I spent the past 3 weeks blogging about our adventure - the fun we had, the sites we saw and the (vast amounts of) food we ate. It was all lighthearted and funny. However, today reality set in, on so many levels.
Debbie spent most of the day in the kitchen making 64 pieces of gefilte fish for the upcoming New Year (the house has the smell and I have the heartburn from the smell to prove it). Ethan and Brian spent a good part of the day doing the summer homework they needed to complete (nothing like the last minute). Amanda got in her last licks of excessive TV watching. And I resumed my weekly trips to Whole Foods, with extra stops at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Waldbaum's for gefilte fish-related items. We also spent part of the evening organizing the kids' backpacks for the first day of school tomorrow and figuring out what clothes fit for the holidays.
But the biggest slap in the reality face came early this afternoon when Marc called me from the ballfield to tell me that Lou Messina, someone I had coached against at Merillon (and who had at one point coached both of the boys) had passed away. Evidently, he had a stroke last week, was doing better, but then something happened and he passed away today. It was quite a shock to me, as while I didn't really know Lou off the field, on the field I liked him a lot. He was always positive, and was very involved with his two boys, who were both a year or so younger than our boys.
We told the boys this evening about Lou, and they were both sad to hear the news. Brian immediately went onto the Merillon web site, but then we got busy with the organizing and we didn't talk any more about it. That is, until we tucked Brian into bed and he began to cry. I asked what was wrong and he didn't want to talk about it, saying it would make him sad to talk about it. We asked if it was about Lou, and he said yes. I think it was as much about Lou himself as it was about the idea of losing one of us. We sat with him for a while, then he started to close his eyes. Debbie had to go check on Amanda for something, and I asked Brian if he wanted me to lie with him. He did. So, for the next 30+ minutes I stayed with him, until he was almost asleep. I hadn't done that since he was a baby, but he needed it.
This is just another reason why we have to live life to the fullest. You never know when reality will come bite you in the ass.
R.I.P. Lou. We will all miss you.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Day 20 - Home At Last
Well, we are home. We left Philly around 10:45 this morning, and got home a little after 1:00 this afternoon. It was an amazing, enjoyable trip. We are all quite tired and glad to be home, but it was all worth it. The kids already are talking about not waiting for Brian's bar mitzvah to do another trip like this one. While there were some moments of frustration, the kids overall were excellent on the trip. They made it through the many hours in the car with few, if any, problems. We had the routine down to a science by the end, including the way the car was packed and unpacked, where everyone sat, and how the Mobile Command Center was set up. It was surprisingly efficient.
Now it is back to reality, and a blog-free lifestyle, at least until the next adventure. Thanks to anyone that read this along the way. It really was just meant to be a way for me to get the events of each day down in writing before they were forgotten and blurred with events from other days. But I enjoyed writing it.
'Til we blog again.
Now it is back to reality, and a blog-free lifestyle, at least until the next adventure. Thanks to anyone that read this along the way. It really was just meant to be a way for me to get the events of each day down in writing before they were forgotten and blurred with events from other days. But I enjoyed writing it.
'Til we blog again.
The Trip - By The Numbers
Here is a quick summary of key figures from the trip:
- 20 - Days away
- 3,310.8 - Miles driven
- 1,642 - Pictures taken
- 12 - States visited or passed through (NY, NJ, PA, WV, OH, KY, TN, MO, AR, IA, IL, IN)
- 11 - States Brian and Amanda were awake in (they slept through all of WV)
- 10 - Hotels we stayed in
- 62 - Hours the kids (read: Ethan) watched movies
- 80 - Clocked speed I was driving when pulled over by OH State Trooper (only got a warning)
- 70 - Maximum speed I drove the rest of the time in OH
- 2 - Toilets clogged
- 1 - Toilets clogged so badly the hotel had to give us the key to the vacant room next door
- 36 - Cheeseburgers eaten by Amanda
- 1 - New holidays created (Solderkkah)
- 45 - Minutes in line for Dragster ride in Cedar Point
- 120 - MPH the Dragster ride achieved in about 2 seconds
- 17 - Total seconds for the Dragster ride
- 4 - Halls of Fame visited (Country Music, Rock 'n Roll, College Football, Pro Football)
- 3 - Halls of Fame we were all glad we visited (Rock 'n Roll, College Football, Pro Football)
- 460 - Orders processed for More Than Paper
- 219 - Times either Debbie or I said to the kids "Stop it!" "Please stop it" or "C'mon Guys!"
- 25 - Tropicana Juicy Rewards points used to save money at musuems and tours
- 1 - Truly Gluten-free meal eaten by Debbie (Jimmy John's in South Bend)
- 3 - Colleges visited (Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Penn)
- 1 - Colleges that we visited that our kids will attend (Penn)
- 2 - Trips to Staples to buy more toner
- 694 - Pit stops taken while driving
- 694 - Times Amanda went with me to the bathroom during a pit stop
- 2 - Great Neck friends ran into at Penn
- 1 - Restaurant where they threw rolls to you from 30+ feet away
- 7,985,125 - Calories I consumed during trip
- 7,985,125 - Coincidentally, also my current cholesterol level
- 2 - Major League baseball games attended (Pittsburgh, Cleveland)
- 2 - Minor League baseball games attended (Harrisburg, Williamsport)
- 4 - Home teams that played like Minor League Teams (Harrisburg, Williamsport, Pittsburgh, Cleveland)
- 5 - People who enjoyed the trip, but are glad to be home
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Day 19 - The Final Day
After 18 days of traveling half of the country, today was the last day away from home. We spent most of the day at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. And when I say most, I mean we got there around 10:30 and left when the place closed at 5:00. Debbie and I spent 4 years of our lives in Philly, and neither of us had ever been there except for a Phi Sig formal in 1990. The kids loved it there. There were so many hands-on exhibits, dealing with things like the Earth (where you could do your own weather report), Electricity, Trains, Planes, Sports, Gravity, etc. There was also a planetarium, which turned out to be an excellent place for a nap.
When we were all done at the museum, we (stunningly) went to the gift shop to buy some of the most unnecessary items, then headed back to the hotel. One of the nice things about staying at an Embassy Suites, in addition to the large rooms and made to order breakfasts, is that they have a complimentary happy hour from 5-7 daily. So we stopped at the bar for some drinks and snacks.
Then it was off to the Penn campus. First stop was the Penn Bookstore. I have to be honest. The new book store (although I guess it's not so new anymore) is a nice Barnes & Noble, but I still prefer the old book store on Locust Walk. That was a true college book store. Anyway, we all bought Penn clothing, and then took a short walk on Locust Walk. I had to drop the book store haul in the car while the others headed to the button. I entered Locust Walk at 37th Street, and the button is around 34th or 35th Street. Maybe it's my age, or maybe it's the fetus I have growing in my uterus, but that walk seemed a lot longer today than it did 25 years ago.
After walking up to take the obligatory photo with Ben Franklin, we drove up to 41st and Walnut for Lee's Hoagies. I couldn't find a spot right near Lee's, so we ended up parking on 40th Street right near the McDonald's. In our time at Penn, this was not an area that I would park my car, or feel comfortable walking around with my kids. But today the place is terrific. There are a ton of new restaurants and stores, and there are Penn Police on every corner, and sometimes between corners also. We talked to one of them, and they are there 24/7. As a parent of 3 future Penn students (because I know my kids are reading this blog), it would make me feel very comfortable when they live at 219 S. 41st Street (Apt. D) in a few years.
And now for the food orgy portion of the blog. Lee's Hoagies was a tradition for Debbie and me when we were at Penn. Most of the time I got a tuna hoagie with lettuce and provolone, sometimes with onions and/or hot peppers. In a nod to my age, and the daily Prilosec I take, I eschewed the onions and/or hot peppers. I think the "Jan" hoagies were better (more tuna, more mayo in the tuna), but it was still very good. The kids seemed to enjoy them also, and got a kick out of seeing Debbie (and Auntie Allison) in some sorority composites on the wall.
Before heading back to South Street for a repeat performance at the yogurt store we went to last night, we decided to stroll down 40th Street to see if Smoke's was still there (it was) and what else was there. As we passed some people sitting at a Mexican restaurant (located where Uni-Mart used to be), Debbie did a double take and spun around. It was friends from Great Neck who also went to Penn (10 years older) and were moving in their daughter. Small world.
We then headed to South Street for more yogurt (once again a big hit) and headed back to the hotel for the final night away from home. Nothing scheduled tomorrow other than driving home, and back to reality, and weeks and weeks of cereal for dinner.
When we were all done at the museum, we (stunningly) went to the gift shop to buy some of the most unnecessary items, then headed back to the hotel. One of the nice things about staying at an Embassy Suites, in addition to the large rooms and made to order breakfasts, is that they have a complimentary happy hour from 5-7 daily. So we stopped at the bar for some drinks and snacks.
Then it was off to the Penn campus. First stop was the Penn Bookstore. I have to be honest. The new book store (although I guess it's not so new anymore) is a nice Barnes & Noble, but I still prefer the old book store on Locust Walk. That was a true college book store. Anyway, we all bought Penn clothing, and then took a short walk on Locust Walk. I had to drop the book store haul in the car while the others headed to the button. I entered Locust Walk at 37th Street, and the button is around 34th or 35th Street. Maybe it's my age, or maybe it's the fetus I have growing in my uterus, but that walk seemed a lot longer today than it did 25 years ago.
After walking up to take the obligatory photo with Ben Franklin, we drove up to 41st and Walnut for Lee's Hoagies. I couldn't find a spot right near Lee's, so we ended up parking on 40th Street right near the McDonald's. In our time at Penn, this was not an area that I would park my car, or feel comfortable walking around with my kids. But today the place is terrific. There are a ton of new restaurants and stores, and there are Penn Police on every corner, and sometimes between corners also. We talked to one of them, and they are there 24/7. As a parent of 3 future Penn students (because I know my kids are reading this blog), it would make me feel very comfortable when they live at 219 S. 41st Street (Apt. D) in a few years.
And now for the food orgy portion of the blog. Lee's Hoagies was a tradition for Debbie and me when we were at Penn. Most of the time I got a tuna hoagie with lettuce and provolone, sometimes with onions and/or hot peppers. In a nod to my age, and the daily Prilosec I take, I eschewed the onions and/or hot peppers. I think the "Jan" hoagies were better (more tuna, more mayo in the tuna), but it was still very good. The kids seemed to enjoy them also, and got a kick out of seeing Debbie (and Auntie Allison) in some sorority composites on the wall.
Before heading back to South Street for a repeat performance at the yogurt store we went to last night, we decided to stroll down 40th Street to see if Smoke's was still there (it was) and what else was there. As we passed some people sitting at a Mexican restaurant (located where Uni-Mart used to be), Debbie did a double take and spun around. It was friends from Great Neck who also went to Penn (10 years older) and were moving in their daughter. Small world.
