Saturday, September 27, 2008
A jet set week
This week has seen us living quite seperate lives for a change as we've both had lots of our own things to do.
Sunday was a nice, relaxed day together as there was no alarm to drag us out of bed. Although having said that, Annalie forced herself up at 9am (bliss!) to watch the Chelsea vs Man Utd game (thanks to the time difference).
We then popped out to Manchester to pick up a few bits and bumped into our friend Mhairi who had just got back from holiday. We have rented the ski house for the winter with Mhairi so we have to catch up with her on what shares have been sold for that.
Later that evening, Ian wanted to watch the final game at Yankee Stadium on TV as it promised to be a huge finale. There was a lot of reminiscing and paying homage to players past and present, it was a bit of a ceremony. Once the game got under way, it was hard to see if the Orioles were going to seriously contend the final game and hand the Yankees victory. The Yankees did win in the end and everyone said goodbye to the historic venue.
On Monday, Annalie took a trip to New York with work this time. One of IAE's largest customers, JetBlue, opened a shiny new terminal at JFK so she got invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony there. A few freebies were to be had and the Radio City Rockettes performed, so it was an interesting day. She didn't stick around for the performance by Estelle, instead wanting to hit the road to get home at a reasonable hour. She made sure she got a goodie bag before she left though, which included the most useful item - a Dunkin' Donuts gift card although we haven't checked how much is loaded on it yet! It was still about 8pm before she reached Glastonbury, so she met Ian at one of our favourite local restaurants for some tea.
Tuesday was a celebratory day for IAE as it delivered the firts of a new engine to Indian airline IndiGo. So Annalie and her team organised an employee celebration at the one and only curry house in Glastonbury It was quite a poor turnout though, worse than we expected, but we reckon that's because we didn't advertise the fact that there was free booze Ian had drill night at the fire house so he went off playing with hoses for the night
Although Ian professes he has nothing to do right now, he seems to get invited to various weekday events through Annalie's work. On Wednesday he managed to get invited to a very exclusive golf course called Fishers Island for a corporate tournament. The course is on an island in the Long Island Sound so it was a ferry from New London for him.
He had an amazing day, even though his golf wasn't on top form. The course itself is the kind that some people can only dream of playing. It's a Links style, so surrounded by water (obviously being an island!) and quite windy, making it very tricky to play in places. Ian lost about 6 balls throughout the day, which isn't too bad, considering. This time it was Ian's turn to come back loaded with freebies, including an extra golf top for Annalie and a bunch of free tickets to the local art museum in Hartford, the Wadsworth Atheneum.
Thursday saw Annalie head down to DC for the day. She was invited to an aviation networking lunch and also took the opportunity for her first visit to the Rolls-Royce office down there. For the first time she met one of the Rolls-Royce communications team that she's "known" virtually for the last three and a half years, but never had the opportunity to meet, so that was nice. The lunch was also a good opportunity to catch up with some people that she works with and journalists she deals with on a regular basis. It was an awfully long day though - up at 3.30am for a 6am flight, not getting back home until about 7.45pm
Friday was a nice opportunity to have a night in together, so we vegged and cleared some of the recorded programmes on the DVR - which was sorely needed. And we also watched Die Hard 4 on TV.
On Saturday Ian had an airport pick-up booked from Boston, so after lunch, he headed off that way. It was quite surprising he didn't bump into our friends Dan and Fi as they arrived to embark on their new life here (welcome to America!!) but Ian's pick-up was through before them. When he got back, we headed down to the fire house as they had arranged a social "picnic" for everyone, and Annalie got her first opportunity to meet the other lunatics that all volunteer for the fire department. They seem like a fun bunch, so Annalie can see why Ian has taken to them so well.
Tomorrow Annalie is heading off on her first ever trip to India. She has a work event in Delhi, so is hoping that the bombings have stopped She's excited because it's her first trip to the country but she is a little worried about her health ass everyone keeps warning her about the food. Maybe it will be a good weight loss opportunity
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Goodbye Yankee Stadium
When Sunday arrived, it was time to get Mum and Dad B ready for the trip home again. As we mentioned last week, the plan was to have breakfast at Rose's Berry Farm. However, the heavens remained open so we had to settle for plan B. This was a trip to Ken's Corner. It's a breakfast joint we've used a few times and it does great omlettes and breakfast sandwiches. So although it wasn't Rose's, I think the parents were satisfied.
We set off straight from there to New York (again! ) to do some final sightseeing. The weather in the Big Apple was clear blue skies and sun, so much better than we'd left in CT.
We headed straight to Central Park as Mum B wanted to do a carriage ride. It was a bit shorter than we thought it was going to be, but it was still a very pleasant experience nonetheless. The ironic thing was that we ended up with an Irish driver with a horse called Billy Bob!
From there it was off for a spot of lunch, then we took Mum and Dad B to the Rockerfeller Center so they could go to the Top of the Rock for a different view of Manhattan. By this time the temperature was hotting right up to become a scorcher, so Ian and Annalie sought refuge in the NBC Studio shop! With no intention of buying anything but purely for the air con!
After that experience, we took the parents to the M&M Store on Times Square so that Dad B could marvel at the memorabilia and amount of chocolate on show! From there it was back to JFK to drop them off in plenty of time for their flight.
