From NYC Pizza to Lady Liberty: Our Fall Vacation, Part One
Some vacations give you more than a camera full of pictures—they send you home with stories you can’t wait to scrapbook! Our fall vacation was one of those trips, and I’m excited to share it with you in a three-part blog series, along with the layouts I’m using to preserve our memories.
For this adventure, I traveled with my sister, my mom, my cousin and his wife, and my cousin’s dad and his wife. We took the train up to New York City the morning before our cruise so we could spend a day exploring before heading to the port in New Jersey.
And our first stop? Food. Definitely food.
A Slice of NYC
We had skipped breakfast, so by the time we were walking the streets of New York, we were hungry! When we spotted a sign advertising “$1.50 pizza slices,” it didn’t take much convincing to get us through the door.
It was a tiny pizza place, and we quickly discovered that our pizza wasn’t going to be quite the bargain the sign had led us to expect. But one bite in, we weren’t too worried about that anymore. It was DELICIOUS!
We hadn’t researched the best pizza in the city or picked out a famous restaurant. We simply stopped at the first pizza place we found, and it turned into a fun little memory from our day.
A Visit We’ll Always Remember: The 9/11 Memorial Museum
Our next stop brought a very different feeling as we visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
It was stunning, heartbreaking, and so much to take in. We followed the self-guided tour, taking our time to learn about what happened and the many people whose lives were affected.
There is a difference between knowing about an event and standing in a place that helps you understand more of the individual stories behind it. As we moved through the museum, the enormous loss felt deeply personal.
I wanted to include this visit in my scrapbook because it was such a meaningful part of our trip. Some pages capture laughter and fun, while others help us remember the experiences that leave us quiet and thoughtful.
Looking Up at One World Trade Center
After our museum visit, we spent some time walking around the World Trade Center area.
One World Trade Center was absolutely stunning. It’s one thing to see it in pictures, but standing below it and looking up was something else!
We were also surprised by how much there was to discover around the site. Before our visit, we hadn’t realized the full scope of the surrounding World Trade Center development.
Between the architecture and the views, there were plenty of reasons to stop and take another picture. And, of course, those pictures needed a layout of their own!
Hello, Lady Liberty!
After a full day exploring and a good night’s rest, it was time to board our cruise!
We thought our sightseeing in New York was finished, but our departure had a wonderful surprise in store. Our captain took us into the harbor, giving us an incredible view of the city and bringing us much closer to the Statue of Liberty than we had expected.
What a way to start a vacation!
Seeing Lady Liberty from the ship, with the city stretching out behind her, was one of my favorite moments. We had enjoyed walking around New York, but this view was something special. I honestly thought it was THE best view of the city.
My “Hello Lady Liberty” layout was the perfect place for those photos.
Anchors Aweigh!
Of course, I couldn’t stop taking pictures after we passed the Statue of Liberty. There was still so much to see as we cruised away from New York!
My “Anchors Aweigh” layout is where I’m gathering the rest of those departure photos—the skyline, the waterfront, and the views from the ship as our cruise got underway.
These are the pictures that bring back that excited feeling of being on board, knowing a whole vacation is still ahead of you.
Croppin’ & Cruisin’: A Familiar Face at Sea
One of the sweetest surprises of the trip was finding out that Denise was on the very same cruise!
Denise is a customer, a good friend, and someone who also worked with us for a short time. We hadn’t expected to see her on board, so getting to catch up with her was such a treat.
And while we weren’t actually scrapbooking on this cruise, Denise was! It was so nice to say hello to her and the other croppers enjoying some creative time at sea.
Naturally, I had to create “Croppin’ & Cruisin’” to remember our unexpected scrapbook connection. Even on vacation, scrapbooking has a way of bringing people together!
That was just the beginning of our fall adventure!
I hope you enjoy seeing how I’m using these layouts with my own photos. That’s one of my favorite parts of scrapbooking: taking all those separate moments—from a delicious slice of pizza to a surprise visit with a friend—and giving them a place in our family’s story.
I’ll be sharing more of our trip in part two. Until then, have you ever run into someone you knew while on vacation? I’d love to hear your story!
Comments