May 2008

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May 2-3, Friday - Saturday

Camping at Pohick Bay and visiting the home of George Mason, American colonist, in Lorton, VA.  See the photo album.

May 4, Sunday

Ryan's Webelos patrol works on their geology achievement by visiting a farm recently purchased by a home developer.  The developer wants to know if there are any more sink holes or potential sink holes like the one shown above.  One of the Dads, Andy, demonstrates the equipment in the back of his truck.  By nailing metal stakes into the ground, attaching the yellow electrical cable, and applying current, a meter measures the electrical resistance between steaks.  Data is collected to get a picture of soil and rock below the surface.  See the photo album.

May 7, Wednesday

Ryan and all four of the fourth grade classes sing songs and poke a little fun at the SOL (Standards of Learning) tests that will last all week in June.

Time for frozen custard afterwards.  The girls encourage drivers to honk their car horn as they pass through the parking lot.

Ainsley and Ellie wore their chocolate custard (left) while Kathryn, Ryan and Elyssa show off for the camera.

May 14, Wednesday

We joined the rest of the country and purchased a GPS for the car (Garmin Nuvi 660 for $340).  I suspect it will be marginally useful for driving close to home, but start paying for itself when traveling out of town.  We'll put it to the test when we go to New York for the weekend.

May 16, Friday

We left work at noon and picked up the kids early from school to drive to our hotel near Newark airport in New Jersey for our weekend New York City vacation.  The hotel is about a 20 minute drive from Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel.  Hotels.com found hotels around Newark airport for about $110-$125 per night compared to $180-$200 per night 10 minutes closer to New York in Secaucus, NJ.  Thanks Ali for that tip!  See more tips about traveling to New York below. Photo courtesy of Hotels.com.

May 17, Saturday

We left our hotel at 8:00am after breakfast and returned exhausted around 10:00pm.  We parked downtown, rode a taxi to our northern most destination at the corner of Central Park, worked our way south and west during the day, and ended up in Times Square for dinner.  We avoided tours at each location so that we could see more places during our short trip.

The first stop was the first retail store for Apple which was located on 5th Avenue.  A glass cube sits above the underground store that never closes.

We took a 20 minute carriage ride around the corner of Central Park to kill some time until FAO Schwarz opened at 10:00am.

It's hard to have a bad time in FAO Schwarz.  The kids loved the toys inside.

St. Patrick's Cathedral is the largest cathedral in America.  We left earlier than expected because mass started.

American Girl is where girls and their doll look alike and dress alike.

Rockefeller Center is where the Today show broadcasts.  The ice rink in front of the golden statue is converted to restaurant tables and chairs during the warmer months.  The ice rink is open from October through March.

Here's an example of why you need to pay attention to the background when taking a photo.  The photo is actually much larger and the text was too small for my aging eyes to read through the viewfinder.  I laughed when I made this discovery at home.  I didn't like the photo because Betsi had her sunglasses on and took a second photo.

The Top of the Rock is the Rockefeller Center observation deck 70 stories high and is on three levels.  We heard the lines at the Empire State Building are over an hour long, but we only waited 10 minutes here.

Back at St. Patrick's Cathedral, we saw the end of a wedding when the bride and groom kiss.  Talk about timing.  Everyone clapped as they walked by.  Another wedding soon followed.  The center of the church was for the wedding guests and the sides were for the public.

One stop on the subway from Rockefeller Center to Times Square is not worth the cost or the wait, but we get to experience a New York subway on our first day.

The firemen were greeted with waves in Times Square.  As the night progressed, the crowds grew larger.

Times Square.

Toys-R-Us toy store in Times Square.  We rode the indoor ferris wheel (left).

The Hershey Store in Times Square.

M&M World in Times Square is across the street from the Hershey store.

We ate dinner at Bubba Gump and ordered the shrimp.

May 18, Sunday

Ground Zero where the World Trade Center towers used to stand.  The photo on the right was taken with Betsi's point and shoot camera looking through a hole in the wall.  All of the walkways are made of metal to comply with fire codes.