As we weren't expecting to get back to Glastonbury until gone 9pm, we decided to stop off along the way and Annalie plumped for Bridgport, just because it was a but past half way. She looked up somewhere to go on the web and that's where we headed.
Monday started off in a bad way. Ian went back into work after his two week break looking after his parents, only to be told by the manager that he didn't want to keep him on because of Ian's decision to join the volunteer fire service, which might call him away at any time. Ian also specified a preference for not working weekends, another reason given for getting rid of him We wouldn't mind, but they knew both of these things before they even took him on, so we don't know what generated a change of heart.
Anyway, Ian dusted himself down and set about trying to find something else. We'd talked about the possibility of him doing some "door slamming", i.e. chaufeurring, as IAE uses a limo company quite a lot. So we got a contact and Ian got in touch. It all sounds pretty positive but there are various hoops that Ian has to go through to enable him to get the relevant endorsement on his driving license. Things like have his fingerprints taken, get a police background check and written proof of his driving qualifications and endorsements from the DVLA. Luckily the Data Protection Act means he can get that info, but it has to be applied for in writing so we don't know how long that will take to come back.
On Tuesday Ian got his first taste of volleyball for about 10 years. He used to play to a pretty high standard, and the league here is just a bit of fun, so even though he's out of practice, he was well above the standard of anyone else on the court. Unfortunately, because the Fire Service drill nights are every other Tuesday, he can't commit to volleyball, which he's quite disappointed about. It was the first time Annalie had watched Ian compete at any sport, and she was pretty impressed.
Ian had a couple of his "hubby for hire" jobs to do on Wednesday, but nothing too taxing so he was quickly done. Needless to say that, since his treatment on Monday, he won't be using Katz hardware store for his work gear - it's Home Depot all the way!
The usual soccer night followed on Thursday and Annalie joined in again, this time managing to get through without pulling any muscles! Part way through the game, Ian's fire pager went off so he had to dash off, to many jokes about saving cats from trees (which is a very important duty if you're that cat's owner!). It was actually to rescue a roast chicken that was in danger of being incinerated, setting off someone's fire alarm!
He's had a few shouts this week, some of them quite serious. One was to help rescue a mountain biker who'd taken a real tumble and, because of his location, the fire service needed to be called with their ATV to go and get him out to the ambulance. They were also called out on Saturday morning to rescue someone who'd fallen into the Connecticut River.
This weekend, the original Yankee Stadium witnesses its last ever game before the club moves to the new Stadium across the road next season. The closing series in the original park is against the Baltimore Orioles and runs Friday to Sunday. Ian would have liked to have gone to the final game but the cheapest tickets were around $150, which we know because Carla bought some. However, as a compromise we decided to take a trip down there on Friday night to see the first match against the Orioles.
The last time we'd been to see the Yankees, the score was only 2-0 and both runs were scored together, when Annalie was queuing for coffees This time she was determined not to miss any of the action and didn't leave her seat all night! Neither did Ian to be fair. The Orioles raced to a 2-0 lead, but the Yankees clawed their way back to lead 3-2. Ian was really pleased to have experienced the original Yankee home for one more time before it is torn down, but he's still waiting for the chance to catch a homer ball. Our seats were just above the Yankee bullpen (this does mean something to us!) and they did throw some balls out at one point but none came in our direction
We decided to leave after the 8th innings so we didn't get caught in all the masses leaving hte stadium at the end. We'd got a train to a nearby station on the Bronx, so walking between the subway and the train station was interesting at 10.30pm!! Luckily it was a very busy road so we didn't feel at all unsafe, but it was an experience all the same! We eventually got home at about 1.15am and did not stop or pass go, it was straight upstairs to bed.
This was our first weekend off in some time so we gladly went off to sleep without an alarm set, what a great feeling However, the Fire Department had other ideas and sent out a shout at 9.45am (the chap in the river). Thankfully it wasn't that early though.
Annalie made best use of the time to watch some of the programmes that were recorded on the DVR because the list was getting a bit long and the memory was probably running out. When Ian got back just after 12, she was still there in her dressing gown, making the most of her weekend off
On Saturday afternoon we'd agreed to play in a fun golf tournament with Andy and Kate. The tournament is arranged by the people on their estate but they had some spare slots and we agreed to fill some gaps.
It ended up being quite good fun, although it was more about the drinking than the golf The fact that someone was playing with a tennis racquet rather than golf clubs is testament to that! After the game it was in to the club house for a bbq and some more beers! Despite being a beautifully sunny day, the nights are getting quite cold, so we were all a bit sick of the cold by 7.30pm and decided to head for the Diamond Bar for some more beers.
Sunday is another day that promises little in the way of plans and no alarm to drag us up. What bliss that will be.
We set off straight from there to New York (again! ) to do some final sightseeing. The weather in the Big Apple was clear blue skies and sun, so much better than we'd left in CT.
We headed straight to Central Park as Mum B wanted to do a carriage ride. It was a bit shorter than we thought it was going to be, but it was still a very pleasant experience nonetheless. The ironic thing was that we ended up with an Irish driver with a horse called Billy Bob!
