Well, our vacation ended on a slightly bumpy note! We got up Sunday and went to mass at St. Patrick's on 5th Avenue, a beautiful old cathedral. We spent the afternoon just hanging around Times Square, lunching at a deli, and visiting the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum and Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. After that, it was off to the airport- and that's where the trouble began....
We got to the Newark, NJ airport at the U.S. Airways ticket counter in plenty of time, seat assignments in hand, feeling relaxed. We were sent to the gate, which seemed strangely empty - but what the heck, we were early, right? After a while, we heard some commotion a few gates down, and when I went down to look at what was going on, I discovered that the gate with the commotion was really our gate! The hubbub was that the plane had arrived, and it had been downsized. The flight was already oversold, and it created a situation where the plane was 50 people oversold! They invalidated everyone's seat assignments and had begun reassigning based on who was in the gate area, but that created problems with people who had checked in online or early (like us). Eventually they told us that they had already assigned all the seats and we were out of luck. I thought about driving but it's a long way from New Jersey to St. Louis and we were already tired. Long story short, they eventually told us that we could take an American Airlines flight leaving at 6:15 AM the next day - but it would be leaving from LaGuardia. They booked a taxi and a hotel for us and sent us on our way. It's a long way from Newark to LaGuardia, and the traffic was terrible, so it turned into a 90 minute cab ride to a - well, let's say it was not quite the same quality hotel we had been staying in all week. We had to split across two crackerbox rooms, we had no luggage, and we got just a couple hours sleep before we had to be back to the airport. They told us to get there early because they couldn't assign seats until the morning of the flight. Don't worry, they assured us, there are plenty of seats available! We got up about 3:30 AM and headed for the airport. We checked in at a kiosk, and good thing too, as we got the last 4 seats on the plane (nowhere near each other, but hey, we were on the flight). We finally got in about 7:30 AM St. Louis time, tired but happy to be home.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Vacation Day 8
Sean: Today I got to see another Broadway show. It was called "Phantom of the Opera". It has been on Broadway for 19 years! I also got to go to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. This will be my last blogging because I'm leaving from vacation tomorrow. I'm going to miss New York. That's all I've gots for today folks! GoodbYE.
David: yo, its david. today was the statue of liberty and elis island. on the way home i saw a vendor argueing with a consumer about a pack of gum. it was like this "what do you want" "this gum" "what" "gum" "that gum?" "yeah" "okay i'll give you the gum if you pay for it" yeah it actually was like that. then we saw PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so thats all i'm going to tell u.
Craig: Well, this was our last full day in New York. Today we made the trip by subway south to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Afterward, we walked up into the Financial District and visited the World Trade Center site. We came back up later in the afternoon and then had dinner at Broadway Joe's Steak House. After dinner, we went to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Majestic theater. One of my favorites, Mary and I have seen it several times, but it was David's first time and he enjoyed it as well. It was a little over Sean's head but that's OK. Home tomorrow!
David: yo, its david. today was the statue of liberty and elis island. on the way home i saw a vendor argueing with a consumer about a pack of gum. it was like this "what do you want" "this gum" "what" "gum" "that gum?" "yeah" "okay i'll give you the gum if you pay for it" yeah it actually was like that. then we saw PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so thats all i'm going to tell u.
Craig: Well, this was our last full day in New York. Today we made the trip by subway south to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Afterward, we walked up into the Financial District and visited the World Trade Center site. We came back up later in the afternoon and then had dinner at Broadway Joe's Steak House. After dinner, we went to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Majestic theater. One of my favorites, Mary and I have seen it several times, but it was David's first time and he enjoyed it as well. It was a little over Sean's head but that's OK. Home tomorrow!
Vacation Day 7
Sorry this is late getting posted. We had a late night Friday and didn't blog before bed.
Sean: Today I went to the Empire State Building where a scene from the movie "Elf" was filmed. I went to the Museum of Natural History where "Night at the Museum" was filmed. And I went to Central Park where part of "Spider-Man 2" was filmed. We went to a ginormous Toys R Us store that even had a ferris wheel. I think Times Square at night is pretty cool. That's all I gots for today, folks! Goods buys!