We then headed to South Street for more yogurt (once again a big hit) and headed back to the hotel for the final night away from home. Nothing scheduled tomorrow other than driving home, and back to reality, and weeks and weeks of cereal for dinner.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Day 18 - Back In Philly
The day started out in glorious Williamsport, PA. We had decided to visit the Little League Museum, which is located next to the fields where they played the Little League World Series last week.
However, when we got to the museum around 11:00 the sign on the door said "Closed" even though their hours were from 10-5. Evidently, this is not busy season, so there were only two people scheduled to work the museum today, and one was going to be late and the other had a class to teach. The sign said they would be back at noon, so we instead when to check out the field. Turns out, there are actually 6 fields on the complex. It looked like 3 were used for games, and maybe the others were for practices. We were not allowed on the fields, which truly disappointed the boys, but I ended up jumping the fence and going on the main field thanks to an errant throw by one of the boys (name withheld to protect the innocent).
At around 11:30 we headed back up the museum to wait until noon, but we were in luck and the museum was open. It's not a large museum, and if they hadn't had an area where you could throw, hit and run we probably would have been done in about 15 minutes. After (AGAIN) buying stuff we don't need, we headed to a restaurant near the museum for a surprisingly good lunch. When done with lunch, we set up the "Mobile Command Center" for the 2.5 hour drive to Philly (ended up being a 3.5 hour drive thanks to traffic in the Philly area).
We settled into the hotel (Embassy Suites in the Museum part of town), we had a very difficult decision to make - which cheesesteak place would we go to for dinner? We were not heading to the Penn campus tonight, so Abner's was not on the table. However, we (or I) wasn't sure if we should go to Geno's, Pat's or Jim's. I consulted the handy Roadfood book, and opted for Pat's, the home of the original cheesesteak. I had been to Pat's before, but Debbie had not, and had no idea what the place was like. When I parked the car around the corner from Pat's she asked if the kids had their sweatshirts, assuming we were going to be dining in some air conditioned room. She had no idea that Pat's is a glorified food stand, where you walk up, order in "Soup Nazi" terms ("Wiz wit" - for those uninformed with the lingo of the Philly cheesesteak, that would get you a cheeseteak with cheese wiz and onions), and sit at a park bench to enjoy the food.
Here is what I went with (mushroom wiz with):
And the rest of the family:
Hungry yet? We finished dinner and decided to head to South Street to walk around and get some dessert. I found a spot around 3rd and South Street, and it was right in front of a Haagen Dazs. The kids wanted to just go there, but we insisted on trying to find something or someplace that we could not get at home. Wise decision, as we found the 2nd best dessert idea on the trip (nothing can beat the pie place). This was a frozen yogurt place called Phileo Yogurt where it is self serve with a bunch of flavors. You can fill your cup with as much or as little as you want, and put whatever toppings you want on it. You pay by the weight of your cup (I think it was $0.49/ounce). Debbie loved it, as she was able to make the perfect combination of yogurt and nuts, and the kids loved it as well.
We left South Street and headed back to the hotel, first driving around the Front Street/Penn's Landing area. Not really sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but we will end up at some point at the Penn campus. Also, because we haven't spent enough nights in hotels, we have very likely decided to extend the trip by one more night, so we can spend the entire day in Philly and not have to drive home late.
However, when we got to the museum around 11:00 the sign on the door said "Closed" even though their hours were from 10-5. Evidently, this is not busy season, so there were only two people scheduled to work the museum today, and one was going to be late and the other had a class to teach. The sign said they would be back at noon, so we instead when to check out the field. Turns out, there are actually 6 fields on the complex. It looked like 3 were used for games, and maybe the others were for practices. We were not allowed on the fields, which truly disappointed the boys, but I ended up jumping the fence and going on the main field thanks to an errant throw by one of the boys (name withheld to protect the innocent).
At around 11:30 we headed back up the museum to wait until noon, but we were in luck and the museum was open. It's not a large museum, and if they hadn't had an area where you could throw, hit and run we probably would have been done in about 15 minutes. After (AGAIN) buying stuff we don't need, we headed to a restaurant near the museum for a surprisingly good lunch. When done with lunch, we set up the "Mobile Command Center" for the 2.5 hour drive to Philly (ended up being a 3.5 hour drive thanks to traffic in the Philly area).
We settled into the hotel (Embassy Suites in the Museum part of town), we had a very difficult decision to make - which cheesesteak place would we go to for dinner? We were not heading to the Penn campus tonight, so Abner's was not on the table. However, we (or I) wasn't sure if we should go to Geno's, Pat's or Jim's. I consulted the handy Roadfood book, and opted for Pat's, the home of the original cheesesteak. I had been to Pat's before, but Debbie had not, and had no idea what the place was like. When I parked the car around the corner from Pat's she asked if the kids had their sweatshirts, assuming we were going to be dining in some air conditioned room. She had no idea that Pat's is a glorified food stand, where you walk up, order in "Soup Nazi" terms ("Wiz wit" - for those uninformed with the lingo of the Philly cheesesteak, that would get you a cheeseteak with cheese wiz and onions), and sit at a park bench to enjoy the food.
Here is what I went with (mushroom wiz with):
And the rest of the family:
Hungry yet? We finished dinner and decided to head to South Street to walk around and get some dessert. I found a spot around 3rd and South Street, and it was right in front of a Haagen Dazs. The kids wanted to just go there, but we insisted on trying to find something or someplace that we could not get at home. Wise decision, as we found the 2nd best dessert idea on the trip (nothing can beat the pie place). This was a frozen yogurt place called Phileo Yogurt where it is self serve with a bunch of flavors. You can fill your cup with as much or as little as you want, and put whatever toppings you want on it. You pay by the weight of your cup (I think it was $0.49/ounce). Debbie loved it, as she was able to make the perfect combination of yogurt and nuts, and the kids loved it as well.
We left South Street and headed back to the hotel, first driving around the Front Street/Penn's Landing area. Not really sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but we will end up at some point at the Penn campus. Also, because we haven't spent enough nights in hotels, we have very likely decided to extend the trip by one more night, so we can spend the entire day in Philly and not have to drive home late.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 17 - Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
Today was a long day. We started out by driving from Cleveland to Canton to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Before we headed out, we had to make a pit stop at Staples to pick up another toner for the printer - second one this trip. More Than Paper has been busy, to say the least. You would think that people would have known that the Jewish New Year was early this year, and planned ahead and bought their cards last month. But no, they must have been busy doing other things because we have been swamped this week. Today was the first relatively quiet day in over a week. I guess we can't complain, as all of those last minute charlies are paying for our overeating.
Due to the itinerary for the day (HOF then drive 4+ hours to Williamsport, PA to try and catch another minor league game), the hope was to get on the road to Canton (only about an hour away from Cleveland) by 10, stay a few hours at most then hit the road. We weren't bad leaving Cleveland, for us anyway, and we finally got on the road around 10:30. We made it to the Hall around 11:30 and went in to check it out.
Frankly, I thought the boys would be more interested than they were. Brian had some interest, but Ethan really didn't. I guess it's because they are only 10 & 13, and the players they have watched are either not yet eligible for the Hall or still playing. I enjoyed it, as I went back as far as the 70s for players that I had watched, and knew a lot of the older players as well. Debbie, who hates football, at least on TV, actually seemed to enjoy it, as she was asking questions ("Is the football the one that isn't round?" - just kidding, she asked questions about the World Football League and American Football League as they had a whole exhibit about the various other pro leagues over the years). We also sat in on a brief history of the helmet over the years, which I thought was interesting.
For some reason Amanda got a kick out of the Hall of Fame busts that had mustaches, and insisted on taking a whole bunch of pictures with busts of mustached players. She was especially fond of one relatively recent induction class where every player had a mustache.
After the troops got restless, and we purchased more crap, I mean souvenirs, we stopped at Wendy's for lunch (told you the food-fun had ended) and got on the road to Williamsport. It was this journey that brought to life the fears of long trips in the car, as there was an almost constant (unpleasant) aroma filling the air in the car, emanating from the back seats(s). My guess is that the food choices at Wendy's didn't help matters. I can't say for sure who the culprit(s) was, but I kind of think it was a total team effort.
The game was scheduled to start at 7:00, and thanks (or no thanks) to a 30 minute crawl on I-80 in PA when the road went from 2 lanes to 1 because of roadwork (although the westbound side also was one lane and was moving fine), we got to the ballpark right as the game was starting. This was a Single A game between the Williamsport Crosscutters (Phillies) and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Indians). The general admission tickets cost $5.50 ($4.50 for the kids) and we found seats on the 3rd base side about 10 rows from the field. Love minor league baseball. The ballpark is very nice, and calls itself Historic Bowman Field.
On this trip we have now been to 2 Major League games, one Double A game and one Single A game. Obviously, the quality of the games has reflected the level of league we were watching. But what I realized tonight was not only are the players more polished at the upper levels of baseball, but so are the fans. I was completely unaware that (how do I put this nicely?) the IQ of the fans matched the baseball IQ of the players. The boys watched a lot of the Little League World Series that just wrapped up here in Williamsport, and from the fan shots they showed throughout the games it is clear that they did not let any of these fans into those games. My guess is that they had a 24-hour-day Dukes of Hazzard marathon going on somewhere in town to keep them busy for the 2 weeks or so the tournament was on.
To say this crowd was scary is an understatement. To give you a sense of what we I'm talking about, this was on one of the fan's cars as we exited, and I think summed it up for all of them:
There was a man that sat two rows in front of us that looked like he had swallowed an inner tube. To be fair, he definitely had issues, as he had a chant for every situation ("H-R, H-R, H-R, H-R, H-R!" for a batter he wanted to hit a home run, "If you're happy and you know it call strike 3" when a batter on the other team had 2 strikes, etc.). And it was constant. I really can't do it justice without video, or at least a picture, but that would not have been right. Funny, but not right.
We left after the top of the 8th inning and went to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow we might try and go to the ball field where they play the Little League World Series and we saw a sign for the Little League Museum, so we might try that also. Then we will head to Philly for the last stop of the trip.
Due to the itinerary for the day (HOF then drive 4+ hours to Williamsport, PA to try and catch another minor league game), the hope was to get on the road to Canton (only about an hour away from Cleveland) by 10, stay a few hours at most then hit the road. We weren't bad leaving Cleveland, for us anyway, and we finally got on the road around 10:30. We made it to the Hall around 11:30 and went in to check it out.
Frankly, I thought the boys would be more interested than they were. Brian had some interest, but Ethan really didn't. I guess it's because they are only 10 & 13, and the players they have watched are either not yet eligible for the Hall or still playing. I enjoyed it, as I went back as far as the 70s for players that I had watched, and knew a lot of the older players as well. Debbie, who hates football, at least on TV, actually seemed to enjoy it, as she was asking questions ("Is the football the one that isn't round?" - just kidding, she asked questions about the World Football League and American Football League as they had a whole exhibit about the various other pro leagues over the years). We also sat in on a brief history of the helmet over the years, which I thought was interesting.
For some reason Amanda got a kick out of the Hall of Fame busts that had mustaches, and insisted on taking a whole bunch of pictures with busts of mustached players. She was especially fond of one relatively recent induction class where every player had a mustache.