From there it was off for a spot of lunch, then we took Mum and Dad B to the Rockerfeller Center so they could go to the Top of the Rock for a different view of Manhattan. By this time the temperature was hotting right up to become a scorcher, so Ian and Annalie sought refuge in the NBC Studio shop! With no intention of buying anything but purely for the air con!
After that experience, we took the parents to the M&M Store on Times Square so that Dad B could marvel at the memorabilia and amount of chocolate on show! From there it was back to JFK to drop them off in plenty of time for their flight.
As we weren't expecting to get back to Glastonbury until gone 9pm, we decided to stop off along the way and Annalie plumped for Bridgport, just because it was a but past half way. She looked up somewhere to go on the web and that's where we headed.
Monday started off in a bad way. Ian went back into work after his two week break looking after his parents, only to be told by the manager that he didn't want to keep him on because of Ian's decision to join the volunteer fire service, which might call him away at any time. Ian also specified a preference for not working weekends, another reason given for getting rid of him We wouldn't mind, but they knew both of these things before they even took him on, so we don't know what generated a change of heart.
Anyway, Ian dusted himself down and set about trying to find something else. We'd talked about the possibility of him doing some "door slamming", i.e. chaufeurring, as IAE uses a limo company quite a lot. So we got a contact and Ian got in touch. It all sounds pretty positive but there are various hoops that Ian has to go through to enable him to get the relevant endorsement on his driving license. Things like have his fingerprints taken, get a police background check and written proof of his driving qualifications and endorsements from the DVLA. Luckily the Data Protection Act means he can get that info, but it has to be applied for in writing so we don't know how long that will take to come back.
On Tuesday Ian got his first taste of volleyball for about 10 years. He used to play to a pretty high standard, and the league here is just a bit of fun, so even though he's out of practice, he was well above the standard of anyone else on the court. Unfortunately, because the Fire Service drill nights are every other Tuesday, he can't commit to volleyball, which he's quite disappointed about. It was the first time Annalie had watched Ian compete at any sport, and she was pretty impressed.
Ian had a couple of his "hubby for hire" jobs to do on Wednesday, but nothing too taxing so he was quickly done. Needless to say that, since his treatment on Monday, he won't be using Katz hardware store for his work gear - it's Home Depot all the way!
The usual soccer night followed on Thursday and Annalie joined in again, this time managing to get through without pulling any muscles! Part way through the game, Ian's fire pager went off so he had to dash off, to many jokes about saving cats from trees (which is a very important duty if you're that cat's owner!). It was actually to rescue a roast chicken that was in danger of being incinerated, setting off someone's fire alarm!
He's had a few shouts this week, some of them quite serious. One was to help rescue a mountain biker who'd taken a real tumble and, because of his location, the fire service needed to be called with their ATV to go and get him out to the ambulance. They were also called out on Saturday morning to rescue someone who'd fallen into the Connecticut River.
This weekend, the original Yankee Stadium witnesses its last ever game before the club moves to the new Stadium across the road next season. The closing series in the original park is against the Baltimore Orioles and runs Friday to Sunday. Ian would have liked to have gone to the final game but the cheapest tickets were around $150, which we know because Carla bought some. However, as a compromise we decided to take a trip down there on Friday night to see the first match against the Orioles.
The last time we'd been to see the Yankees, the score was only 2-0 and both runs were scored together, when Annalie was queuing for coffees This time she was determined not to miss any of the action and didn't leave her seat all night! Neither did Ian to be fair. The Orioles raced to a 2-0 lead, but the Yankees clawed their way back to lead 3-2. Ian was really pleased to have experienced the original Yankee home for one more time before it is torn down, but he's still waiting for the chance to catch a homer ball. Our seats were just above the Yankee bullpen (this does mean something to us!) and they did throw some balls out at one point but none came in our direction
We decided to leave after the 8th innings so we didn't get caught in all the masses leaving hte stadium at the end. We'd got a train to a nearby station on the Bronx, so walking between the subway and the train station was interesting at 10.30pm!! Luckily it was a very busy road so we didn't feel at all unsafe, but it was an experience all the same! We eventually got home at about 1.15am and did not stop or pass go, it was straight upstairs to bed.
This was our first weekend off in some time so we gladly went off to sleep without an alarm set, what a great feeling However, the Fire Department had other ideas and sent out a shout at 9.45am (the chap in the river). Thankfully it wasn't that early though.
Annalie made best use of the time to watch some of the programmes that were recorded on the DVR because the list was getting a bit long and the memory was probably running out. When Ian got back just after 12, she was still there in her dressing gown, making the most of her weekend off
On Saturday afternoon we'd agreed to play in a fun golf tournament with Andy and Kate. The tournament is arranged by the people on their estate but they had some spare slots and we agreed to fill some gaps.
It ended up being quite good fun, although it was more about the drinking than the golf The fact that someone was playing with a tennis racquet rather than golf clubs is testament to that! After the game it was in to the club house for a bbq and some more beers! Despite being a beautifully sunny day, the nights are getting quite cold, so we were all a bit sick of the cold by 7.30pm and decided to head for the Diamond Bar for some more beers.
Sunday is another day that promises little in the way of plans and no alarm to drag us up. What bliss that will be.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Liberty breathes a sigh of relief
Well, after last week's mammoth mileage, the Liberty got some respite this week as we all kicked back a little and relaxed somewhat, much to the Liberty's relief!
