San Francisco, CA August 28th-31st

Todd had a conference in San Francisco, CA for a week. I was able to join him for a long weekend. San Francisco is beautiful but it's cold! Even in August it was in the 60's and got down in the 50's at night.

We got up at o'dark thirty to catch a plane. We arrived in CA before noon. We've made it a practice to not think about the time difference and adjust to the local time as soon as we can. This way we don't spend our day thinking of how tired we are or what time it really is. We try to adjust and keep moving forward.

We got to the hotel, Le Meridien, which is in the financial district downtown. We unloaded and then walked to the Ferry Market, which my tour guide (aka Todd) said that the building has been remodeled and had really turned around since the last time he'd seen it. It had a lot of neat shops and restaurants in it. It was fun to look around and see unique shops.

We ended up at a fish place and I had clam chowder and he had clams. It was delicious.
This was the view that we had of the Bay Bridge when we ate. We sat facing windows all along the back of the restaurant that gave us this view.

Northport Long Island August 22nd, 2010

We rented a zip car and drove up to Northport, LI on Sunday morning to go to church.
It was a sweet little church. We drove around the north forks and along the water. The north forth is so much greener and plush than the South fork of Long Island-because of all of the rain it gets. Each time we've been to the Northfork, it has rained.

It drizzled all day. We walked around a little bit in Northport and grabbed a bite to eat at the local pub. Had fish and chips and it was tastey.

Then we drove to Centerport and went to the Vanderbilt mansion.It wasn't as lavish as the other Museums we've seen. This mansion houses many of Mr. Vanderbilt's collections of fish and a vast collection of marine life displayed in the aquarium. If you're a nature lover, you would love his collection.

Then we drove back along Long Beach but it wasn't very scenic. The land was flat and dry; not plush at all.

We had an invitation from a friend to eat at her house and watch PBS specials, so we drove to her house. That was fun.

Cape May! August 8th-10th

Sunday, August 8th, after church, I rode on the train to Newark, NJ to meet Todd at the motorcycle rental place. We rented a Harley and rode it along the Jersey Shore. Our destination was Cape May, the southern most tip of New Jersey. I had wanted to visit this place for quite some time, so I was grateful that the opportunity presented itself.

It always takes us longer to get somewhere than is predicted. A one hour destination usually turns in to a four or five hour ride. Because there are so many small towns, neat shops, rest stops, that call our name to stop.

As we got closer, we rode along the shore and it was wonderful to see the ocean and be on the bike; we're out in the open, feeling the breeze against us and smell the dampness of the ocean. All of the senses are stimulated.

We arrived early evening. I loved the town right away. It has more victorian homes than we've seen and most of them have been turned in to bed and breakfasts, which we love. We didn't have a room reservation, so as Todd rode to get gas, I strolled through the town, looking for a place to stay. I stumbled across one that was a block away from the beach and it had a vacancy! It was fine.


We walked through town and decided on Blue Pig Tavern-Congress Hall. It's owner, Thomas Hughes, called it the Big House, because of it's size. But many critics were skeptical of it becoming a success and named it "Tommy's Folly". Now open for over two centuries, it has become a success (see www.congresshall.com). The food was good and you could feel the historical significance as you sat outside.

We walked through town and ended up at a putt-putt place. Todd beat me for the first time (I've always beat him). Then we went across the street to an arcade and played games.

Monday morning we decided to stay another day! Todd or I didn't have to get back to work and we wanted to enjoy another day at Cape May.

We walked through town again to see the neat shops when they were open. There were no chains and each store was unique.

We had lunch at the Mad Batter, which had a fun atmosphere and uniquely decorated.

We got back on the road and took a different way back. Then we stayed in Ocean Grove in a Bed and Breakfast.

We walked over to Ashbury Park and had dinner at _____________. The food was excellent.

We were pretty wiped out, so we crashed when we got back to the BNB.

Tuesday morning we grabbed breakfast at the BNB and got on the road. We had a short distance to ride back to the motorcycle rental place.

Stacy and Peter Baird visit with two dogs

I get a call Wednesday from Stacy Baird (Stay and Peter are friends from ASCSA-they are now kicked out of the group like we are) stating they wanted to come to New York Friday morning for a concert. I said "why don't you come up Thursday night and stay with us?" They took us up on the offer! We were excited to see them and have guests. Fortunately, the apt. was coming together and we finally had some furniture.

We got the apartment in order and waited for their arrival. It was great to see them and they brought their two dogs! They were well behaved (the dogs...) and would stay in their kennel while we were away from the apt.

The concert was Train which performed for the Today show early Friday morning. Early, meaning we were there about 6:30 a.m. Stacy and I thought we'd venture ahead of the line and see where it lead. Bad idea...we ended up getting separated from Peter and on the other side away from the stage. Peter was right next to the stage! So we got back in line but it didn't go all the way through-there was a blockade and we couldn't go any further. We were butting in front of people but we did have a good reason! to get to her husband. Most people believed us, except a girl scout with an attitude! She turned her back towards us. What has the world come to when a girl scout doesn't believe you?

So we just stayed where we were and enjoyed the concert. The music was entertaining and we danced to it. We made a new friend who stood next to us. He was from New Jersey and we enjoyed talking to him.

The staff handed out styro-foam microphones (who doesn't need one of those?) and we sang in to those. We were very sophisticated, we were.

We left about 3 1/2 hours later and met Todd for brunch at Kitchenette, a fun place in Tribecca. Then we were ready for a nap! So we headed home and crashed. We slept most of the afternoon (which I don't like to sleep the day away but when you get about 3 hours of sleep, the lack of sleep catches up with you).

We met Todd for dinner at Sweet Melissa's in Brooklyn. There's a nice outdoor patio in back of the restaurant. It was a beautiful night to spend outside. We were going to see a movie and rushed through dinner. When we rushed to the theatre, we found out that the movie was sold out. We decided to enjoy the nice weather and take a walk along the promenade. This gave us more of a chance to visit. We walked through the park by the promenade and enjoyed the city lights emanating from Manhattan, across the East River.

We stopped for ice cream. We had to.

