RV Vacation: 4th Stop

July 2: We made it to our destination.  Sandy Hook, Fort Hancock, Highlands ... Fort Hancock is part of Sandy Hook which is a 'Hook' right off of Highlands, NJ. (I think?) At any rate - we made it to Bryan's parents house!

Sandy Hook, NJ

Sandy Hook - in relation to it's surroundings.

Sandy Hook is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.  Sandy Hook is also shared with Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST), the Coast Guard, NOAA, and a 'clothing optional' beach.

In 1893, Fort Hancock installed Battery Potter, the nation's first disappearing gun battery. It also was important for the defense of the vital New York Harbor throughout World War II, preventing the entrance of German submarines into the harbor. In the late 1950s Project Nike antiaircaft missiles were based there. Fort Hancock was decommissioned in 1974 (yes, straight off of Wikipedia).

When we got to Sandy Hook, we unhooked the RV and headed with Granny June's to Uncle Walt (June's brother), Aunt Martie and Cousin Rachel's house. We had a lovely dinner on the deck - something we can't bare to do in Georgia's summer heat. Jack spent a great deal of time playing with Rachel. She even made him a 4th of July crown (precious!) and he received a couple of Melissa & Doug puzzles that kept him busy for the remainder of the trip! Top notch hospitality - we thoroughly enjoyed our visit with them.

The next day Bryan and I headed to Jersey City to see John and Kate (cousins on the Neal side). We dropped our bags, headed to lunch in Jersey City and then caught a train into the city. Our first stop was the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design. I specifically requested this stop and hauled the rest of the crew with us. Once we got their, we realized the line to get in was close to 3 blocks long. (whoa.) The guys took off and Kate and I were committed. We stood in line -  (for maybe an hour?) in the rain. The company was great, so I am not complaining. It being a Smithsonian, I assumed it was free. I was wrong. There was a fancy-schamncy jewelry exhibition going on and they were herding guests around like cattle. The jewelry was sparkly and impressive ... but I was on a mission. We dodged out of line, walked against grain, got some looks from security guards. We looked everywhere for the 2D/Graphic Design section and came up with a loss. I grabbed my phone and looked online for more information on the display - to my surprise, every other display was closed. Closed. CLOSED? (Found in the very small print on an interior page) You've got to be kidding me. What a waste of time. Luckily, Kate has a great attitude and we were able to laugh it off once we made a swing through the gift shop.

Cooper Hewitt

We found the guys at a bar and headed out for some more walking. We went to B & H Photo - which was a circus. I love their catalog - I love their website ... I am not so in love with their store. It was HUGE. It had everything you could dream of. But it was just too big for me and lacked that one-on-one customer service relationship - but their customer service is out of this world.

Oddly - I lugged my camera around NYC and took not one picture.