After the troops got restless, and we purchased more crap, I mean souvenirs, we stopped at Wendy's for lunch (told you the food-fun had ended) and got on the road to Williamsport. It was this journey that brought to life the fears of long trips in the car, as there was an almost constant (unpleasant) aroma filling the air in the car, emanating from the back seats(s). My guess is that the food choices at Wendy's didn't help matters. I can't say for sure who the culprit(s) was, but I kind of think it was a total team effort.
The game was scheduled to start at 7:00, and thanks (or no thanks) to a 30 minute crawl on I-80 in PA when the road went from 2 lanes to 1 because of roadwork (although the westbound side also was one lane and was moving fine), we got to the ballpark right as the game was starting. This was a Single A game between the Williamsport Crosscutters (Phillies) and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Indians). The general admission tickets cost $5.50 ($4.50 for the kids) and we found seats on the 3rd base side about 10 rows from the field. Love minor league baseball. The ballpark is very nice, and calls itself Historic Bowman Field.
On this trip we have now been to 2 Major League games, one Double A game and one Single A game. Obviously, the quality of the games has reflected the level of league we were watching. But what I realized tonight was not only are the players more polished at the upper levels of baseball, but so are the fans. I was completely unaware that (how do I put this nicely?) the IQ of the fans matched the baseball IQ of the players. The boys watched a lot of the Little League World Series that just wrapped up here in Williamsport, and from the fan shots they showed throughout the games it is clear that they did not let any of these fans into those games. My guess is that they had a 24-hour-day Dukes of Hazzard marathon going on somewhere in town to keep them busy for the 2 weeks or so the tournament was on.
To say this crowd was scary is an understatement. To give you a sense of what we I'm talking about, this was on one of the fan's cars as we exited, and I think summed it up for all of them:
There was a man that sat two rows in front of us that looked like he had swallowed an inner tube. To be fair, he definitely had issues, as he had a chant for every situation ("H-R, H-R, H-R, H-R, H-R!" for a batter he wanted to hit a home run, "If you're happy and you know it call strike 3" when a batter on the other team had 2 strikes, etc.). And it was constant. I really can't do it justice without video, or at least a picture, but that would not have been right. Funny, but not right.
We left after the top of the 8th inning and went to the hotel for the night. Tomorrow we might try and go to the ball field where they play the Little League World Series and we saw a sign for the Little League Museum, so we might try that also. Then we will head to Philly for the last stop of the trip.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Day 16 - Rock 'n Ball
Today Cleveland Rocked. [having issues with uploading pictures tonight so only text tonight]
I had purchased very expensive tickets ($6 each) for the Indians game vs. the White Sox at noon, so that was the first stop of the day. We were running a little late, so we took the hotel's complimentary minivan to the game. I think the driver watched the In-Laws too many times, because what should have been a left turn from the hotel and then straight down the road a few blocks turned into a serpentine route. I think the hotel must pay this guy by the turn.
We got to the game just as it was starting, and it was in fact the first game for Manny Ramirez as a member of the White Sox. It was another really hot day, so we were concerned that we would be baking in the sun all day. But as luck had it, our seats were in the mezzanine level under an overhang. So, while it was still toasty, we were at least shaded. Manny came to bat in the 2nd inning, and seemed to get a decent response from the fans. A little booing, a little cheering.
The boys were a little bummed that the seats we had did not have a good view of the scoreboard, so after the 3rd inning they moved up to the second row of the section, where they were much happier. Brian kept score the entire game, while Ethan tried to get the people on the field to throw him something (t-shirt, ball, etc.) between innings. His Yankee hat and Yankee shirt might not have helped his cause.
Progressive Field, where the Indians play, is a nice looking ballpark. It's too bad they stink now, because the place was very empty. I think the paid crowd was about 12,000, but I don't think there were that many people in the stands. The Indians seem to have the same hiring practice as Hooters, where they only hire people with certain characteristics. But unlike Hooters where they only hire young women who look good in a tight shirt and shorts, the Indians seem to only hire old men with no teeth. Seriously, I don't think we saw a single person that worked for the Indians that had all, or even most, of his teeth.
After the game (won by the White Sox), we headed to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. We got conflicted reports about how far a walk it was from the field to the hall so we weren't sure if we should walk or go get the car. We ended up going with the 3 out 5 theory that it was a 10-minute walk, which it kind of was.
The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame is housed in an IM Pei glass triangle (does this guy know any other way to make a building?) on Lake Erie. I think Debbie and I enjoyed it, even though we are not huge music people. But we did know many of the people in the Hall, and the music was excellent. Amanda kind of liked it, helped by the 5 minute power nap she took while watching clips of all of the inductees from 2001-2010. Brian knew a lot of the older inductees from his study of Rock 'n Roll in school this past year. And Ethan would rather have been getting his braces tightened than be there. Since there was no "recent" music from "recent" acts, he got bored after about 2 minutes. But we made him walk the entire Hall, and maybe some of it soaked in.
After getting a ride back to the hotel, we went to the restaurant that is right next to the hotel (I think the food fun may have ended). The service took way longer than it should have for a restaurant that had 12 people in it, and then we headed up to the room to do the nightly work.
Tomorrow is shaping up as a long day. We will head to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, then drive to Williamsport.
I had purchased very expensive tickets ($6 each) for the Indians game vs. the White Sox at noon, so that was the first stop of the day. We were running a little late, so we took the hotel's complimentary minivan to the game. I think the driver watched the In-Laws too many times, because what should have been a left turn from the hotel and then straight down the road a few blocks turned into a serpentine route. I think the hotel must pay this guy by the turn.
We got to the game just as it was starting, and it was in fact the first game for Manny Ramirez as a member of the White Sox. It was another really hot day, so we were concerned that we would be baking in the sun all day. But as luck had it, our seats were in the mezzanine level under an overhang. So, while it was still toasty, we were at least shaded. Manny came to bat in the 2nd inning, and seemed to get a decent response from the fans. A little booing, a little cheering.
The boys were a little bummed that the seats we had did not have a good view of the scoreboard, so after the 3rd inning they moved up to the second row of the section, where they were much happier. Brian kept score the entire game, while Ethan tried to get the people on the field to throw him something (t-shirt, ball, etc.) between innings. His Yankee hat and Yankee shirt might not have helped his cause.
Progressive Field, where the Indians play, is a nice looking ballpark. It's too bad they stink now, because the place was very empty. I think the paid crowd was about 12,000, but I don't think there were that many people in the stands. The Indians seem to have the same hiring practice as Hooters, where they only hire people with certain characteristics. But unlike Hooters where they only hire young women who look good in a tight shirt and shorts, the Indians seem to only hire old men with no teeth. Seriously, I don't think we saw a single person that worked for the Indians that had all, or even most, of his teeth.
After the game (won by the White Sox), we headed to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. We got conflicted reports about how far a walk it was from the field to the hall so we weren't sure if we should walk or go get the car. We ended up going with the 3 out 5 theory that it was a 10-minute walk, which it kind of was.
The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame is housed in an IM Pei glass triangle (does this guy know any other way to make a building?) on Lake Erie. I think Debbie and I enjoyed it, even though we are not huge music people. But we did know many of the people in the Hall, and the music was excellent. Amanda kind of liked it, helped by the 5 minute power nap she took while watching clips of all of the inductees from 2001-2010. Brian knew a lot of the older inductees from his study of Rock 'n Roll in school this past year. And Ethan would rather have been getting his braces tightened than be there. Since there was no "recent" music from "recent" acts, he got bored after about 2 minutes. But we made him walk the entire Hall, and maybe some of it soaked in.
After getting a ride back to the hotel, we went to the restaurant that is right next to the hotel (I think the food fun may have ended). The service took way longer than it should have for a restaurant that had 12 people in it, and then we headed up to the room to do the nightly work.
Tomorrow is shaping up as a long day. We will head to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, then drive to Williamsport.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Day 15 - Adjust Early
We spent today at the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH. The park is situated on an island in Lake Erie off of the main part of Sandusky. It is a beautiful spot, and we had heard a lot of great things about the park. It’s not easy going to an amusement park with the three kids. Ethan likes roller coasters, Brian not so much, and Amanda likes kiddie rides and some faster rides. So it’s not always easy finding a way to keep all, or even two, of them happy at the same time.
To start the day Ethan and I went to one of the “Double Black Diamond” rides near the front of the park. Bad mistake. Like most of the eastern part of the country, today was a scorcher, and since this ride was near the front, everyone stopped to go on it and the line was long and in the baking sun most of the time. We were so hot we bought water along the way. The line took 45 minutes for a 45 second payoff [insert your own joke here]. And it turned out the ride was average at best. It compared to Great Bear at Hershey, but it wasn’t as good. I could spend a lot of time comparing Cedar Point to Hershey in this blog post, as the parks are similar in nature, but I’ll be brief. Both have a lot of rides for all ages, both have water parks, and both have a lot of heavy people walking around.
While Ethan and I were roasting, Debbie and the other kids went on a bunch of kiddie rides. Then we met up and tried to figure a plan where we could stay together for a while. That worked for a bit, but then Ethan and I went off again in search of roller coasters while Debbie, Brian and Amanda stayed with the tamer rides. Ethan and I stumbled onto a ride called Iron Dragon, which we both thought Brian could handle.
Then we went on a ride called Mantis. Now we had stepped it up a notch. For this ride you enter the vehicle standing up. There was an adjustable seat (kind of like a bicycle seat in style, with the place to sit and the protruding end that goes between your legs) that was really to be used more for balance than sitting. The instructions were to get comfortable with the seat while having your feet flat on the ground for more balance. Problem was that in the split second before they locked in all of the seats in their positions, I was a little uncomfortable and went up on my tippy toes to adjust myself. But before I could get back to flat ground, the seats were locked. So, while 40 or so people on the ride were sitting/standing comfortably with their feet flat on the ground (maybe even with knees bent a little like Ethan was for more leverage), I was stuck too high with my toes touching the floor. Then we took off on a series of upside-down loops and corkscrews. Plus, it was a little bumpy. The only good news was that I have had all of the children I am going to have, so I didn’t have to worry about that. The bad news was that the ride “beat me” and afterwards I was pretty lightheaded and had a headache. After getting some water and resting for a bit, I recovered, but as a tip if you ever go on that ride, adjust early.
The rest of the day was pretty typical of an amusement park (some good rides, overpriced lunch and bottled waters, etc.), and I will not give you a ride by ride description. However, I will tell you about one ride I went on alone, because Ethan didn’t want to go (don’t really blame him). It’s called Dragster, and it is basically a drag car that goes from 0 to 120 MPH in about 2 seconds, then climbs 420 feet straight up an “reverse U” filled with corkscrews and then comes basically straight down to the ground, before it flattens out just in time for the ride to end. The whole ride literally takes 17 seconds. But what a rush. For those Hershey veterans, it takes Storm Runner and speeds it up by 40-50 MPH, and then throws in Fahrenheit, but going down instead of up at maybe 100 MPH.