On Sunday it was back to New York so that Mum and Dad B could go and see all the sights they wanted to. We parked near Times Square and grabbed a quick bite for breakfast before heading off on an open top bus tour Quite early into the tour was the first stop - the Empire State Building. After our experience the previous week, we suggested they got off to view the city in the early morning sun. We elected not to go up again, as we'd only been up there the week before, so we left them in the queue to go in search of coffee (it had been another one of those early morning starts again ).
As we walked out of the building, the queue that had formed behind us snaked right out the door and around the corner we couldn't believe we'd got so lucky with the timing.
Anyway, while the parents were up the top, we decided to try and get our parking voucher printed so that we could get the guaranteed rate. We found out to our cost the previous week that they won't give you the internet rate without a printout, even if you have the email to show them on a BlackBerry.
So we went in search of an internet cafe to do our business. You'd think that, New York being a pretty cosmopolitan city and all that, an internet cafe would be easy to find. Ahem, no! Apparently not. We had been told to try the post office but that was a fair walk away and we didn't want to stray too far in case the parents got back down quickly.
Suddenly Annalie had the brainwave to try a hotel business centre. It would cost (of course) but it would be highly probably that we could get it printed. A Renaissance was in view so she tried there first. She was directed straight there, waited in line a few minutes for a computer to free up and then printed the voucher off. Turned out they didn't even charge either - bargain
We headed back to the Empire State Building to pick up the parents and get back on the bus. The tour took us through various neighbourhoods, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Fashion District, Ladies Mile etc, before dropping us off at the Ground Zero site. Annalie had read something about a church beside the site and it turned out to be St Paul's. It once stood in the shadow of the Twin Towers but miraculously survived as the two 100+ storey buildings crumbled around it.
The church became the nerve centre for the rescue operation and most of the emergency services crews sheltered there for rest and refreshments at some time during the clean up. The whole state seemed to volunteer or donate to help these weary but crucial team members to keep them going as they sought to bring some sense of order to the tragedy.
There are a number of exhibits in the church and it sends a shiver down your spine to read about the experiences of the firemen and volunteers that helped to keep the temporary shelter going.
We then walked around the corner of the construction site to the local fire station, where a memorial has been erected to honour the 343 servicemen that lost their lives on that day.
After a spot of lunch we strolled down to Battery Park where we took the free, yes FREE!, Staten Island Ferry to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. It was a bit of a scramble to get a decent viewpoint, but we managed to get a seat on the right side so we could stand up when she came into view.
After plenty of photos were taken, the 30 minute ferry ride was over and we intended to ride straight back. Unfortunately the boat we were on was not returning to Manhattan so we had to make a bit of a dash for the other boat as the doors were just about closing.
We got back on the bus to finish off the rest of the tour but we didn't get off anywhere else. It was already getting quite late so we opted to get the car and head home.
Annalie's week has been a busy one at work. She's had constant meetings so getting some actual work done has been difficult. It's meant a few late nights for her.
For Ian it has been a good week though as he has finally started work with the volunteer Fire Service here in South Glastonbury He went in to see his mate, the Deputy Chief, and got his pager and an invitation to join drill night at the station. He came home with a huge red duffle bag of gear that is now attached to him by an invisible umbilical cord, just in case he gets called out.
He also got provided with some very handy red plates that have been attached to the front of the cars to identify him as a firefighter. They might come in handy in any run-ins with certain officers of the law
He actually got three shout in less than 24 hours the day after he got his "wings." The first was a fire alarm going off at a local Elementary School, which turned out to be a regular drill but someone had forgotten to inform the Fire Service that they were having it
Then when Ian was at Subway getting some lunch with his parents, the second call came in and he had to abandon them in the middle of Glastonbury. This time it was a car accident that was really no more than a fender bender and meant that he could rescue his parents again!
Finally, we were rudely awaken at about 3.20am as the pager went off. Ian sprinted to the Station, which is literally just at the bottom of our road, but was back in bed just after 4am because they weren't required after all and were stood down again. Still, Ian feels great that he's finally in and he's proudly parading around with the pager attached to his belt
Ian and his parents have mainly been pottering around locally, but on Friday they did head down to Essex to go on the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat. The carriages had open sides so you got the real feel (and smell) of the 1920s style engine, a proper "clickety clack" train. The train heads out of the town along the river giving and through some wildlife areas. The boat cruise up the river took them up to the Goodspeed Opera House and past Gillette Castle, a most pleasant way to spend a few hours, very peaceful and scenic.
Mum B has been astounded by the size of the portions over here. Not having much of an appetite normally, she's convinced she needs to starve herself when she gets back home. This week alone we've been to Houlihan's (so she could have her Lettuce Wraps!), Uno's and Bertucci's, which just has to be done for the fresh bread rolls and garlic dip, it's just amazing .
Saturday was another quiet one but with a trip up to Manchester for some last minute shopping for the parents. We might go back to Rose's for breakfast on Sunday, but we'll have to wait and see what the weather does. We do have a fallback though, so all is not lost if the rain continues.
