day 1 - jamaica, ny to hershey, pa

So Roy's post earlier was essentially just to reassure people that we are alive despite the rain plaguing the Eastern seaboard. This is a fuller version of yesterday. As of today, we are currently in a hotel in Holmes County, Ohio, AKA Amish Country. We spent the day driving through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, stopping in Pittsburgh for lunch. More on that tomorrow (assuming we find free wi-fi - we only have this til 11pm).

Our trip started off on a blustery morning in New York. We experienced some residual rush hour traffic, as our Google Maps-approved route unwisely took us straight into Manhattan.

As soon as we hit New Jersey, however, all became well and the clouds parted, turning into something like this.


Our first trip was into Philadelphia, home of the Philly Cheesesteak. With only one meal to spare for this delicious, heart attack-inducing creation, we headed straight to what Yelp claims is the best cheesesteak in town: John's Roast Pork. Built originally to serve industrial workers, the restaurant is essentially a tiny roadside shack with about five red plastic tables outside.



The cheesesteak? Amazing. I look like a fatty. So does Roy's post-cheesesteak stomach.

Next stop, the Liberty Bell, because Roy had never seen it before. Although the iPhone's map app is a godsend for trips like these, as with all automated systems, it can occasionally lead us astray. Our first search for "Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania" led us to a Burger King in a mall in a town called Liberty Bell 25 miles south of Philly...fail.

Eventually, we found the real Liberty Bell in a historic section of downtown Philly, which is lovely and features some colonial architecture, horse-drawn carriages, and many statues.

The bell still draws many visitors. On the day we visited, two monks were there too. Fun Fact: the Liberty Bell was only known by that name after abolitionists adopted it as a symbol of emancipation. Before, it was simply the state house bell of Pennsylvania.



Finally, we made it to Hershey, PA where we headed to Highmeadow Campground to spend the night. It was already close to 5 or 6pm when we got there, so we decided to relax on the grounds instead of head to Hershey Park itself. We set up our tent, which was pretty luxurious:

Then, we cooked dinner: mushroom burgers off the grill, and then a beef-potato-carrot-mushroom thing cooked in foil on charcoals. For dessert, S'mores and a roasted apple.