Also, along the way Amanda was feeling brave and wanted to go on some of the faster rides. But she inevitably fell about 2 inches too short for them, which resulted in tears. Brian got up the nerve to go on Iron Dragon, and liked it a lot. We even thought Amanda would like it, and for this ride she just made the height. She was thrilled and away we went. I rode with her, and the whole time she was screaming “I love this!” and she did. She went again with Ethan alone, and would have gone again but it was getting time for dinner. We opted for the oh so fancy Johnny Rockets, then headed out of the park a little before closing time at 8:30-8:45. We had an hour drive to Cleveland, and got to the hotel around 10:00 (had to stop for gas along the way). We are staying at an Embassy Suites (in the nicest room we have stayed in so far) not far from Progressive Field (where the Indians play) and we will probably walk to the game tomorrow. The Indians are playing the White Sox and noon, and we have tickets that I bought on StubHub for $6 each before we left. I haven’t checked the box score for today’s game, but I believe that it will be the first game that Manny Ramirez starts for the White Sox since being traded from the Dodgers. After the game we will visit the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Other than that, not sure what else we will do in Cleveland tomorrow.
To start the day Ethan and I went to one of the “Double Black Diamond” rides near the front of the park. Bad mistake. Like most of the eastern part of the country, today was a scorcher, and since this ride was near the front, everyone stopped to go on it and the line was long and in the baking sun most of the time. We were so hot we bought water along the way. The line took 45 minutes for a 45 second payoff [insert your own joke here]. And it turned out the ride was average at best. It compared to Great Bear at Hershey, but it wasn’t as good. I could spend a lot of time comparing Cedar Point to Hershey in this blog post, as the parks are similar in nature, but I’ll be brief. Both have a lot of rides for all ages, both have water parks, and both have a lot of heavy people walking around.
While Ethan and I were roasting, Debbie and the other kids went on a bunch of kiddie rides. Then we met up and tried to figure a plan where we could stay together for a while. That worked for a bit, but then Ethan and I went off again in search of roller coasters while Debbie, Brian and Amanda stayed with the tamer rides. Ethan and I stumbled onto a ride called Iron Dragon, which we both thought Brian could handle.
Then we went on a ride called Mantis. Now we had stepped it up a notch. For this ride you enter the vehicle standing up. There was an adjustable seat (kind of like a bicycle seat in style, with the place to sit and the protruding end that goes between your legs) that was really to be used more for balance than sitting. The instructions were to get comfortable with the seat while having your feet flat on the ground for more balance. Problem was that in the split second before they locked in all of the seats in their positions, I was a little uncomfortable and went up on my tippy toes to adjust myself. But before I could get back to flat ground, the seats were locked. So, while 40 or so people on the ride were sitting/standing comfortably with their feet flat on the ground (maybe even with knees bent a little like Ethan was for more leverage), I was stuck too high with my toes touching the floor. Then we took off on a series of upside-down loops and corkscrews. Plus, it was a little bumpy. The only good news was that I have had all of the children I am going to have, so I didn’t have to worry about that. The bad news was that the ride “beat me” and afterwards I was pretty lightheaded and had a headache. After getting some water and resting for a bit, I recovered, but as a tip if you ever go on that ride, adjust early.
The rest of the day was pretty typical of an amusement park (some good rides, overpriced lunch and bottled waters, etc.), and I will not give you a ride by ride description. However, I will tell you about one ride I went on alone, because Ethan didn’t want to go (don’t really blame him). It’s called Dragster, and it is basically a drag car that goes from 0 to 120 MPH in about 2 seconds, then climbs 420 feet straight up an “reverse U” filled with corkscrews and then comes basically straight down to the ground, before it flattens out just in time for the ride to end. The whole ride literally takes 17 seconds. But what a rush. For those Hershey veterans, it takes Storm Runner and speeds it up by 40-50 MPH, and then throws in Fahrenheit, but going down instead of up at maybe 100 MPH.
Also, along the way Amanda was feeling brave and wanted to go on some of the faster rides. But she inevitably fell about 2 inches too short for them, which resulted in tears. Brian got up the nerve to go on Iron Dragon, and liked it a lot. We even thought Amanda would like it, and for this ride she just made the height. She was thrilled and away we went. I rode with her, and the whole time she was screaming “I love this!” and she did. She went again with Ethan alone, and would have gone again but it was getting time for dinner. We opted for the oh so fancy Johnny Rockets, then headed out of the park a little before closing time at 8:30-8:45. We had an hour drive to Cleveland, and got to the hotel around 10:00 (had to stop for gas along the way). We are staying at an Embassy Suites (in the nicest room we have stayed in so far) not far from Progressive Field (where the Indians play) and we will probably walk to the game tomorrow. The Indians are playing the White Sox and noon, and we have tickets that I bought on StubHub for $6 each before we left. I haven’t checked the box score for today’s game, but I believe that it will be the first game that Manny Ramirez starts for the White Sox since being traded from the Dodgers. After the game we will visit the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Other than that, not sure what else we will do in Cleveland tomorrow.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Day 14 - Can't Believe It Took 2,550 Miles
Today was a driving day - Chicago to Sandusky, OH. As expected, Amanda did not make it out of the driveway of Marti & John's house before she started crying. And no, I am not exaggerating the time it took for the tears to flow. In the morning, she went looking for John because he had said that maybe they could do some more gardening before she left. John was in his office with the door closed, but as soon as Marti returned from her walk Amanda very quickly went to Marti and casually mentioned John's comment about the garden. Marti somehow got the incredibly obvious hint, and went to get John from his office. Then John, Amanda and Brian went out back to pick some basil leaves for John's pesto sauce he was going to make. Not really sure if John wanted to make pesto sauce, but I guess that was the one item that was ready to be picked. Amanda was so happy.
Once we left Glencoe, after a stop at Starbucks and the Post Office (for more stamps), we were on our way. The plan was to stop in South Bend, IN for lunch and to visit the College Football Hall of Fame. The trip was about 2 hours from Glencoe, but at some point during our crossing of Indiana we reverted back to Eastern Time, so we lost an hour, which threw the day off whack. Anyway, we got to South Bend a little after 2:00, and the person at the Hall suggested we go to a sandwich place around the corner called Jimmy John's. Excellent suggestion. Evidently, this is a chain with a ton of outlets in the Midwest, but only one in NYC. They have very funny signs on the walls, and (tada for Debbie) a reportedly delicious "unwich" which got Debbie back into The Land of Gluten Free.
The College Football Hall of Fame was more interesting to the whole gang than I thought it might be. There were a lot of interactive activities (kicking field goals, throwing passes, agility tests, etc.) that kept everyone entertained. There were also film clips of bloopers, memorable plays and a short film on the Heisman Trophy.
Side note. In both the "memorable plays" clip and Heisman film, they showed the Doug Flutie Hail Mary Pass. Very much like when man walked on the moon, many people remember where they were when Flutie completed the pass to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami. I am no different. However, the difference for me (and my father and brother) was that we did not actually SEE the pass. No Kimosabe, we were waiting in a lobby of some sort waiting to go into the Bat Mitzvah of my 22nd cousin, twice removed (although Derek I believe snuck out to the car and heard the play-by-play on the radio). Gun to my head, there is no way I will be able to come up with the name of the bat mitzvah girl.
At this point, I think I need to set the scene for the car (or as I now call it, our "Mobile Command Center") during our driving days. I am in the driver's seat. In my control are the GPS and the ipod gadget I bought before we left that allows us to play an ipod via our tape deck. The ipod just needs to be connected to a cassette tape and a wire. I also have my cell phone nearby.
To my right is "More Than Paper On The Go." A few years ago we had purchased a device that plugs into a car lighter outlet which allows us to plug in regular power cords into it. The original purpose was for a DVD player in the car before we had the minivan. But now it is the life-saver for More Than Paper. Debbie sits in the passenger seat with her laptop on her lap, with it plugged into the device, and the wifi card connected so she has (almost) constant Internet access. She also has her Blackberry and cell phone nearby, as she has her MTP phone forwarded to her cell during the trip. Due to all of the things that need charging, we are constantly plugging and unplugging chargers.
Many times someone will call the business line looking to place an order, and she will go through the whole thing with the customer as we cruise down the highway. She also checks and sends emails, deals with order issues, and on occasion invoices orders. On many days, she has taken an order in the morning, sent the order to the printer, gotten a proof from the printer, sent the proof to the customer, had the customer approve the proof, and OK'd the order for printing - all in one day on the road.
Behind me is Ethan. He is normally staring at a movie, totally oblivious to everything going on around him. We could encounter aliens on the highway, and he would miss it.
Next to Ethan is Amanda. She is either sleeping in her car seat, or talking to us. When she is talking, she usually tells us stories of things that happened in school or at camp, months ago. Either that or she is asking me how many miles we have gone. She is also my bathroom buddy. Whenever I go, she goes. It's our bonding activity for the trip. She gets car sick if she watches a movie with the headphones on, so she either glances at whatever movie Ethan is watching or just ignores it.
In the way back is Brian. He has his own little bedroom set up back there, with his pillow. He sets up his bed before we get going, and either lies down and takes a nap or watches the movie with Ethan.
Anyway, we left the Hall of Fame shortly before 5:00, but while we were in the Hall Debbie had a panic attack because all of a sudden she was getting a whole bunch of orders, and she knew we would not be to the hotel until about 8:30, and we would still need to have dinner before we could start processing orders. So today, the Mobile Command Center went where it had never gone before - we set up the printer in the back seat and Debbie was printing as we drove. It's too bad we didn't get a picture of this, because it was a sight.
After about 2 hours of the trip from South Bend to Sandusky, it happened. Since we left I have driven over 2,500 miles, on highways and byways (what exactly is a byway?), through tunnels and over bridges, on local roads and dirt roads. Most of the time I go about 10-15 miles per hour over the speed limit, and have seen a cop or two along the way. Today was the day my luck (almost) ran out. I was going about 80 in a 65 MPH area (in my defense, most of the highways since Missouri were 70 MPH roads), when I saw a cop to my left. I slowed down to 73-74 by the time I passed him but it was too late. I saw him pull out onto the highway and start to follow me. And then the lights went on and I pulled over.
The state trooper (who looked about 11 years old) asked if I knew why he pulled me over. Seriously, why do they ask this question? What I am I supposed to say to that? Yes, officer, you pulled me over because I have an overdue book at the Great Neck Library? He said he clocked me at 80, to which I said that I thought I was only going 74. Basically, I was willing to plead guilty to shoplifting when I was busted for grand theft auto. He asked for my license and registration (no clue where the registration was, so he took our insurance card instead) and I gave him a hang-dog look and explained that I had been driving all day with the kids. He asked when the last time I had a moving violation, and other than my dancing at one of the recent bar mitzvahs, I was able to tell him that it had been 25+ years. He went back to his car, and in a few minutes gave me an early Hanukkah present - a warning. He did say, though, that he had 30 days to submit the violation, so if I got caught again I would have to pay that one and his. So, for the next 47 miles I was on my best behavior. Although, I did feel almost neutered, as I topped out at 70 MPH, while cars (and cows) zoomed past me. But, we made it to Sandusky without another incident.