On Sunday it was back to New York so that Mum and Dad B could go and see all the sights they wanted to. We parked near Times Square and grabbed a quick bite for breakfast before heading off on an open top bus tour Quite early into the tour was the first stop - the Empire State Building. After our experience the previous week, we suggested they got off to view the city in the early morning sun. We elected not to go up again, as we'd only been up there the week before, so we left them in the queue to go in search of coffee (it had been another one of those early morning starts again ).
As we walked out of the building, the queue that had formed behind us snaked right out the door and around the corner we couldn't believe we'd got so lucky with the timing.
Anyway, while the parents were up the top, we decided to try and get our parking voucher printed so that we could get the guaranteed rate. We found out to our cost the previous week that they won't give you the internet rate without a printout, even if you have the email to show them on a BlackBerry.
So we went in search of an internet cafe to do our business. You'd think that, New York being a pretty cosmopolitan city and all that, an internet cafe would be easy to find. Ahem, no! Apparently not. We had been told to try the post office but that was a fair walk away and we didn't want to stray too far in case the parents got back down quickly.
Suddenly Annalie had the brainwave to try a hotel business centre. It would cost (of course) but it would be highly probably that we could get it printed. A Renaissance was in view so she tried there first. She was directed straight there, waited in line a few minutes for a computer to free up and then printed the voucher off. Turned out they didn't even charge either - bargain
We headed back to the Empire State Building to pick up the parents and get back on the bus. The tour took us through various neighbourhoods, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Fashion District, Ladies Mile etc, before dropping us off at the Ground Zero site. Annalie had read something about a church beside the site and it turned out to be St Paul's. It once stood in the shadow of the Twin Towers but miraculously survived as the two 100+ storey buildings crumbled around it.
The church became the nerve centre for the rescue operation and most of the emergency services crews sheltered there for rest and refreshments at some time during the clean up. The whole state seemed to volunteer or donate to help these weary but crucial team members to keep them going as they sought to bring some sense of order to the tragedy.
There are a number of exhibits in the church and it sends a shiver down your spine to read about the experiences of the firemen and volunteers that helped to keep the temporary shelter going.
We then walked around the corner of the construction site to the local fire station, where a memorial has been erected to honour the 343 servicemen that lost their lives on that day.
After a spot of lunch we strolled down to Battery Park where we took the free, yes FREE!, Staten Island Ferry to get a good look at the Statue of Liberty. It was a bit of a scramble to get a decent viewpoint, but we managed to get a seat on the right side so we could stand up when she came into view.
After plenty of photos were taken, the 30 minute ferry ride was over and we intended to ride straight back. Unfortunately the boat we were on was not returning to Manhattan so we had to make a bit of a dash for the other boat as the doors were just about closing.
We got back on the bus to finish off the rest of the tour but we didn't get off anywhere else. It was already getting quite late so we opted to get the car and head home.
Annalie's week has been a busy one at work. She's had constant meetings so getting some actual work done has been difficult. It's meant a few late nights for her.
For Ian it has been a good week though as he has finally started work with the volunteer Fire Service here in South Glastonbury He went in to see his mate, the Deputy Chief, and got his pager and an invitation to join drill night at the station. He came home with a huge red duffle bag of gear that is now attached to him by an invisible umbilical cord, just in case he gets called out.
He also got provided with some very handy red plates that have been attached to the front of the cars to identify him as a firefighter. They might come in handy in any run-ins with certain officers of the law
He actually got three shout in less than 24 hours the day after he got his "wings." The first was a fire alarm going off at a local Elementary School, which turned out to be a regular drill but someone had forgotten to inform the Fire Service that they were having it
Then when Ian was at Subway getting some lunch with his parents, the second call came in and he had to abandon them in the middle of Glastonbury. This time it was a car accident that was really no more than a fender bender and meant that he could rescue his parents again!
Finally, we were rudely awaken at about 3.20am as the pager went off. Ian sprinted to the Station, which is literally just at the bottom of our road, but was back in bed just after 4am because they weren't required after all and were stood down again. Still, Ian feels great that he's finally in and he's proudly parading around with the pager attached to his belt
Ian and his parents have mainly been pottering around locally, but on Friday they did head down to Essex to go on the Essex Steam Train and Riverboat. The carriages had open sides so you got the real feel (and smell) of the 1920s style engine, a proper "clickety clack" train. The train heads out of the town along the river giving and through some wildlife areas. The boat cruise up the river took them up to the Goodspeed Opera House and past Gillette Castle, a most pleasant way to spend a few hours, very peaceful and scenic.
Mum B has been astounded by the size of the portions over here. Not having much of an appetite normally, she's convinced she needs to starve herself when she gets back home. This week alone we've been to Houlihan's (so she could have her Lettuce Wraps!), Uno's and Bertucci's, which just has to be done for the fresh bread rolls and garlic dip, it's just amazing .
Saturday was another quiet one but with a trip up to Manchester for some last minute shopping for the parents. We might go back to Rose's for breakfast on Sunday, but we'll have to wait and see what the weather does. We do have a fallback though, so all is not lost if the rain continues.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
The Liberty takes a beating
Our poor little Jeep Liberty has taken a hell of a pounding this last week. We've managed to put over 1,000 miles on the clock in the last seven days alone I'm sure it must be wondering what the hell has been going on!
