Day Nine - Moving Day

(We've been home nearly two weeks now and I'm finally blogging the rest of our trip.  I'm sure you've been lying awake at night wondering when I'd post!  Here it is.  Now you can sleep.)

Wednesday was our big moving day!  You probably didn't notice, but so far on our trip we changed hotels every two nights.  It was a little crazy and I was grateful we would be in one place for the last four nights!

After our big Letterman adventure, John started to feel a cold coming on.  By Wednesday morning he felt really sick, so we came up with a plan so he could get a little rest.  The kids and I would head out for a full day of sightseeing, while John took it easy.  In the afternoon, he (and our plethora of luggage) would take a car to our new hotel where we would all meet up.

We headed to the train station (the one with the cool stained glass windows that I blogged about last year) and Lavender had her first subway ride.  I was surprised that she loved the noise and commotion of the NYC metro system.  As soon as she heard a train coming and felt the vibrations, her little feet would start kicking and she'd get really excited.

I told the kids that they could choose our itinerary in the city.  Evan wanted to see some sites from his favorite TV show Doctor Who and Marianne wanted to continue her cupcake tour and see some sites from Home Alone 2.  In honor of Kevin McCallister, we headed straight to the Plaza Hotel.  The lobby didn't look anything like the movie, but it was gorgeous.  We looked around a little bit and then headed for the basement.  That's where all the food is!  We each had tried something different.  I had the tiniest California roll ever.  Marianne had a turkey sandwich and Evan was adventurous and had a shrimp roll and blueberry soda.  He was happy with his choice and said they were both delicious.  Then it was time for dessert!  Marianne and I sampled cupcakes from Billy's Bakery while Evan had the hugest cakepop I've ever seen.  We also selected some macarons from FP Patisserie.  I had never heard of  Francois Payard before, but let me tell you, he has some delicious flavors going on.  We tried pistachio, pumpkin, salted caramel, raspberry and more, but we waited until just before dinner when we really had an appetite.

After lunch we crossed the street to Central Park, all dressed up for autumn with her gorgeous leaves.  We found the bridge where Kevin met the Pigeon lady and then the kids went ice skating in that lovely setting!  Afterwards, I really wanted the kids to see the Guggenheim Museum.  Unfortunately, when my phone told us we had arrived, we were nowhere near the Guggenheim!  We chalked it up to adventure and took a little stroll that took us by some amazing stores, the NYC Public Library, Bryant Park and Crumbs Bakery where we picked up a few more cupcakes.  We took our shopping bags and treats and headed to our new home away from home--the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel.  I don't know why they have that little equal sign in the middle, but I don't really care.  It was an incredible hotel!  John was working a convention there, so thanks to his employer, we got to stay there.  The kids did a little exploring around the hotel and temporarily got separated, but we were eventually reunited and met my brother Scott in the lobby.  John still wasn't feeling well and decided to stay in the room. The rest of us went out to a great pizza place, although I opted for salad after all those cupcakes.  It was a fun evening and Lavender enjoyed all the attention too.  Scott gave us some ideas of where to go and what to see and we made some plans for the next three days!

Day Eight - NYC

Today was not the kids' favorite day, but it was date night
(afternoon) for us! The day started early for some of us. John and
Evan got up at 5:00 AM to return our rental car. They took the train
back and bought our metro passes for the week.

Later that morning, John and the kids went into the city while the
baby and I stayed at the hotel. It was a win-win. They got to see
Grand Central Station, I got caught up on my email and Lavender had a
nice long nap. I guess I need to add another "win" in there!

The kids spent the rest of the day at the hotel, babysitting and
studying. Marianne even had her Spanish class via Skype. As John and I
left for the subway station, I was flooded with memories. Last summer
the two of us spent a few days in NYC. Unfortunately, it was 100
degrees and I had terrible morning sickness. Being at the same hotel
and walking up the stairs to the train, I remembered how awful it was.
This time was so much better! We has beautiful fall weather and I felt
great.

