The last few days have been hectic. Here’s a quick summary.

On Wednesday, June 27, 2007, we picked up the Cruise America RV from Baron Automall in Roslyn, NY. Kathy, Brandy, Carl and Leon were so kind and caring in getting our RV ready for us. We bugged them alot but they never hesitated to respond with a smile. Great customer service. We will be recommending Cruise America and Baron to everyone we meet. Thanks guys.

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Before letting us behind the wheel of this monster, we had to watch an instructional video and then Leon showed us how everything worked, 50% of which we remember. The advice on emptying the holding tanks went right by us (me) because I was too busy joking about it. But to hear Leon laugh made it worth it. Thanks Leon. The RV was spotless, gassed and ready to roll.

After picking up our home on wheels we (Rudy) drove it to Carlstadt, New Jersey to have it ad wrapped. For those who may not be familiar with wrapping, it’s the process of attaching vinyl ads to every imaginable object. We saw the process close up— it’s like hanging wallpaper. I first saw ad wraps on buses, but now they’re on buildings. Our ad wrap guys were Chris and Scott of Ads-on-Wheels (in New Hampshire!) They did a super job creating the wrap for us and getting it on schedule. Agents should consider the investment of a creative wrap for their vehicle. As Rich says, “Everyone is on the road”. That says it all.

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The next day, Thursday, June 28th, we drove back out to New Jersey to find Rich (the wrap installer) doing the final side of the RV. We were blown away by his work. The guy is a master at this art. We took a video of him after his grueling ordeal in the 90+ degree heat –5 hours!. He was totally exhausted but he managed to give us a few words.

With the RV wrapped, we breathed a sigh of relief and headed for Manhattan. We had to use GWB (George Washington Bridge) instead of the faster Lincoln Tunnel because RVs with propane are prohibited in tunnels, everywhere. (We also have to watch height restrictions— our rig is 12.5 high).

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Once in Manhattan, the first order of business (read pleasure) was to visit our favorite video guy– Phil DiGiulio (Video Phil) of WellcomeMat. Phil is a great professional and, more than that, a great friend. So too Christian, who has created tools for us to use on Blog Tour USA. Phil sneaked up on us to catch the first sight of the RV. We gave him the “virgin” tour. As we chatted and Phil gave us advice on videotaping, his wife Ann stopped in and we all shared and laughed. Ah, the virtual life aint got nuttin’ on the real fleshy one. See you at the party, Phil.

Next stop, the second most important event—- eating a New York style pizza. We went to one of Rudy’s favs, Abitino’s on Second Avenue. The Margherita, naturally. yummy.

After the crusty and saucy gorge, we drove around the city snapping pics. As the night wore on we had to find a place to park for the night. Since there are no RV camps in Manhattan, we parked on First Avenue, 52nd Street to settle in for our first night in new our mobile home.

….to be continued.

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