Service Plazas or Service Centers appear at intervals along toll roads. These centers have large gas stations and a restaurant with them, often a McDonald's although we have seen other eating places too. You never leave the toll road, you just pop off and on like you would at a rest stop on a regular highway.
Plans for moving from Mystic to Jersey City, NJ meant crossing the Hudson River, avoiding tunnels and maneuvering around toll road and freeways. I had a plan and breathed a sigh of relief as we crossed the bridge into New York. Soon we would turn onto the Interstate Palisades Parkway and be on our way to New Jersey. Wrong! The Parkway arrived alright, but it came with a sign "passenger cars only"! I quickly scoured the map for a new route. That exit appeared with the same cars only sign. On the third try we find the Garden State Parkway will take us south. Whew!
Welcome to New Jersey. Concrete and steel, eight lanes of expressways, overpasses, underpasses, industrial warehouses, and an airport surround us. After spending time in the small burgs, we are back in the big city. Then here comes our exit.....and it's closed. Not just closed, but totally torn up under construction with no detour signs at all. Are we having fun or what? With maps, guesswork and prayers we took the last exit before the Holland Tunnel. We wound around exits and on ramps and found the bridge to New Jersey.
From the bridge New York City looms up over the Jersey City skyline. Coming off the bridge, my book had two different directions. Lost in downtown Jersey City, I placed a call to the park and found the entrance a few blocks over. It turns out that the road I was looking for happen to not have a posted street sign.
The Park turns out to be a parking lot surrounded with a 10 foot chain link fence. Site numbers don't exist. You find a hook up set and back in. We looked out at a park and ride lot. To the right a marina with large yachts sits between us and Liberty Park Terminal for tour boats. From some places in the "RV park' the Statue of Liberty is visible. We had to walk to the end of the row to get a peek of her. Considering the poor neighborhood we passed coming in and the bleak look of the park, we felt safe. Besides, this park is the closest one to Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. 
The wind blew briskly the next morning, but the sun shone in the sky as we walked the 6 blocks to the subway station. This was a first experience for me, and of course well documented in photos. 
The subway leaves Jersey and travels under the Hudson River to arrive in Manhattan just blocks from the bus tours. Our guide on this double- decker bus offered minimal history, but lots about food.
We toured downtown, Little Italy, Chinatown, East Village, and all the other neighborhoods on Manhattan. I have lots of photos of the big buildings and important structures.
We disembarked at the World Trade Center. By going up in the Financial Center you can look down on the work being done there now. We also went to a preview center of what the new WTC area should look like when construction is finished.
Vendors set up shop all over the city. Some vendors sell food. Some sell drinks. 
Some sell tee shirts and hats. Some sell jewelry. They seem to be on every block.
From our vantage point in the Financial Center, we looked opposite the WTC at a sea of humanity. The Tunnel to Tower Run terminated at this point. Directly below us a beverage vendor helped quench a thirsty need.
Then a security line moved through the crowd to open a parade route. The bagpipe and drum corps come first in the parade.
The city firemen each solemnly carries a banner of someone who died on 9-11 at WTC. 
Behind the banners several groups of firemen in their dress uniforms march proudly in step carrying our American Flag. The array creates a very emotional response.
As we came through the East Village neighborhood I spotted this pizza delivery man. I saw a couple of bicycle delivery people in this area.
After the parade we clutched our coats against the brisk wind and hopped back on the bus. Soon electronic billboards 4 or 5 stories high flashed at us from each side of the street. Some signs advertise Broadway shows. Other signs change to advertising the wares of a variety of retailers. 
Then straight ahead the famous Times Square building comes into view. The narrow electronic signs and the famous New Year's site seem to draw and hold every one's attention. The air feels as electric as the signs! We disembark to join the throngs of people to experience the moment. Restaurant aromas waft through the air. Buses, cabs and cars add their exhaust odors. Stand still and listen. Conversations in five or six languages swirl around your brain.
Back on the street we watch the signs again. Then BAM....the 20'x12' signs goes to real time and there we are projected from the street up on the big screen for all to see. I took pictures of us in the picture.
It was interesting to see the buildings just like they look on TV shows . I thought the amount of cabs was interesting too. Our bus guide says she keeps a driver's license for ID, but she hasn't driven in 20 years.
I've often wondered how light got into New York City. The answer is only one section is really darkened by the buildings. The city ordinance states that building go up so many floors then they must be set back. The rules apply as the skyscrapers go up. That is why the buildings have this stair step look.
The sky dumped buckets of water while the wind howled and blew all night and into the next day. Unfortunately for us, our Statue of Liberty tickets meant we go rain or no rain. The wind now blows the rain sideways and makes umbrellas useless.However, the temperature doesn't feel cold, just wet. We tie down our rain hoods, pull our coats around us, lean into the wind and walk the four blocks to the boat dock. A little ferry transports us from our side of the marina to the other side. The wind and rain pick up as we walk the couple of blocks to the Liberty Park Terminal.
We arrive at the terminal literally dripping wet. At the terminal we pass through security and board a large tour boat that delivers us to the Statue of Liberty Island.
Derrille checks in and receives directions to access the inside of the statue and begin his ascent to the crown. The 354 steps wind around a circular staircase to the top. The 19 inch wide stairs are to the left in the photo. Head clearance is a low 6'2" in the narrow shaft. Derrille's coat, wallet, phone, etc. anything extra stays behind as he climbs up and back down the confined space. Derrille enjoyed the experience even though the weather diminished the view from the crown.
Security is tight here and every one passes through airport type security stations even to enter the museum. The weather calmed down a bit for us to view the lady from the outside pathway. I found viewing the Statue of Liberty up close to be a moving experience. The information on her construction helped us understand what a marvel she is physically beyond the emotional aspects.
We catch the boat that then takes us to Ellis Island. I was hoping to track my grandparents but couldn't find anything on them. I did register for help when I get the time. The tough part is knowing how they spelled their names at that time. The amount of information and the available research facilities could consume days of time. Because the building is old and musty, I left before the others. Whenever one was done we found the boat to Jersey and headed for home....wet, tired but satisfied with our day.
During our day in New York and on the islands we noticed a large number of ascetic Jewish families. Like the Amish, they are fascinating because of their culture. I just photographed the children.
At night Derrille drove me over the few blocks to view the New York Skyline at night. The Colgate Clock is on the Jersey side of the river. This concluded our visit to Jersey City.Next stop: Mays Landing, NJ
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