After grabbing a bite at the sports bar across the street (Manny's Sports Bar), we headed to the hotel room to process all of the orders Debbie printed on Highway 80, and so I could make an online donation to the Policeman's Benevolent Association of Northern Ohio.
Tomorrow, Cedar Point Amusement Park.
Once we left Glencoe, after a stop at Starbucks and the Post Office (for more stamps), we were on our way. The plan was to stop in South Bend, IN for lunch and to visit the College Football Hall of Fame. The trip was about 2 hours from Glencoe, but at some point during our crossing of Indiana we reverted back to Eastern Time, so we lost an hour, which threw the day off whack. Anyway, we got to South Bend a little after 2:00, and the person at the Hall suggested we go to a sandwich place around the corner called Jimmy John's. Excellent suggestion. Evidently, this is a chain with a ton of outlets in the Midwest, but only one in NYC. They have very funny signs on the walls, and (tada for Debbie) a reportedly delicious "unwich" which got Debbie back into The Land of Gluten Free.
The College Football Hall of Fame was more interesting to the whole gang than I thought it might be. There were a lot of interactive activities (kicking field goals, throwing passes, agility tests, etc.) that kept everyone entertained. There were also film clips of bloopers, memorable plays and a short film on the Heisman Trophy.
Side note. In both the "memorable plays" clip and Heisman film, they showed the Doug Flutie Hail Mary Pass. Very much like when man walked on the moon, many people remember where they were when Flutie completed the pass to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami. I am no different. However, the difference for me (and my father and brother) was that we did not actually SEE the pass. No Kimosabe, we were waiting in a lobby of some sort waiting to go into the Bat Mitzvah of my 22nd cousin, twice removed (although Derek I believe snuck out to the car and heard the play-by-play on the radio). Gun to my head, there is no way I will be able to come up with the name of the bat mitzvah girl.
At this point, I think I need to set the scene for the car (or as I now call it, our "Mobile Command Center") during our driving days. I am in the driver's seat. In my control are the GPS and the ipod gadget I bought before we left that allows us to play an ipod via our tape deck. The ipod just needs to be connected to a cassette tape and a wire. I also have my cell phone nearby.
To my right is "More Than Paper On The Go." A few years ago we had purchased a device that plugs into a car lighter outlet which allows us to plug in regular power cords into it. The original purpose was for a DVD player in the car before we had the minivan. But now it is the life-saver for More Than Paper. Debbie sits in the passenger seat with her laptop on her lap, with it plugged into the device, and the wifi card connected so she has (almost) constant Internet access. She also has her Blackberry and cell phone nearby, as she has her MTP phone forwarded to her cell during the trip. Due to all of the things that need charging, we are constantly plugging and unplugging chargers.
Many times someone will call the business line looking to place an order, and she will go through the whole thing with the customer as we cruise down the highway. She also checks and sends emails, deals with order issues, and on occasion invoices orders. On many days, she has taken an order in the morning, sent the order to the printer, gotten a proof from the printer, sent the proof to the customer, had the customer approve the proof, and OK'd the order for printing - all in one day on the road.
Behind me is Ethan. He is normally staring at a movie, totally oblivious to everything going on around him. We could encounter aliens on the highway, and he would miss it.
Next to Ethan is Amanda. She is either sleeping in her car seat, or talking to us. When she is talking, she usually tells us stories of things that happened in school or at camp, months ago. Either that or she is asking me how many miles we have gone. She is also my bathroom buddy. Whenever I go, she goes. It's our bonding activity for the trip. She gets car sick if she watches a movie with the headphones on, so she either glances at whatever movie Ethan is watching or just ignores it.
In the way back is Brian. He has his own little bedroom set up back there, with his pillow. He sets up his bed before we get going, and either lies down and takes a nap or watches the movie with Ethan.
Anyway, we left the Hall of Fame shortly before 5:00, but while we were in the Hall Debbie had a panic attack because all of a sudden she was getting a whole bunch of orders, and she knew we would not be to the hotel until about 8:30, and we would still need to have dinner before we could start processing orders. So today, the Mobile Command Center went where it had never gone before - we set up the printer in the back seat and Debbie was printing as we drove. It's too bad we didn't get a picture of this, because it was a sight.
After about 2 hours of the trip from South Bend to Sandusky, it happened. Since we left I have driven over 2,500 miles, on highways and byways (what exactly is a byway?), through tunnels and over bridges, on local roads and dirt roads. Most of the time I go about 10-15 miles per hour over the speed limit, and have seen a cop or two along the way. Today was the day my luck (almost) ran out. I was going about 80 in a 65 MPH area (in my defense, most of the highways since Missouri were 70 MPH roads), when I saw a cop to my left. I slowed down to 73-74 by the time I passed him but it was too late. I saw him pull out onto the highway and start to follow me. And then the lights went on and I pulled over.
The state trooper (who looked about 11 years old) asked if I knew why he pulled me over. Seriously, why do they ask this question? What I am I supposed to say to that? Yes, officer, you pulled me over because I have an overdue book at the Great Neck Library? He said he clocked me at 80, to which I said that I thought I was only going 74. Basically, I was willing to plead guilty to shoplifting when I was busted for grand theft auto. He asked for my license and registration (no clue where the registration was, so he took our insurance card instead) and I gave him a hang-dog look and explained that I had been driving all day with the kids. He asked when the last time I had a moving violation, and other than my dancing at one of the recent bar mitzvahs, I was able to tell him that it had been 25+ years. He went back to his car, and in a few minutes gave me an early Hanukkah present - a warning. He did say, though, that he had 30 days to submit the violation, so if I got caught again I would have to pay that one and his. So, for the next 47 miles I was on my best behavior. Although, I did feel almost neutered, as I topped out at 70 MPH, while cars (and cows) zoomed past me. But, we made it to Sandusky without another incident.
After grabbing a bite at the sports bar across the street (Manny's Sports Bar), we headed to the hotel room to process all of the orders Debbie printed on Highway 80, and so I could make an online donation to the Policeman's Benevolent Association of Northern Ohio.
Tomorrow, Cedar Point Amusement Park.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Day 13 - And on the 13th Day, They Rested
Evidently the power was restored during the night after the First Night of Solderkkah (hope you all lit candles in our honor), and all was back to normal by the time everyone awoke. After 12 days of driving and running and site seeing, the gang clearly was getting a little rundown and tired, so this day was a perfect day to hang out in Glencoe and recharge the batteries before the last week of the trip. This morning my cousin Gary, his wife Jeanine, and their adorable little 2-year old son, Max, came to Marti and John's for brunch.
Now, when we made the plans for brunch, I kind of just assumed that John might go pick up some bagels, muffins and donuts and that would be that. Just cousins hanging out having a nice simple brunch. But NOOOOOOOOO, in the tradition of our 2 week food eating expedition, Marti and John brought out all the stops. They made cinnamon rolls, cheese souffles, a pasta and vegetarian sausage combo (although I only learned that they were veggie just now), a fresh fruit bowl, shrimp, and fresh from the home garden tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.
Amanda and Brian, who were up early, helped John pick the veggies from the garden. We are now under a mandate from Amanda to grow a garden at home. However, I don't think we will go as far as having an actual greenhouse in the yard like John has, as I think Great Neck Estates would require a permit and I would have to check Paul's availability. I would probably also have to hire someone to grow the plants.
We had not yet met Max, but had heard what a cutie he was. The reports were accurate. After an initial shy period as he got used to the new 2nd cousins in the room, he played with them and they all had fun together. He had so much fun, in fact, that when it was time to leave he said to Gary, "I want Mommy and Daddy to leave without me," or something close to that. I am guessing that he either threw a pretty good tantrum when they left or fell asleep in about 20 seconds.
After Gary left, we hung out for a little while. The boys played basketball in the driveway and Amanda watched some TV. Eventually, we decided to head out and explore Glencoe. And what could possibly be a better way to start that than by getting some ice cream after a huge breakfast. Marti told us about a place that made excellent homemade ice cream in the town nearby, so we went there, and it was very good. For those at home keeping score, I had banana and coffee chip.
After eating the completely unnecessary but delicious ice cream, we headed towards a park near Lake Michigan. There we played some Frisbee, Amanda went on the swings, the boys created a Frisbee/tennis game on the tennis courts that they named "Frisnis" and we otherwise just relaxed. We took the obligatory photo of the kids with Lake Michigan behind them, then headed home to get cleaned up for dinner (it remains quite hot here).
For dinner we decided to head to a local delicatessen, where we once again ordered meals that we absolutely did not need but tasted great. I had a Reuben and Debbie ordered a meal called the Little Nosh. This was neither Little nor a Nosh. It was half corned beef and half pastrami and instead of bread it was served on potato pancakes. The good news was there was no bread, so she has that going for her, which is nice.
After dinner we (stunningly) did not have dessert and headed back to Marti and John's. The hardest part of leaving here tomorrow will be for Amanda. She and John have made quite a connection (John calls her his little gardener) and she was upset that John was out for a walk when she was going to sleep tonight so she could not say good night. John is a statistician by trade, and he will no doubt understand that there is a 100% probability that Amanda will start crying before we back out of their driveway tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a drive day. We will end up in Sandusky, Ohio, but on the way will likely stop in South Bend, Indiana for two reasons. One, to complete the tour of colleges that Matt Tucker hates, and two to have lunch and maybe go to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Now, when we made the plans for brunch, I kind of just assumed that John might go pick up some bagels, muffins and donuts and that would be that. Just cousins hanging out having a nice simple brunch. But NOOOOOOOOO, in the tradition of our 2 week food eating expedition, Marti and John brought out all the stops. They made cinnamon rolls, cheese souffles, a pasta and vegetarian sausage combo (although I only learned that they were veggie just now), a fresh fruit bowl, shrimp, and fresh from the home garden tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.
Amanda and Brian, who were up early, helped John pick the veggies from the garden. We are now under a mandate from Amanda to grow a garden at home. However, I don't think we will go as far as having an actual greenhouse in the yard like John has, as I think Great Neck Estates would require a permit and I would have to check Paul's availability. I would probably also have to hire someone to grow the plants.
We had not yet met Max, but had heard what a cutie he was. The reports were accurate. After an initial shy period as he got used to the new 2nd cousins in the room, he played with them and they all had fun together. He had so much fun, in fact, that when it was time to leave he said to Gary, "I want Mommy and Daddy to leave without me," or something close to that. I am guessing that he either threw a pretty good tantrum when they left or fell asleep in about 20 seconds.
After Gary left, we hung out for a little while. The boys played basketball in the driveway and Amanda watched some TV. Eventually, we decided to head out and explore Glencoe. And what could possibly be a better way to start that than by getting some ice cream after a huge breakfast. Marti told us about a place that made excellent homemade ice cream in the town nearby, so we went there, and it was very good. For those at home keeping score, I had banana and coffee chip.
