Day 20, Guilford, CT – Jersey City, NJ

WHAT A DAY. It was one of those days where Tyler was nearly fed to the tigers (Carol Baskins just might have been on to something)! We started our morning casually, but early. Not in a rush, but knowing we would need to somewhat follow a plan to ensure we arrived at our next campsite before Tyler’s meetings for the day.

We packed up our site, loaded up the gang and we were off to ENJOY two days in New York City. Our campsite is actually located in Jersey City, NJ, but is the closest campsite to the Big Apple and has relatively quick access to downtown NYC. Tyler was a skeptic. He did not want to venture to the city without first making sure we would have a solid game plan on how to get there and how to get around while we were there while he could maintain working.

Once we were on the road, things went rather smoothly. The directions were easy, but traffic had picked up. This immediately left Tyler on edge. While he may not physically be driving, he is full-on driving mentally from the passenger seat. If gold stars were given for world’s best back seat driver, Tyler wins! I remind him often that I have traveled more than 4,500 miles on my own and am very capable, but he is unable to shut it off.

Things started to go south as we got closer to NYC. There were signs on our route stating we could not proceed with trucks, trailers, or commercial vehicles. We originally avoided the signs, but by the time we passed the 3rd one I became concerned. Fortunately, a nice gentlemen came up beside us and signaled us not to proceed. We followed him off of the exit where he informed us the police would cite us huge if we used that route. We used the stop as an opportunity to go to the restroom and fuel up and while I was inside the service station, I asked for the best way to proceed.

I left with directions that would get us back on track and we followed those closely until another sign stating we could not continue with a trailer. We took the off ramp as we thought we were directed and ended up with our travel trailer in DOWNTOWN NEW YORK CITY. If ya’ll thought Tyler was a mess before, this man was coming apart at the seams. I am quite sure his blood pressure was just short of a heart attack and it wasn’t getting any better.

In New York City, drivers make their own rules even if that means stopping/parking right in the middle of the road. There were several streets we turned onto where this was the case and our already tight fit became impossible. Tyler got out once to ask if someone could move the car as other impatient drivers honked and yelled expletives at us. The guy in the stopped car asked Tyler if he had a problem…we are just thankful to have made it out alive!

We finally made it out of the grunt of the small streets and when we thought we were in the clear, were directed onto a parkway…another roadway restricting trailers. With worries of a tunnel ahead, we pulled over in the next emergency pull out. While there, we attempted to Google any way we could get ourselves out of this mess. Tyler’s meeting was nearing and we weren’t getting any closer to a resolution. After trying numerous times to get non-emergency on the line, I resorted to calling the RV park we were staying at in hopes they would provide better information.

Still no luck, so Tyler hopped in the trailer and took his meeting while I downloaded an app for RV friendly directions. We sat for hours in the emergency pull out while numerous NYPD officers passed us. At this point, we were hoping they would pull us over to no avail. Tyler’s meeting ended and we gathered ourselves and proceeded forward to the next exit where we could get turned around and head back towards a trailer friendly bridge. When I say trailer friendly, that’s a very loose term. THERE IS NOTHING FRIENDLY ABOUT DRIVING A TRAILER IN NYC.

Nearly an hour later, we made it to our campsite for the night. We are staying at Liberty Harbor RV Park in Jersey City, NJ. The site offers full restrooms, laundry, and hookups. Supposedly, there is a view of the NYC skyline, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. Based on our mental state after arriving however, we did not take the time to explore the truth in that.

It was now time to do what we came to do, see New York City! We took the Path train to the World Trade Center then aimlessly wandered for a few hours. We saw the 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, the Charging Bull, and the Fearless Girl Statue. There was so much to see, but many of the sites and stores were closed.

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I last came to New York City with my mom in 2002. I vaguely remember the trip as I was fully submerged in a modeling conference and much of my time was spent competing. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria and walked everywhere. My memories are vague but fond. I remember traffic and taxis everywhere. I remember taxis would nearly run you over if you were in their way. I remember walking for an eternity to find the perfect souvenirs to bring home and I remember the street vendors that served cheap hot dogs.

Today, the traffic in Lower Manhattan was scarce. Many of the streets were blocked off and all of the major sites and parks had fencing around them. Businesses were closed and some boarded up. Everyone was wearing masks. It was such a different experience, but we did find a street cart and we were able to enjoy a hot dog.

It became clear that we were losing daylight and were exhausted from the long day of navigating through the chaos. We decided to head back to our campsite to settle in for the night and start back out early tomorrow morning.

We plan to stay here for two nights. Tomorrow we (or maybe it’s just me) hope to see Central Park, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. Tyler is not on board at this point, but I hope to sway him. Then we will get the heck out of here come Friday! Tyler is counting down the seconds and has already revised his plans to see Washington D.C. and Philly. We shall see how this plays out!

So, Tyler lives another day…How? I am not even sure. Please send us all of your positive vibes and I hope to update you tomorrow with all good things!