Firstly we headed off to New York on Sunday. Ian's mum and dad were arriving into JFK that afternoon so we thought we'd make the most of the opportunity and spend the day down there. We got up at about 5.30am to be in Manhattan bright and early. Well, maybe we weren't so bright after such an early start! We got into New York at about 8.30 and parked up in the car park we'd reserved. Weekend parking is super cheap and costs less than $20 a day. Once there, we decided to head into Central Park to have a good look around. It was a beautiful day so it wasn't hard to keep walking, although the heat did take its toll after a while.
You can get thoroughly lost in there though as it's so huge and not very well signposted. We made sure we went to see the space where the winter ice rink is located, making a promise to venture out onto it when the temperature drops (and it probably won't be the only thing to drop once we get those blades on our feet ). We also visited some of the fountains, including the beautiful Bethesda, the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon and one of the main viewing points, Belvedere Castle. We've added the photos to the New York folder.
After a couple of hours wandering around, we decided to try and get up the Empire State Building to get the iconic view of Manhattan from what is now the highest point on the island since the Twin Towers fell. We attempted to jump on the Metro but the closest station was not being served so we had to walk around the corner to another station. As we turned onto the neighbouring street, we stumbled upon a massive Brazilian festival. We still have no idea what it was in aid of, but it was a mass of yellow, green and blue!
After a slow walk down 6th Avenue through the Brazilian crowds, we decided to walk the few more blocks to reach the Empire State. We were expecting a loooonnnnnggg wait, and, although we were stood in line for about an hour, that was a lot better than we expected (three hours is not unheard of ). Ian made the best use of his rather large camera lens to get some good shots.
By the time we got back down it was already 2pm and we were both pretty hungry, so we stopped off for a quick bite before heading back up to Times Square. We really want to do Times Square for New Year (as you do!) but we'll be damned if we're going to stand in the same spot in the freezing cold for about 10 hours, unable to go for food, drink or a wazz . So we set about finding out information from the local restaurants about their costs for the night. It's too early for most of them but we've at least started to assemble an idea of what and where.
From there it was back to the car to make our way over to Long Island (again!) to pick up Mum and Dad Brown. It was a new one for us as they flew with Virgin so it was a completely different terminal. We stood waiting directly opposite the exit...and we waited...and we waited some more. We'd had a text fairly early to say that they were waiting for their luggage, but after a while, we started to get really worried that Customs may have pulled them over for trying to smuggle in some pasties for Ian!!!
As it turned out, there was a real issue with the bags coming off the Virgin flight. They weren't the only ones but they did make it into the final dozen! At long last, 1.5 hours later(!) they emerged from baggage claim, much to our relief!
Monday was Labor Day bank holiday, so we were both able to take some time to show Mum and Dad Brown around. We didn't want to do too much, mindful of the long day they'd had previously.
On Tuesday night, Annalie had to go off to Chicago for an all day meeting on Wednesday. Unfortunately she had no opportunity to see any of the city as the venue was out by O'Hare Airport, nowhere near the downtown area. Her time there consisted of: airport, car hire place, out of town hotel, four (yes FOUR!) different rooms (don't ask), finally settling on one at about 8.45pm, TV and sleep, get up, whole day of meetings (no windows!), car hire place, airport, flight home! Arriving back in Hartford late on Wednesday night .
Ian and his parents made the most of Annalie's disappearance by making their way up to Boston for the day. We haven't managed to go in that direction yet except for flying in and out of the US. They wandered around the harborfront, went to the Cheers bar, and headed up Bunker Hill. They also tried to go to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, but they were playing at home that night so they didn't manage to get that close. Because of all the roads being closed, the sat nav kept telling them to go down certain roads that were blocked off and "Gladys" just wouldn't take no for an answer Finally they got the sat nav untangled from the web she wanted to create and made their way back to Hartford in plenty of time to pick Annalie up from the airport.
It was a pretty late finish for all of us on Wednesday, but then it was another early morning start on Thursday as we all trooped off to see Niagara Falls. It was an epic drive, something in the region of 8 hours when you factor in stopping for breakfast and all the comfort breaks . But it was worth it when we got there. The Falls are pretty amazing to see, it's more the sheer power of the water rather than the size of them that impresses you most.
We spent most of Thursday just walking around the various vantage points to get the different perspectives and see where we got the best photos. There's plenty to choose from! We surprised Mum and Dad B with a room for the night as a belated Birthday pressie for Mum B, which we'd specifically chosen for their views of the Falls. They were pretty amazing and you can see photos from the room in the special folder and get an idea from the hotel's website - which doesn't do it justice. You could even watch the Canadian Falls from one of the beds! Mum B was pretty overwhelmed and it was all we could do to drag her away from the window seat.
As we went out to view the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, we stumbled upon such a cute little creature in a black squirrel. We've never heard of black, or possibly brown, squirrels before so we took some pics to prove it to you. The little mites obviously get fed by tourists to encourage interaction as they weren't afraid of us at all. We made sure we didn't do any of that malarky. But we did get up close and personal at times when the inquisitive little buggers came in search of food!
Because of the view from the room, we didn't feel the need to go up any of the towers to get an elevated position over the Falls, we could do that any time We had an especially good view of the Falls by night, when coloured floodlights make them even more of a show. It's very captivating and we sat for a long time just gazing out at this flowing water.
