's office. Amazing how some of those high bridges aren't so bad when someone else is driving.

Then Jonathan tackled the heart of New York. Through the dreaded Lincoln Tunnel we went emerging into - Manhattan. Somehow I thought we were going straight to Brooklyn but then I have been geographically challenged this entire trip. We wound through the part of the theater district and ended up on the water. Now I know that Manhattan is an island but I just didn't expect for docks and waterways to appear before me at the end of a street. A left turn and down the length of the city we went. Quick glimpses of the Statue of Liberty and a long slow drive past ground zero. Very sobering especially given the 9th anniversary just this weekend.

Over a bridge and ramps and look - Brooklyn. Again, not what I expected. There are homes and neighborhoods. No tall buildings. People actually have a small community lifestyle within a large city. Any other time I have been to NYC, I never saw this side of living. We came to the Greenwood Cemetery, and came to the Greenwood Cemetery and kept going around the Greenwood Cemetery. Finally the main entrance complete with guard (see photo), kiosk for locating your relative by name or plot number, and printer to provide maps - to the correct section and then within the section. Jonathan, who is NOT directionally challenged, took us to the correct area. Up the hill we climbed and there were Stephen H and Julia Dodge Tukey, my gg grandparents. I think we now have photos of the all the direct line Tukey grave sites from my dad's generation back to the original John Tukey. Yeh!!

From Brooklyn, we crossed the Verrazano Bridge to Staten Island where we found Jonathan's favorite pizza place for lunch. Yum! We are now back in Red Bank in time for laundry, grant writing and preparing dinner (Tom and Carol are both working today). It has been another lovely day on the road. Tomorrow - the state archives in Trenton!