A few weeks ago, John was excited to get tickets to "The Late Show
With David Letterman." It was quite a process. First he requested
tickets on line. Then he got a phone call giving him a number to call
to answer a question. They took our names and gave us a name and color
as our "code word." When we got there we had to stand in line to get
our tickets. An hour later we had to come back, stand in more lines,
show our driver's licenses to multiple people and go through a metal
detector. The security was tighter than the airport!

Finally, we were prepped on how to laugh and applaud correctly. We
were told to laugh heartily and immediately when Dave told a joke. We
could think about it and decide if it was funny on the way home. Then
they had us practice our laughter and reminded us not to whistle, yell
or "wooo." If we made any of these noises or took any pictures at any
time, we would be kicked out of the theater. It all sounds pretty
harsh and we knew they were serious, but they did everything in a nice
way with a sense of humor. The show is 30 years old, so I guess
they've got a system that works!

Inside the theater, we were happy to get seats in the third row. It
was cool to see all the lights, cameras and equipment. I hadn't
realized that the backdrop of the city is a 3D model. Before show
started, Dave came out to talk to us. He started talking to a guy
with a Wyoming tshirt and then recited all the facts he knew about
Wyoming. Then he jokingly asked how many other people were from
Wyoming. Of course John raised his hand and called out. At first Dave
didn't believe him, but then he asked him what city he was from. He
made a couple more jokes and then left. So John was one of two people
who actually got to talk to Dave.

Once the show started, I was so interested in watching the production
crew that I nearly forgot to laugh and applaud correctly. I was
surprised that while they were filming, there were 15 - 20 people
onstage in between the audience and the cast. Of course you can't see
them when the show airs, but you have to look in between them to watch
the show from the audience. I was also surprised that Dave reads the
jokes off cue cards. They are hand written with a fat marker and held
up close to him, right underneath the camera. No Teleprompter for him.

The guests were Taylor Swift and Rachel Maddow. John was disappointed,
especially when he knew that Bill O'Reilly and Donald Trump would be
on later in the week. We are not fans of Maddow and I admit to not
clapping at some of her comments. Honestly, we are not really fans of
Taylor Swift either, but it was very fun to see her up close. She gave
a good interview and a great performance! Even better, we were not
there the night Snooki was a guest!

After the show, we freed the kids from the hotel room and took them
out to dinner at an Irish Pub. As soon as I saw the menu, I remembered
what I had last summer and ordered the same thing: a hamburger on a
pretzel roll. It is truly the best burger I've ever tasted. Delicious!

Day Seven - City of Brotherly Love

Today was our long day in the car. Thankfully we traded in our local
rental for a mini van. We assumed our usual positions with John behind
the wheel and me behind the iPhone as navigator. We made it to
Philadelphia in about 2.5 hours. Shortly before we got there, John
pulled off the highway looking for a place to eat. As he drove around,
Marianne and I told him we weren't really hungry. I think the graffiti
covered buildings made us lose our appetite, or maybe it was the
hookers. We found a Burger King in a slightly nicer area and Lavender
got her first crown, which she kept grabbing off her head so she could
eat it. Some of us may have been tempted by the bacon sundaes, but we
resisted and headed into the city.

Our first stop was the Liberty Bell, that great symbol of freedom. Did
you know it weighs 2,080 pounds, has a 12 foot circumference and is
made of bronze? (Me neither, but John and Evan remembered that and
much more!)

We had a terrific guide for our tour of Independence Hall. She was a
great storyteller who helped everyone understand the significance of
standing in the very room where our founding fathers signed the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitition of the United States.
It was awe inspiring to be there and to see the original chair where
George Washington sat to preside over the constitutional convention.
Benjamin Franklin pointed to the sun on that chair and asked if it was
rising or setting.

We spent some more time learning about Franklin at his print shop,
post office, home site and grave. Then we walked down Elfreths Alley,
the oldest residential street in America with homes from the 1700s. We
went somewhere a little more modern for dinner--Jim's Steaks has been
in business since 1939 and they make mean Philly cheesesteak!

With full bellies we continued our drive up to New York City. After
fighting traffic and paying numerous tolls (one bridge was a whopping
$12) we were rewarded with spectaculars views of the lights of
Manhattan. Let the adventures begin!