After eating the completely unnecessary but delicious ice cream, we headed towards a park near Lake Michigan. There we played some Frisbee, Amanda went on the swings, the boys created a Frisbee/tennis game on the tennis courts that they named "Frisnis" and we otherwise just relaxed. We took the obligatory photo of the kids with Lake Michigan behind them, then headed home to get cleaned up for dinner (it remains quite hot here).
For dinner we decided to head to a local delicatessen, where we once again ordered meals that we absolutely did not need but tasted great. I had a Reuben and Debbie ordered a meal called the Little Nosh. This was neither Little nor a Nosh. It was half corned beef and half pastrami and instead of bread it was served on potato pancakes. The good news was there was no bread, so she has that going for her, which is nice.
After dinner we (stunningly) did not have dessert and headed back to Marti and John's. The hardest part of leaving here tomorrow will be for Amanda. She and John have made quite a connection (John calls her his little gardener) and she was upset that John was out for a walk when she was going to sleep tonight so she could not say good night. John is a statistician by trade, and he will no doubt understand that there is a 100% probability that Amanda will start crying before we back out of their driveway tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a drive day. We will end up in Sandusky, Ohio, but on the way will likely stop in South Bend, Indiana for two reasons. One, to complete the tour of colleges that Matt Tucker hates, and two to have lunch and maybe go to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Day 12 - Line of the Trip
Day 2 of our Chicago stop was another full day of activities and excitement. We started off the day by heading to the American Girl Place on Michigan Avenue. To say that Amanda was excited about this part of the trip is the understatement of all time. She planned on having her doll’s hair re-done into a new style, and Debbie said she could buy one or two new outfits. The boys, on the other hand, would rather have been sitting in school taking a test.
When we pulled up to the store, I dropped Amanda and Debbie off while the boys and I looked for a place to park. In what seemed like a plan hatched by the boys to stall going to the store, every time someone pulled out of a spot the car in front of me took the spot. The boys seemed generally pleased by my bad luck. After about 15 minutes or so, I finally found a spot and we walked very quickly to the store, for two reasons. One, I really wanted to be there for Amanda, and two, the Venti Ice Coffee I had earlier had now worked its way to my bladder.
We got into the store shortly after Amanda’s doll had gotten her new hairdo, and I raced past Debbie and Amanda while heading to the bathroom (which, frankly, could not have been located any further into the store). After that crisis was averted, I was able to enjoy the rest of the experience with my daughter. Amanda picked out two very cute outfits, and she could not have been happier.
When we pulled up to the store, I dropped Amanda and Debbie off while the boys and I looked for a place to park. In what seemed like a plan hatched by the boys to stall going to the store, every time someone pulled out of a spot the car in front of me took the spot. The boys seemed generally pleased by my bad luck. After about 15 minutes or so, I finally found a spot and we walked very quickly to the store, for two reasons. One, I really wanted to be there for Amanda, and two, the Venti Ice Coffee I had earlier had now worked its way to my bladder.
We got into the store shortly after Amanda’s doll had gotten her new hairdo, and I raced past Debbie and Amanda while heading to the bathroom (which, frankly, could not have been located any further into the store). After that crisis was averted, I was able to enjoy the rest of the experience with my daughter. Amanda picked out two very cute outfits, and she could not have been happier.
We left the building a little after 1:00, and figured the appetizers would tide us over until we had a regular lunch later in the afternoon after we took in the Museum of Science and Industry. What we didn’t plan on was spending almost 4 hours at the museum. The museum is located in an enormous building south (I think) of downtown, and has so many exhibits (genetics, weather, internet, planetary, inventions, etc.) and areas that you really could spend a few days seeing everything there. It even has its own coal mine, with a 30 minute coal mine tour. Not sure how much of the mine was real, but it sure seemed real. We tried to hit as much of the museum as we could, but had to stop at some point to have lunch. And once again we channeled our inner-Elvis, and had ice cream for lunch.
We ended up leaving the museum at 5:30 (we kind of had to leave then, since the museum closes at 5:30), walked to our car and then tried to figure out dinner. We assumed the Roadfood book and the travel book would be filled with suggestions on where to get deep dish pizza. However, we were surprised that only one restaurant was listed, and not even in the Roadfood book. Fortunately, it was (evidently) the home of deep dish pizza in Chicago, Gino’s East (no relation, and no similarity, to Gino’s of Great Neck – in fact, Gino’s of Great Neck should change its name out of respect).
After all of the over-the-top meals we had eaten through Tennessee, we had actually gotten into a rhythm of more normal eating, and I was feeling a little less like John Goodman. But, all that went out the window once we got to Gino’s East. When you get there, you just tell the hostess how many people are in your party, then wait in the outside line, which is the line for the inside line. After about 20 minutes, they finally had a table for 5, and in we went.
The walls of the restaurant are covered in the signatures of customers, and we dutifully added our names to the wall in our booth. We asked the waiter how much we should order, and he suggested that one large pizza would be more than enough for the 4 of us. But wait, you say, don’t we have 5 in the family? Yes, but Amanda instead opted for the kiddie thin crust pizza, which she really ended up not liking. We were so hungry from basically not eating all day that we were a little skeptical that one pizza would suffice, so we ordered an appetizer for the table and the large pizza (half supreme and half cheese). Well, the waiter was correct. The one large pizza was plenty, and I once again feel like a pinata, but I don’t think candy is what will come out of me.
After dinner we headed back to Glencoe for what we thought would be a quiet end to the evening. We got back around 9:00, and after the boys watched the end of the White Sox – Yankees game (Evil Empire won) and Amanda dressed her doll in one of her new outfits (and new earrings), we got the kids ready for bed and Debbie and I set up for work.
Let me set the scene here. We are on the 2nd floor of Marti and John’s house, with a house next door. We have the windows in the room open to get a nice breeze. I was working at the desk working on one laptop and Debbie was on the bed working on the other. Sometime around 10:15 we heard a very loud crackle and sizzle. We looked out the window and saw a small flame at about our eye level.
Debbie said “What was that? I think something is on fire!” And in my infinite wisdom I said “I think the guy next door is just doing some soldering.” Why I came up with that response I will never know, because in actuality the power line that connects this house to that one had burst into flames, luckily at the other end. I went in to tell Marti and John what was going on and that they should call the fire department. Right about then, it must have burned through the line and we lost power, along with most of the neighbors.
John called 911, and the police and the fire department showed up, and confirmed that the line was down. Amazingly, a large number of the people on this street have generators, including Marti and John. So John revved up the machine, and sure enough, we have power. Not sure how long the oil will last in the machine, because he doesn’t think the tank is full, but if we are lucky it will last 8 days and we can start a whole new holiday – Solderkkah.
We ended up leaving the museum at 5:30 (we kind of had to leave then, since the museum closes at 5:30), walked to our car and then tried to figure out dinner. We assumed the Roadfood book and the travel book would be filled with suggestions on where to get deep dish pizza. However, we were surprised that only one restaurant was listed, and not even in the Roadfood book. Fortunately, it was (evidently) the home of deep dish pizza in Chicago, Gino’s East (no relation, and no similarity, to Gino’s of Great Neck – in fact, Gino’s of Great Neck should change its name out of respect).
After all of the over-the-top meals we had eaten through Tennessee, we had actually gotten into a rhythm of more normal eating, and I was feeling a little less like John Goodman. But, all that went out the window once we got to Gino’s East. When you get there, you just tell the hostess how many people are in your party, then wait in the outside line, which is the line for the inside line. After about 20 minutes, they finally had a table for 5, and in we went.
The walls of the restaurant are covered in the signatures of customers, and we dutifully added our names to the wall in our booth. We asked the waiter how much we should order, and he suggested that one large pizza would be more than enough for the 4 of us. But wait, you say, don’t we have 5 in the family? Yes, but Amanda instead opted for the kiddie thin crust pizza, which she really ended up not liking. We were so hungry from basically not eating all day that we were a little skeptical that one pizza would suffice, so we ordered an appetizer for the table and the large pizza (half supreme and half cheese). Well, the waiter was correct. The one large pizza was plenty, and I once again feel like a pinata, but I don’t think candy is what will come out of me.
After dinner we headed back to Glencoe for what we thought would be a quiet end to the evening. We got back around 9:00, and after the boys watched the end of the White Sox – Yankees game (Evil Empire won) and Amanda dressed her doll in one of her new outfits (and new earrings), we got the kids ready for bed and Debbie and I set up for work.
Let me set the scene here. We are on the 2nd floor of Marti and John’s house, with a house next door. We have the windows in the room open to get a nice breeze. I was working at the desk working on one laptop and Debbie was on the bed working on the other. Sometime around 10:15 we heard a very loud crackle and sizzle. We looked out the window and saw a small flame at about our eye level.
Debbie said “What was that? I think something is on fire!” And in my infinite wisdom I said “I think the guy next door is just doing some soldering.” Why I came up with that response I will never know, because in actuality the power line that connects this house to that one had burst into flames, luckily at the other end. I went in to tell Marti and John what was going on and that they should call the fire department. Right about then, it must have burned through the line and we lost power, along with most of the neighbors.
John called 911, and the police and the fire department showed up, and confirmed that the line was down. Amazingly, a large number of the people on this street have generators, including Marti and John. So John revved up the machine, and sure enough, we have power. Not sure how long the oil will last in the machine, because he doesn’t think the tank is full, but if we are lucky it will last 8 days and we can start a whole new holiday – Solderkkah.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Day 11 - Ever Heard of Guster? Me Neither.
Today was our first full day (of 3) in Chicago. But before I give the run-down of today, here are some "action" shots from yesterday's fun at the Field of Dreams:
We started the day around 11 by driving 10 minutes from Marti & John's house to the owner of Pen At Hand's (Ronnie Horowitz) house in Northbrook, where she runs her business. Debbie had met the owner a bunch of times, but not her assistant, so she was excited to meet her and see how they processed all of the orders. Ronnie has a very large home office (at least compared to ours) and a large staging area for her products that are ready to ship. However, it's not nearly as organized or sophisticated a process as we thought it might be. It's certainly efficient, as they have a place and system for everything, but I guess we were just expecting a more streamlined set-up.
Debbie brought an actual order with her, so we could see how an order form goes from our office to a finished product. Again, not nearly as complicated as we thought it might be. Lots of cutting and pasting and manipulating by hand. But again, it works. Debbie had ordered stick figure bag tags for the kids, and had told Ronnie we would just pick them up when we got there, so we got those and Ronnie was also nice enough to make a little dry-erase activity thing-a-ma-bob (don't know what to call it) for Amanda.
We left Pen At Hand around 12:15 or so, and headed towards Wrigley. The Cubs are not in town, so they had tours every 30 minutes. We got to Wrigley in about an hour, found a place to park on the street and headed for the park. It was about 1:30 and the kids were hungry, so we bought the tickets for the 2:30 tour and went for a quick lunch at the Capt. Morgan Restaurant that is part of Wrigley. The selling point for this place was that our ticket stubs got us 30% off the bill. I think that was the highlight of the lunch.
