Posted in: Exploring New York, Sightseeing

New York City: Ferry Ride

While we were in Pennsylvania, Ben really wanted to show the kids New York City. The city had just recently opened back up from COVID travel restrictions. We were worried about traffic and parking in NYC, so we parked in New Jersey and took the ferry over. We woke up about 4:30 am for the almost 2 hour drive to the ferry station. We wanted to get on one of the first ferries and make the most of our day in New York.

We bought our ferry tickets online and had our route all planned out. (It was as $104 for all of us. It was $52 each way.) We were boarding at Port Imperial (NJ) and debarking at Pier 11/Wall Street (NY) to see the Statue of Liberty and Battery Park.

The ferry station had a screen showing what slip each stop’s ferry would be in. However, after not seeing the boat move or anyone going to our slip, I asked one of employees and discovered that Pier 11 was not running due to COVID. We took the ferry to the next closest stop to Brookfield Place. The ferry was pretty empty, as it was 7:30 am.

You have to be at the ferry slip on time, probably a little early to catch the ferry. They move fast! They dock, unload, reload, and they are off again. There is no waiting around.

The ferry was a little bouncy going through the river, but the boys managed to fall asleep on the half hour ride.

There is an app to buy and show your tickets, or you can buy at the ferry terminals. However, as we discovered, the app was not updated with locations being closed due to COVID.

Posted in: Campground Review, Exploring New Jersey, Sightseeing

Lake & Shore RV Resort, Ocean View, New Jersey Campground Review

For our stay in New Jersey, we stayed at Lake & Shore RV Resort. The campground was located close to an Acme (Safeway family) grocery store. It was pretty conveniently located: about 1.15 hours from Philadelphia, PA (with toll roads), 40 minutes to Atlantic City, NJ (with toll roads), and 30 minutes (depending on beach) to the Jersey Shore, but otherwise not a lot in the area.

The pool area looked neat, but was closed while we were there. They were cleaning it and getting it ready for summer. The arcade was also closed (COVID reasons). The laundry room, store (limited hours), beach, and putt putt were open. The campground also had a nice walking trail around the lake with a fishing pier off of it.

It seemed like the campground was mostly permanent sites/homes. Everything was well maintained though. The map of the campground was ok, but did not have a lot of details on it (what was open/closed, when store was open, etc.).

Click To Enlarge: Lake & Shore Thousand Trails, Ocean View, NJ

The laundry room had quarter run machines, although there were no change machines at the campground. Washers were $2.50 (or $2.75 for super wash) per load and dryers were also $2.50. I did have one washer break down in the middle of the cycle and had to fill out a form online to get my money back. Supposedly a check is in the mail from the maintenance company (not the campground).

The bathrooms looked nice and clean, although we did not use them.

Lanes were marked with street names at either end on white poles and sites were marked at the electric boxes. It was dark at night, as there were not a lot of lights, which would make it challenging to situated after dark. The campground was typical Thousand Trails when it came to sites: first come/first serve, find your own site and then let them know. I really wish that they would just tell you which ones are open since everyone is supposed to tell them their site number once they choose one. Sites were a little shaded as there were many trees in the campground. Sites also seemed like a decent size, which we have found to be a rarity in Thousand Trails. If you have a site in the front row near the lake, you can see the lake from your picnic table. The campground was gated and you received a key card after checking in to scan at the gate to get back in.

SUMMARY OF CAMPGROUND:

Our rating: 3 out of 5 hitches

Cell Phone Reception: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

Laundry: Yes

Bathrooms/Showers: Yes

RV Sites: Back-in (grass)

Pop Up Tents/Gazebos/Outdoor Rugs On-Site: Yes

Amenities: picnic table/fire pit at sites, playground, beach/lake, putt putt, basketball court, walking trail, shuffleboard, pool, arcade (closed), shelter with picnic tables

Cabins: Yes

Tent Camping: Yes

Full Hook-ups: Yes

            Amps: 20/30/50

Pool: Yes (closed for season while we were there)

Food On-Site: No

Camp Store: Yes (limited hours)

WiFi: No free WiFi, only paid-for WiFi

Accepts Mail: No (“Emergency” situation only)

Fishing: Yes

Posted in: Exploring New Jersey, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Atlantic City, New Jersey

After being set up in the new campground, we decided to take a short trip into Atlantic City. Ben had been there years ago, but the boys and I had never been.

We found some pretty close parking near the boardwalk. Ben informed us that Monopoly was based on Atlantic City (history of Monopoly Wiki link), which I didn’t know! We found Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana signs along the boardwalk.

The ride area was really crowded, so we didn’t go in.

The boardwalk had a motorized train type of car that would drive you down the boardwalk for a fee. There were also hand-pushed carts that you could ride in. The beach looked pretty wide, so I’m sure it gets really busy when it is warmer out!

Although New Jersey was supposed to be one of the tougher states on COVID restrictions, we didn’t see very many people wearing masks on the boardwalk. We kept ours on the whole time, and I didn’t feel comfortable eating there with the lax mask wearing (even with food employees) so we were there less than an hour. It felt a little like Myrtle Beach; a little rough, a little sketchy. There was a smell around parts of the boardwalk that was not pleasant. I guess they get a lot of tourists in for gambling and the large beach. It was good to see it and cross if off our list, but I would not want to go back.

VIDEO: Walking Down Atlantic City Boardwalk

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Click To Enlarge: Lake & Shore Thousand Trails, Ocean View, NJ