TOP TEN - New England Road Trip

1. The Bite

A classic crab shack on the side of the road on Martha's Vineyard. We ordered fried shrimp, fried clams, fried bites and clam chowder. It was one of my favorite meals and the best fried shrimp I have ever had. Great. . . . .  Now I'm hungry.

2. Whale Watching

Awesome experience! Such beautiful, large animals.

3. Travel with Xan

Grant and I had lots of questions about how traveling would go post-kid. What could we do? Where could we go? Take Xan? Leave him at home? I was thrilled with how well he handled it all. He seemed to really enjoy the activity (and his backpack - see item #8). I hear that he will get harder to 'manage' as he gets older. So, I guess we'll take it one adventure at a time.

4. Red Sox game

Xan got lots of attention at the game. "Raisin' him right" seemed to be the general consensus.

5. Nantucket

Beautiful Island! It really looked like a postcard.

6. Driving

With a 6 month baby in the house Grant and I don't have time to hang out like we used to. Since this was a road trip we had time in the car to talk, sing along with the radio and just be goofy.

7. Plimoth Plantation

Setup to look like a 16th century English settlement including the people. You could wander through the village and interact with the settlers as they worked in the gardens, tended their animals, built homes, etc. I spent 30 minutes visiting with Stephen Hopkins (a Mayflower passenger) in his home. It was like really being there.

8. Xan's backpack

Xan loved this backpack about 90% of the time. He could look around, see what was going on and even sleep in it.

9. Yale and Harvard

College visits with Xan. It's never too early to start :)

10. Newport Mansions

Massive, elaborate homes build during the US Guild age. I would love to see more.

Whale Watching

This morning we took a boat out of the Cape Cod Bay to go whale watching. It was an incredible experience. The storm from earlier in the week stirred the fish further toward the surface and we were able to witness a whale feast. Many, many whales were splashing and flipping while eating the fish there. The guide told us it was a unique event, to see so many feeding at one time so close to the surface.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Provincetown, MA. This is the location of the first Mayflower landing and the signing of the Mayflower compact. After 5 weeks of exploration, the pilgrims left this shore and headed to what is now Plymouth. Plymouth became the first permanent settlement in North America. A monument to the Pilgrims was built in 1910 in Provincetown to commemorate the first landing. It is a 252 foot tower that over looks the bay. On a clear day you can see Boston. Grant and I made the climb to the top (Xan rode in his backpack).

There once was a man from Nantucket

I finally learned the rest of the limerick. It goes. . . . . .

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.

But his daughter, named Nan,

Ran away with a man

And as for the bucket, Nantucket

As for our time on the island, it couldn't have been more beautiful. It looked exactly like you imagine a New England coastal village would look.

We spent several hours on the beach while Xan slept in his sun tent.

Our vacation with the President

We hit Martha's Vineyard during the biggest storm of the summer. Between the rain and wind, it was difficult to enjoy everything the island had to offer. We braved the weather to visit some of the main sights and had several good meals. 'The Bite' was a crab shack that had the best fried shrimp I have ever had and Grant got a great Lobster bake at the 'Home Port'. Oh, and guess who decided to take a vacation to Martha's Vineyard at the same time. The First Family.

Xan's lobster dinner

Martha's Vineyard Road through middle island

The first time Grant turned down one of these dirt roads I was in fierce protest. This couldn't possibly be a real road but I was wrong. The one above was actually one of the better.

One of rougher roads on Martha's Vineyard

Aquinnah Light House

Pictures from Boston

Paul Revere Cemetery

King's Chapel

Near Old North Church and Paul Revere statue

Water Taxi

Riding the Subway

Napping in Boston Common park

College Visits

It’s never too early to start. Xan toured both Harvard and Yale with particular stops at the law schools just in case he wants to follow in his Dad’s career-steps. He slept the whole time we visited Harvard. I guess he was uninterested, but Yale was another matter. He was alert and looking around. He even wanted to wear his Yale shirt (though he did throw up all over it. Don’t know what that means).

Yale Library

Harvard

The Big Green Monster

What on earth is the Big Green Monster? I saw this phrase all over the place. On t-shirts. Signs. What does that have to do with Boston? Let me tell you a tale.


Tonight, we went to a Red Sox’s game. Grant was excited about seeing Fenway Park and even spent Xan’s nap time today looking for a Red Sox onesie for the game. When we got to our seats at the stadium, Grant points to the outfield and says, “Look, there’s the Green Monster”. I spent several minutes looking for a picture of a monster, or a mascot before asking, “Huh?” Grant finally explained (with a face that said, isn’t it obvious), “It’s the wall”. For all of you that were as confused as me, Fenway Park has a very tall, green wall that makes out of the park homeruns even more difficult to hit. Hence, the Big Green Monster.

Also, I included some pictures of Xan in his Boston Red Sox’s outfit. Grant said I should mention he is also wearing red socks. It’s so CUTE!

Constant Vigilance

I will admit that I was nervous about our trip to Boston. Not the vacation itself but the actual travel. Xan had never been on a plane and I didn’t know how it might go.