David: We went 2 the empire state building. it was windy. We went 2 the museum of natural history (where night at the museum was filmed) Big toys "r" us. and nanny deb.
Craig: We headed out for our first full day in New York and went to the Empire State Building. The weather was clear and we had a spectacular view - windy, but spectacular. After that, we took the subway over to the Museum of Natural History and spent most of the afternoon there. We then took a nice stroll through Central Park, seeing several interesting sights including Cleopatra's Needle, a 3600 year old Egyptian Obelisk. After that, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. After dark, we went back out for a walk and stopped at the HUGE Toys R Us store in Times Square. Celebrity Sighting - we saw Nanny Deb from the TV show "Supernanny".
Sean: Today I went to the Empire State Building where a scene from the movie "Elf" was filmed. I went to the Museum of Natural History where "Night at the Museum" was filmed. And I went to Central Park where part of "Spider-Man 2" was filmed. We went to a ginormous Toys R Us store that even had a ferris wheel. I think Times Square at night is pretty cool. That's all I gots for today, folks! Goods buys!
David: We went 2 the empire state building. it was windy. We went 2 the museum of natural history (where night at the museum was filmed) Big toys "r" us. and nanny deb.
Craig: We headed out for our first full day in New York and went to the Empire State Building. The weather was clear and we had a spectacular view - windy, but spectacular. After that, we took the subway over to the Museum of Natural History and spent most of the afternoon there. We then took a nice stroll through Central Park, seeing several interesting sights including Cleopatra's Needle, a 3600 year old Egyptian Obelisk. After that, we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. After dark, we went back out for a walk and stopped at the HUGE Toys R Us store in Times Square. Celebrity Sighting - we saw Nanny Deb from the TV show "Supernanny".
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Vacation Day 6
Sean fell asleep early so no blog from him today!
David: we went to the toy store and the apple store in nyc. we have a good view of times square. thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so thats all i'm going to tell u.
Craig: We got an early start this morning in Philly and headed for the airport. Next stop: New York! We arrived at our hotel in Times Square around noon, checked in, and grabbed a bite to eat at Junior's. From there, we walked down to Rockefeller Plaza, and then down to 5th Avenue where we went to the big F.A.O Schwarz toy store and the Apple Store. After that, we took the NBC Studios tour, then came back to the hotel for some rest. In the evening we went to see Tarzan at the Richard Rodgers theater. We all thought it was great! To end the evening, David and I took a late night stroll down Broadway just to look at the lights. I really do like New York and now I think David does too.
David: we went to the toy store and the apple store in nyc. we have a good view of times square. thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so thats all i'm going to tell u.
Craig: We got an early start this morning in Philly and headed for the airport. Next stop: New York! We arrived at our hotel in Times Square around noon, checked in, and grabbed a bite to eat at Junior's. From there, we walked down to Rockefeller Plaza, and then down to 5th Avenue where we went to the big F.A.O Schwarz toy store and the Apple Store. After that, we took the NBC Studios tour, then came back to the hotel for some rest. In the evening we went to see Tarzan at the Richard Rodgers theater. We all thought it was great! To end the evening, David and I took a late night stroll down Broadway just to look at the lights. I really do like New York and now I think David does too.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Vacation Day 5
Sean: Today was another good day, and our last day in Philadelphia. I hope New York will be really really fun. And if it is not, it will be good because maybe I will be able to ride in the Cash Cab. I will definitely miss this hotel. We got to see one of the biggest malls and the Franklin Institute aka the Philadelphia Science Center. Yesterday I got to ride in a double decker bus. That's all I gots for today folks! Good-diddly-bye!
David: well hi there. today we went to the franklin institute and the king of prussia mall. at the institute we saw a movie and played with space stuff and physics. we went to the mall and bought me a new contact lens because a lost 1. this is it we are out of PA. we'll be going to new york and seeing um... new yorky things. well thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so i wont tell you any more. this is david signing off.