Day Six - GW's Turn

John tried to convince us that we didn't need to visit Mount Vernon
since it was practically the same as Monticello. I think he just
wanted to save some money and see other DC sites, but the kids really
wanted to see George Washington's house. He is such a good dad that he
even sprung for the "National Treasure Tour" that took us behind the
scenes into Mount Vernon's cellar where Nicholas Cage kidnapped the
President. We also saw the bush where he emerged pretending to be a
waiter, the dock where his dad was fishing and the door where they
came out of the underground tunnel. If you don't know what I'm
referring to, you may need to watch the movie again. Coincidentally we
watched it at Sharon and Duane's so it was all fresh in our minds!

We also saw plenty of non-Hollywood history. We loved the brilliant
colors inside the rooms of the mansion, especially the Prussian blue.
Did you know that Martha preferred lighter colors and their bedroom
was off-white with light blue molding? The mansion has a lovely piazza
(back porch) with an incredible view of the Potomac and the Maryland
shoreline. After our tours, we all sat out there for awhile and just
relaxed!

Washington was an amazing farmer, landscaper and inventor. We loved
walking around a small part of the 8,000 acre estate. His 16-sided
threshing barn was a wonder!

In the museum we got to see Washington's annotated copy of the
Constitution and Bill of Rights that he used as a guide during his
presidency. It was recently purchased for 8 million dollars.

We ended our visit with a visit to "Lady Washington," a living
historian who played the role of Martha Washington very convincingly!
It really felt like we were there with the first First Lady herself.

When we finished at Mount Vernon we realized we had just enough time
to make it to the Kennedy Center for another concert. This time the
place was packed! We were lucky to get seats for Marianne and Evan
while John, Lavender and I got one of the last spots on the floor.
There was a huge group of people standing in the back. All the
excitement was for the (apparently very popular) six member Haitian
band, BeLO. These guys were incredible musicians who had the crowd
dancing, clapping and singing along. Lavender loved the music and
rocked out to the delight of everyone around us.

For our last night in DC, the kids wanted to go to the same spot. Evan
wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial and Marianne wanted one last view
of the Washington Monument in the mall's reflecting pool. Sadly, the
monument is closed for earthquake repairs, but we loved gazing at the
glistening white obelisk from the outside just as well. It is a
fitting tribute to the great man who was our first president.

Day Five - A TJ Kind of Day

We started out early for our trip to Monticello. We were excited to
see the home of Thomas Jefferson on a gorgeous autumn day. We loved
the octagonal rooms, the dumb waiter from the wine cellar and his cool
clock in the front hall. Jefferson decorated his rooms to invite
conversation and discussion. They were full of Indian artifacts, great
artwork an interesting gadgets. My favorite room was his
bedroom/office. It has a huge beautiful skylight, a bed set into the
wall and a machine that made duplicate copies of his letters.

Outside we tried writing with a quill pen and ink and touring the
grounds. Evan especially loved seeing many varieties of plants.
Marianne took tons of pictures of the falling leaves. And Lavender
made friends everywhere we went.

We decided to forego the shuttle and walk back down the "little
mountain" stopping at Thomas Jefferson's grave. The cemetery is still
owned and used by the family.

After a great day at Monticello we made the drive back to Washington
and arrived just in time for a free concert at The Kennedy Center. Raw
Men Empire, an Israeli indie band, was performing. The four guys from
Tel Aviv played for about 45 minutes. Our favorite song was called,
"Israeli Women Are the Best Looking Women in the World." Another funny
song was called, "I've Got A One Track Mind That Leads No Where."

After a photo with the giant JFK head and a quick stop for more
pictures of the Washington Monument by moonlight, we appropriately
ended our day at the Jefferson Memorial. The white dome glows beside
the water and the statue of Jefferson is surrounded by quotations from
his writing. For some reason there were multiple signs admonishing us
to be quiet and respectful as well as a park ranger and armed guard
standing watch. This was quite a contrast to the free-for-all at
Lincoln's Memorial. I wonder if it was a reflection on the style of
the two great leaders. I've heard that Lincoln was a rather permissive
parent. Maybe Thomas Jefferson needed more quiet while he did all that
writing?

