Getting out of town and having a change of scenery had never been more needed than during Winter Break this year. Since going to Orlando or San Diego was out of the question, we decided to head North and go to Vermont. We were all so excited about getting to see snow! Fortunately two days before we went, Vermont got close to 4 feet of snow! It was perfect timing for our arrival. We stayed for 5 nights and did everything you could do outdoors.
We went snowmobiling, took a ski lesson, went on a hike, did sledding, and took a sleigh ride. It was all so much fun. A few places that we visited that were extra cool was the King Arthur Flour Bakery, The Vermont Country Store, and we walked around a cute, little town called Woodstock. One of the best places we discovered was this diner called "Country Girl Diner". It was an old-fashioned dining car and inside was super small and adorable. The food was awesome and I was blown away by how many different kinds of Gluten Free bread they offered -- white, rye, cinnamon raisin, hot dog bun, and hamburger bun. Wow!
Ian has discovered he loves skiing and is pretty darn good at it! I managed to hold my own and went down a green trail without falling. Woo-hoo!!
We ended our trip on Christmas day and drove back home. No traffic and the weather was starting to get bad. Hard rain for the first half of the drive and then it was clear the rest of the way. We needed to stop for lunch and one of the only places we found to be open was this most awesome Mexican restaurant. Totally authentic.
Going to Vermont was just the distraction we needed.
Spring break is that wonderful time of the school year when you are very ready for a break and just want to bust out of town and do something. Do something fun, do something very different than going to school, and do something that will make you happy to have a few days off and can face the rest of the school year with a renewed sense of energy.
This Spring Break we went to NYC as a family. Ian, Samantha, and I love NYC. Jeff had vacation time he needed to use or lose, and while he doesn't love NYC, he does love us and together we designed a few days that would appeal to everyone.
WEDNESDAY:
Took the train into the city early in the morning. We went to a restaurant for lunch called "The Melt" and it specialized in all kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches. They even had gluten free bread and I was able to order like a normal person. ;) So cheesy yummy!
The M&M store is where we ended up next. Oy! This place is nuts and is 3 floors of everything M&M candy, merchandise and whatever else they can think of to sell you.
"The Prom": All four of us went to the matinee show. We weren't entirely sure what to expect as this show is brand new and I knew only one other person who had seen it. And that person was my friend Adam who has seen everything. Really. He averages 255 shows a year. He's seen "Hamilton" with the original cast 8 times!! He saw their 5th ever show when it was first off-Broadway. Yes, he's seen it all. Adam said we would like it. He was right, Team Toppall enjoyed the show very much. It's hilarious and the music is awesome. We downloaded the soundtrack right away and have been singing along ever since. "The Prom" got nominated for 7 Tony's and we got to see 3 of the nominated leads in action. That's always a very cool thing.
We had a bit of downtime after seeing "The Prom" and went back to the hotel to chill.
Dinner was at our favorite Italian restaurant, Trattoria Trecolori. We discovered this place a few years ago and it's our number 1 choice for going to dinner when seeing a Broadway show. By New York standards, it's reasonably priced, awesome food and the service is excellent. It's a sure-fire winner. As long as you have a reservation, you will get in and out as fast as needed. And the place is ALWAYS packed.
After dinner, we split up and Jeff/Sam went to see "Wicked" and Ian/me went to see "Be More Chill". We wanted Sam to see a show we know she would love. And what girl does not love Wicked? Jeff hadn't seen it before and was happy to take her. Both of them enjoyed the show and it was a solid choice. I had heard about this new show called "Be More Chill", again from my friend Adam. Ian and I had been listening to the soundtrack since November and couldn't wait to see the show. It wasn't appropriate for anyone under the age of 12, but in reality "The Prom" was edgier and more of an education than "Be More Chill" will ever be. Ian and I liked the show very much, but we agree we liked "The Prom" even more.
Ian and I's show started an hour later than Jeff/Sam's. So what else is there to do but go get a slice of cheesecake from Juniors. Yum!
THURSDAY:
Jeff was able to meet a friend from college for breakfast, while the kids and I slept in for an extra hour.