Overnight, a large quantity of the river's flow is diverted through a hydro-electric power station, which is a very environmentally-friendly thing to do. The result is fascinating though as the water levels over the Falls recede substantially, making them much less powerful than their full daytime glory. You might not be able to spot the difference in the photos, but we certainly noticed it from our window on the 20th floor!
On Friday morning we decided that we couldn't go to Niagara Falls without doing the Maid of the Mist. Bright blue ponchos in hand (sorry, but we don't have the photographic evidence!) we got on the first boat of the day and divided ourselves between the two decks, right at the front. Talk about gluttons for punishment!! Annalie managed to engineer the poncho so that she just about had a breathing hole and below the knee exposed!
The trip gives a totally different perspective on the Falls, actually making them even more impressive. You really get to see and feel the power of the water. When the boat pointed its nose into the centre of the Canadian Horseshoe and battled against the mammoth current, the mist started to pour over us. However, the "lovely" ponchos held up pretty well, except for Dad B who managed to get a full frontal soaking! Still, that's what you pay for isn't it?!
After a quick freshen up and change, it was back into the car for the trek back home. We'd spotted an outlet shopping village on the way up that we thought would break the journey nicely, so we pulled in for some retail therapy. Little did we realise how quickly we'd lose track of time in there and we ended up spending about 3 hours wandering around. A few good bargains were had before setting off again.
This time Ian let Annalie drive. Up to this point he'd been at the wheel exclusively, but we think he got a bit fed up with the fact that the three of us took plenty of opportunities for 40 winks to catch up on some lost sleep So he handed the keys over and dropped half the back seat to give himself a self-styled bed to sleep on. He did pretty well as we didn't hear him stir for a good 1.5 hours at least. After the next pit stop, he insisted on resuming his position behind the wheel for the last leg of the journey back to Glastonbury.
We vowed that today (Saturday) would be a day off, and that has been precisely what we've had. Apart from a short trip out to Westfarms Mall for Mum B to hunt down some cheap Levi's that she's been after. Mission Accomplished.
The biggest excitement for today is that we're seeing the tail end of Hurricane Hanna, or is that Tropical Storm Hanna? Anyway, the heavens have opened this afternoon and the place is getting a right pelting. Precisely why Andy Murray's game against Rafael Nadal got rained off. By the looks of things it was the best thing that could have happened to Murray at the time though as he'd lost his early momentum.
Anyway, I don't think the Liberty will get much respite this coming week either. We're off to New York again tomorrow for some sightseeing with Mum and Dad B. Who knows what else will be planned for the rest of the week!
Firstly we headed off to New York on Sunday. Ian's mum and dad were arriving into JFK that afternoon so we thought we'd make the most of the opportunity and spend the day down there. We got up at about 5.30am to be in Manhattan bright and early. Well, maybe we weren't so bright after such an early start! We got into New York at about 8.30 and parked up in the car park we'd reserved. Weekend parking is super cheap and costs less than $20 a day. Once there, we decided to head into Central Park to have a good look around. It was a beautiful day so it wasn't hard to keep walking, although the heat did take its toll after a while.
You can get thoroughly lost in there though as it's so huge and not very well signposted. We made sure we went to see the space where the winter ice rink is located, making a promise to venture out onto it when the temperature drops (and it probably won't be the only thing to drop once we get those blades on our feet ). We also visited some of the fountains, including the beautiful Bethesda, the Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon and one of the main viewing points, Belvedere Castle. We've added the photos to the New York folder.
After a couple of hours wandering around, we decided to try and get up the Empire State Building to get the iconic view of Manhattan from what is now the highest point on the island since the Twin Towers fell. We attempted to jump on the Metro but the closest station was not being served so we had to walk around the corner to another station. As we turned onto the neighbouring street, we stumbled upon a massive Brazilian festival. We still have no idea what it was in aid of, but it was a mass of yellow, green and blue!
After a slow walk down 6th Avenue through the Brazilian crowds, we decided to walk the few more blocks to reach the Empire State. We were expecting a loooonnnnnggg wait, and, although we were stood in line for about an hour, that was a lot better than we expected (three hours is not unheard of ). Ian made the best use of his rather large camera lens to get some good shots.
By the time we got back down it was already 2pm and we were both pretty hungry, so we stopped off for a quick bite before heading back up to Times Square. We really want to do Times Square for New Year (as you do!) but we'll be damned if we're going to stand in the same spot in the freezing cold for about 10 hours, unable to go for food, drink or a wazz . So we set about finding out information from the local restaurants about their costs for the night. It's too early for most of them but we've at least started to assemble an idea of what and where.
From there it was back to the car to make our way over to Long Island (again!) to pick up Mum and Dad Brown. It was a new one for us as they flew with Virgin so it was a completely different terminal. We stood waiting directly opposite the exit...and we waited...and we waited some more. We'd had a text fairly early to say that they were waiting for their luggage, but after a while, we started to get really worried that Customs may have pulled them over for trying to smuggle in some pasties for Ian!!!
As it turned out, there was a real issue with the bags coming off the Virgin flight. They weren't the only ones but they did make it into the final dozen! At long last, 1.5 hours later(!) they emerged from baggage claim, much to our relief!
