In downtown Philadelphia, there is a Macy's Department Store. They have the world's largest pipe organ. There is a concert everyday at 5 pm so we went to the second story and did this video. Stephen was in awe. After the concert we met the master organist and Stephen admired the keyboard.

Niagara Falls was sooo cool! We all had on our "one size fits all" ya mean most, ponchos. There was a whole lot of Indians (people from India) on our "cruise line". They are use to small spaces so I was feeling a little claustraphobic with them all right there by me and their ponchos flapping in my face. So I helped so on the Indian men lasso up their ponchos by tying a side not. Then it gave me a flash back to the 80's with the side not and side pony tail.

So the "maid of the mist" boat ride was great. We only had 1 1/2 hours to spend at Niagara Falls and this was the way to do it, right in the middle of the mist.
This is the top loft area in Joseph Smith's home at Palmyra, New York.
The Sacred Grove by Joseph Smith's house. It was around 7 pm and we had the grove all to ourselves. It was so quiet and beautiful. The sun was setting and the sweet birds were singing. Great memories!
This is the top of Hill Cumorah. This is the tallest hill in the area so you can see all the way to Rochester, which is 30 minutes away, on a clear night.

Here is Jacob at his gymnastics meet.

New York

Here is the skyline of New York City from across harbor on the ferry. We got on the ferry on the New Jersey side and went to Ellis Island and then Liberty Island to see "the Lady". We broke the rules and rode the ferry to New York instead of back to New Jersey. All was well until we were talking to a guy on the subway around 3pm. We mentioned that our car was parked on the New Jersey side and he was very concerned. He told is to take the subway straight to the car and move it or we would be in danger. Well, of course to hear a New Yorker say to an Idahoan that you were going to be in danger was a huge concern.

So we talked to a police officer in the subway station and he said that we should be safe and to not worry. Well, worry is Tonya's middle name so I needed to get another police officers opinion. The next officer thought we should be safe but gave us direction back to New Jersey when we returned to our car.

We wanted to understand how to get back to our car and what subway to take and all that so I could enjoy the rest of our quick 7 hours in New York. Well, we tried to ask another police man in the subway but he needed to arrest a guy so we let him.

Needless to say at 8pm we were ready to head back to our car. So we took the subway west to New Jersey. We were chatting is up with the other subway riders and getting advice as to which train to ride next. Everyone is New York was VERY nice. I was pleasantly surprised. I had been warned ahead of time to not look anyone in the eyes and keep looking down. Well, I just have a hard time doing that and not looking and smiling to everyone.

We asked over 30 people direction, no kidding, and everyone was helpful. No one said I'm too busy, or I'm not going to help, I was very impressed. Okay, back to the finding our rental car story. So we were chatting it up on the subway and it came to a halt. The subway worker got on the intercom and said we have a problem but will be up and running in a few minutes. Well, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes goes by. The guy by us starting cursing like you would not believe. I got a little worried when he started saying to his buddy, who had a shirt on that said, don't date a slut, that there was going to be a fight. But it was cool! So we finally get off the subway and it is dark. So we have to figure out how to buy a ticket for the train and which train to get one. Again, everyone helpful and we made it back to the Statute of Liberty park. I asked a business guy how we get to the parking lot where our car is and he said "I don't know but if you get lost here is my cell phone number". We ask another police offer how to find our car and he points to the east and says walk that way for a mile. I ask if it is safe and he said yes if you go east, but don't go west. So we walk through a dimly lit park through New Jersey, at 9 pm totally dark, with me constantly sweeping the sidewalk in all directions. OH, I had to go to the bathroom sooooo bad but we made it too our cute convertible and all was well!
This sculpture was in the World Trade Center and was salvaged to put in Battery Park where you get off the ferry.
Times Square, wow!
Grand Central Station was so cool. There are constellations painted on the ceiling and people going everywhere to catch the subway. We were here at 5:30 pm so in the middle of rush hour.

Stop Same-Sex Marriage

Please go here to sign:

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?u=7631&PID=16584688

+ + Less than 21 days to homosexual marriages

Newsom is predicting (to the delight of radical homosexual
activists) that because of California’s size and influence,
the rest of the country will follow...

"As goes California, so goes the rest of the nation. It's
inevitable. This door is wide open now. It's going to
happen, whether you like it or not. This is the future and it's
now. Courts across this country were waking up."

+ + Emergency petition needs your help

Newsom's comments should serve as a wake-up call
for every concerned citizen who stands for traditional marriage.

I'm concerned that Newsom will be right unless we take every
possible action to reverse this outrageous act of judicial tyranny.
We simply cannot allow four judges in California to destroy
traditional marriage in our country!

That's why I am asking you to sign our Emergency Petition
to Gov. Schwarzenegger supporting Liberty Counsel's
official motion to suspend this ruling.

The famous Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. It travelled through Idaho in 1904. Cool!Do you recognize this face?
She was beautiful. We took the ferry out to visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island.
This is Betsy Ross' house.

Gettysburg

These pictures were taken inside the new museum at Gettysburg. We enjoyed reading about the Civil War and taking the auto tour to drive around and understand the battles that took place here.
One of the cannons used in the Battle of Gettysburg.
Pres. Lincoln famous Gettysburg speed only last two minutes. The audience was very quiet after his remarks and Pres. Lincoln was left wondering if it was meaningful. The previous speaker, the Governor of Pennsylvania, spoke over 2 hours.... can you imagine! Of course, history would show that the Gettysburg speech is one of the most memorized speeches of all times. It takes you make for junior high! Four scores and seven years ago our fathers...
The Battlefield at Gettysburg with the sun setting.