10:00am: We had tickets to National Geographic Encounter. This place was a re-creation of what it was like to be in the Pacific Ocean. It was cool and educational and so well done. This was a great way to spend a couple of hours in the morning.
Lunch became somewhat of a mess. The Mexican restaurant I had scoped out earlier was not at all a place we'd want to go to. We ended up eating at a food court in Grand Central Station. It was the best option at the time. We were all tired of walking, hungry, and starting to melt down. Every restaurant we passed by the time we got to this food court, for some reason or another, each one of us vetoed. It wasn't a pretty sight by the time we finally descended on this food court, but it did the trick. We got our 2nd wind and was ready to tackle our next destination.
AKC, Museum of the Dog was next up. They had just moved this museum from St. Louis to a new location in NY. Every one of us loves dogs and was up the adventure to check out the museum. However, it was so disappointing. Beyond disappointing. One of the cool things we had read about was that the museum had a machine that will match what breed of dog comes closest to what you look like. However, every time we did it, it came up with a different match. The rest of the museum was not much better than that. I think there is the potential to do a lot with this idea of having a dog museum, but it certainly fell short.
At this point in our day, the kids and I were up for continuing on and Jeff was ready to head back to the hotel and rest. We walked to Dylan's Candy Bar and was pleased once again with our day in the city. This place is a feast for the eyes and taste buds. With a bounce in our step and bags of candy in our hands, we walked back towards the hotel. However, on the way, we stopped at the M&M store AGAIN and bought Sam a t-shirt she had seen and wanted. We had told the kids they could each get one t-shirt and Sam had seen this one the day before, but we thought it was a good idea for her to wait a day and see if she still really wanted it. While we were there, Ian picked out a t-shirt he wanted too. We made it back to the hotel and had about an hour before our itinerary picked up speed again.
This evening we split up and I had Samantha with me and Jeff had Ian with him. Jeff and Ian have a bucket list of visiting various baseball stadiums and the Yankees were high on their list. They went to an evening game and saw the Yankees play the Padres. It was fantastic spring weather and they very much enjoyed watching the game. And as a bonus, they took the subway to and from Yankees Stadium.
Samantha and I had a very different idea of how to spend the evening. Most of it was spent standing in line at Ellen's Stardust Diner. It took us 1 hr, 50 minutes to make our way indoors. I was determined that we'd spend just as much time inside as we did waiting outside to get in. Samantha and I love Ellen's Stardust Diner, but Jeff does not, so it was the best way to visit without subjecting Jeff to it.
FRIDAY:
We started the day at NBC for the NBC Studios Tour. We were all delighted at how great this tour was. We saw the sets of Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon Show, and Seth Meyers, plus got an understanding of how the editing works with visuals, sound, and cameras. The tour ended with our group doing a pseudo talk show with all of us participating in the production. Sam was the guest, Ian and I were in the band, and Jeff was part of the studio audience. So much fun!
After the studio tour, we walked to Serendipity for lunch and their awesome desserts. At this point, it was time to grab our luggage at the hotel and make our way to Penn Station. Of course, we had to make one more stop at the M&M store. Ian decided he'd rather have a t-shirt from the NBC store than the shirt he got at the M&M store. So, we went back to return the shirt we got from the day before. Yes, so that makes 3 trips to the M&M store in 3 days. And let me tell you, this store was a zoo at each and every visit. You'd think no one saw M&M's before.
The train ride was uneventful (which is the way it should be) and we made it back home by 7:30pm in the evening.
We had 3 very long, fun-filled days. We walked everywhere and didn't take one cab around town. We averaged 20,000 steps a day and accomplished all we set out to do. Another trip to NYC in the books.
OUR NBC STUDIOS TOUR VIDEO:
Jeff and Ian at Yankees Stadium
The Prom
Be More Chill
Wicked
National Geographic Encounter
Sam and I waiting in line at Ellen's Stardust Diner
When friends heard we were headed to Pittsburgh, most replied with, "You must go to Primanti Brothers". I had never heard of it, but Jeff most certainly had and knew how much Ian would enjoy eating there.