This is how it went. . . . . . Xan, for the most part, slept on the plane and was in a great mood even though it was almost midnight when we arrived in Boston. I thought we had made it, I could see the hotel from our taxi when Grant looked over at me with a horrified face. He heard a ‘gas’ sound and something from Xan’s diaper sprayed him. Our taxi driver didn’t notice the smell. He was too busy giving us the weirdest parenting advice I’ve ever heard. Grant was quickly trying to clean up the growing puddle in the back seat. Every napkin and burp cloth we had available was saturated. In the end, we escaped from the taxi before the driver realized what happened and both Grant and Xan went straight to the shower.

All in all, it was a successful arrival and made for a funny story.

TOP TEN - Las Vegas Road Trip

10. Ethel's Chocolate Factory

We took a long taxi ride out to the factory on New Year's Day. They were open but not making chocolate! I did get to purchase chocolate in the gift shop before taking a taxi ride back to the strip. The whole trip took 45 minutes and too much $$. While walking through the Flamingo later in the week I saw an Ethel's chocolate store. I'm glad Grand had a good sense of humor about my mis-adventure

9. New Year's Eve Fireworks

8. Brazilian Restaurant

As if my cholesterol intake wasn't high enough on this trip, we visited a Brazilian style restaurant (all you can eat meat). We tried everything but by the end would only except filet or roast beef.

7. Best Buffet search, winner: Bellagio!

We did serious research, looking for the best buffet. The winner was clearly the Bellagio. I had lots of Kobe top sirloin and 3 creme brulees. Magnific!!

6. Le Reve

A water based Cirque du Soleil show at the new Wynn Hotel and Casino. It was amazing!

5. First Class

Since I was 7 months pregnant on this trip Grant got first class plane tickets so I would be comfortable. It was so much fun!!

4. Hacienda Nicholas Bed and Breakfast

I have already talked about the AWESOME B&B in Santa Fe. I loved it!!!

3. White out at the Grand Canyon

1 mile down, 10 miles across and 1/4 mile visibility. Needless to say we couldn't see a thing but we did enjoy walking along the canyon rim in the snow storm

2. Jersey Boys

The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I LOVE their music!

1. Grand Canyon

We arrived for the last of sunrise. It was beautiful, covered in the untouched snow

TOP 10 - San Diego

10. The City itself

There is a great vibe to the city. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

9. Ocean

So beautiful and blue but the water is COLD! I am spoiled by the Gulf's warm temperatures.

8. Sunset

You could see the sunset over the ocean from Lydia's backyard. Awesome!

7. Kerry's Baptism

We were invited to the Baptism of one of Lydia's roommates while in San Diego. She chose to do this in the ocean. It was a really special experience. Don't forget that I mentioned the frigid temperature of the water.

6. The Food, specifically breakfast

My favorite meal of the day. Lydia picked out some great spots.

5. Personal Chauffeur

Lydia was gracious enough to cart us around the city including the Zoo (a total of 4 times)

4. Wild Animal Park

An off-shoot of the Zoo, this facility concentrated on breeding programs and animal conservation. We were able to ride a large jeep through the animal habitat area.

3. Old Town Candy Shop

An old time candy store in official 'Old Town' San Diego. Lydia, Grant and I had finished off all of the homemade toffee and caramel by the end of the day. We should have gone back for more :)

2. The famous San Diego ZOO

This zoo reminded me a lot of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The fences blended in with the surroundings and the animals were in a natural looking habitat.

1. Grant Feeding the Giraffes

It's a well established fact that Grant loves animals so he was definitely into this activity. He was fun to watch as the long gray giraffe tongue reached for the treat

San Diego

I'm a little behind on my posting and haven't written anything about our awesome trip to San Diego. My sister, Lydia, was there for a 4 month internship and offered (or really we invited ourselves) to put us up for a long weekend. She was a perfect hostess and showed us all around the city. Grant especially loved the zoo, no surprise there. We ended up buying a season pass so he could visit everyday. Xan (our first child, due March 1st) acquired his first toy in the elephant exhibit. It was definitely a trip to remember!! See our pictures below.

Supercalifragilous Expialidocious

You know how I LOVE Broadway, so Grant took me to one last play during our overnight layover in NYC. We saw Mary Poppins.

Even in my jet lagged state it kept me entertained. Bert was VERY, VERY good. Honestly, I enjoyed his performace more than anyone else (even Mary). I won't tell you everything he did. It might ruin the surprise.

Yankees vs. Shrek

We had 36 hours in NY before our flight to Malaga. First stop Yankee’s stadium for the 2nd of 3 Yankees vs. Phillies game. After an exciting Yankees’ 9th inning, come from behind, victory we jetted over to Times Square to purchase discounted theater tickets. With 30 minutes until the shows began, we were able to get tickets to Shrek, the Musical. While not the best show I’ve ever seen, the actors were very talented. Donkey and Lord Farquaad where especially funny.

Because it was so close to my birthday, we were upgraded at the Millennium hotel. I could see the Empire State building from our room. We slept late in the big feather bed. Ahhh!