In June we flew to New York City, where we spent a week of sightseeing. The highlight of the trip was going to see Hamilton on Broadway.

On the morning we went to see the Statue of Liberty a storm rolled through. It was raining very hard so we stayed on the boat until it stopped at Ellis Island. I found three "Trotters" that may be some of my Irish relatives, printed on the wall there.

The views from the top of the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock were amazing. The lights of New York sparkled as far as the eye could see.

Visiting the 911 Memorial was a somber experience. The museum is built under the site where the World Trade Center stood. We could see some of the original walls, the bent and twisted beams, and one of the fire engines that responded when the buildings collapsed.

The Vessel at Hudson Yards is a very interesting piece of art. The coppery exterior reflects the people walking around. We climbed up the various levels and had a nice view of the Hudson River at the top. The Shed, an art space, near the Vessel is a unique building. It is built on rollers which abut a skyscraper.

We were surprised to find the Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park. It was named for George Hervey Hallett, Jr, a civic leader in New York City. (A distant relative, perhaps?) Central Park is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

We enjoyed the diverse selection of food in New York City. The corn beef on rye sandwiches at Ben's Kosher Deli were so tasty. The Gyro plate at the Greek Kitchen, near Central Park, was so good. We also sampled some Middle Eastern Food at one of the Halal Brothers food trucks. We had pizza at Lombardi's, which is one of the oldest restaurants in NYC. We loved the pizza at Artichoke Pizza in Brooklyn.

Speaking of Brooklyn, we had fun taking the subway to the old town to see the Bushwick Collective. The graffiti paintings on the walls of all the buildings was quite amazing. We also walked from Brooklyn across the bridge back into NYC. The sun was just setting as we walked into the city.

At the end of our time in NYC, we took the train to Boston and rented a car to drive to Kensington, New Hampshire. We visited our grandson and his family there. On our way back home via Boston, we stopped in Newportbury, Massachusetts. It is a small, scenic and historic city on the coast.