Craig: Our final day in Philadelphia started out a little rainy this morning, but it didn't matter because we were destined for indoor activities today. We had a quick breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market, a very cool indoor farmer's market that includes many different varieties & ethnicities of foods, many restaurants, and Amish folks selling their wares. From there we headed over to the Franklin Institute to finish up the stuff that we didn't do a couple of days ago. As David mentioned, we had to do a quick mall trip to replace a contact lens, then it was back into the city for dinner with Mary's nephew at an unusual restaurant named Xochitl, kind of a Mexican fusion restaurant. It was a first for me - my vegetable was cactus! That just about wraps up our Philly adventure. On to New York City!!
David: well hi there. today we went to the franklin institute and the king of prussia mall. at the institute we saw a movie and played with space stuff and physics. we went to the mall and bought me a new contact lens because a lost 1. this is it we are out of PA. we'll be going to new york and seeing um... new yorky things. well thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so i wont tell you any more. this is david signing off.
Craig: Our final day in Philadelphia started out a little rainy this morning, but it didn't matter because we were destined for indoor activities today. We had a quick breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market, a very cool indoor farmer's market that includes many different varieties & ethnicities of foods, many restaurants, and Amish folks selling their wares. From there we headed over to the Franklin Institute to finish up the stuff that we didn't do a couple of days ago. As David mentioned, we had to do a quick mall trip to replace a contact lens, then it was back into the city for dinner with Mary's nephew at an unusual restaurant named Xochitl, kind of a Mexican fusion restaurant. It was a first for me - my vegetable was cactus! That just about wraps up our Philly adventure. On to New York City!!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Vacation Day 4
Sean: Today I got to see a chocolate factory and I got some good pretzels. I think Amish people can sometimes be really different. We saw a lot of farms. I got to pet horses and ride in a buggy. I also think this vacation is going to be fun for the rest of the week. That's all I gots for today, folks! Goodbyeith!
David: we went to amish country today. it was not da greatest. everything was "closed 4 renovations" i am really allergic 2 horses. *cough cough* we saw a pretzel factory and a chocolate place. that actually is all and i'm tired and lazy so i'm not going to tell u all the little 2 second bits of the day. this is david signing off.
Craig: Day 4 was a little different for us. We drove out of the city to Amish country, visiting Lititz, Lancaster, Bird In Hand, and Intercourse PA. We got a bit of a late start, and we hadn't planned this day very well, so we ended up arriving too late for a few of the things we wanted to do. We did go for a ride in an Amish buggy around a working Amish farm, but this got cut a little short when David and I had an allergic reaction to the horses. We stopped in at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory, where they hand make their chocolates in their own kitchen. I'm not a big chocolate fan, but this is pretty good stuff! We also visited the Intercourse Pretzel Factory but arrived too late for the tour. We did get to walk around and do some shopping, and that was fun. Two of the places we planned to visit were shut down for renovations! We just didn't have the best of luck today.
On our way home we stopped at King of Prussia, PA, home of a HUGE mall - over 400 stores!! They had every mall store I've ever seen and then some, all in one place. It's no Mall of America, but it is still ginormous.
Tomorrow is our last day in Philadelphia... we have kind of a loose agenda for tomorrow so we may be making it up as we go along.
David: we went to amish country today. it was not da greatest. everything was "closed 4 renovations" i am really allergic 2 horses. *cough cough* we saw a pretzel factory and a chocolate place. that actually is all and i'm tired and lazy so i'm not going to tell u all the little 2 second bits of the day. this is david signing off.
Craig: Day 4 was a little different for us. We drove out of the city to Amish country, visiting Lititz, Lancaster, Bird In Hand, and Intercourse PA. We got a bit of a late start, and we hadn't planned this day very well, so we ended up arriving too late for a few of the things we wanted to do. We did go for a ride in an Amish buggy around a working Amish farm, but this got cut a little short when David and I had an allergic reaction to the horses. We stopped in at the Wilbur Chocolate Factory, where they hand make their chocolates in their own kitchen. I'm not a big chocolate fan, but this is pretty good stuff! We also visited the Intercourse Pretzel Factory but arrived too late for the tour. We did get to walk around and do some shopping, and that was fun. Two of the places we planned to visit were shut down for renovations! We just didn't have the best of luck today.