They are known for putting French fries on top of everything! Even my salad came to the table with a layer of fries sitting on top. Yum!
Ian said this was the 2nd best sandwich he has ever had. Nick's Old Original Roast Beef in Philadelphia takes the top position. If Ian's sandwich from Primanti Borthers couldn't take the lead, there will probably be nothing that can.
Before:
Roast Beef, Cole Slaw, Tomatoes, Onions, Pepper Jack Cheese, and French Fries all
on their house made Italian Bread.
After:
Yes, that was all Ian, minus 1 bite from Jeff. He wasn't hungry again for quite a while!
For the kids' Spring Break this year, we took an idea Jeff had and expanded to include an idea I've been wanting to do with the kids. We spent 4 days visiting Niagara Falls (Canada) and Pittsburgh. If it's not obvious, Niagara Falls was my idea; Pittsburgh was Jeff's.
I love getting to show the kids new places and new experiences. And as long as we can keep costs reasonable (drive, not fly!), Jeff is up for an adventure too. Niagara Falls did not disappoint, despite it being a bit off-season and the biggest draw, the Maid of the Mist boat tour was not running yet. The weather was gorgeous; sunny and in the 30's-40's. This was perfect for walking around. We made the most of our time and hit the highlights - Skylon Tower, Niagara's Fury, IMAX film, The making of Niagara Falls, Journey Behind the Falls, The Butterfly Conservatory, Clifton Hill, and of course, The Hershey Store.
After Niagara, we drove to Pittsburgh and spent 2 days seeing the sights. Jeff had heard how awesome the Carnegie Science Center was and had been eager to take the kids there for some time. While it was very well done, we all agreed the kids are near the end of the age range on getting the maximum enjoyment. We also went to the Andy Warhol Museum and rode the Incline - which was cool and gave us a great view of the city and the 3 rivers. And I can't forget to include eating at Primanti Brothers or our visit to the Fort Pitt Museum. Jeff loves a good revolutionary war point of interest.
The biggest hit in Pittsburgh? None other than The Milkshake Factory we could walk to from our downtown hotel. This was another of Jeff's finds and the kids could not be more thrilled. What a sweet way to end our day!
The Skylon Tower
The Butterfly Conservatory -- my favorite place in Niagara Falls
The view of Pittsburgh from the Incline
Bananas Foster milkshake!
Video - Surprising the kids with The Milkshake Factory.
I've come to a major realization. It is really eye-opening. Here it is: My family of 4, Team Toppall, functions better as a family when we are on vacation than when we are living at home in our day to day life.
And its not because we have the most amazing trips ever -- hardly; it's because, for lack of a better explanation, we work well as a team. Really well. We somehow manage to all be on the same page and can go with the flow either for the better or the worse. We manage to find the humor in all things, no matter how crazy. We were instructed to go to the Welcome Center in Niagara Falls to redeem our Wonder Passes. The first 2 welcome centers were closed (smack dab in the middle of the day!) and it took walking back to exactly where our hotel was (and the point we started from) to get to the Big Welcome Center that was open. This did not dampen our mood but rather get a chuckle from all of us at our wild goose chase.
Case in point: During our drive home from Pennsylvania two weeks ago, we ended up getting a flat on the PA Turnpike. Had to wait an hour for roadside help and then ended up at Pennsylvania Firestone location getting 4 new tires on my car. It's sounds nuts that one flat tire led to the purchase of 4 new tires, but we figured if we had to buy one, and the other 3 would need to be replaced within the next thousand miles or so, let's just do them all. We made lemonade out of lemons and Jeff took the kids down the road to get Frostys and french fries from a Wendy's not too far away while we waited for the car.
Yep, that's a flat alright.
Actually, on our road trip down to Orlando for the Thanksgiving holiday, we stopped at The South of the Border (I mean really, how could you not??) and upon getting back in the car, we discovered it wouldn't start. Again, we had to wait for roadside service and yet again, while we waited, we took the kids across the strip and got ice cream. I am seeing a pattern here. :) It should be noted, lest you think my car is a real dud, that it has 50,000 miles on it and these two car issues we've experienced are the only ones I've had. Unfortunately they were both during road trips. Fortunately we had plenty of time to have the car serviced and we were not in a remote area where a mechanic wasn't too far away.
