Hopewell Junction, New York
Nearly two months into our trip, it was great to arrive in Hopewell Junction, New York to see my grandparents and family. Mom was able to schedule a visit at the same time, which was great. From DC, we took the most direct route possible into New York - the lovely New Jersey Turnpike. We skirted around the gritty industrial city of Baltimore, just missed Philadelphia, which were considering visiting but changed our minds to save time, and traveled on the NJT until we were able to avoid NY city traffic by getting on the Garden state parkway followed by the 287 to the 87. We stopped for a night near the 287/87 junction in a town called Airmont. The town seemed lik
e any other town within the reaches of NY city: lowslung strip malls built in the late 80s with family-owned Italian pizza and sub takeouts, chinese restaurants, donut shops. But we also noticed a majority hasidic Jewish population. Kosher delis and synagogues stood next to drycleaners owned by Koreans and gas stations run by East Asians. School buses were driven by men with black top hats, single ringlets of hair tucked behind each ear. We decided this area merited a Walmart sleepover. By the time we parked the RV, we were no longer within walking distance of any Jewish specialty eating spots, so we settled for some disappointing pasta instead.The next day we awoke early and drove a short distance to Sylvan Lake Beach Campground on the east side of the Hudson River and 10 miles or so from my grandparents house in Wappingers Falls. Mom met us there after we arrived, and strangely, this lake was where she and her brother and sisters
used to go for afternoons when they were kids. The sleepy park hadn't changed at all, she noticed. The lake was nice, situated just downhill from our site. The thick grass was a vibrant green, the smell of the moss on the rocky ground reminded me of the smell of my grandparent's house; a smell that always reminds me of summers spent in NY as a child.We spent the week visiting my grandparents, playing Password, eating takeout. It was a great week, and on Saturday, Shaune and I took the one and a half hour train ride into NY city for the day. Although we weren't planning on seeing a show, we ended up buying some half-priced ticked for a matinee showing of A
venue Q (a modern, cynical adult take on Sesame Street). It was fantastic, as usual, and Shaune's first Broadway show. We walked all the way from Times Square to Chinatown to the New York Noodle House (there are hundreds sharing this name, no doubt) on the corner of Bowery and Pell. At last, we had again the incredible salted shrimp, cooked with a layer of salt, delicious juice spilling out from the middle. They truly are remarkable. Also, we happened to be in the city on the first Saturday of five when they closed 4th and 5th avenues to traffic. There were hordes of cyclists and pedestrians enjoying the car-free areas. It was a bit strange, by habit, you still looked out for reckless cabs and stray motorcyclists. As always, the city was incredibly exciting, and made us both want to move there once again.
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