On our way home we stopped at King of Prussia, PA, home of a HUGE mall - over 400 stores!! They had every mall store I've ever seen and then some, all in one place. It's no Mall of America, but it is still ginormous.
Tomorrow is our last day in Philadelphia... we have kind of a loose agenda for tomorrow so we may be making it up as we go along.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Vacation Day 3
David: hey i'm going 1st this time! today we went to the u.s. mint and saw coins being struck (more or less because its all enclosed). after that we took a double-decker bus ride to the franklin institute and saw the king tut museum thing.we went to see a baseball game and we lost 14-3!!! the souvenirs we got were oversize coins and a fake mummies coffin!! well thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so i'm not going to tell you.
Sean: Today was a great day! I got to finally ride in a taxi! I also got to go to a baseball game. Today I also got to go to the Mint. I also got to go to the King Tut exhibit in the Science Center of Philadelphia. I think the next 2 days of being in Philadelphia will be extra fun. That's all I gots for today folks. Good night and God Bless America!
Craig: Well, David may be tired and lazy but I'm not. David pretty much summed up the day though - The Mint and the Franklin Institute. The King Tut exhibit was great. The baseball game that we went to wasn't the Phillies - it was the Camden (NJ) Riversharks! They were playing the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish, and got stomped. A couple of interesting surprises - the Bluefish's manager was Tommy John, and former major leaguers Junior Spivey and Craig Paquette were playing for the 'Fish and the 'Sharks, respectively. Fun time had by all! Tomorrow we head West to the Pennsylvania Dutch country. Blog ya later!
Sean: Today was a great day! I got to finally ride in a taxi! I also got to go to a baseball game. Today I also got to go to the Mint. I also got to go to the King Tut exhibit in the Science Center of Philadelphia. I think the next 2 days of being in Philadelphia will be extra fun. That's all I gots for today folks. Good night and God Bless America!
Craig: Well, David may be tired and lazy but I'm not. David pretty much summed up the day though - The Mint and the Franklin Institute. The King Tut exhibit was great. The baseball game that we went to wasn't the Phillies - it was the Camden (NJ) Riversharks! They were playing the Bridgeport (CT) Bluefish, and got stomped. A couple of interesting surprises - the Bluefish's manager was Tommy John, and former major leaguers Junior Spivey and Craig Paquette were playing for the 'Fish and the 'Sharks, respectively. Fun time had by all! Tomorrow we head West to the Pennsylvania Dutch country. Blog ya later!
First Pictures
I put some pictures up on my family web site if anyone wants to see. Go to our site, proceed to the main page, and click on Family Pictures. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Vacation Day 2
Sean: Today was awesome, man! It was awesome because I got to see shredded money at the Federal Bank Institute or whatever. I also said today was hard to walk in the super hot sun. But, I got to take a dip in really chlorined water. The pool was on the 4th floor of our hotel. I hope I will get to ride public transportation like taxis. That's all I gots for today folks. Happy Father's Day!
David: Today we went door to door (kinda). We went to some historic houses. The homes of Betsy Ross, Thomas Jefferson,(but his house was closed so we couldn't go inside) and Edgar Allen Poe!!!! Ross had a audio tour. Poe's had nothing so we couldn't see it because the walls were stripped and stuff. We couldn't see Jefferson's. We went to the federal reserve and saw an exibit on what it does. After that we went to the cemetery where Ben Franklin and lots of other peeps from the 18th century are buried. It was awesome. Sean complains about heat. Well thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so this is david signin' off.!.!.
Craig: It was another busy day for us today. We set out this morning and went to the Betsy Ross house. Good representation of what 18th century life was like. We then proceeded to the home of Edgar Allen Poe, which was a bit off the beaten path but well worth the trip. The house wasn't a recreation, since they had no Poe artifacts, but the tour guide did a fabulous job of giving us a good sense of the life and times of the Poe, with lots of background information that left us with more than a recreation could have. On our way back, we wandered past the Federal Reserve, and on a lark, we went in and found a cool exhibit on the role of the Federal Reserve in the American economy. After a quick stroll around Society Hill, and a couple of pints at Kildare's Pub, we returned to the hotel and went for a swim. In the evening, we met up with Mary's nephew Matt and went to Moshulu, a 19th century cargo sailing ship that has been converted into a very nice restaurant. After an excellent meal, it is now time to turn in. Blog you tomorrow!
