June 9 - Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and into NYC

June 9 - Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and into NYC

We had an early breakfast today with my boys and J before getting on the bus to tour head to the Science Museum. The wind whipped around my head and I went to grab my sweatshirt from the seat, but it was on the floor of the locked bus. It was soaking wet. I was not happy. We hung it in the back bathroom that was off limits, but Carlos (his name is really Christopher, but that's another story…) had urinated in their the first day and didn't know. So here's my good sweatshirt drip drying in this small, hot smelly room.

We arrived at the Boston Science Center around 9AM. Matt & Kyra are sitting in the back of the bus, while Kristy sits with Jason now. Zach seems like the odd guy out. We careened through the museum for 15 minutes, and I took photos of a space ship used in Star Wars Episode I before we snuck out the front door.

Part of the group wanted a Starbuck's and the sisters (K&K) didn't get breakfast since they work up late. After asking a security guard which way Starbuck's was, J got the idea that we should walk to Boston Commons since we didn't get to spend much time there. Of course I didn't know it was over one mile to get there and we had about an hour left. As we made our way through construction over the freeway, I plugged Ozzy into my earphones and hiked through the early morning haze over Boston. As the sun pushed through the cloudy, muggy day sweat formed on my forehead before I yanked my shirt sleeves off over my head. We made our way over Beacon Hill, past Boston Commons and another four blocks to Starbuck's. After toilet stops and coffee, we walked back toward the Green when I dragged everyone into the Old Granary Burial Ground where Hancock and Adams are buried. I took a few pictures before we walked to the Green where J had the brilliant idea to take T back to the Science Center. By this time K&K who are naturally tiny were dying from hunger and jogged across the road into Burger King. I took a few photos before we made our way underground to catch the green line. Security yelled at us for taking photos in the T station before we made it as far as City Hall. We had to transfer to a bus and came up into the 10:50am daylight to find the Boston Flag, American Flag, and Pride flag looming over head. We caught our bus and walked up behind Esther waiting near the tour bus with 15 minutes to spare! We were lucky and to this moment told no one else about our extended optional excursion.

Years ago my parents visited Mystic, CT where that bad Julia Roberts movie was filmed. I remember staying at my cousin's house and getting a postcard. Now here we are 90 minutes later, pulling over. Of course I had McDonald's instead of lobster, but what I can you do? After that the blow up neck pillow came out, and I was asleep to Stevie Nicks to NYC. I remember parts of Rhode Island before this and Providence, and then it was us driving over the Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn. I looked left toward the Brooklyn Bridge with Lady Liberty guarding Ellis Island in the background. I was here the last time in March of 1996, and it was a cold Saturday, but I didn't ride the ferry to Ellis Island. This time I will.

We were dropped in Little Italy and had an hour to shop before dinner at LaMenla on Mulberry Street, so we walked toward Canal Street and bought knock off Seiko watches and Kate Spade purses. K&K was whisked into a back room of a small Asian shop and offered several different purses. Before the purchased one, the small lady stuck on an authentic looking faux black sticker that read "KATE SPADE". The purse was $15.

J gathered our money and went to buy Canolis for all of us while I watched the kids along the street. Fire escapes hung from the building sides high above our heads and we watched water drip drop down off air conditioners, splashing on the sidewalk, although NYC does not stink as much as Boston.

I believe dinner include Gnocchi which I adored after picking off tomato seeds. We then ate our Canoli in the road while people ran in and out of little shops in groups of three or more, after the backroom incident. J came back from the small shop with the barmaids phone number and email offering her a place to stay anytime in the Big Apple.

The empire state building was built in the 1930s at the height of the Great Depression and became famous by way of King Kong and Fay Wray. (Later, Jessica Lange and then Peter Jackson [is he directing or starring? Hahaha]).

We parked near the building and it looked the same as it did in 1996. We stood in line and took photos before going up around the maze looping back and forth to the elevator up to the top. It carried us to the 80th floor and my ears didn't need to pop.

We walked out on the observation deck you've all see in Sleepless in Seattle and the older movie. I took photos all the way around, and had some photos of me taken. The wind howled through my hair at 1,050 feet above the city before I hit the gift shop for some over priced souvenirs I didn't buy. We then tried on funny hats before taking a photos and high tailing it to the bus. We sat on the bus for half an hour playing a game of throwing the small Verizon beach ball at each other's head – a game we'd played earlier in the back of the bus. We met some of the young black Mormon girls from Utah (Yes, they do exist!) and we road through the Holland Tunnel toward our hotel in New Jersey.

When we arrived here at the Holiday Inn, they didn't have my reservation, so they put me up in a suite with a King Size bed on the top floor of the tower, which is nice but my kids are on the bottom floor on the other side of the hotel. J said she'd watch them, and they pulled my sweatshirt from the dryer that I had put it in when we arrived. One boy even had a can of Axe deodorant that I sprayed all over it before drying it in hopes it would smell better. Goodnight.