A key to success on us having a wonderful trip is advance research on where we are going and the kind of things we like to do. It's a give and take, we do a revolutionary war location for Jeff (Fort Pitt in Pittsburgh), and everyone tolerates the Norman Rockwell museum for me (Stockbridge, MA), the Milkshake Factory (Pittsburgh), or the Hershey Store (Niagara Falls) for the kids. There is always something for everyone. The best is when we try something new as a family and it goes really well; white water rafting (Berkshires), walking the entire Freedom Trail (Boston), or discovering the kids and I love zip lining (Berkshires).
We enjoy our time together so much that it instantly makes us want to plan our next adventure. We limit ourselves to realistic distances we can do by car. My threshold for a 3 or 4 day trip can be no longer than an 8 hour drive away. After that, we need to be there at least a full week.
If only money was no object, oh the fun I could have in planning for places for us to go.
My dream is that we win the lottery and can travel continuously working like a well-oiled machine. It's nice when we all get along and we are not anchored to our routine of school, homework, work, and activities. No, make that really nice.
Take Jeff and me and put us on a train super early on a Saturday morning headed to New York City. See three (yes, 3!!!) shows, have lunch with a seriously cool lady who just happens to be a writer for General Hospital (No way! Way!!), find an awesome NY deli for breakfast that offers gluten-free bagels, all while walking everywhere! Not to mention we managed to fit drinks in with a friend from high school, dinner with Jeff's uncle, and made it to Juniors for the yummiest slice of cheesecake. End the weekend with a train back to D.C. departing Penn Station at 9:00pm Sunday evening, being in NYC for every possible minute we can before having to resume our regular lives on Monday morning.
I love NY! I realize it will never be practical to live there, but it sure is nice to visit. I love the energy, I love the people, I love the skyscrapers, I love the skyline. I love it all!
How wonderful Jeff and I could make this weekend a reality while the kids were at camp.
On the train!
As heard in the "Hamilton" soundtrack, "It's the greatest city in the world."
Jeff and I have been to New York just frequently enough over the past several years that we seem to end up at the same exact restaurants completely by coincidence. It's not until we are inside and seated at the same table that we realize we've been there before, and sometimes twice before. Out of the tens of thousands of restaurants we could eat at, we've managed to randomly pick the same Chinese restaurant, Italian restaurant and diner. It's pretty funny when it happened again this past visit to New York. We've agreed to give up trying to find anything new and just keep visiting what seems to be our favorite places. Hey, if it works, why mess with it?
Nora Ephron sums up my feelings perfectly: "I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance."
My summer feels complete now that we had our week at the beach in Ocean City, NJ. For the fourth year we rented a place and spent the week with my cousin Leslie and her family. This to me is what summer is all about. Spending countless hours by the ocean, hanging with family, getting ice cream almost every night after dinner and walking on the boardwalk. Does it get any more old school and wholesome than that? I don't think so.
This year we had a new set of wonderful guests join us...Jeff's parents! From Sunday to Wednesday they stayed with us in Ocean City and got a glimpse at all the things we love about our week at the beach.
Here are some of the highlights:
1. Uncle Bill's. This restaurant is a family favorite and we make sure to go at least twice during the week.
2. Ian and Max surfing.
3. Getting Jeff on the beach for two days.
4. Getting Jeff's father on the beach! Rumor has it its been decades since he has stepped foot on a beach.
4. Being with family --all of them, Jeff's parents, my cousin's family, and her extended relatives. It's the best!
5. Ian and Max getting to an operate a surrey all on their own. This has been a dream of theirs.
6. The weather was extra gorgeous.
There is something so calming about being at the beach. It is peaceful and easy and relaxing. I absolutely adore it and am so thankful we've been able to do a week each summer. Ian has a dream to rent an additional house nearby for just our relatives to come. He'll make a schedule and have everyone he is related to come to visit. The more family he is surrounded with, the better. I couldn't agree more!
