My family went back east for two weeks and it was pretty much our greatest vacation thus far. It was the PERFECT trip. Perfect weather, no major complications, and even minimal bickering (somehow). I wanted to share some photos with you!
So without further adieu:
Away we go! (we flew from SLC into Rochester, NY)
FIRST STOP: PALMYRA, NY
Visiting the Joseph Smith Farm and Sacred Grove
Visiting Hill Cumorah
Visiting the building where the Book of Mormon was first published
Peter Whitmer Farm (where the Church was organized)
Baptisms in the Palmyra, NY temple
NEXT STOP: SYRACUSE, NY
We really just stayed in Syracuse for a night on our way to NYC, but we did visit this fun little place there called 5 Wits and did this fun little espionage-spy-simulator-game-thingy… :)
NEW YORK CITY
1. View of Times Square from our hotel room 4. Eating at Planet Hollywood
2 & 3 are photos of St. Patrick's Cathedral
Lego World
M&M World and the American Girl Place
Nintendo World
Officially the coolest Apple store ever.
FAO Schwarz
We saw the Lion King as a family (so good) and my brother and I also saw Phantom.
Diner where the staff sings as you're eating
Statue of Liberty & accompanying museum (I'm obsessed with that mirror pic of Kelsey and Isaac with the Statue of Liberty hats)
1 & 2: street fair
Ground Zero
1. Central Park 2. Site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911 (Kelsey made it to Nationals History Fair with her project on it earlier in June) 3 & 4. Rad pigeon man
1. I'm also obsessed with this picture Kelsey took 2. Manhattan temple
HOBOKEN, NJ
If you aren't familiar with the show "Cake Boss," it's based on this bakery.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
1. Ben Franklin glasses 2&3: Liberty Bell
Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed.
See the resemblance? That's the original chair Washington sat in!
GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
1. Amish country we drove through on the way
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1. D.C. temple 2-4: U.S. Capitol & tour
1. National Archives 3. Supreme Court building
(That's the White House in the background of 1 & 2)
1 & 2: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 4. Challenger astronauts' memorial
2 & 3: WWII memorial
2 & 4: WWII memorial 3: Vietnam memorial
#3 is the Hope Diamond
1. New Deal cane 2. HARRY POTTER WORE THIS 3. Golden Spike (I was starstruck!!) 4. GEORGE WASHINGTON WORE THIS
1. Nauvoo Sunstone 2. Dorothy's ruby slippers 3. An iPod is actually in a museum.
Air & Space museum
(we also went to the Holocaust museum which was AMAZING but no photos aloud!) :(
NEXT UP: YORKTOWN, VA
We were in Yorktown on the 4th of July, so we got to watch the fireworks there over the river! So fun!
1. We watched the fireworks with some friends from my dad's mission (he was a missionary in Virginia). 4. Visiting another woman my dad knew on his mission
WILLIAMSBURG, VA
Colonial Williamsburg is the CUTEST little place, and they designed it perfectly so it feels just like you stepped back in time. (Williamsburg is generally considered the birthplace of the Revolution)
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
Aaaand.. home bound! We flew out of Norfolk, VA. Look at the luggage in our car, guys. That's an art.
Yay for fabulous vacations! I miss it so much! Alright, I missed a lot of photos and a lot of these are a little jumbled, but I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS POST FOR FOUR HOURS (it doesn't help that our internet has been incredibly crappy lately so I have to keep reconnecting to our Wi-Fi).
So anyways, I'm going to quit and go eat dinner now!
Until next time,
Haley.
