The last weekend of April, the Wavras ventured to the Northeast! They arrived, and we started our fun-filled, jam-packed weekend. Dave's birthday was April 26, so we started with a small celebration of sorts. I made him a birthday cake that was multi-tiered and multi-colored. Not only was it sugar packed with icing, but M&M's topped off our sugar quota for 11 PM at night!!
It was the first time that either had met Marlee... resident ADHD dog of the complex. She was very excited to see them... Max growled a little at first, then he realized that there were two extra laps to sit on and 4 extra hands for morning, noon, and night-time pettings! They were really sweet and were very sad to see our company go!!
Our trip around Philly was so much fun. We started out the day with a tour of Bala Cynwyd (where I work)... then we headed into town. We parked in the Old City by the Liberty Bell, gathered our cameras, and headed out. We were all a bit famished for none of us ate breakfast, so Troy and I took them for a six-block stroll through the outskirts of Chinatown to Reading Terminal Market. It's a market place with many, many vendors that sell both fresh and prepared foods. Very local, very cultural, but nothing compared to the look on Dave's face after Troy found us a place to sit and eat and the little ladies of the local red hat society took over! We walked up, and he said... they just sorta sat down... I wasn't going to tell the little old ladies they couldn't sit down!? After squishing in like sardines, they realized they were unwelcomed guests, and we all enjoyed our lunch... except for Dave. He wasn't too keen on the local atmosphere... Teresa seemed to like it, but the experience turned into a joke by saying "we'll take you back to Reading Terminal!" They did end the lunch outing with pumpkin whoopies from the Amish bakery, Bailer's. I think that from the "oohs" and "aahhs", and "we shoulda gotten a dozen of those" sounds, they were so yummy!!
We then continued the day to the Liberty Bell where Dave stood in line to see the actual bell; Teresa and I attempted to read a map by twisting it, turning it, and standing on our heads to determine our location! It was quite funny... about 30 minutes later, Dave joined us... we headed into the Visitor's Center to the gift shop. Dave got a replica bell... however, it wasn't up to quality standards because they looked very cheap, but what else do you expect from "Made in China" when buying a replica American history artifact!? We then were treated to tickets for the Philadelphia Big Bus tour and decided to visit the US Mint. The sign that read "Pardon our mess... we are under construction" really meant, "we aren't working today... Please enjoy the self guided tour through the US Mint of Boredom. You can see more pennies in action at the arcade than here, and run to an exit if you start to suffocate because we're not going to circulate air for you today!" We then got on the Big Bus... it was a nice day out, so we decided to ride up top on the double decker... after settling in, we started to roll... we went down quaint streets that used to be driven over by horse-drawn carriages by men of Ben Franklin's like; but here we go, barreling down in our tour bus on the top deck that was so loud, we couldn't hear the tour guide in the microphone. One other thing we didn't prepare for was tree branches... yep... almost got decked by one or two of those, too! But it was fun. I enjoyed my Snickers bar and Gatorade as we rode down the streets of Philly. We got into the museum district and hopped off at the Rocky stairs. We made our way to the top; Dave did his best Rocky run; and I climbed on Rocky like a monkey and luckily, Dave was able to get video footage of my time with the statue. He didn't seem to be too conversational, but then again, I was stepping on his toes!! After our museum visit, we hopped aboard the big brown bus and headed... well, I'm not really sure. We went back toward the Old City and the Delaware River where we got up close and personal with Camden, NJ and got a glimpse of the Battleship New Jersey. It was a very, very nice afternoon, and we really enjoyed seeing the city from a tourists perspective... I suggest the big bus tour to everyone!
We headed out of the city and got a bite to eat at McKenzie's Brew House. The food is so good, and they brew their own beers. After our very astute waitress got our food ordered and to the table, we enjoyed our dinner. Next stop... well, you'd think it would be home, right?! Uh-uh... nope... we headed to Genuardi's for fresh flowers for the late Mrs. Wavra's grave site and Starbucks... Teresa had to get the fix for the day (she's one of those black card carriers... LOL)!!! Now... we headed home.