The next morning we took our time getting around. I made breakfast. Then we wanted to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Then we had the bright idea of walking back on the Manhattan Bridge. None of us had done that, so it was new to all of us. But we had felt we had walked about 100 miles, so we were pretty wiped out.

We ended up at Juniors for a late lunch. Shortly after they loaded up to go back home. We loved having them here.

Bikers gone bad Long Island July 2010

Our first bike ride together! We decided to rent a bike in Queens Village on a Sunday afternoon. We took the Long Island Rail Road to the Village and picked it up. I was a little skeptical, just because I hadn't ridden a motorcycle since I was in grade school. But I knew Todd would be a good driver (and I prayed a little too!).

It was a spontaneous trip and we didn't know where we were going or where we'd stop for the night. Which made it even more fun and exciting.

We rode along Long Island and just headed towards the North fork. A couple hours into the trip the sky was getting darker and we could tell a storm was moving in. I suggested we stop while we were in a small town for lunch. But Todd thought he could beat the storm...so we kept riding. About 15 minutes later, the storm hit and it started pouring, when we were outside the town...but did I say anything? Did I say "I told you so?"...nope.. (but inside I was). We pulled off to the side of the road and tried to seek cover under a big tree. That didn't help too much. We were soaked. Did I say we were seeking adventure? I guess we found it.

We rode back to the town and parked. We found a restaurant to eat at-a good mexican place. The server was so nice and didn't mind that we were leaving puddles where we sat.

The rain was lighting up so we got back on the road. We rode through ___________ as the wind was drying our clothes out. We were on the lookout for a store where we could buy some cheap clothes. Only when you're looking for something is when you don't find it. We ended up at a Walgreens and bought a couple of cheap t-shirts.

We had ridden long enough that our clothes had mostly dried out.

We ended up coming to ______________ where we found a hotel that had a vacancy. It was an upperscale hotel; it was fortunate that there was a room available.

When we got to the room, I used a heat lamp to dry out our jeans. Fortunately, I had a dress that I had worn to church that I could wear.

We thought this had been one of our most fun trips because of the spontaneity; not knowing what was ahead of us; the thrill of riding and not knowing where you were going to end up. Not packing what we needed but finding the resources we needed or make do with what we had.

We explored the town; watched cars load a ferry to be transported across the water to Rhode Island.

We settled back in the hotel and ate at the restaurant there. Had a wonderful meal-steak, cheese and fries fondue with a wonderful view of the water.

We were pretty wiped out and Todd crashed when we got back to the room. I was still awake and watched Miss Congeniality II. Had to. It was a moral imperative. These are the movies I have to watch when Todd is asleep.

Had the complimentary breakfast in the morning and then got back on the road. Didn't have as much time today since we had to return the bike late morning. It was a beautiful day for riding. Perfect weather.

Lyndhurst Castle and Sunnyside, NY 7/18/10

After church, we took the Metro North train up to Tarrytown. It's about a 45 minute train ride. We took a taxi to the Lyndhurst Castle, a Gothic revival mansion. It was built in 1842 by Alexander Jackson Davis on 67 acres that faces the Hudson River. There were three families that lived there; and the last one is the well known Jay Gould, railroad magnate and Wall St. tycoon (hudsonvalley.org).

It was originally called "Knoll" but after the second owner bought it, George Merritt, he renamed it Lyndenhurst for the Linden trees that were planted. Jay Gould purchased the home in 1880 for his summer home.

Now the home was sold to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We received a tour. The inside is not as big as it appears on the outside.

We then wanted to walk to Sunnyside where Washington Irving had his cottage. We walked along the Croton Aqueduct Trail, which was a little over one mile. It was a shady path, with trees lining each side; which kept us nice and cool.

Walked right to the entrance of the Cottage site. There was a large garden near a cottage where the gardener lived. This is where they grew most of their food. This domicile is more our style!

We received a tour of Washington Irving's cottage and this tour guide was more informative and personable. Washington's parents were great admirers of George Washington, hence the name of their second son. He never married and never had any children, but was a family man and enjoyed having his brother, Ebenezer and his five daughters. Irving's pen name was Diedrich Knickerbocker and this is where New York's basketball team got it's name, the Knicks (see www.hudsonvalley.org). Learn something new every day.

One of his famous works, Legend of Sleepy Hollow gave fame to the town nearby, Sleepy Hollow.

We continued walking to the town of Irvington. A quaint, small town. Not too many stores. We were famished, since we had not eaten since breakfast. We were hot and sweaty with no car; I'm sure we looked like vagabonds to the locals.

We were on a mission to find a good restaurant (I was ready to settle, but Todd likes to check out EVERY single restaurant to find the best. Usually, I appreciate this, but when you're starving, a hot dog stand would do). We pass two locals and I ask them if they live there. One of them said yes and I asked her where a good place to eat would be (saving time to walk past each restaurant...) she gave us a little guided tour and mentioned several eateries (let's cut to the chase lady, just give us your best and nobody gets hurt. Fortunately, I didn't say this out loud). She guided us to a hidden jewel with a view of the river, called Red Hat. It was a wonderful choice. We got seated outside under an umbrella. They served us two glasses of cold water out of a tall glass and water has never tasted so good. Then they brought bread and we devoured all of it.

The Red Hat was built in an old warehouse that would make greenhouses. It provided, we are guessing, the huge greenhouse that was built for the Lyndhurst estate.

Todd ordered pork chops, which was excellent, especially the creamed corn. The corn was nothing like we've tasted before.

GRILLED DOUBLE CUT BERKSHIRE PORK CHOP
- Snake River Farm heirloom pork
Wild Hive Mills organic corn polenta, sugar snap peas,
caper-currant compote, pommery mustard jus vinaigrette

I ordered the Goat Cheese, which was also excellent. It was a smaller portion so I had to help Todd with his pork chops!
CRISPY GOAT CHEESE BEIGNET
Coach Farm goat cheese, roasted beets, smoked applewood bacon,
greens, shallot-caraway vinaigrette

Delicious! We were so grateful for the local Irvingite to direct us toward this cuisine haven.

Bon Appetit!

