Vacation cont'd....

This may take a month, but I'm bound and determined to get through it...!
So, on Wednesday, Brandon helped Dad with a home improvement project. Lucky guy got to run cable under the house. I even helped some by fetching tools and parts. But, oh my gosh was it HOT!
That night (well early morning), Brandon and I were scheduled to leave by Amtrak for New York City. Of course, the train was running late, so our 3 a.m. departure became a 6 a.m. one. Neither of had ever taken a passenger train, so it was a new experience for both of us. I would probably do it again in the same situation, even though our 10 hour trip turned into over 12. Going by car would have put us more in control, but we would have had to deal with the frustrations of traffic, as well as stopping everytime we needed to stretch our legs. The train gave us the opportunity to catch a few zzz's, watch a movie on the laptop, and walk around when we felt like it.
Anyway, we finally arrived at Penn Station a little after 7 pm. We carried on our personal luggage but checked our bikes. It took about another hour to recover those. Then, in the middle of Penn Station, Brandon and I unpacked the bikes and put them together. Our next task was to ride (with all our belongings on our backs) a couple of miles, in downtown NYC, to our hotel in the East Village. Let's just say it was challenge. I don't think the riding through town was too bad, but add to that 12 hours of traveling, no dinner yet, a new city, and carrying 40 pounds each, it was just a little stressful. But, of course we managed, thanks to Brandon's excellent navigation skills.
Our hotel was a wonderful little bed and coffee, recommended to us by another bike messenger, East Village Bed & Coffee. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a no frills (but, affordable, conveniently located, and very friendly) place to stay. (We stayed in the Children's room.)
To be continued....