Long Island

Hula waiting while Matt and the movers unload the big rig. Amy kept her company.

We've arrived- can you believe it!!??

Yesterday was a drain, but it was great to spend time with Tommy in Chicago, even if the traffic was bad. We got nearly all the way through the audio book, "Freakenomics". It's an interesting idea: an accomplished economist examines more "everyday" questions such as, "If crack dealers make so much money, why do they still live with their moms?". It's probably easier to read than it is to listen to, but it was still incredibly interesting.

We spent the night in a scary Holiday Inn, and quickly left after we woke up around 9am. Matt continued to drive and drive until we finally made it to NY!! We had our first glimpse of NYC today as we crossed the George Washington Bridge. It took about another hour-and-a-half to get to our area of Long Island. We have officially experienced the famed traffic on the LIE (Long Island Expressway). One thing we've noticed is the incredible amount of toll roads on the East side of the country. Just today, it was a little over $25 to get from New Jersey to Long Island.

We were about 5 minutes too late to pick up our rental car, but met the movers at our storage facility to unload about 75% of our truck. Hula enjoyed the chance to be outside and Matt got an excellent workout reworking the remainder of the truck into secure sections.

After storing our boxes and furniture, we set off to find our home for the next week: the Sheraton. It was the closest hotel that was pet friendly (who wouldn't want Hula to stay???). However, we didn't really have a good idea of where we were going. Matt's been here a total of 2 times and Amy only once... the roads on Long Island are windy and switch names a lot, so a drive that should have taken about 20 minutes took an hour and 40. We still have a lot to learn :)

We were hoping to meet up with Matt's bother, James, in Queens tonight, but we are just too tired and done with the day. It's great that we are so close so we can see him soon. We are also excited to see our other friends and family in the area.

We just showered and are off to the lobby bar for a late dinner. Hula is exhausted and has claimed her spot on the bed. Tomorrow we are getting a rental car (giving the big rig a break) and getting some work pants and shoes for Matt. He didn't bring any, so we are hoping for lots of luck in this department. He has driven a huge moving truck from coast-to-coast in the past five days so he deserves some new clothes!

Matt re-arranging the truck after unloading all the storage items.