Sandy Hook Beach Sat. July 17th

Friday night we decided to go to the beach on Saturday. We try to go to the beach at least once a weekend. Todd mentioned Sandy Hook, NJ.
We took a ferry from Wall St. dock and rode it to Sandy Hook. It took about 45 minutes. It was an incredible ride with a full view of the harbor. It was beautiful.
Sandy Hook is an old military site with housing for the officers. The housing is used now for the park's staff. The north part of the peninsula is used by the Coast Guard.
There was a shuttle bus to take passengers to the other side of the peninsula where the beach was. We decided to walk, it being a walkable distance. We could see so much more by walking. We came across old proofing sites, where the military would test artillery. We love to see old ruins and find out what they were used for.
We saw two batteries; one that was sunken in to the ground (so the enemy couldn't see when they were being fired at) and one huge battery that looked like an old, warehouse made out of iron.
The beach was one of the widest beaches we've seen. It took half a day to walk across.
The waves were mild and not very much fun to ride. The heat was dry and extreme; we felt as if we were on the Sahara desert. I could imagine camels walking past us.
We couldn't take much more of the heat on the beach so what did we do? We explored in the heat! We walked to the lighthouse, which is the oldest lighthouse in the nation.
We continued exploring the island; walked pass old barrack houses and an old battery.

Rode the ferry back to lower Manhattan. Ate at a delicious Italian restaurant, Harry's Italian on Gold St. Todd ordered Veal and I ordered Fettuccini with prochetta. It was fabulous.

Anniversary weekend July 9th-Greenport, NY

We had debated what to do for our 4th Anniversary weekend. Thursday evening, we bounced ideas around on where to go.

Friday afternoon I did a little bit of research of which Bed and Breakfast to stay at in the Greenport, NY area. One caught my eye- Ruby's Cove. I liked the looks of the web-site; I had a good intuition about it. I called and left a message. The voicemail stated that there was one room available and whoever called first, would get the room. I left a message and let it go. If it was right, it would work out, if not, something else would. I headed to the reading room and got a call from the innkeeper, Donna, asking if we still wanted a room! It's amazing what happens when you let go. I called Todd real quick and he thought it would work. I called her back and reserved the room. It was now 4:00 and the train left at 5:20! I still had to go home and pack.

I rushed home, threw stuff together, ran to the bus stop and caught the bus. I arrived at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn shortly after 5:00. Todd joined me shortly after and we got on the train.

The train ride was scenic-lush and green; we enjoyed watching the scenery pass by and feel the rhythmic rock of the train lulling us to relaxation.

We arrived and the innkeeper had insisted to pick us up (I had said several times politely that we would enjoy walking but I didn't want to be ungracious). She picked us up; I could tell right away we were going to hit it off. She was spunky, enthusiastic and had a good sense of humor. We enjoyed listening to her as she gave us a quick tour of the town.

It looked like there were quite a few good restaurants to choose from. We had dinner reservations at the Frisky Oyster, which the innkeeper said was a good choice. We unloaded our stuff and then walked to the restaurant. It was casual could be a bit formal atmosphere. Where we felt comfortable in our summer attire of shorts.

Todd ordered the Steak Tar Tar and I ordred the squash stuffed with lobster. We shared sweet corn soup which was really good. My dish was different, but I enjoy trying new things. I had cherry vanilla hot tea, which was tastey. For dessert we shared the key lime pie (which the one my Mom makes is much better-but I didn't tell our waiter that).

It had stared to rain-so we walked back in the rain! Which was an adventure.

We sat on the front porch and chatted. We like front porches.

In the morning, the shades were pulled, making the room darker making it seem like it was a lot earlier than it was. We could hear the rain pitter patter outside our windows. We rested and listened to the rain. It was already 8:30! Which I hardly ever sleep in that late.

The innkeeper cooked everyone breakfast and it was scrumptious! She made scrambled eggs with fetta cheese and mushrooms, fresh asparagus, a platter of fresh fruit and bagels with lottes. Yum! She sat down with us and chatted (she's pretty chatty-but fun to talk to).

First, we decided to walk through all of the town, which took us a couple of hours to see everything. It started pouring so we hung out at a second hand shop (we just happened to be at a second hand shop. I was really disappointed...).

Everyone in the town was friendly; it seemed more friendly than usual compared to other small towns.

We loved the town. It had it's own individuality and quirkiness. It felt the towns people could express their own individuality and other towns people were accepting and embracing the uniqueness. There were many quirky stores (which I lovvvvvee). There seemed to be more unique stores than usual. Poor Todd. I guess he doesn't mind going through them all.

We walked to the Lighthouse Museum and we enjoyed going through that.

We went back to the B&B and borrowed the bikes the innkeeper loans for free. We rode outside of town quite a ways. We rode through E. Marion and Orient.

We saw a lavendar farm! That was incredible. A whole field full of lavendar. We pulled over to take a look at the lavendar gift shop. What a treat.

It was late afternoon and we were feeling pretty hungry, so after riding through Orient small town, we stopped at a old fashioned grocery store (reminded me of the one that was in Dover, KS, where I went to grade school). It had an old wooden front porch with an old screened front door. It had old real hard wood floors; supplies consisting mainly of food staples, fresh eggs, and fresh milk in old fashioned bottles. It was a trip down memory lane. There was a man behind the counter that took his time making our sandwich, giving it all his attention, crafting it to the best of his ability, placing thick slabs of roast beef on the home made bun. I didn't want to rush his concentration. He rang up the sandwich and gave it to us, like it was his prized treasure, wanting to share something wonderful with us. We went back outside and sat on the front porch, watching few passerbys and waving. The first bite in to the sandwich, I could tell it was worth the wait. It was one of the best roast beef sandwiches I've had.

After taking our time with the tastey sandwich, we walked down the street (where we left the bikes outside) to the ice cream shop where Todd wanted a root beer float. This tasted like an every day root beer float you may make at your home, but we were grateful for the refreshment to cool us off.

We felt ready to bike back to Greenport. The trip back went a lot quicker than the trip there. Probably, due to our many stops and gazing at the sites we passed by.

