Suzanna and Gary Travel to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York

Fly into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stay at Max & Debbie's beautiful house in New Jersey.  Busy visiting and touring:

   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Click here for Philly pix

        Saw the Liberty Bell. Did a bus tour. Ate Carmen's Philly Cheese Steak in the Reading Market.  Hour drive back to Max's house in NJ.  What a day!

   Amish Pennsylvania -  Click here for Intercourse (PA) pix

        Shopping. Super lunch buffet at Millers, fun Buggy ride. Hour+ drive back to Max's house in NJ.  Another super fantabulous day!

   THE REASON for our visit: Birthdays! - Click here for Birthday pix

  Six Flags, New Jersey - Click here for 6 Flags, NJ pix

   No rain until AFTER I rode The Second fastest roller coaster in the World, the Highest in the World, and the Highest Drop in the World!
   at Six Flags (eight miles from Max's house!)   Thrilling scream-your-head-off ride on THE Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro.  Gary and Max went outlet store shopping.

 New York, New York! - Click here for NY pix

   What a wonderful town (to visit)!                       Resources: NewYorkExplorer.com     circleline42.com

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THE REASON for our visit: Birthdays!

The Brothers celebrate another year of brotherhood.

Gary ("The Garo") recounts the virtues of living one more year of life

Not to be outdone, Max contributes his wise experience to one-year older discussion

     as the cake illuminates the celebratory scene!

This "getting one year older" occurrence really blows!

Thanks Debbie for organizing a wonderful gathering!

Gary, Max, Billy, Jill, Frank, Wendy, Debbie, Suzanna (took the pix!)

Six Flags, New Jersey

Rain was coming, but I can't miss this opportunity:  I LOVE roller coasters!  Max graciously drove me 8 miles up the road and dropped me off at SIX FLAGS!     Gary and Max went outlet store shopping.

      At 6 Flags NJ, I rode THE Kingda Ka!  I have also ridden the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, Ohio.

       Now I've been on the FIRST and SECONd Highest, AND Highest DROP,

          AND the 2nd and 3rd FASTEST roller coasters IN THE WORLD!!!!

  Today I rode Super fun thrilling scream-your-head-off rides on THE Kingda Ka and Zumanjaro.  That's a VACATION!

This data is from the Roller Coaster database:  https://rcdb.com/     Record Holders

Rank Speed    Roller Coaster Amusement Park (Location)                                 Opened
1st  149 mph  Formula Rossa Ferrari World Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) 11/4/2010
2nd  128 mph  Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey, USA)          5/21/2005
3rd  120 mph  Top Thrill Dragster Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio, USA)                   5/4/2003

Rank Height
1st  456 ft   Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey, USA)          5/21/2005
2nd  420 ft   Top Thrill Dragster Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio, USA)                   5/4/2003

Rank Drop
1st  418 ft   Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, New Jersey, USA)          5/21/2005
2nd  400 ft   Top Thrill Dragster Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio, USA)                   5/4/2003

Click here for more of "Suzanna does roller coasters"

Sign: "This is a natural occurrence." becuase it is a natural occurrence for large people to ride,

and you don't go over the hump, when you're already over the hill...

Kingda Ka - The tallest coaster in the world and fastest roller coaster in North America.

You leave the station going from 0 to 128 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds.

Then it’s 90° straight up, to an upside-down U-shaped track 456 feet (45 stories) in the sky.

Then you plummet right back down in a 270-degree spiral that is not recommended for wimps.
It ends with a 129-foot camel hump.

 
No loose articles are permitted on Kingda Ka. Someone saw me take this photo (below) with my cell phone, and I was yanked out of line.

 I had to put my cell phone in a locker, then get back in line.

Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom

The Six Flags web site claims this is the "tallest and fastest drop ride in the world"
You are lifted 415 feet in the air, and dropped down at 90 miles per hour (in less than 10 seonds).

Suzanna's assessment:  This was by far, so much better than any drop coaster that I have ever ridden!

Very thrilling, but at same time the best transition from fast drop to stop - almost "comfortable".

Engineers knew what they were doing when they designed this one!

I love this ride - Lifted from your seat!

Click here for more roller coaster thrills on my web site.

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New York, New York

Leave New Jersey, drive through the Lincoln Tunnel and we're in New York!