I'll leave you with my favorite new quote from Jefferson:

"It would be a great calamity if we did not have ice."

Day Four - Southern Virginia

We enjoyed hearing the rain on the copper roof of Canary Cottage
during the night, but we awoke to a beautiful autumn morning!

My Uncle Duane cooked us breakfast and then gave John and the kids a
tour. He gave them a ride on his "popo" around a small part of their
60 acres and the cemetery next door.

My cousin Darren and his family had arrived late the night before, so
it was fun to visit with them and compare Lavender to her second
cousin Decker who is just a week older. He has six teeth while she is
still gummin it! She does scoot around more than him though.

Late that morning we left for Southern Virginia University, a small
LDS liberal arts school. The rolling hills and brilliant fall colors
made for a lovely drive. We were warmly welcomed at SVU and talked
with a number of staff members and one of the VPs. We also took a tour
of the beautiful, historic campus and took a peek at the girls' dorms.
(The rooms are huge and have private bathrooms by the way.)

We ate lunch on campus and then met up with our good friends John and
Nick. We drove to nearby Lexington for ice cream and they told us
about SVU from a student's perspective. We have known these two since
they were just little guys and it was fun to see them all grown up and
independent.

As we headed back to Duane and Sharon's we stopped at a scenic view
spot. Strangely, there was man playing the bagpipes and a woman
wearing a tiger costume/pajamas.

We got back just in time to help Sharon get dinner on the table. My
cousin Melinda and her kids live nearby so we got to see them too!

Lavender and Decker played together until it was time for bed. All
went well except for Deckers enthusiastic hug and kiss which ended
with a scratch on Lavender's head.

It was a nostalgic evening for me. When I was eleven years old my
family moved to southern California and we lived about 30 minutes away
from Sharon and Duane's family. (BTW, Sharon was my mom's college
roommate and she introduced her to Duane!) Our families spent many
holidays and weekends together and I loved being with my cousins. Most
of them live on the east coast now, so I don't get to see them very
often. I was grateful for the chance to spend time with some of the
family. We have some interesting similarities. Darren has a 12 year
gap between his kids (I beat him by 2 years). Melinda and I
comiserated about the difficulties of pregnancy over 40. I still beat
her by a few years too!

Day Three

We started off the day at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Marianne was disappointed to learn that Dorothy's ruby slippers were
visiting England for a month. We did get to see Julia Child's kitchen,
Kermit the frog and china from every First Lady. Evan especially
enjoyed the musical instruments and we all loved seeing the
Star-Spangled Banner flag!

We must have enjoyed ourselves a little too much, because we soon
realized we were running late for our tour at the Capitol. I strapped
Lavender into her sling (since we thought strollers weren't allowed on
the tour) and we headed up Capitol Hill at top speed. We were all
breathing pretty hard until John snagged us a ride on one of the
little shuttles. We made it with six minutes to spare! John thought
the driver was a volunteer and offered to tip her. She refused,
explaining that she was "a full-time employee with full benefits and a
pension." So your tax dollars helped give us a ride up the hill!

We had a great tour of the Capitol from Brandon, the very effeminate
tour guide. Afterwards we asked about getting into the House or Senate
chambers. He told us we had to go check with our Senator or
Congressman to get passes, but then added, "You might want to check at
the information desk." Fortunately, we scored passes to the Senate
for the kids and John.

Lavender and I were given the job of running back down the hill to get
the car before our parking time was up. Lavender's 16 extra pounds on
my chest was getting heavy as I hurried down the hill. I offered a
quick prayer that I would make it back in time. As I turned the
corner, I saw a pedicab. The driver offered me a ride and I figured it
must be an answer to prayer! We had a nice ride back to the car and I
was grateful to be reunited with our stroller.

Next we headed off for southern Virginia. We thought we were leaving
early enough to beat the traffic, but we still spent a lot of time
bumper to bumper.

A week or two before our trip, Marianne decided she would like to
visit SVU. So we rearranged our plans and she made an appointment for
a tour of the campus. My aunt and uncle live in the area and they
invited us to stay with them.

After the heavy traffic we had a rainstorm, but finally made it to my
uncle and aunt's lovely home, the Canary Cottage!