Next door to the B&B is a brewery in an old firehouse. They were allowing customers to try several different flavors for a nominal price. He enjoys tasting different beers. I'm not a beer drinker, but stayed with him while he enjoyed the tasting.

It was time to catch the train but we were not quite ready to go. It still seemed like we could've stayed another day and soaked up more of the uniqueness that was in the air.

Philadelphia 4th of July

On July 3rd, late Saturday morning, we took the New Jersey Transit to Philadelphia for the Fourth of July weekend. The ride went quickly as we each read reading material we bring with us to keep us occupied. We arrived after 12:00 and excited to be here for the holiday weekend. We grabbed a sandwich at a deli inside the terminal and headed toward the Philadelphia Art Museum. This was a little trek, especially with us carrying our luggage. We bought tickets for the Renoir exhibit, which I was especially excited about since I love his work.

The museum gave us a specific time to see the exhibit later in the afternoon. We decided to find a nice place to have a picnic for lunch. We walked past Fairmont Park (it was closed off for the next day's fireworks) and stumbled across Lemon Hill, which was across the street and up a hill. We found a shady spot under a beautiful tree and spread out for a picnic. It was one of the most relaxing afternoons we've had for a while.

We enjoyed eating our sandwich while we looked out across the skyline. It was a beautiful day, a little warm but to be expected in July. We relaxed on our outstretched beach towel and enjoyed the scenery. Usually we would've tried to find something to do before the art exhibit, but today we wanted to take it slow and not try to cram so much in one day, so we leisurely read and rested; I enjoyed looking up through the tree and seeing the sun shine through the complicated limbs. We were able to sigh and catch our breath before the next activity.

It was time for the Art Exhibit, so we packed up camp and walked back to the Museum across the street. We had a little bit of time to look at other exhibits before our scheduled time for Renoir. The Museum has an incredible collection of Abstract Expressionists, one room after the other, we were awe strucken at the quantity of famous paintings. The Art Exhibit was amazing and surprisingly not crowded. It was fascinating to learn about Renoir's life. He was so dedicated to his painting that in his later years he developed a sever case of arthritis and had the choice of either walking or painting and he chose painting! He spent the last years of his life in a wheel chair but still painted every day. He was a family man and was married to the same woman all his life and raised three sons. I was so grateful for this experience of seeing such a collection of his works.

Being the walkers that we are (do we have a choice?) we walked to the hotel, which was quite the trek, at least a mile. By the time we got to the hotel I was ready to rest in cool air! We stayed at the Hyatt at the Bellvue on Broad St. It was a nice hotel with a beautiful lobby-a tremendous chandelier. We weren't real hungry yet but felt it was time to eat something; and I didn't want to do any more walking for the night, so we ate appetizers at the hotel restaurant, XIX. The food was excellent-better than we were expecting (since hotel food can be common and bland). We ordered the meat and cheese platter-goat cheese, mountaineer cheese and salami. Excellent. Flavorful. The platter had mango chutney and rasberry jam. Todd ordered the tun tar tar served with potato cakes. The tar tar was skillfully seasoned. He said it was some of the best tar tar he's tasted.

I guess in Philadelphia they want to do a trial run of the fireworks; there was going to be a display the night before at Penn's Landing. So being the type to not call it a night yet, we took the subway to Penn's Landing and walked a couple of blocks. We got there at the tail end of the display, but it was still a treat to get to see over the water with bridges in the background and hearing Gershwin playing. The patriotic spirit was definitely brewing. Ice cream was calling our name from a store down the street, but when we got there, there was a long line (I guess we didn't respond quick enough) so we decided to walk around in Old Town and come back.

We stumbled across Elfreth's Alley, an old cobblestone street. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the country, dating back to the early 1700s. We walked down the alley, the historical importance felt as we passed the Georgian and Federal style homes. Coming back to the ice cream shop, the line was still out to the street, we realized, sadly, it was not meant to be. I lied when I said we weren't going to walk anymore today.

We had just missed the bus and debated whether to wait for the next one. Impatience won out, so we (me begrudgingly) headed back to the hotel-which was about nine blocks away. This doesn't sound like very many, but when it's late at night and you've walked all day, one block would seem too far. Sunday we took the bus out to attend 2nd church, on School House Road. It was about a 40 minute bus ride. We had been to the other two churches in PA, so this was the last one to attend. It was a Frank Lloyd Wright kind of architecture; all white on the outside. It was plain inside the congregation also, all white walls with no writing inscribed. The service went well and I was grateful to have a church open for us to attend.

Guess what we did next? We WALKED to the next town (yes Todd, that was me exaggerating with typing in all CAPS). We walked to Mayunk. We passed an old stone bridge which set back from the road with trees growing up beside it. Very picturesque. On our way to Mayunk, I started questioning our wisdom of continuing our walk-the scenery was less than appealing to look at - abandoned stores and old abandoned warehouses. It was hot and I was ready to turn back. Todd said it wasn't over until the fat lady sings. I responded that the fat lady was going to start singing. He didn't think that was very funny.

We continued walking and lo and behold we did reach the town and it was worth the sweat. There were neat shops and unique restaurants. Our favorite type of town. One we had not found in PA until now. We walked through the whole town, which comprised of one several blocks on main st. The Bourbon Blue caught our eye for lunch. It was set back away from main street, on the corner of the next block. The food was pretty good; the atmosphere was plain without ambiance. I ordered the chicken po'boy and Todd had the alligator (yes, alligator) sausage quesadillas. We finally got our ice cream at Dairyland-we ordered the peanut butter sundae-vanilla ice cream with peanut butter sauce. Yum!

We took the commuter train back in to Philadelphia (thank goodness! I would've had to put my foot down if Todd had wanted to walk back to the hotel. I would've told him to have a nice walk and see you back at the hotel...) Out loud I said-"how nice, they have a commuter train"... We arrived at the Market Terminal and walked a couple blocks to China town. It was less crowded than we're used to in New York. Maybe it's the "hot" hand bags that draws people. Maybe I should suggest that...