Monday was Labor Day bank holiday, so we were both able to take some time to show Mum and Dad Brown around. We didn't want to do too much, mindful of the long day they'd had previously.
On Tuesday night, Annalie had to go off to Chicago for an all day meeting on Wednesday. Unfortunately she had no opportunity to see any of the city as the venue was out by O'Hare Airport, nowhere near the downtown area. Her time there consisted of: airport, car hire place, out of town hotel, four (yes FOUR!) different rooms (don't ask), finally settling on one at about 8.45pm, TV and sleep, get up, whole day of meetings (no windows!), car hire place, airport, flight home! Arriving back in Hartford late on Wednesday night .
Ian and his parents made the most of Annalie's disappearance by making their way up to Boston for the day. We haven't managed to go in that direction yet except for flying in and out of the US. They wandered around the harborfront, went to the Cheers bar, and headed up Bunker Hill. They also tried to go to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, but they were playing at home that night so they didn't manage to get that close. Because of all the roads being closed, the sat nav kept telling them to go down certain roads that were blocked off and "Gladys" just wouldn't take no for an answer Finally they got the sat nav untangled from the web she wanted to create and made their way back to Hartford in plenty of time to pick Annalie up from the airport.
It was a pretty late finish for all of us on Wednesday, but then it was another early morning start on Thursday as we all trooped off to see Niagara Falls. It was an epic drive, something in the region of 8 hours when you factor in stopping for breakfast and all the comfort breaks . But it was worth it when we got there. The Falls are pretty amazing to see, it's more the sheer power of the water rather than the size of them that impresses you most.
We spent most of Thursday just walking around the various vantage points to get the different perspectives and see where we got the best photos. There's plenty to choose from! We surprised Mum and Dad B with a room for the night as a belated Birthday pressie for Mum B, which we'd specifically chosen for their views of the Falls. They were pretty amazing and you can see photos from the room in the special folder and get an idea from the hotel's website - which doesn't do it justice. You could even watch the Canadian Falls from one of the beds! Mum B was pretty overwhelmed and it was all we could do to drag her away from the window seat.
As we went out to view the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, we stumbled upon such a cute little creature in a black squirrel. We've never heard of black, or possibly brown, squirrels before so we took some pics to prove it to you. The little mites obviously get fed by tourists to encourage interaction as they weren't afraid of us at all. We made sure we didn't do any of that malarky. But we did get up close and personal at times when the inquisitive little buggers came in search of food!
Because of the view from the room, we didn't feel the need to go up any of the towers to get an elevated position over the Falls, we could do that any time We had an especially good view of the Falls by night, when coloured floodlights make them even more of a show. It's very captivating and we sat for a long time just gazing out at this flowing water.
Overnight, a large quantity of the river's flow is diverted through a hydro-electric power station, which is a very environmentally-friendly thing to do. The result is fascinating though as the water levels over the Falls recede substantially, making them much less powerful than their full daytime glory. You might not be able to spot the difference in the photos, but we certainly noticed it from our window on the 20th floor!
On Friday morning we decided that we couldn't go to Niagara Falls without doing the Maid of the Mist. Bright blue ponchos in hand (sorry, but we don't have the photographic evidence!) we got on the first boat of the day and divided ourselves between the two decks, right at the front. Talk about gluttons for punishment!! Annalie managed to engineer the poncho so that she just about had a breathing hole and below the knee exposed!
The trip gives a totally different perspective on the Falls, actually making them even more impressive. You really get to see and feel the power of the water. When the boat pointed its nose into the centre of the Canadian Horseshoe and battled against the mammoth current, the mist started to pour over us. However, the "lovely" ponchos held up pretty well, except for Dad B who managed to get a full frontal soaking! Still, that's what you pay for isn't it?!
After a quick freshen up and change, it was back into the car for the trek back home. We'd spotted an outlet shopping village on the way up that we thought would break the journey nicely, so we pulled in for some retail therapy. Little did we realise how quickly we'd lose track of time in there and we ended up spending about 3 hours wandering around. A few good bargains were had before setting off again.
This time Ian let Annalie drive. Up to this point he'd been at the wheel exclusively, but we think he got a bit fed up with the fact that the three of us took plenty of opportunities for 40 winks to catch up on some lost sleep So he handed the keys over and dropped half the back seat to give himself a self-styled bed to sleep on. He did pretty well as we didn't hear him stir for a good 1.5 hours at least. After the next pit stop, he insisted on resuming his position behind the wheel for the last leg of the journey back to Glastonbury.
We vowed that today (Saturday) would be a day off, and that has been precisely what we've had. Apart from a short trip out to Westfarms Mall for Mum B to hunt down some cheap Levi's that she's been after. Mission Accomplished.
The biggest excitement for today is that we're seeing the tail end of Hurricane Hanna, or is that Tropical Storm Hanna? Anyway, the heavens have opened this afternoon and the place is getting a right pelting. Precisely why Andy Murray's game against Rafael Nadal got rained off. By the looks of things it was the best thing that could have happened to Murray at the time though as he'd lost his early momentum.
Anyway, I don't think the Liberty will get much respite this coming week either. We're off to New York again tomorrow for some sightseeing with Mum and Dad B. Who knows what else will be planned for the rest of the week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)