There was no way we wanted to drive Vanda into Manhattan or Brooklyn, where our youngest son Kyle lives, so … what to do? We wanted to visit him on our journey north and we’re always up for a big city adventure, so the challenge was how to make that happen while living the vanlife? As John was planning this trip, he found a “campground” in New Jersey, meant for RVs and camper vans, close to the subway and with 24-hour security. Having power and water on site was a bonus. Against our better judgement, he made the reservation, knowing full well that it would be lacking in appeal.
It was fairly awful. Basically, our space for Vanda was in a large parking lot with stripes to indicate “campsites”. We were the smallest vehicle, although there were 3 other next-size-up Promaster vans parked as well, with all of the remaining vehicles being huge RVs complete with their trucks, jeeps, or cars for towing, laden with bicycles, dog fencing, TVs, and even one golf cart! Sheesh!
It helped that we were outta’ there for the entire day, returning after sunset to shower off the day’s sweat and grime from hot summer NYC days. We spent two nights there, slept very well after 10+ city miles of walking, and enjoyed our first cup of coffee of the day as we are so used to awakening at ~ 5 AM. Might as well have coffee to get the day started when you’re up that early, yes?
There was also a small area set aside for tent camping. It was covered with astroturf grass, with chalked lines to indicate room for 6 tents. We got a real laugh over that when we first arrived, as it seemed so pathetic that we could just not imagine “camping” there. Sure enough, when we got back last eve, a tent had been set up in that space! Better them than me…
Was it worth it? Absolutely! Seeing Kyle was a delight, the subway system was efficient and easy to navigate, John took a zillion mural photos and street life candids, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we walked the exquisite High Line and all over Central Park, Times Square, and Grand Central Station. And trust me, we ate two really fine dinners as well as French pastries for breakfast and ice cream for lunch!