We came across "Hutchinson" street, so we had to get a picture of it. We continued walking (yes this is our current past time of walking everywhere. You would think we would weigh 100 pounds by now). We strolled (I feel I might've used the verb walking too much...what do you think?) on to the Constitution Center, which was air conditioned, so we really liked this building. It was 4:30 and it closed at 5:00, so we had to add this to our list for next time we come back. We continued to the Visitor's Center and across the street of the Center was the Liberty Bell.

Took the subway back to the Benjamin Franklin parkway where there was a street fair. It was crowded and we were ready to find a place on the grass and plant ourselves. We had several hours before the music started playing and the headliner band-the Goo Goo Dolls would be performing (which I was excited about but I had to explain to Todd who they were and no they were not dolls made out of goo). We just listened to the music, laying down on our beach towel, hoping not to get stepped on. We were on our way to Lemon Hill to see the fireworks but they started before we could get there. We stood and still had a good view. The display was incredible-probably one of the best ones I've seen. There were unique ones-that looked like waterfalls in 3D coming out of the sky falling toward you. Amazing.

Monday, Todd had off from work. We took the train to Atlantic City for the day! We went to the White House Sub shop, which is well known in this area. I stood in a long line; the customers have to take a number. The sandwich was on a huge sub and we ordered only half! It was one of the best sub sandwiches we've had. We walked to the beach and enjoyed laying in the sand for a bit and riding the waves. We decided to grab dinner before we left at the Melting Pot-which was the place we had our second date in Kansas City, MO. We sat at the bar and ordered the fruit, bread and vegetable vondu and ordered a fabulous dessert. I also ordered a caramel rasberry ice tea which was delicious!

We caught the Greyhound bus back to New York. Another successful trip!

Phipps Mansion June 12th

Saturday morning we were trying to decide what to do for the day. We each named several different activities, but nothing seemed right. Todd mentioned going to the Phipps Mansion on Long Island on the North Shore in Old Westbury Gardens.

We had brunch in Brooklyn at a place called Robin Du Bois and it was tastey.

Then we picked up the zip car in the lower east side of Manhattan. Todd had rented a mini cooper convertible! It was a sharp car, we loved it.

It was a sunny day and we enjoyed the drive to the Mansion.

We drove a short distance off the highway before turning to the drive to the mansion. It was an awe strucken sight. We parked and then walked through the lawn to the front entry way. There was a tour starting so we were able to join it. The decoratio ns and amount of wealth displayed was incredible. We only had half an hour before they were kicking us out. After the tour we walked the beautifully manicured lawn and flower garden. It was one of the most beautiful gardens we've seen and all of the flowers were in bloom and everything was green and lucious. We had to leave the garden by 5:00.

We decided to explore the area by car so Todd just started driving. We decided to put the top down. It was a great way to see the surrounding area. We drove through the small towns and caught a glimpse of what they were like.

We landed on Oyster Bay, a nice size town in the bay (as the name implies). We found a restaurant, Wild Honey. It was extremely tastey. Todd ordered the clams and oysters and I ordered two appetizers-goat cheese ravioli and the filet mignon on texas toast. It was all scrumptous! We didn't leave room for dessert.

It was getting darker, so we decided to start heading home.

Six Flags May 31st

We took the subway to Port Authority and then took a bus to Jackson, NJ to Six Flags! We had a blast! The weather was warm and it wasn't crowded at all. We were able to walk quickly through most of the lines without any waiting. We rode most of the roller coasters. There were some that I just couldn't bring myself to riding...the roller coasters were great, each of them unique in their own way. A couple of them were wooden, one was very smooth.

We walked around most of the park. The park was kept clean and well maintained. We were impressed. We ate inside an air conditioned restaurant and it felt wonderful. It had gotten warmer as we walked around the park and we welcomed the cool air. Todd had bbq brisket and I had a kids meal.

We went to the Safari park and drove through it on a shuttle bus. That was fun and got to see the animals in their natural habitat.

We wanted to ride more rides but it started to rain in the late afternoon and they started closing rides. One of the few rides that were open was an inside ride in Gotham City. It was a batman themed ride, which was fun but pretty harmless. We got to the park after 10:00 and we left for the bus at 6:00!

After that, we thought it would be a good stopping point, especially since a lot of the rides were closed, so we headed for the bus. The bus ride home went fast as we enjoyed sitting in the cool air, thinking about our fun day.

First Beach trip - Long Beach

We took our first trip to the beach on Sunday, May 30th to Long Beach. We had been to this one before.

We took the Long Island Rail Road. We stopped at Subway to pick up a couple of sandwiches and sodas. We walked to the beach with anticipation of our first beach day of the summer season.

The weather was windy but sunny. The beach was crowded but we spotted a vacant spot and set up camp. We both love the ocean and I could sit and look at it all day. The perpetual wave motion is mesmeric. It makes you feel at peace and gives you a sense of security, knowing the waves will continually pull towards the shore. The waves are so powerful, reminding me there is a higher power that created the waves and that they're not acting on their own.

We both brought stuff to read. And then it is always tradition that Todd makes us get in the water. But this time it was only our feet, since the water was still too icy to go further in.

It was getting later and it was cooling off, so we decided to pack up and head home. We knew there would be more beach days ahead of us and we were looking forward to them.

Atlantic City, NJ May 26th-27th

I had the treat of meeting my Mom in Atlantic City, NJ in May for a couple of days! We had a ball!

I took the bus from Brooklyn that took me to the Port Authority. I waited half an hour while new comers boarded the bus. Then we were on our way! It was a sunny day; I enjoyed looking out the window and bask in the sun through the glass. I brought plenty to read and got a little bit read. The anticipation of getting there was almost unbearable. I kept checking the time and anxiously waiting to arrive. It was about a two and a half hour bus ride. It did go fast and soon we were driving in to the city as I recognized how the country side became a city with the skyscrapers and casinos lining the water.

We were dropped off outside one casino and I crossed the street to catch a Jetney, which is a little blue bus that stops frequently between casinos. I caught a bus and boarded, anticipating getting to the hotel to meet mom. I heard the driver say he didn't stop and Harrah's, which is where I needed to go. I told him I took the wrong bus and he stopped at the next stop to let me off. The Jitney's cost $2.50 and all I had was a $20 (I'm learning, as Todd as taught me, to travel with a lot of $1's, for tips, etc.). I went to a convenient store on the corner to break the $20 by buying a pack of gum. Then I went back outside to wait for the next bus. It came shortly, but seemed like a lot longer and was on my way again.