David: Today we went door to door (kinda). We went to some historic houses. The homes of Betsy Ross, Thomas Jefferson,(but his house was closed so we couldn't go inside) and Edgar Allen Poe!!!! Ross had a audio tour. Poe's had nothing so we couldn't see it because the walls were stripped and stuff. We couldn't see Jefferson's. We went to the federal reserve and saw an exibit on what it does. After that we went to the cemetery where Ben Franklin and lots of other peeps from the 18th century are buried. It was awesome. Sean complains about heat. Well thats not all but i'm tired and lazy so this is david signin' off.!.!.
Craig: It was another busy day for us today. We set out this morning and went to the Betsy Ross house. Good representation of what 18th century life was like. We then proceeded to the home of Edgar Allen Poe, which was a bit off the beaten path but well worth the trip. The house wasn't a recreation, since they had no Poe artifacts, but the tour guide did a fabulous job of giving us a good sense of the life and times of the Poe, with lots of background information that left us with more than a recreation could have. On our way back, we wandered past the Federal Reserve, and on a lark, we went in and found a cool exhibit on the role of the Federal Reserve in the American economy. After a quick stroll around Society Hill, and a couple of pints at Kildare's Pub, we returned to the hotel and went for a swim. In the evening, we met up with Mary's nephew Matt and went to Moshulu, a 19th century cargo sailing ship that has been converted into a very nice restaurant. After an excellent meal, it is now time to turn in. Blog you tomorrow!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Vacation Day 1
Today was our first day of vacation in Philadelphia! Here are thoughts from the kids:
Sean: Today I saw the Liberty Bell. I had breakfast with Ben Franklin. I went to the Ben Franklin Museum. I thought they were awesome. The Liberty Bell was a once in a lifetime experience. I think Philadelphia will be super duper fun. Bye everybody, see you in St. Louis, MO!
David: YUM! Ben Franklin serves great breakfast and he tells interesting stories. After that we walked up to independence hall and saw the room that the declaration of independence was signed. then we went across the street and got a philly cheese stake (mmmmmmm) then we saw the liberty bell. following that we saw the ben franklin museum. and finnaly his grave it was intresting. we ate dinner and walked around till we saw fire works we did lots of other stuff but i'm tired and lazy so i wont tell u.
the end
Craig: As the kids state, we did start the day today with Breakfast with Ben Franklin. The guy playing Ben was very engaging and interesting and clearly knew a lot about old Benjamin. From there we went to Liberty Hall and did the tour, which included the opportunity to stand in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was really very moving to be there and think about the history and the times. The Franklin museum was also very intriguing and we finished our tour of the day at Franklin's grave, a fitting end to a day that included a great deal of influence from Dr. Franklin himself. We ended the day with a walk along the Delaware River. Tomorrow is another day!
Sean: Today I saw the Liberty Bell. I had breakfast with Ben Franklin. I went to the Ben Franklin Museum. I thought they were awesome. The Liberty Bell was a once in a lifetime experience. I think Philadelphia will be super duper fun. Bye everybody, see you in St. Louis, MO!
David: YUM! Ben Franklin serves great breakfast and he tells interesting stories. After that we walked up to independence hall and saw the room that the declaration of independence was signed. then we went across the street and got a philly cheese stake (mmmmmmm) then we saw the liberty bell. following that we saw the ben franklin museum. and finnaly his grave it was intresting. we ate dinner and walked around till we saw fire works we did lots of other stuff but i'm tired and lazy so i wont tell u.
the end
Craig: As the kids state, we did start the day today with Breakfast with Ben Franklin. The guy playing Ben was very engaging and interesting and clearly knew a lot about old Benjamin. From there we went to Liberty Hall and did the tour, which included the opportunity to stand in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was really very moving to be there and think about the history and the times. The Franklin museum was also very intriguing and we finished our tour of the day at Franklin's grave, a fitting end to a day that included a great deal of influence from Dr. Franklin himself. We ended the day with a walk along the Delaware River. Tomorrow is another day!
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