Beautiful sun greeted us as we packed out of our Bordentown, NJ motel and made our way into New York state.  We were a little nervous after hearing so much about how New York traffic is worse than D.C.’s.  Suffice it to say, we could not image it.  So, we decided to bypass Manhattan and make a return trip at some future point when we would not have to deal with the car.

I have to admit that because I wasn’t driving, it was exciting as we came close to the city.  We could see the skyline as we drove across Staten Island and made our way into Queens and further across Long Island.  I became a frantic tourist and began taking shots out the car window!  I was able to get a passable shot of Lady Liberty among the traffic and a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge before we went on into Queens.

There we found the grave site of my favorite actor, and then made a wrong turn and found a lovely Italian cafe for a late lunch / early dinner.  Well, we couldn’t visit New York without having pizza!

In Oyster Bay on Long Island, we found beautiful countryside and amazing homes and landscapes.  We visited the home of Teddy Roosevelt at Sagamore Hill; enjoyed the museum; and walked among the budding trees and spring foliage on the grounds.  Then we found the grave site of my 10th great grandfather who was buried near Oyster Bay in 1672.  It’s a beautiful spot and it was a beautiful afternoon.

We didn’t travel far in miles, but we traveled a great distance in recovering history and connecting with the past.  The entire day was grace!