I saw Mom waiting on a bench outside the hotel as the bus pulled up. I ran off the bus and we hugged with a strong and long embrace. It was wonderful to see her. I wanted to enjoy every moment while I was there with her.



We went up to the room so I could unload. We decided to have lunch first. So we went to McCormick and Schmitz in the hotel. I ordered the stir fry and it was satisfactory. Then we ordered the apple crips a la mode, which was decadent.

Then we decided to go shopping at the outlet stores. We took a Jitney to the stores. It was a beautiful day, we couldn't have asked for better weather; it was sunny yet not hot or humid. We enjoyed walking to the different stores, we travel well together. If she or I wanted to go in to the store, we'd go in, take our time, look around. Plus, we know each other's taste and could ask each other for advice.

We did well with shopping, picking stylish yet practical items. Gratefully, there wasn't a lot that we needed.

Then we walked for a short while on the Boardwalk. It was extremely windy, so we didn't stay too long. Then we grabbed a snack at a lounge. We walked in and it was crowded; we didn't think we'd get a table but we looked straight ahead and there was a table right by the window. We darted straight for it. It had a beautiful view of the boardwalk and ocean.

The lounge had a buffet with a several dishes to chose from. We had a great talk while we ate, about life, New York, how to handle difficult situations. It was so good to be able to just sit and talk without being rushed or without any interruptions. It was just she and I, heart to heart. She's a great listener and I can talk to her about anything. She understands me.

After our light dinner, we waited, and waited and waited for the hotel bus to pick us up. We just sat outside on the bench and chatted.

The next day we we took our time getting ready and then had a leisurely breakfast at a cafe in the hotel. Then we took the bus to Egg Harbor Township, about a 45 minute bus ride to the mall. Not to shop, but to see Sex and the City 2!! We did shop a little; it was a deserted mall with only a handful of shops, hanging on to stay open. There was a sidewalk sale going on, which was fun to look through.

We purchased our tickets a head of time and headed over half an hour before the movie started to get good seats. I guess we really didn't need to worry about it, since it was a Thursday afternoon in a small town of New Jersey. The parking lot was deserted, with only a handful of cars, but we wanted to be safe.

We had the pick of seats and had popcorn and sodas for our lunch.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot for the sequel and it was a good thing, there were some funny parts and several touching parts, but some scenes were time fillers and some could've been deleted all together. The first movie was true to form and the makers could've and should've stopped there. But we still enjoyed it and weren't sorry we saw it.

We took the bus back to Atlantic City and by then it was time for the dinner buffet which started at 4:00. It was a huge buffet with almost anything on it you could think or dream of. The quality was good for a buffet. I always feel I get too much food with a buffet and then end up wasting it. But I tried to ration the food with smaller portions and ended up eating most of it.

We enjoyed the dinner but new that my departure was looming ahead of us. We went back to the room and had a couple hours to visit. But it was still on the back of our minds, like a big cloud that's ready to burst before a storm; holding the water but at any minute it could spill over.

We grudgingly walked outside to where the buses were and felt like we wanted to get the departure over with; like ripping off a band aid, knowing a quick good bye would be less painful. We both teared up and gave each other a tight brisk hug. I got on the bus, tears flowing down my face, not wanting to sob loudly in public. I looked out the window and waved good bye, noting her waving to me, wanting to capture the moment.

I was so grateful for this trip; for these two days just to spend time with her. I was so grateful we were able to meet up and knowing in a couple weeks, we'd be seeing each other again.

Baltimore Museum of Art May 14-15

On Friday, May 14th, we were going to take a bus to Baltimore, MD. I was supposed to meet Todd at the bus station in Manhattan. I was working for the Census and rushed home, grabbed my bag and ran toward the subway. I had 20 minutes to catch the subway and meet him...I decided to try and catch a cab as time was ticking away. Todd was already there and on the bus and I was riding the cab across the Manhattan Bridge. Tension built up as I needed to be somewhere else but had no power over where I was. The cab driver was trying as hard as he could but there just wasn't enough time. I stayed on the phone with Todd as he said he had to get off as the bus was ready to leave. My heart sunk. We usually have great luck with our trips, the traveling, the hotels, etc. Now we had to make a plan B. He went back to Robin Hood and I found a pizza joint on the corner.

It was after 3:00 and we both hadn't had lunch. I sat outside on a bench to regroup while I ate a slice of pizza. Just relax and breath in I kept telling myself. There's always a reason why something happens and I was going to trust that there are no mistakes and we were always in our right place. Todd called and said he found another bus company that the bus would be leaving in a couple of hours. Relieved, but knowing I had to keep moving forward, I headed towards Times Square and to walk to meet him at another bus station. Todd was already on the bus and I bustled through the crowd to get on the bus.

The trip to Baltimore was harmonious except a little stint traveling through a storm (Mom don't read this part). The visibility was low through the clouds and rain coming down. Again, I said a little prayer, knowing we were always safe and everyone on the bus was safe. The storm cleared and we continued on our way. We arrived at the bus station and decided to walk to the hotel, which was about a mile away. We enjoyed walking through downtown, seeing the different shops and restaurants. We walked past the George Washington Monument (which I didn't know there was one in Baltimore, MD).

We got to the hotel, unloaded and then went seeking a restaurant. We ate at _________ close by. We ordered the bbq meatballs, but instead was served the _______, which they gave to us since we didn't order them. The food was excellent. We ate at the bar and enjoyed a conversation with the friendly bar tender. We walked back to the hotel room and crashed.

Saturday I got up and went to have a coffee at Caribou which was close to the hotel. Then Todd and I walked to the Seaport, which was similar to the South Seaport in lower Manhattan. A lot of the shops and restaurants were chains. We ate at a noodle place (which was a chain, which we TRY not to eat at, but we were hungry and it was close by). We then took the above ground tram back to the bus stop and then we walked to the Art Museum. This was a further than we had anticipated, but got to see more of the city this way.