Ladder Company 10 is across the street from Ground Zero.  The view of the crane is from the second floor of Burger King.  Thanks Dad for that tip!  Rain was expected in the afternoon.  We cut this segment short, skipped Chinatown and Little Italy and headed straight for the South Street Seaport for a one hour cruise.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to get on the 1:00pm tour and had to wait until the 2:15pm tour.

The extra time at the pier gave us time for this photo with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.

The extra time also gave time for Ryan to bounce on the trampoline for a few minutes.

The rain started before our tour began.

The winds kicked up too.  It was hard to keep the camera lens dry and the dreary conditions made it hard for the camera to focus.

Betsi took these photos of a rain soaked Statue of Liberty.

The rain was heavy at times on the ride home and it created some potentially spectacular photos during and after the rain.  Unfortunately, the camera was packed in the trunk of the car and I was driving.  The one I really remember is a setting sun behind the Baltimore skyline on interstate 895 with breaking clouds capturing vibrant orange rays.  I'm sure my memory of it is better than any photo.

See more photos from the New York trip.

May 19, Monday

I'm glad we had a GPS for our New York trip.  It helped navigate the one way streets with ease while driving.  On foot, we received a satellite signal most of the time despite the tall buildings.  It also helped the taxi driver get back to our car.  We had paper maps and addresses in case the GPS battery died, but it didn't.  It also found places to eat to avoid over priced hotel restaurant food.  I'm still luke warm about how I feel about owning a GPS.  It's kind of expensive for those few times a year we could really use one and I already have a list of improvements for our model.  The GPS includes a 90 day trial of traffic jam avoidance.  Hopefully, I can get to work faster using this feature.

Here are some reminders for our next New York trip:

Transportation:

• Get an EZ Pass toll road transponder for your car.  There are different web sites depending on which state you live in.  The toll gate lines are shorter and faster than the cash lanes.
• Add $40 to the EZ Pass account 48 hours before the trip.
• The fastest and cheapest way into the city for us on this trip was to drive and park.
• Find the cheapest parking at Best Parking.com although parking downtown on the weekend on the street for free was fairly easy.  We parked near the Holland Tunnel entrance/exit in the SoHo neighborhood.  We parked several blocks away from the closest tourist destination.  Thanks Dan for that tip!
• Parking garages charge an extra $10 for minivans and SUVs.
• Parking garages can change from $10 for 12 hours to $40 for 12 hours and 1 minute when they switch to the full day rate.
• Skip taking the train from New Jersey to Manhattan.  It cost is $15 per person and adds up quickly.
• The Holland Tunnel is $6 or $8 to go into New York.
• The longest taxi ride for us from downtown to midtown was less than 4 miles and cost $13 with tip.  Estimate your fare using NYC Cab Fare.com.
• The subway street entrances may take you to a subway that travels in the wrong direction.  Cross the street and take the other entrance to travel the opposite direction.
• If you can't find a cab, walk one block east or west.
• The subway is $2 per person per trip and includes a free transfer to a bus within 2 hours after purchase.
• The subways and taxis are clean.

Other:

• Stay at a hotel near Newark Airport (airport code = EWR) and save $75 or more each night.  Use Hotels.com.  There may be an additional parking fee.  We stayed at Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel.
• If you don't like crowds, then travel to Manhattan on a weekend before the last week in May and after the first week in September.
• Everyone shows up to Times Square at night, although everything was easy to see during the day as well.
• Take a portable GPS, but have a paper map, addresses, compass, and a planned route in case the GPS battery dies.
• Take cash.  Sidewalk vendors for snacks and t-shirts don't accept credit cards.  Cabs and subways require cash too.
• Everything in New York is expensive.  Plan accordingly.
• Travel light, dress in layers, and wear good walking shoes.  Walking on concrete all day hurts.
• It takes about 15 minutes to walk 8 blocks going north and south, which is half a mile.  The blocks going east and west in midtown are twice as long.  I estimate the time would double during the peak tourist season from June through August.
• We always felt safe at tourist destinations, but watched out for pick pockets anyway.
• Carry an empty backpack or two for gifts.
• Baby strollers are difficult to maneuver through the crowds.