We finished about 10 minutes before the start of the tour, then headed over to the gate where the tours began. At 2:30 we started the tour by watching a short DVD on Wrigley and the Cubs. Stunningly, there was not much on the Cubs or their successes over the many years at Wrigley, for obvious reasons.
The stadium is close to Fenway in its coziness and size. I am sure you will be just STUNNED to know that I like the look and feel of Fenway more. Wrigley is the 2nd oldest stadium in use (built in 1914, behind Fenway's 1912) and the next oldest is Dodger Stadium, which was built in the 60's. We went to the right field bleachers, then to the mezzanine suites behind home plate, the press level, the visitors' locker room, the Cubs locker room and finally onto the field and the visitors' dugout.
They have a lovely store and we stayed there just long enough for the kids to get restless and start goofing off to the point that we were afraid they would take down some displays with their fooling around, and then we left around 5:00.
We decided to venture to the Lincoln Park Zoo near downtown. The appeal for this place was two-fold. One, we had not checked out any zoos in any of the cities we have visited. And two, it's free. We got to the zoo and miraculously found parking on the street right near the entrance. We headed for the entrance and saw a long, curious line near the entrance. Being that it was almost closing time (7 pm) and free, this confused us. We reached the end of the line and asked someone if this was the line for the zoo. Much like the look we got in Memphis when we asked for bottled water, the woman looked at us and said, "No, this is the line for the Guster concert. The zoo closed at 5 today." Seriously, she looked at us like we were aliens for not knowing that the Superband Guster was playing that night. Quick, name a Guster song (without using Google or any similar source). Exactly.
We were all disappointed, as you can see (I will let you figure out which tears are real):
We hung out there for a short time, long enough for Debbie to torture the kids by making them take pictures next to some flowers. Then we headed further into town and to the Navy Pier, Chicago's answer to the South Street Seaport. The Navy Pier was packed, as the Tall Ships were in town. We passed on spending about $70 to get a close-up view of the ships, as the kids were getting hungry and we were wary of mimicking the excitement of the Country Music Hall of Fame. So we picked a place to eat on the Pier, and ended up with a nice view of many Tall Ships that sailed by. We ended the evening with a typical Chicago dessert - Haagen Dazs, and headed back to Glencoe for the night.
Tomorrow on the agenda are another try at the Zoo, a hands-on museum that everyone raves about (can't remember the name right now) and, drum roll please, the American Girl Store. I can't tell you how excited the boys are to be going there, knowing how much Amanda will enjoy it. The look on their faces when we told the boys we were going there tomorrow would make any parent proud, because they know how important it is to Amanda and are ready to be so selfless with their time and are going there with such a good attitude.
And if you believe that crap about the boys, I have a bridge over Lake Michigan I can sell you.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Day 10 - If You Build It, The Volks Will Come
[Warning, this will be a relatively short blog post, and probably not very funny. The day was basically uneventful, other than the first activity. You may now proceed.]
Today was Field of Dreams day. We awoke in beautiful downtown Dyersville to a gourmet breakfast at the hotel (being nice), and headed over the Field of Dreams Movie Site around 11. It was just as it looked in the movie. There is no admission fee, no commercialization and just a souvenir stand selling reasonable priced stuff (t-shirt for $15, etc.). When we arrived there was one other family on the field, so we joined them for some batting practice. It was a blast playing and hitting on the field, and all of us got into the action. [having photo upload issues now, so pictures may have to follow]
When we finished batting practice, we headed out into left field to check out the "magical" corn. All of us then disappeared into the corn (the kids disappeared a lot further than they needed to), and then we went back to the area near the house (you can't go in the house, it's for family and employees only) for some more pictures and to buy some stuff. The boys and I got t-shirts and Amanda got a key chain. Evidently, she has a large collection. I think she is up to 5, counting the 4 she has gotten on this trip.
Before we left, I made each kid come with me near home plate, and one at a time they said to me "Hey Dad, wanna have a catch?" And I would reply, "I'd like that." And then I had a little catch with each of them. It was a great moment, for me anyway. The kids kind of went through the motions, but it's the thought that counts.
We then headed off on a typical Iowa dirt road to head to the Chicago area. For lunch we stopped in idyllic Dubuque for another rousing meal, this time at Ground Round. I think we peaked food-wise in the early part of the trip. Although I do have high hopes for Chicago.
Chicago will be the longest stay in one place. We are actually staying in Glencoe, north of the city, at my Aunt Marti and Uncle John's house. And we hope to be seeing my cousin Gary and family sometime over the weekend. After resting a while at their house tonight, we headed to a very good sandwich restaurant, where good food was had by all.
Not sure what we are doing in Chicago yet, although I do know that the tour will start with a quick trip to one of Debbie's vendors, Pen At Hand. Now we can write off the whole trip. After that we will have to figure it out. Maybe we will do a tour of Wrigley tomorrow.
[Told you it would be short and pretty dry. I'll try to do better tomorrow.]
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Day 9 - The Long and Boring Road
Today was another travel day. But unlike other travel days when there was a fun stop (or outrageous food) somewhere along the way, this was a day with very little options. We were driving from St. Louis to Dyersville, IA (for the Field of Dreams tomorrow). The only town along the way that I had ever heard of was Hannibal, MO, birthplace of Mark Twain. So, after two hours of driving we pulled into Hannibal around lunch time. Driving through Hannibal was kind of like one of those old Westerns, where a guy pulls into town on a horse and the town is empty. Hannibal is empty. Building after building had vacant stores, and there were about 3 people on the streets. We parked right in front of the Mark Twain Museum, and at that point decided to check on tropicana.com to see if they had any 2-1 coupons (side note: if you drink Tropicana orange juice and noticed the codes on the caps it's worth entering them into an account, as they had pretty good coupons all over the country. We have saved a decent amount of money by using them.)
Usually we check the night before, but this time we (read: I) forgot to look. Sure enough they did have a 2-1 coupon for the museum. So, I unpacked the printer (yes, in addition to our own drying rack, we have also been traveling with our own printer - what, you don't?) and set it up in the front seat and printed the coupons (good thing, because we saved a whopping $7.50 - it all counts).
Before we entered the museum, we had to find someplace to eat. Being that the choice was between an incredibly smoky bar/restaurant and a place that had a $6.29 all-you-can-eat pizza buffet ($3.50 for kids), we went with the deluxe buffet.
The museum was mostly about Twain's books, and since Ethan has only read Huck Finn (or so he says), and Brian and Amanda knew nothing about Twain (and Debbie and I could not remember if we had ever read any of his books), the museum was not really all that exciting. That is, until we met Mr. Twain himself. Then the fun started (not really, but it was something).
After we left the thrilling Hannibal, MO, we headed out for another 3.5 hours or so towards Iowa. This could have been the most boring ride this side of the NJ Turnpike. Basically, unless you are a huge fan of corn farms, there is nothing else to see. Picture a corn farm. Nice looking, right? Now picture them for 220 miles, one after another (after another after another...). You get the point.
We finally pulled into Dyersville around 8:00 and the choices for dinner were Dairy Queen, Subway, Quiznos or the Country Kitchen (a local restaurant). Frankly, based on what we had just driven through, we weren't really sure there would even be this large of a selection. We went with the local establishment, and it was surprisingly good.
We wrapped up the evening with some work while the kids watched Field of Dreams. I have told the boys that they are obligated to say to me on the field "Hey Dad, wanna have a catch?" If they don't, I am leaving them in Iowa.
Usually we check the night before, but this time we (read: I) forgot to look. Sure enough they did have a 2-1 coupon for the museum. So, I unpacked the printer (yes, in addition to our own drying rack, we have also been traveling with our own printer - what, you don't?) and set it up in the front seat and printed the coupons (good thing, because we saved a whopping $7.50 - it all counts).
Before we entered the museum, we had to find someplace to eat. Being that the choice was between an incredibly smoky bar/restaurant and a place that had a $6.29 all-you-can-eat pizza buffet ($3.50 for kids), we went with the deluxe buffet.
The museum was mostly about Twain's books, and since Ethan has only read Huck Finn (or so he says), and Brian and Amanda knew nothing about Twain (and Debbie and I could not remember if we had ever read any of his books), the museum was not really all that exciting. That is, until we met Mr. Twain himself. Then the fun started (not really, but it was something).
After we left the thrilling Hannibal, MO, we headed out for another 3.5 hours or so towards Iowa. This could have been the most boring ride this side of the NJ Turnpike. Basically, unless you are a huge fan of corn farms, there is nothing else to see. Picture a corn farm. Nice looking, right? Now picture them for 220 miles, one after another (after another after another...). You get the point.
We finally pulled into Dyersville around 8:00 and the choices for dinner were Dairy Queen, Subway, Quiznos or the Country Kitchen (a local restaurant). Frankly, based on what we had just driven through, we weren't really sure there would even be this large of a selection. We went with the local establishment, and it was surprisingly good.
We wrapped up the evening with some work while the kids watched Field of Dreams. I have told the boys that they are obligated to say to me on the field "Hey Dad, wanna have a catch?" If they don't, I am leaving them in Iowa.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Day 8 - Meet Me In St. Louis
Today was a day spent in St. Louis, the Gateway to the West. The downtown area near the Arch is a nice place, with office buildings, parks, the Edward Jones Dome (Rams) and Busch Stadium (Cardinals) all within walking distance of our hotel. We started the day with a tour of Busch Stadium. We have done 6 ballpark tours now (Yankee, Red Sox, Phillies, Giants, Padres and Cardinals). I think this tour was an average one, not bad, but not great.
The tour guide seemed very excited about pictures on the wall and all of the great places to eat. We got into the radio booth and the Cardinals dugout, but not into the locker rooms, even though the Cardinals were away.
It is a very nice looking stadium, with padded seats everywhere and a beautiful view of the Arch from most seats. But the tour just lacked a little pizazz. Can't put my finger on what was missing, but something was.
After the tour, and a completely unnecessary spending spree in the Cardinals Clubhouse Store, we headed for the Budweiser Factory Tour. There were two main draws for this tour. Number one, the tour was free. And number two, at the end of the tour they give each adult two free beers. So, do the math - Free Tour + Free Beer = Perfect Combination.
The tour itself was a little bit of a letdown, as our tour guide Nathan talked just about as fast as that guy in the old FedEx commercials and held the mike closer to his mouth than Elton John does. Not a conducive way to getting your message out. We saw some big machines that hold beer, some big machines that fill beer bottles and cans, and some other big machines that do other stuff, which I can't explain since I couldn't understand Nathan.
But, the end of the tour did not disappoint, as we were led into a room with beer taps and could choose any of the beers they sell. Once again going with the "When In Rome Theory" I chose a straight Bud for the first beer (tasted pretty much as I remembered, which is why I don't drink Bud) and an Amber Bock as the 2nd beer. Much better. My wife, the lush, also partook in the free beer festivities, and was dancing with a lampshade on her head after imbibing half of her Bud.
