Day3 - Manhattan Bound

What an exhilarating day! So much happened in the lasy 16 hours that it could fill a few pages. Here’s a recap of the adventures:

Early Morning Sandwiches

• Wake-Up Call: I woke up at 5:45 AM, just like every other day on this trip. So much grounf to cover.

• Sandwich Prep: We made sandwiches for the day’s journey, but I forgot to buy yellow cheese! Still, when you’re hungry, anything tastes good.

• Stay Sharp: The knife I bought on my last road trip to Canada was impressively sharp—it sliced through tomatoes effortlessly just by the weight of the blade.

• Hot & Cold: I made Nespresso coffee for the road. With two Yeti cups, made one that was piping hot and the other cold iced coffee. Those 2 mugs kept me fueled for 8 hours of driving!

Capturing the Sunrise

A few hours into the day, the sun began to rise, casting beautiful rays that looked like they were pushing out of the ground. I tried to snap a few pictures, but they didn’t do justice to the breathtaking view. To be fair, I was on the interstate with no place to stop, and had to take photos while the car was self-driving.

Scenic Roads Off the Interstate

Once we got off the interstate, the roads transformed into stunning landscapes filled with greenery and mountains. I explored a few hidden trails as promised, and the first few stops did not disappoint!

Beach Creek Boat Ramp

Our first stop was a small boat ramp overlooking a tranquil lake. In the background, a historic rail bridge stood tall. It was hard to miss the remnants of the recent hurricane; many trees had fallen and were freshly cut to clear the roads. You could see Steel dipping his front paws in the water!

William Jenkins Bridge

Next, we visited the William L. Jenkins Bridge, which spans the Clinch River in Tennessee, connecting Gate City and Clinch Port. I parked Steel at the edge of the bridge and walked about half a mile to take some pictures. To my surprise, I had 17 Mbps internet speeds from the Mini Starlink on Steel's roof rack—hey, Elon, that’s some powerful Wi-Fi router you snuck into that mini dish!

Amis Mill Dam and Waterfall

We then made our way to the Amis Mill Dam, built in 1781. After spending 15 hours on the interstate, seeing a waterfall was incredibly refreshing. I love how much beauty lies just a few miles off the interstate! Unfortunately, a fallen tree blocked our next hidden trail, reminding us of the hurricane's impact.

Interstate 81: Traffic Troubles

As I headed back toward upper New York, I encountered another traffic jam caused by an 18-wheeler accident. This was the second semi-trailer accident I saw in three days—thankfully, it was on the opposite side of the road. Again!

Into Manhattan

My final stop for the night was Manhattan to visit my daughter, Hila. I never expected to take Steel into the city, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see her. After navigating the bustling Holland Tunnel, I can confidently say that crossing into Manhattan is an "experience" like no other. My advice: if you move to Manhattan, lose the wheels!

The Traffic Jam

It took about 10 hours to reach the Holland Tunnel area from my hotel this morning and nearly two hours to actually cross into Manhattan. At one point, I got out of the car to capture the chaos around me—traffic in both directions! All you could see were headlights and brake lights. I thought it would take hours to get through, but it only took 1 hour and 40 minutes for the last 4 miles. :-)

IN FRONT OF ME

BEHIND ME

Family Time in Soho

Hila and her best friend Hannah met me at the KINGS parking garage and helped carry my bags to the Marriott Courtyard in Soho, a great location surrounded by interesting spots. Did I mention parking is $90.00 per night? If you had a two-story home in Manhattan and converted the 3,000 square feet to 30 parking spots, that would net you $2,700 per day or $81K per month! Anyone want to invest in parking garages with me?

Dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi

For dinner, we headed to Blue Ribbon Sushi, our favorite spot. We had a private heated booth, making for a cozy dining experience. One standout dish was the horse mackerel, which we enjoyed immensely. After finishing, they deep-fried the fish’s body and brought it back to us—definitely a unique presentation (sorry, Ronit, you might want to skip this part!).

All the dishes you see below were absolutely amazing. Our favorites were the yellowtail sushi and the jasmine flower tea, which smelled and tasted like flowers.

Dessert at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

After dinner, we sent Hannah home in an Uber and walked to Van Leeuwen Ice Cream for dessert. We shared a double scoop of affogato coffee and peanut butter honeycomb, both of which were fantastic!

I plan to spend all day tomorrow exploring New York City's famous eateries with Hila before heading out to Newfoundland on Monday morning. . Stay tuned for more adventures!

TODAYS RUN....