First stop to drop off Billy and Jill at the cruise port.

Check into The Manhatten Club, 200 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019.

Walk 3 blocks North to Central Park.

So we're walking out of Central Park, and here is this statue of Simon Bolivar!!

I can't count the number of Simon Bolivar statues that I've seen throughout my travels.

xx	I grew up with this statue of Simon Bolivar in our living room, and this 7-foot wide oil painting of his homestead.   xxx

    
I found this web site: http://www.culturaltravelguide.com/simon-bolivar-liberator-statues

Why are there so many statues of Simon Bolivar?      by Carolina Ayerbe

I heard it said a couple of times before that Simon Bolivar (pronounced SEE-mohn boh-LEE-vahr) is the historical character with more statues in the world.

He was a military and political leader, born in Venezuela at the end of the 18th century.  

Above, Gary, Debbie, Max walkingto destination Times Square.  Also above: watch out where that defication ends up!

You can take a Pedicab/ Rickshaw for $3- $5 a mnute.

Below:  Rent a bike (blue bicycles in front of Plaza hotel)

To Times square 

       Dad's picture in 1962
            




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Suzanna in 2017 xx

Suzanna in 1979 xx

Debbie and Suzanna wander away from the boys, and Suzanna gets into a little trouble!

There's no room in those tighty whities for a tip, so there is a hole in the guitar where you insert the $ money $.

The bunny billboard in the backround says it all !  Whaaat!   Oh my!

 

 

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Rockefeller!  1961-1965 my father worked for the Rockefeller Foundation. 

We lived in Bogota, Colombia where he ran the Colombian Agricultural Program 

 

My picture in 2017

Dad's picture in 1962

 

 

 

Current 2017

Dad's picture in 1962 Dirty building!

Next time in NY, go tot Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockeferrer Center, 50th Stree beteeen 5th and 6th. topoftherocknyc.com

 

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One World Trade Center.

1243 feet high. the tallest building inthe Western hemispere. 6th tallest inthe world.  Boat guide said it was 1776 feet tall.

54 million cubic feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The names, and more names x xx

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To the TOP:  One World Observation - See Forever

https://oneworldobservatory.com/

Elevator to 102 floor in 60 seconds.  

 

 

Max is a great tour guide!

 

The Financial district on Manhattan and Battery Park (so called from the battery of cannons)

 

The tip end of the Financial district on Manhattan and the grand lady Statue of Liberty. 

 

 

Statue of Liberty and Ellis island. 

From 1892 to 1954, 16 million emigrated from their country to become immigrants in our country.

 Ellis island was refurbished and opened the day before the devastating tropical storm Sandy.

 

Looking out in all directions

 

 

 

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Looking DOWN. You can see the square footprints of the two World Trade Center buildings

 

Circle Line Sightseeing 

Sailing from Pier 83, West 42 St and 12 Ave, NYC. www.CircleLine42.com

$42 for 1.5 hour ride AROUND Manhattan, under 21 bridges!

 

 

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Suzanna returns to the Statue of Liberty.  In 1965 my family was living in Bogota, Colombia and we were moving to Santiago, Chile.  We had "shore leave" so we came back to the USA to visit family.  The ship stopped in New York and we went to the New York Worlds Fair on June 29,1965. 

1965 My sis, me, and my brother and Mom.	2017 I'm Baaaaack!  Over 50 years later!

1965 - - Few trees, and a crane.

2017 - Taller trees, and a craneI

 

 

In 1965 we climbed up to Statue of Liberty!
An Adult ticket was 80 cents, and children under 12 were 40 cents.
Elevator was 10 cents, so we climbed up the steps:  10 stories to the top of the pedestal.
Then we did the 12-story spiral stairway from the top of pedestal to the head of the Statue!

Ellis island was refurbished and opened the day before the devastating tropical storm Sandy.

We went under 20 bridges

 

 

 

After the cruise tour, walked to a really, really good mexican restaurant.

Walk back to Manhattan Club on 56th.

Max and Debbie drove us back to New Jersey.

Whew!  What a trip! The next day, Debbie drove us to the Philly airport.

But I'm afraid we wore out our super, fabulous hosts. Praying for Debbie to start feeling on top of the world again soon!

 

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