It was now about 2:15, and time for our daily food orgy. For today's completely over the top meal of the day, we decided to head for a place called the Crown Candy Kitchen. To get to this restaurant, we had to leave the nice, safe feeling confines of downtown and head towards North St. Louis. It was only about 10 minutes from the Bud factory to the lunch place, but about 15 income levels down. There was nothing but vacant buildings with open windows and run down houses in this area. I am pretty sure when they filmed part of "Vacation" showing Chevy Chase driving in St. Louis, it was in this part of St. Louis. As we were looking for the place, I said to Debbie "maybe we won't stop here." But as we found the place we saw people coming out with nice looking ice creams, so we decided to risk our lives for some more food.
Once again, the Roadfood book was on the money. They made excellent sandwiches, Debbie and I had the gluten-free, dairy-free Reubens (but with the gluten and dairy) and they were outstanding. And not to insult the establishment, because who are we to turn our backs on tradition, we felt obligated to partake in their specialty - desserts. The boys shared an ice cream, as did Debbie and I (banana for those scoring at home), but Amanda won the prize for best dessert - a chocolate malted milkshake. When she was done she proclaimed "This is the best day ever!"
After we rolled out of lunch around 3:30, we decided to head back towards the Arch and try and catch a 4:30 boat ride on the Mississippi. After parking the car at the hotel and walking to the Arch, and getting bad instructions from a park ranger on where to go, we sprinted to the boat and got there just in time for a 1 hour trip down on the Mighty Mississippi. Frankly, other than some power plants, bridges and barges, once you left the Arch area there wasn't much scenery to enjoy. But, we can say we sailed the Mississippi, so that's nice.
After leaving the boat, we walked back to the hotel and got into our bathing suits for the first time on the trip and went swimming in the hotel pool for about an hour, before showering and heading downstairs to another relatively boring dinner at the Irish restaurant in the hotel.
Tomorrow is another driving day, as we are headed to Iowa to see the Field of Dreams site. We debated how far we were going to drive tomorrow, but ended up deciding to drive all the way to the town where Field of Dreams is located, so we can just get up and be there on Thursday. So, tomorrow will be a road day, and I just hope I see a place where they make Throwed Starbucks.
The tour guide seemed very excited about pictures on the wall and all of the great places to eat. We got into the radio booth and the Cardinals dugout, but not into the locker rooms, even though the Cardinals were away.
It is a very nice looking stadium, with padded seats everywhere and a beautiful view of the Arch from most seats. But the tour just lacked a little pizazz. Can't put my finger on what was missing, but something was.After the tour, and a completely unnecessary spending spree in the Cardinals Clubhouse Store, we headed for the Budweiser Factory Tour. There were two main draws for this tour. Number one, the tour was free. And number two, at the end of the tour they give each adult two free beers. So, do the math - Free Tour + Free Beer = Perfect Combination.
The tour itself was a little bit of a letdown, as our tour guide Nathan talked just about as fast as that guy in the old FedEx commercials and held the mike closer to his mouth than Elton John does. Not a conducive way to getting your message out. We saw some big machines that hold beer, some big machines that fill beer bottles and cans, and some other big machines that do other stuff, which I can't explain since I couldn't understand Nathan.
But, the end of the tour did not disappoint, as we were led into a room with beer taps and could choose any of the beers they sell. Once again going with the "When In Rome Theory" I chose a straight Bud for the first beer (tasted pretty much as I remembered, which is why I don't drink Bud) and an Amber Bock as the 2nd beer. Much better. My wife, the lush, also partook in the free beer festivities, and was dancing with a lampshade on her head after imbibing half of her Bud.
It was now about 2:15, and time for our daily food orgy. For today's completely over the top meal of the day, we decided to head for a place called the Crown Candy Kitchen. To get to this restaurant, we had to leave the nice, safe feeling confines of downtown and head towards North St. Louis. It was only about 10 minutes from the Bud factory to the lunch place, but about 15 income levels down. There was nothing but vacant buildings with open windows and run down houses in this area. I am pretty sure when they filmed part of "Vacation" showing Chevy Chase driving in St. Louis, it was in this part of St. Louis. As we were looking for the place, I said to Debbie "maybe we won't stop here." But as we found the place we saw people coming out with nice looking ice creams, so we decided to risk our lives for some more food.
Once again, the Roadfood book was on the money. They made excellent sandwiches, Debbie and I had the gluten-free, dairy-free Reubens (but with the gluten and dairy) and they were outstanding. And not to insult the establishment, because who are we to turn our backs on tradition, we felt obligated to partake in their specialty - desserts. The boys shared an ice cream, as did Debbie and I (banana for those scoring at home), but Amanda won the prize for best dessert - a chocolate malted milkshake. When she was done she proclaimed "This is the best day ever!"
After we rolled out of lunch around 3:30, we decided to head back towards the Arch and try and catch a 4:30 boat ride on the Mississippi. After parking the car at the hotel and walking to the Arch, and getting bad instructions from a park ranger on where to go, we sprinted to the boat and got there just in time for a 1 hour trip down on the Mighty Mississippi. Frankly, other than some power plants, bridges and barges, once you left the Arch area there wasn't much scenery to enjoy. But, we can say we sailed the Mississippi, so that's nice.
After leaving the boat, we walked back to the hotel and got into our bathing suits for the first time on the trip and went swimming in the hotel pool for about an hour, before showering and heading downstairs to another relatively boring dinner at the Irish restaurant in the hotel.
Tomorrow is another driving day, as we are headed to Iowa to see the Field of Dreams site. We debated how far we were going to drive tomorrow, but ended up deciding to drive all the way to the town where Field of Dreams is located, so we can just get up and be there on Thursday. So, tomorrow will be a road day, and I just hope I see a place where they make Throwed Starbucks.
Random Thoughts/Comments/Stories Before I Forget
Random Thoughts/Comments/Stories Before I Forget
Just some random thoughts and stories on the trip, before the food makes my mind go mush:
- Since when is bacon a staple food? We stopped at a Quisnos early on and every single thing on the menu, other than the Caesar Salad, had bacon on it.
- The GPS is one of mankind's greatest inventions. Not as good as a store that sells pie a la mode by the slice, but right up there. Could not do the trip without it.
- This country has a lot of farm land.
- Based on the number of billboard signs on the highways, if there are two things Southerners like it's Fireworks and Adult Superstores. My guess is there is quite an overlap in the customer base on these places.
- In Memphis, for dinner Ethan ordered a bowl of chili with tamales. That led to my inevitable joke, "What's the weather forecast tomorrow? Chili today Hot Tamale." The boys chuckled (likely out of respect), and about 5 minutes later, out of nowhere Amanda starts laughing and says "Oh, I get it, Chili today Hot Tamale, like chilly today and hot tomorrow." She has been saying it since.
- Dasani, Aquafina and Poland Spring are not big sellers outside of the northeast.
- When traveling with kids (boys more specifically) the car can start to smell like a [locker room/fraternity house - choose your favorite stinky place], especially after Southern meals.
- I don't think I have hit a toll road since I left Pennsylvania.
- I am guessing most families don't travel with their own laundry drying racks.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Day 7 - Sometimes It's Better To Be Lucky Than Good
Today was a travel day - Memphis to St. Louis. The trip was about 4.5 hours, and like the other long days of driving I tried to find someplace in between where we could stop and maybe have lunch or do some sightseeing. Unfortunately, the only thing between Memphis and St. Louis is a lot of nothing (although we did cut through Arkansas, so that was exciting). So, we decided to just head to St. Louis. We left around 10:30, and figured we would just stop some place for lunch, then head to St. Louis, where we had tickets to go to the top of the Gateway Arch at 5:00.
Around 12:45 we were getting hungry, so we decided to stop at the next exit, where the signs said they had McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's. I know, yummy. We opted for Wendy's, and Debbie and I were kind of looking forward to a lighter lunch after all of the meals I have already written about. I was going to get a grilled chicken sandwich and Debbie was going to get a salad. Well, wouldn't you know it, but before we got to Wendy's we spotted a very large restaurant called Lambert's Cafe, where their slogan is "The Only Home of the Throwed Rolls." I know what you are thinking - what are Throwed Rolls, and what's with the flawed grammar? We were thinking the same thing, so Debbie did a quick web site search and the place sounded great and we decided to scrap the high-class Wendy's for Lambert's.
I am not sure that I can do this place justice in writing, or even in photos. This is the kind of place where wearing a hat is required attire for men. Long ZZ Top beards an over sized bellies were optional, but much on display (and while I don't have the beard, I am getting there with the belly). Menu choices included Hog Jowls (not sure I even want to know how these are prepared), Frog's Legs, Chicken Gizzards and other items that you just will not find at Bruce's.
But the kicker to the whole place are waiters that fling hot, delicious rolls to you if you ask for one. And they don't toss them gently from a few feet away. No, these guys are clearly former high school pitchers who throw heat. We saw a few people fail to make the catch only to be be pelted on the face with a hot steaming roll. Luckily, my boys and I made all of the catches successfully. Also, the waiters and waitresses walk around with vegetables and potatoes in prison-style bowls and scoop whatever you want onto your plate.
So, instead of my nice little grilled chicken sandwich, I ended up with the pork steak, mashed potatoes and fried apples. I also opted for some black eyed peas (boom boom pow) that a prison guard, er... waiter, was walking around with. Debbie got her much desired vegetable plate, and fun was had by all. Needless to say, this was a much better experience than Wendy's ever could have been.
After eating about a third of my pork steak, we headed back on the road to St. Louis. We got to the hotel around 4:30, quickly checked in and headed out on foot to the nearby Gateway Arch. The Arch is a lot newer than I thought it was (finished in 1965), and is the tallest man-made national monument in the country. We headed for the tram up to the top observation deck and waited for it to arrive. When it arrived to take us to the top, we had a brief crisis. See, the tram was much more like Mork's Eggship than an actual tram or elevator. It was small, cramped, and had no windows. Debbie was not a happy camper, and for a minute it did not look like she would be making the 4 minute trip to the top.
Can't you sense the fear?
However, when the doors closed and there were small windows on the door, she was OK.
We got to the top in the aforementioned 4 minutes, and headed for the observation deck. Again, the term observation deck may be a little overstated. It's like being in the room of the lowest priced ticket on a cruise ship. Small windows with very little room to walk around. However, the views are outstanding.
After about 10-15 minutes up top, we headed back down to the ground. Debbie was fine on the trip down:
We did a quick tour of the Museum of Westward Expansion (boring), and headed for a very mudane dinner. But not before taking the obligatory pictures at the bottom of the Arch:
Sorry to disappoint with no gory stories about the dinner, but it really was nothing. We walked to an area called Laclede's Landing, which is a cute cobblestone street with a bunch of similar restaurants/bars. We picked one and ate a quick dinner and headed to the hotel.We are staying at a Hampton, which is fine, but it's a regular room. Most of the rooms we have stayed in were mini-suites (Embassy Suites the last 4 nights), and to say we are a little cramped in here is like saying we have eaten a little bit of food over the past week. But we will manage.
Tomorrow we will likely try and do a tour of Busch Stadium (Cardinals), the Budweiser Tour and maybe a boat ride on the mighty Mississippi. I don't think any of these will involve egg-sized transportation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)