The Museum was free and we only had to pay for the special exhibit, which was a Paul Cezanne exhibit. It was an impressive exhibit along with his contemporaries. There was also a Henri Matisse collection, which is the largest collection in the country. We liked the Matisse collection better. I realized I just like Mattise's work better. Cezanne seemed to be set on creating still lifes of bowls of fruit. Which is fine, but a bowl of fruit can only go so far. The Matisse collection displayed his wide choice of medium, such as sculpting besides painting.

There was a large African collection, which is another of my favorites. Todd skipped this part.

Then we took the bus close to the bus stop and had a little bit of time before the bus took us back to New York. So we decided to go to a Tapas place which was close by. We finished 3 Tapas and were still hungry so he ordered soup and I ordered another Tapas. The thing with Tapas is I don't feel they completely fill you up. I ate two and were still hungry. I always leave filling still hungry. But it's fun to try new things.

We went to catch the bus and the trip back went harmonious and quick.

Ski or bust Easter Weekend

One weekend in April we rented a Zip car and drove to Windham Mountain to go skiing! At first I was a little apprehensive, it being Easter weekend and wondering how much snow there would be on the mountain. But Todd reassured me that it was common for people to being skiing to May. When we got there, he was right (I try not to say that too often) and there were a lot of people skiing. And it actually ended up being the best snow boarding day.

The sun was shining; it was a beautiful day to be on top of the mountain. When we were at the top, we just stood still and took in the beauty surrounding us. Then we went down the mountain together! That was a lot of fun. He skied and I snowboarded, side by side.

They cooked outside on the grill for lunch. The smell of grilled food permeated the air. We sat outside and enjoyed our food as we watched other skiers go down.

It will definitely be a day we'll both remember.

Hypde Park, NY April 24th 2010

We rented a zip car and drove to Hyde Park, NY, the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

First, we stopped by the Culinary Art Institute and were hoping to eat at one of the restaurants. But the casual one was closed so we will have to wait until next time to try this.
This is the front of the CIA. We were quite impressed. It resembled a regular four year college campus.




Then we drove to the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park,NY and received a tour.




Then we drove to FDR's home and Museum. Here is the FDR Home Here is the Museum. We received a tour of the home and then toured the Museum on our own.







Then we drove back and stopped in _____________ at ate at _________. Good food. Todd ordered the ______________. A good time was had by all!

Picasso in Philadelphia

On a Saturday morning in May we decided to take the train to see a special Picasso exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art! He's one of my favorite artists, so this was a big treat. I think Todd liked it also. The exhibit was only going to be there a couple of more weeks, so we had to act fast. We had been wanting to go to the Phil. Museum of Art, so this gave us a great opportunity to do that.

We walked from the train station to the Museum. It took about 20 minutes of walking.

We had a little bit of time before our scheduled time to see the exhibit, which gave us an opportunity to see the other art.

The Picasso exhibit was amazing. The curators combined his artwork with several of his contemporaries. Such talent. I'm was in awe. So grateful we were able to see this exhibit.

Had dinner at the _________________.

Walked back to the train station and slept on the way home..z-z--z-z-z

St. Patricks in Stroudsburg, PA March 12-14th

The weekend before St. Patricks, Todd and I visited our new friends, Jeff and Beth Pomeroy in Stroudsburg, PA. We rented a zip car on a Friday night and drove to their house. Todd did a great job driving in the rain.

We got there after 10:00 p.m. so there wasn't too much time to visit with them. They have a great big house on the outside edge of town.

Saturday morning they cooked breakfast for us! We then drove to Scranton, PA (where the Office show is supposed to take place...actually it's filmed in California). We went to the Coal Museum (can you guess who wanted to go to that?...) actually, Beth likes history also, so Todd was in good company.

It rained all day, so we missed the St. Patrick's parade. We found a hole in the wall pizza place for lunch down town.

Then we drove back to their house. We watched "Finding Neverland" with Johnny Depp. It was entertaining. Then we had dinner. Beth had cooked ____________ for us. Then we played Taboo! Fun. We laughed pretty hard. It was Todd's first time of playing and he did pretty well.

Sunday morning we all got up and went to church.

We ate at the soda shop for lunch afterwards. Then Todd and I left our friends and drove around a little while through Stroudsburg before heading back to the big city.

New Orleans or Bust June 5th- 7th 2010

We woke up at o'dark thirty (Todd's language) actually it was at 3:00 a.m. (until recently I was not aware that there was a 3:00 a.m. in the morning. It would come up in conversation with other people that there was but I had never seen it). We threw our clothes together in the luggage, wiping our tired eyes and questioning what possessed us to book a flight at 5:45 a.m.

Fortunately, Todd had ordered a black car service for us. We had our stuff together and headed downstairs to the empty apt. lobby. The car was there and we loaded our one big suitcase and slid in to the black Lincoln town car.

The ride was smooth and fast and the driver was very hospitable. Not sure why or how someone could be so chipper that early in the morning. More power to him!

We camped out in the Club Lounge and awaited the flight. Surprisingly, I didn't feel tired. It might've been the excitement for the trip.

We had a layover in Houston. We arrived in New Orleans, got our suitcase and headed to catch a cab. The cab driver had a thick accent and seemed more of a character out of Rockford Files. His cab was cluttered with paper, Mardi Gras beads hanging from his rear view window and a plastic fan clipped to his mirror, oscillating the hot air in the cab.

He was personable and asked us where we were coming from, hard to understand with his Southern, Cajun French accent.

He dropped us off at the Sheraton on Canal and we checked in. It's a hotel with more of a business atmosphere, with a fountain in front and a glass domed bar in the center of the lobby.

The air condition felt wonderful compared to the thick, humid air outside.

We decided to walk through the French Quarter. The buildings are Spanish Architecture with palm trees in the middle of Canal street. We took our time walking, I took note of the stores, as we passed by, some gift, some antique. Nothing quite drawing us in, but enjoying window shopping.