The next morning started out just as you would have imagined... it was crisp and cool... and otherwise, cloudy! The forecast called for the hottest day of the year so far, so I decided to give my right index finger a taste of how my nose, ears, neck and forearms would feel later that day by cooking the pad of my finger on the blade of my Chi. Now this flat iron doesn't just get hot... it gets to about 405 degrees Fahrenheit and would make a grown man cry if he touched it at it hottest point. So, I jumped up and down and held my finger under cold water until it was time head out, but the quest to keep my finger cool and my pain under control didn't stop there. I filled a baggie with ice, pressed the burnt metatarsal on the bag, and headed out the door. Let me tell you... eating a donut and drinking chocolate milk is quite a feat when one hand is otherwise occupied trying to keep a finger from falling off!
So... away we went... the wrong way. Troy missed the exit to 95 South, so we headed toward Philly only to turn around and head the right way 5 minutes later! Equipped with enough map devices sure to get a person lost, we started our day toward the Baltimore-DC area with the Garmin on the dash, the paper map open on Dave's lap, and Inga (that would be my iPhone) tracking the way. Between the three devices, we were going no where fast!! We finally made it over the Potomac and made it to Arlington National Cemetery. We stopped, got our pass and found our way to Dave's mom's grave site. We found her head stone and placed flowers at its base and took some pictures. It was a very nice visit.
Next stop... the parking garage, potties, and yes, another big bus tour. So... on we go! Back across the Potomac where we hopped off at the Lincoln Memorial and saw the Reflection Pool and Washington Monument... I didn't realize it was only "this big! (reference photos for laugh). We walked over to the Vietnam Memorial and then waited for the bus at Constitution Ave. We went from there to the White House visitor's center and walked the 7 blocks to ESPN Zone for lunch and then one more block for a glimpse of Ford's Theatre. As we headed back toward the White House, we walked by the Old Post Office and the Reagan Building. We then proceeded to head to the pedestrian viewing area that was (just our luck) roped off for an indefinite amount of time. Teresa was convinced that Sasha and Malia were having a party on the South lawn, and Troy was looking overhead to see Marine One land.
We then rode around the National Mall, around the Capitol Building, Union Station and then down the North side of the Mall to the American History museum. We stood in line for quite a while to take our tour of the First Ladies exhibit. Once again... we stood in another line. We then exited the museum. We rode our bus back to the cemetery and got on yet another bus to tour Arlington. It was late in the afternoon, the breeze was blowing, and looking out over the rolling hills of the former plantation was quite serene. We stopped at Kennedy's Burial Ground and the Tomb of the Unknowns for changing of the guards, and then we made our way back to the parking garage where we started the journey home. And by journey... I really mean trek!
With Inga's map device enabled, the map folded precisely on Dave's lap, and the GPS pointing us in another direction, we headed out! We got somewhere and realized we were headed into downtown DC... not just anywhere in downtown DC but to Dupont Circle... the proverbial Dupont Circle, on which we got stuck. The GPS was stuck... it wasn't communicating with it's satellite, so I whipped out Inga, found our way off Dupont Circle. When it caught up, it told us to take the second right when Inga said the first, so Troy followed the GPS. We went through the ghetto, the slums of DC, and the otherwise unlabeled, undesirable neighborhoods! As Teresa was redistributing her bag, she pulled out a Ziploc bag of very unhealthy snacks... M&Ms, mini Kit-Kats, chocolate chip cookies... and yes, we all devoured these like hyenas over a fresh kill. Keep in mind, all we had to eat was donuts and hamburgers (chicken for me) all day. Our 2.5 hour trip home turned into about a 4 hour quest for civilization! All in all, it was a very nice trip!
We got up the next morning and got them to the airport... or should I say, TB got them to the airport. I, of course, was riddled with an allergy attack from Friday afternoon that left me under the weather until the following Saturday, so I stayed home with our pups.
We can't wait to do it again... maybe not ALL of it again, but the four of us have never gone on a boring trip! We can always find something to get into!!! Check out our pics on the Picasa site!
actually they are spun carpet fibers that are bound together by heating them together to form a rope-like string, and formed into sandals. They are my favorite summer shoes... it's the next best thing to being barefoot!