May 21, Wednesday

I hate my GPS.  Everybody else loves them, but I can't find an easy way to manage favorite points of interest (POI).  I can search for points of interest, but when I press the save button, the name of the store is replaced by 001.  The address is replaced with blank lines.  I can edit 001 and replace it with the store name, but the upper left set of keys is not QWERTY like a computer keyboard.  Instead, it's ABCDEFG.  There isn't an option to change or add the address.  There isn't any computer software either.  I don't want to spend 2 minutes saving each point of interest and I don't want to spend 60 seconds looking up an address in the car.  It's too time consuming.  I can't return the GPS fast enough.

May 22, Thursday

All of the first graders dressed in costume to perform this year's music production.  The kids did quite well.  Ainsley and Ryan enjoyed a milk shake at Baskin Robins after the performance.

I was at the back of the gym standing on a chair when the kids walked by.  There were a lot of cameras and video cameras.  Ainsley's teacher, Mrs. Joyce, also dressed up.  See more photos.

May 24, Saturday

Betsi's birthday was a multi-day celebration.  White roses and a card arrived at her office on Tuesday, Jeff and Betsi went to dinner at L'Auberge Chez Francois on Friday night, all of us went to dinner on Saturday night, and returned to the house for cake and presents.  Her actual birthday was the next day, so Jeff made a special breakfast.  One of the neighbor's held their third annual pig roast in the afternoon, so it was easier to celebrate early.  Betsi didn't mind.  :-)

Jeff took photos of the kids and Ryan took one of Jeff (left) in the morning.  We had run out of weekends to take the photos, so Jeff took the kids to runs some errands (and take the photos, sshhh - don't tell).  The kids gave Betsi a JBL speaker system for her iPod.  See more photos.

May 30, Friday

GPS, take two.  This has been the most frustrating electronics purchases I've made.  The Garmin Nuvi 760 for $440 is $100 more expensive than the Nuvi 660 and does not come with a carrying case ($18 extra) or AC charger ($25 extra) like the Nuvi 660 did.  When I took it out of it's box, it worked for 3 minutes before the battery died.  If I had an AC adapter, I could start using it right away like the Nuvi 660.  Instead, I had to boot up a computer and connect the GPS to the USB port to charge the battery.  After an hour, I turned on the GPS to discover it did not come with any points of interest (POI) installed.  I had to download and install the web updater on a computer and after 15 minutes, the POI were installed.  I could just envision a PC v. Mac commercial and the Nuvi was the Windows Vista PC.

At least the Nuvi 760 saves POI into the favorites and retains the names and addresses.  It also has a QWERTY keyboard.  I think I'm back in a happy place when...  We received an email from Costco stating that STARTING TODAY, this model is on sale for $350.  Four letter words usually don't happen when I see something on sale. I was actually relieved when I learned I bought from a place where all GPS sales are final.  I can now use the GPS to the fullest extent instead of waiting another week.

May 31, Saturday

Nature's car wash.  A thunderstorm rolled through after lunch.  Lightning and loud crashes of thunder broke Jeff's concentration for a few shots as he stayed dry on the front, covered porch.  We participated in a neighborhood yard sale in the morning and Jeff voluteered to take the signs down after lunch.  He saw some great, potetial storm cloud photos, but in the 4 minutes that it took to go home and get the camera, this is what appeared as he walked out the front door.

It looks like the gutter is clogged again.  Betsi and Ainsley wave from the next door neighbor's house.  Their oldest son, Michael, is getting married in July and are hosting a wedding shower for Candice.

The neighborhood duck pond after the storm.

We saw Manny Ramirez hit is 500th homer as the Red Sox defeated the Orioles 6-3 at Camden Yards.  We lucked out on this game since we purchased the tickets in January.  Mom, Fred, Tom, Rob, Carmen and Page were also able to join us.  I have a video from our Canon PowerShot Elph SD800 and was able to convert it using VirtualDub so that my video editor can read the file to make a web-friendly version.  Watch the video (1:10, 8.97MB).

Self portraits.

Ryan used our camera and Ainsley took photos with Rob and Carmen's camera.

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