The air was thick and damp, sticking to our bare skins. It felt as if we were walking through damp thick air, the remanance sticking to us. I hadn't felt this thick air since living in Kansas in the summer. But this air was even more humid.

It was passed 2:00 and we hadn't eaten since breakfast. We tried getting in to a restaurant Todd had remembered eating at when he was here before. Port a Call, a hamburger joint. There was a line outside waiting which is always a good sign. It looked like a hole in the wall, but I trusted his judgment and taste. No seating for another hour and a half. We decided to try again tomorrow.

We had passed an African restaurant that looked intriguing. The place was sparsely decorated with several African paintings on the wall. Each table was covered with a tie-died table cloth. It was a very casual and laid back atmosphere. The service was slow but friendly. Todd warned me not to feel in a hurry at restaurants in the south, which I had heard and experienced on a trip last fall to Savannah, GA. People take their time, which is not what we're used to in the hustle and bustle in New York city restaurants.

I ordered the Domada which is a beef dish with peanut stew on rice (everything came with rice). Todd ordered the Shipa Shipa which was shrimp in a spicy sauce. We both ordered a ginger soda. The ginger taste had a delayed kick to it, which became stronger after you tasted it.

We both relished our meals. The sauce was thick and full of a peanut flavor (it was made out of crushed peanuts). I tried to soak up every last bite with the roll that was provided with the dish.

After lunch, we kept walking through the Quarter. We stumbled in to a Bohemian area with artsy shops I dragged Todd through. We walked through the French Market, which sold items similar to what a street vendor would on a New York City street corner, not too many original items but it was fun to look.

We walked through the Market and then we heard music playing outside the Market, so we found a place to sit on a bench and listened for a little while. I wanted to hear live music play so that was fun. We then walked around Jackson Square where local artists displayed their work. Then walked closer to the River and sat and watched boats go by. Beignets were calling our names, so we HAD to go to Cafe Du Monde and purchase a couple of hot off the grille beignets covered in powder sugar.

We decided to take the trolley to the Garden district. We rode the original trolley, which picked us up close to the hotel. All the windows were up and it looked like the original light bulbs were still in place. It had such an old fashion feel to it; we loved it. It still made a clickity clack noise as it rode across the tracks. We loved looking at the old big homes as we passed by. It was a great way to see more of the city. We rode it to the end of the line.

Then we started walking back, looking for a place for dinner. We looked on Todd's phone at the Zagat's listing at I spotted a place that looked appealing. It was called Mat and Addie's. Then we went on a hunt to find the Mat and Addie's. It was a little hard to find since we were walking, but we did find it. It had a more casual, relaxing atmosphere, compared to the previous place. Friendly service and we didn't have to wait long to get seated. It was a cottage turned in to a restaurant. It was a little hard to hear (there was a large group behind us) but after they left, we could hear each other better. They served hot bread to start (I always like places that serve bread). I ordered the stuffed shrimp-stuffed with roasted corn and ham with spinach lettuce in mango sauce. Excellent! It melted in my mouth full of flavor. Todd ordered the fried oyster salad and he liked his as well. The waitress was friendly. Unfortunately, we were too full to be tempted with dessert. But the dessert menu looked just as appetizing. I would definitely recommend this place.

Then we took the trolley back to the hotel, walked around a little bit to see the night life on Bourbon Street. Then went back to the hotel and collapsed! Sunday was just as eventful. We decided to explore the opposite direction today towards the Warehouse District. Todd showed me the building he stayed in while he worked here. It was very humid again. I was having a hard time getting used to the thick humidity. When we walked outside from our apt., it felt like we walked in to a big warm shower and had a film of water on us. It didn't seem to bother Todd as much (or he just didn't complain about it like I did!).

We took a bus all along Magazine Street, the upcoming artsy area, with unique stores. Todd had said this area was completely abandoned when he was here before, so it was neat to see it coming back to life. We took the bus all the way to the end of the line and walked back up Magazine-which ended being several miles! We stopped for a smoothie at Dixie Bee's Smoothies which had just opened that day! It was pretty good-I would recommend going there. They mixed the smoothy with soy milk to make it healthier. We struck up a conversation with one of the ladies and she said she was from the midwest. I asked her where and she said Kansas City!! Small world.....

We continued walking...and walking...and then we walked some more. We came to a place for lunch, __________. We split a sandwich. It was pretty good. There weren't a lot of places to chose from. There were more retail shops than restaurants. We came to the end of Magazine and I was about ready to collapse. We walked to the Convention Center so Todd could get his materials for his convention. Oh yea, that's why we're here.... Went back to the hotel and got hooked on a show about truck drivers in Alaska driving the North Slope. It was fascinating how they get through driving in winter. They have to drive in winter because the ground is more solid. They even drive over the ocean. Learn something every day.

Then we went to find a place for dinner-the perpetual debate. Found August. It was upper scale but had seating for us. It was 9:00 p.m. and we were having a hard time finding places that were open. Some places close early on Sunday evenings. Again, we're spoiled. The food was excellent. Todd ordered ___________ and I ordered the gnoochi. Then we ordered coffee and it was from Argentina. Excellent. Very smooth and rich.

Monday morning rode with Todd to the Convention Center to say our goodbyes. I was going to go see "Dinosaurs 3-D" at the IMAX but it was closed on Mondays. So, I was lead to go back to the hotel for breakfast. The lady I sat next to asked me to watch her purse as she got up to go to the buffet. I said sure and didn't think anything of it. Then, when she came back, we struck up a conversation and had a wonderful time, talking about a wide variety of things. We ended up talking for an hour and a half and exchanged contact information. And her name was Robin too.

I discovered there was a house that Edgar Degas lived at for four months while he visited New Oreleans that they give tours of. After the breakfast encounter, I took a cab to the Degas house and was given a tour. Fascinating to think that this famous artist lived and worked at this house. Grateful to have gotten to see it. Took a cab back to the hotel and had 10 minutes before the shuttle arrived to take me to the airport. Todd's conference lasts through Thursday so he wouldn't be home until Friday. Overall we loved New Orleans. Hope to not bore you with too many details and hope you enjoyed reading about this trip! Until next time. Happy travels!