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.