RV nearly there yet? – Road Trip from New York to Philadelphia via Princeton

Firstly, it has become very clear that I had no idea how hard it would be to find time to do these blogs. But I'm doing my best and hopefully will try to make these shorter and more frequent (which is how you like it, right ladies?). Anyway, since the last post we've picked up the RV and driven a couple hundred miles south towards Philadelphia, but not before checking out NYC, and enjoying several places in between.

Following us picking up the RV, we drove and parked in the Liberty Harbour RV park, which was just a slab of concrete in Jersey City, but in the best location we could've found to park. It actually overlooked the Statue of Liberty itself. We got there mid-afternoon, had a nap, then when straight out to find a bar to get something to eat and have a pint. We ended up that night heading into Manhattan on the subway and having several pints in an Irish bar there. Irish bars are EVERYWHERE in NYC. In fact they're everywhere in everywhere, as far as my experience goes so far. If you went out and walked into the first place you found that sold pints, I bet 7 times out of 10 it would be an Irish bar of some sort (maybe even 14 times in 20!).

The next day we got up early to go watch the Spurs v. Arsenal game at the Spurs supporters' club in, you guessed it, an Irish bar. It was so packed you could barely move. There was probably a 50/50 split of Americans and British people in there, but that didn't mean the chants of "YID ARRRRRMY" weren't 100% participated in. Then we wandered around Manhattan for the day. Times Square, Grand Central Station, Starbucks.... It was almost too cold to properly enjoy however, the wind was so harsh it just made us want to cotch up inside. As a result we decided to move on earlier than planned and make the most of New York in the spring weather when we returned in June.

We set off the next day, taking the road around New York to head to Princeton. On the way we stopped off at Morristown, a small historic dwelling with some quirky shops and nice people. This was our first hands on experience of small town America, where we could meet some real Americans. Ironically the first person we came across was a loud mouthed cockney, screaming at his mate to get him some fags. After leaving here we rolled into a Walmart just outside of Princeton. Here we spent our first night dry camping with no hook-ups, just what we brought with us. We also experienced Walmart for the first time. If you hadn't already guessed, it is huge. It's also a great place to really see Americans go about their daily lives. They have an interesting quality in that they seem to enjoy commentating on what it is you're purchasing ("This boy's gat himself some Nuttella!"). It also becomes incredibly clear why the average weight is what it is. It is simply impossible to buy anything of a modest size. Buying a carton of juice that actually fits in our fridge proved to be an unachievable task.

Princeton itself is amazing. The amount of money pumped into the University/ town means it is one of the most pristine places I have every seen. Seriously it's like in Hot Fuzz, I think they murder hobos. This also meant it was a pretty average places to go out drinking (uni towns in the UK are very different!), but we did find a great mini-brewery/ bar to watch the Man U v. Real Madrid game. Let's not discuss the score, but the burgers were amazing!

That evening we got to do something I've always wanted to do: attend a University sports game. On Ben's insistance we saw the Princeton Tigers beat the Villanova Wildcats at lacrosse, and it was immense. No offence to Ben, or lacrosse,  but I was really surprised to see several hundred people not only turn up to watch the match, but also get REALLY passionate about it. After the game we wandered back to the RV via a(n Irish) bar, which happened to have a pub quiz ongoing. Special shout out for the winning team: Hugo-ing, going, gone. The two gents on the bar were also very helpful in suggesting places to go in Philly, where we were headed next. Writing all the vital information on a napkin for us:

We drove to Philadelphia that night, and spent the evening cosied up outside another Walmart, which were already beginning to look exactly the same. Philly itself was noticeably different to New York and towns such as Princeton. It was charmingly crafted out of and around many different cultures and ethnicities. Sadly again it was a miserable day, but that didn't stop us trudging into town to see some of the historical sites such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It felt really special to be standing where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and be in the same room, with the same furniture, that George Washington used. We also meandered down South Street where I finally got to enjoy a real diner (Johnny Rockets cheese steak sandwich, and an Oreo milkshake... amazing) and also found my favourite named Irish bar so far (Paddy Whack's), situated just across the road from the brilliantly outgoing Condom Kingdom.

That evening we got drunk.

Sorry this post was so long. Had to cut so much down. In future I'll do it more regularly, and as a result be a lot more interesting (hopefully). Have a video:

Oh and for those interested: