Time to go home...

I can't believe tonight we fly home... I am not used to being away from my 'real life' for so long (and either is Grace) so I think we are both ready.. Let's see...our last day in London was Saturday September 13th... Grace slept in until 11 and we missed the breakfast the hotel served- however, because Grace is so charming the owner (Chris) said 'nonsense! i will make her breakfast!'.. so he served us our own private breakfast of toast with peach jam, cornflakes with whole milk and a boiled egg. Then we set off for town. Grace wanted to take an actual double decker bus (but NOT the tour bus) so we got on one.. unfortunately it only went two stops before they announced 'This bus is terminating at this stop' (which was at Marble Arch). So we went into a souvenier shop for a second and hopped on the tube to Westminster. There we took photos of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, ate soft serve ice cream (with a Cadbury flake) and
walked north along the Thames to Waterloo Bridge. Our timing turned out to be perfect and we found the Lyceum Theatre and went to the matinee of the "Lion King". It was a fabulous show- Grace actually ended up sitting on the lap of a stranger in the row in front of us for the second half of the show because she could see better! After the show we headed out across the Waterloo Bridge to check out the Thames Festical that was going on. There was a race of row boats going up the river and loads of booths selling shirts, handmade bags, food - we bought gourmet cupcakes (red velvet!). It was too crowded though to really spend much time there. We found a place called Gabriel's Wharf and went in some of the shops. I found a cute little painting of a black and white cat that will be my memory of this vacation. Then we headed back to the station to head to Oxford Street in search of fish and chips (one of our tour books recommended a place called "the Golden Hind" on Marylebone Lane). It was a bit of a hike but we found it and shared halibut fish and chips, prawn cocktail, and tomato and onion salad and diet coke. We also got a slice of white bread with butter for 30p. It was delicious and worth the walk! By the time we had finished and paid it was 8pm and I discovered the sad reality that the big department stores on Oxford St all closed at 8pm on Saturday. I was kind of hoping just to check one out (I wanted to find Grace some cool European shoes). So we walked home instead of getting on the tube since we were only a few stops away. That night we got all our bags packed for our early start in the morning.
Our big travel day was Sunday the 14th- our wake up call was at 6:15am and we set out on foot to Paddington Station with all our bags (about 3-4 blocks away).. We got on the Heathrow Express that departed at 7:10 and made it to Heathrow by 7:30 which was perfect. They have free luggage trolleys there which is a lifesaver. Checked in and checked our bags, went through security (you don't have to take your shoes off in Heathrow) and then we were in this duty free shopping wonderland! We spent our last 11 pounds on candy but also bought some pastries, diet coke and sushi for the plane! (I think I was stress eating/shopping). The plane ride was uneventful and we landed in JFK, made it through customs and immigration without any problems and found a cab to Penn Station. We bought a pretzel and hot dog at a stand and then waited in the long Amtrak line to see if we could get on an earlier train to Philadelphia because we had about 4 hours to wait! Luckily we were able to get on the 3:17 (instead of 5:17) and we got into Philly at 4:45. Cousin Bob picked us up- he drove up from the shore just to have dinner with us- and we met Michelle and Jennie downtown at Jones and ate and drank some great food! I had two cocktails called "Happy" and Grace made friends with a little girl at a nearby table and they were playing and dancing together! The poor thing was so tired of just hanging out with me for the last week. We got back to Prospect Park exhausted and spent yesterday (Monday) just laying low and visiting cousins. Grace got to play with her fellow preemie cousin Gabriel in the park. My aunt and uncle brought my cousins daughter Jordan over for lunch and a playdate (she is also 4)- we walked to "Nifty Fifties" which is a diner that is retro 50's style- we ordered fries, shakes and burgers. After all the food was delivered (but before anyone had taken a bite) Jordan suddenly vomited all over Grace! (and some splashed on me).. well this was quite unexpected and dramatic and caused us to have to do some major washing up- Grace had to strip down to her Dora undies and the restaurant gave her a t-shirt for the walk home. We boxed up the food and got the heck out of there! Then they took Jordan home- so, sadly, they didn't get to play together for very long at all. We were supposed to go to their house for dinner that night but because Jordan was sick my cousin Jill just brought her son Matthew (who is almost 2) over to meet us instead. We visited for a bit then she had to head home. Grace spent last night watching Noggin on Don's big screen and we went to bed by 10. This afternoon we head out to the airport. We are all packed up so we can have a lazy day watching TV until it's time to go...

Sunny day in the UK

Well today started off a little rough because after breakfast we went back to the room and I fell asleep having not slept that much the night before and getting up early to make it downstairs for breakfast... Grace was unusually quiet so I should have figured something was up but I was too tired to investigate. When I woke up I saw that she had raided my makeup case and DESTROYED 3 of my MAC eyeshadows and foundation.. pulverized them... and the mess was all over her and the bed. Needless to say, I was a tad bit upset. After cleaning up the mess we set out.. Originally I thought we'd go to the zoo but decided I wanted to check out the touristy areas instead.. so we set out for Trafalgar Square (after briefly visiting the swans in Hyde Park again)- the sun was shining and it was gorgeous outside! We ate lunch at a cafe- Grace had a tuna sandwich and chicken soup, I had a brie sandwich (yum!). Then Grace actually said she wanted to go on a tour bus and since I had prepaid for a ticket I decided "Great! Let's get my money worth and take the tour".. Well once I got the ticket and we were in line for the bus she decided she DIDN'T want to go on the tour bus.. We got on, but it was way crowded and there wasn't an actual tour guide only head phones for a pre-recorded info so we got off at the second stop when we saw the famous guards on horses. We took photos of the guards and I decided to set out for Covent Garden. (she fell asleep in her stroller at this point). Covent Garden has fun shops and stalls, pubs and street performers. I actually didn't find anything I couldn't live without (shocking I know!)- only bought a few postcards. Then I found a post office and the cue (line) was at least 30 min long.. So those of you that get a postcard from London I waited a LONG time in line for that precious stamp!! I wanted to find a bus to take us to the London Eye but all the buses I saw were going in the other direction. Grace then got a horrible stomach ache and I almost thought I might have to take her to the hospital if it didn't let up (and I was worried she may vomit again).. we found the Tube station and took it to Waterloo and found a bathroom. After she went to the bathroom she felt much better (I think it was gas)..and was back to her normal self.. We had tickets to the London Eye for 7pm and got there with perfect timing. It was sunset and it was a great ride. Grace wants to do it again tomorrow (not gonna happen though).. We walked along the South Bank of the Thames.. They are setting up for a big festival tomorrow. We found a restaurant at the British Film Institute (http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/visitor_information/food_and_drink) -our first time eating dinner here in an actual restaurant- it was expensive but yummy- I had a Vanilla Quince Margarita (in a Martini glass), chicken and roasted potatoes. Grace had macaroni and cheese. And we ate warm brownies with ice cream for dessert (I wanted the profiteroles but Grace always gets the final word it seems)! We headed back on the tube- all the sugar had Grace dancing on the Tube and flirting with men making funny faces..
Tomorrow is our last day here...we are going to the matinee showing of the Lion King and will probably go check out that festival. I must eat some fish and chips and write postcards.. Oh, and we will have to make one final visit to Grace's swans..

Jolly ole England

Wednesday September 10th, 2008
Well I would LOVE to start with yesterday but I should blog from the beginning of our arrival here in London which was the day before (Wednesday).. Our flight across the Atlantic was uneventful (thankfully)- Virgin Atlantic Airline is awesome! FREE movies, TV, and music with a huge selection- I watched 'In Bruges' and 'Forgetting Sara Marshall'- (unfortunately Grace's screen broke after one episode of Spongebob but she watched the ipod). They gave out little packages with socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and eye mask as well. We got into London at 6AM (I didn't sleep on the plane but G got a few hours) and made it through Immigration without a hitch- because I had that Toys R Us stroller we got to go to the front of the line! We got our bags (luggage carts were FREE) and found the Heathrow Express train that took us into Paddington Station in 15 min. Here's where it got tricky. Grace was tired, we have a lot (yes, a LOT) of bags because YES, I need my laptop, camera, toys for Grace, clothes, 'milky' supply, snacks, pillow, etc etc.. And I knew our hotel was only a few blocks away so I didn't want to get a cab. But Grace didn't want to walk. Somehow I dragged everything to Sussex Gardens but it wasn't fun. Then we had to kill time because it wasn't even 9AM and we couldn't get into a room until about noon. I already knew that we wouldn't be staying in our main hotel because they were fully booked that night. They told me they would put us up in their Annex building around the corner. But they decided to put us up in a different hotel (the Alexandra) just a half block down the street. So Grace and I headed out to Hyde Park to explore. We found swans in the little fountain pools (Grace LOVES the swans, and the ducks, and the pigeons!) and walked to Princess Diana's Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. I enjoyed watching the people in the park with their dogs- the dogs all have great coats and are fit and happy- lots of smaller dogs like pugs, jack russells, chihuahuas, westies, border terriers and some bigger ones- goldens and I did see a Newfie. I met a nice mom in the park with a 4 yr old boy named Arthur. She was originally from Sweden (beautiful and very fashionable but she still talked to me!). She told me the kids start school there when they are 4- they go everyday all day. But in Sweden they don't start until they are 7. She also told me if it was raining we should go to the Science Museum where they have a cool area for the kids to play in the basement. We walked back and finally got to our hotel at 12:30 and we passed out for about 4 hours. Our room at the Alexandra was tiny and on the very top of the building. Lots of German tourists were staying there. When we woke up I decided we should try to see something in London so we took a cab to Harrod's. We bought some chocolate in the shapes of little animals and a sandwich and milk and diet coke. They have amazing food arcades with anything and everything but we kept it simple. Then, we went to McDonalds. It feels like a repeat of my last trip to Europe when I was backpacking and poor- I ate fries and shakes all through Europe in 1991- but this time it's because that's where Grace wants to go. It got cold so we went into the Gap (I know, more American corporate shopping) and got her a brown hoodie but I also couldn't resist a cool long sleeve dress and tights in Fall colors. We took the tube back to our hotel- I overpaid buying a 1 day pass at the machine thinking it would be good for 24 hours. When, in fact, it was only good until midnight. Oh well. We got back and watched a little TV and went to bed.
Thursday September 11th- the day of the much anticipated Kimya Dawson (and Heathers) concert! Originally Grace wanted to go to the zoo but it was raining when we got up, so we headed to the Science Museum via the Tube to South Kensington station. I bought an Oyster Card for the Tube- it is cheaper and you can add money as you go. The subway here is generally cleaner than in New York and it's much easier to understand the maps/signage and know that you are going in the right direction. The Science Museum had a small display of Veterinary Medical History on the top floor. They have cool exhibits on steam engines and space but mostly we spent our time in "The Garden" which is an interactive play area in the basement for kids 3-6 yr old (all completely free!). Grace was sad when it was time to leave but when we got outside it wasn't raining anymore. So we walked through Hyde park to see Princess Diana's Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan statue, and say hello to our friend's the swans again. When we got back to our hotel (The Rhodes Hotel) we finally got to see our actual hotel room- this one is also on the top floor but it is called their Family Room- its the biggest room with 3 beds and a huge (for England) modern bathroom and jetted tub (it was the only room they had available when I was booking our stay here but it's great). We freshened up then headed out to the Highbury/Islington station to find the Union Chapel where the concert was going to be. I had to laugh when we stepped out of the tube station there was a pub called "The Famous Cock".. I wanted to take a photo of it but was trying to remain inconspicuous as there was lots of people around. When we got to the Chapel (with another Happy Meal for Grace) there were 3 other young girls sitting on the steps waiting (it was around 5 pm and doors opened at 7). About 3 other people came within the next 20 minutes. Then a car pulled up and out came Kimya, her husband Ange, and daughter Panda!! Very exciting! We had brought along a belated birthday gift for Panda (who turned 2 on July 28) that we weren't able to give to Kimya when we saw her at the Seattle Capitol Hill Block Party because security was so tight. I knew it was a long shot bringing it to England but Grace really wanted to give Panda that present! I told Kimya the bag was crinkled because it flew 6000 miles and she asked where we lived- when I told her she was like "What are you doing here in London? You live 30 minutes from us!" and I said "We were on vacation, so we decided to come see you!". She gave Grace a free copy of her new kid's CD "Alphabutt" and went inside. We ended up in the front row for the show and it was amazing! The concert was in an actual chapel with pews, stained glass, etc. The most amazing venue I have ever been for a show. The band "Heathers" opened- they are 18yr old twin sisters from Dublin with the most incredible voices ever. We befriended a girl from Texas who goes to college in Spain and is on an internship in London before the show while we were waiting and we sat with her. She had come alone to the show so it was fun to have someone to talk to while we were waiting. Grace fell asleep during the Heather's performance but I woke her up for Kimya. During Kimya's show she sang a song that asks the audience to call out different names of animals- when it was quiet Grace said "Panda Bear" and Kimya said "Panda Bear! You win, Grace!" After the concert we gave hugs to Panda and chatted and Kimya said we should try to get the girls together for a play date in October. She told me her personal email address so I will contact her next month and see if that actually comes true! Needless to say the evening was everything I hoped it would be and more! We had to take a cab home because they closed the tube station early but I didn't care- sometimes the door-to-door service is totally worth the extra price! I wanted to blog last night but the internet connection here is a bit slow- even today I don't think it will allow me to upload any photos so I will have to add them later. Today we are off to the Zoo if it isn't raining and then a trip on the London Eye. I have tickets for a tour bus that I bought on Expedia when I booked our flight but Grace has decided she hates tour buses so I think that ticket is going to waste
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Didn't realize that no flash photography is allowed in the tube stations until after I took this photo..oops!

Final day in NYC

Well today we were on our own to explore the city. First on the agenda was to buy an umbrella stroller. I could have bought one on Friday night when we first got here but I had sticker shock when they were $25 at Toys R Us! Well it would have been worth every penny since Grace hasn't been feeling well and has wanted to be carried a lot. I thought I would see them other places but haven't come across any! So we took the subway to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and bought a ticket for the On-Off Double Decker Bus Tour. We got off in Times Square to buy the stroller, had lunch in McDonalds and checked to see if the Virgin Megastore had Kimya Dawson's latest release "Alphabutt" (they didn't). We hopped back on the bus (after getting on the wrong one at first) and took it to Greenwich Village where we got off to find a water park for Grace to play at (I promised her we could go). It was quite a hike to the park (thank God for the stroller) which was on the Hudson River but we found it and she played for a while before it was time to go again. We walked to the nearest subway at 14th street and in the station Grace projectile vomited all the chocolate milk and french fries that were in her stomach all over the floor and herself. Now I didn't have a wipe or napkin or anything. She was still in her bathing suit from the park so I used her panties to wipe her hands and face and legs (and tossed the panties), and we got on the train headed to the WTC site. Now it was 5:00 and everyone was getting off work so it was CROWDED and basically we just peered through the fence and saw the site which is a major construction zone before trying to find the bus stop for the on-off tour. We got back on the bus and finished the tour which took us past Battery Park, Seaport, Brookln Bridge, Chinatown, East Village, UN, and back to the Rockefeller Center. We went to the Top of the Rock observation deck at sunset and took in the amazing views. Then we bought Subway sandwiches (Grace's pick) and ate them outside in the Rockefeller Center. Finally, we walked up 5th ave hoping to make it to FAO Schwarz before they closed but they were already closed so we hopped in a cab and soaked Grace in the tub. Phoebe is on her way over now to bring us Grace's freshly dry-cleaned pink silk dress and our extra credit cards that were overnight mailed to us when we thought my purse was gone for good. I can't believe it's time to pack up our stuff already. I hope that Grace's stomach settles down before our flight tomorrow night!

NYC continued....

Oh so much to tell, I don't even know where to start. Tonight we are home at a decent hour and Grace is playing with her Ballerina doll and scarabs from the Met and listening to her "Little Mermaid" soundtrack. I actually have the time and energy to upload photos and blog. Tonight we said goodbye to our dear friend Sheila who spent the weekend with us here in NYC (along with her fabulous sister and brother in law, Phoebe and Ed). When I last left you we were about to go out to our much-anticipated Broadway show, "The Little Mermaid". We got all dolled up in dresses and heels and hopped on a jam-packed subway to Times Square. I allowed enough time to check out the Times Square Toys-R-Us where we rode the indoor ferris wheel and checked out the Barbies. Then we got a quick meal at Roxy's diner (the craziest BLT you've ever seen featuring nearly an entire head of iceberg lettuce!) before heading to the show. The show was amazing! Grace made friends with a family from Wales sitting next to her. We sat in the mezzanine and it was worth every penny. When we walked out of the theater Sheila called and said they were outside waiting for us which was a great surprise because I didn't think we would get to see her until Saturday morning. So we headed to Ben & Jerry's for a scoop of their heavenly ice cream. When it became clear they were trying to close (putting chairs on top of tables and mopping the floor) we gathered up my shopping bags and my sleeping Grace and hopped in a cab. The cab dropped Sheila and Phoebe off at 68th & Broadway and then we were off to the Upper East Side. Sheila gave me $10 for their part of the cab ride and I then reached for my purse to get my money out for the rest- when I discovered that MY PURSE WAS GONE!!!
I had to have the taxi pull over and drop us off because we had no more money and the tab was close to $10. I hobbled (with many blisters and aching feet from the heels) carrying a sleeping Grace back 4 blocks to where we had dropped Sheila and Phoebe off. But the problem was I had no idea where from there Phoebe lived. And I had NO PHONE, ID, MONEY, or KEYS to our apartment. I had NOTHING. And it was midnight in NYC. I consider myself a fairly seasoned traveler and I don't get rattled easily but I was panicked. I only know a couple of cell phone numbers by heart. So I made a collect call to my parents. By some stroke of luck my mother answered. After about an hour and two collect calls later my mother was able to get Sheila's phone number (from her parents in San Diego) and we were rescued. It was an impromptu sleepover and Ed and Phoebe couldn't have been more gracious. We got to their (amazing!) apartment and Grace promptly VOMITED all over her pink silk dress and their new couch. We cleaned up the mess, donned their clothes, blew up the air bed, cancelled credit cards and the cell phone and went to bed. The next day they ordered in brunch- it turns out in Manhattan you can pretty much order ANY kind of food at any time and have it delivered to your apartment. Phoebe took Grace's dress to the dry cleaner and came home with a new GAP dress, socks, shoes, and Little Mermaid panties and loaned us money to get us through the weekend. We all showered then headed back to our apartment where the super was supposed to have unlocked the door for us. But when we got here it still wasn't unlocked (long story) so we headed back down to Times Square to see if Ben & Jerry's had my purse (even though we had called them the night before and they had said 'no'). Well, miraculously, they HAD MY PURSE!!! The nightmare was officially over! We celebrated with a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, pizza, beet and goat cheese salad, dessert at Serendipity and a visit to Dylan's Candy Bar. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that yesterday tropical storm Hanna blew through and it poured BUCKETS! We were splashed by cabs driving by and drenched from head to toe- Grace thought that was absolutely hilarious! She was dancing and skipping in the rain all night.
Today we met Sheila at the Museum of Natural History which was amazing- there is no way you can see everything in one day especially with other things on the agenda so we checked out the fossils/dinosaur collection and the very cool animal dioramas. We covered a lot of territory the rest of the day- flea market, playground, chocolate chip cookies to die for, bus ride down 5th ave past all the big famous stores, food at Petite Abeille with Tin Tin decor, and shopping at ABC and Fishs Eddy where I bought the coolest cat and dog plates/bowls (yes, that I have to ship home). Tomorrow is our last full day in NYC. We will probably take a tour in a double decker bus and check out Rockefeller Center. Maybe we will see Matt Lauer!

The Big Apple

Well today we made it to the BIG APPLE! Haven't had time to upload any photos yet. We had another early morning wake up to catch a train out of Prospect Park, PA at 7AM- then boarded an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to Penn Station, NYC. Along the way many kind (female) strangers helped us with our multiple large bags. I think it's because Grace is too darn cute! (well, that doesn't hurt!) We took a cab from the train station to our apartment on the Upper East Side. Our apartment is FABULOUS! Clean, quiet and spacious; two blocks away from the Guggenheim and Central Park. It has wifi, A/C, free telephone/cable, windows,full kitchen, etc. I highly recommend those of you planning trips check out VRBO.com to find places to stay- this is our first time and it is working out great! The owner of the apartment is very nice and helpful. And it is costing the same as an average hotel in NYC without the 13% tax! We bought groceries (fruit, cereal and Diet Coke) at the store on the corner then we went to explore Central Park. It's hot here and Grace did pretty good but then she got a blister. We loved the Turtle Pond- it's huge with red-eared sliders and dragonflies. Lots of people were out enjoying the weather. Lots of babies in Bugaboo Strollers. We checked out Belvedere Castle, then ate a hotdog at the Boat House. Grace is fascinated by all the pigeons! Then, instead of catching a cab back (due to the blisters) I decided it would be more fun to get on a pedi-cab. Well he never told me how much it was going to be even though I asked (first mistake).. and it ended up costing TWICE as much as our cab from the train station. Oops. But he was cycling in the heat and it wasn't very easy work.. but it cost about $2/block.. And Grace hated it. So no more pedi-cabs. Soon we have to get ready to head to the theater district to watch the 'Little Mermaid'. Grace won't take a nap, hopefully she holds up.

It never fails...

Well tonight I have been packing for our BIG vacation... I have the luxury of being leisurely about it this time (usually I work right up until I need to go..this time I got 3 days off before our departure).. so I am not panicked yet. Grace wanted to spend her last night in town with her Dad so I have had the place to myself- doing laundry, sorting clothes, changing the sheets on the bed, organizing- I have been very industrious and domestic.. I tend to do this when I am going out of town- it's probably the only time I really get in the mood to organize stuff around here.. It must be the phenomenon of wanting to come home to a tidy house after being gone (and my twisted mind also considers the alternative - What if the plane crashed and I didn't come home? I wouldn't want my family to have to deal with my stuff and have the place 'looking like a pigsty'- yes, that's a "Fran-ism"...) So I have been going off on tangents- I organized the linen closet (!)- something that hasn't been done in many years. I tackled the MOUNTAIN of clean laundry that was on the dryer. And I went through Grace's dresser and weeded out a lot of the clothes that she can't fit into anymore. Then I discovered something was missing. A pink Croc. So I have been searching for it for hours. It's nowhere. This ALWAYS happens to me when I am organizing stuff. Then all progress comes to a complete standstill. And I get frustrated. One of my biggest pet peeves- besides traffic, waiting in lines, and stupid or rude or mean people- is losing things. I CAN'T STAND IT! So I have not finished packing. It'll have to wait for tomorrow. I am sure tomorrow the Croc will turn up. But now I must get to bed. I have to try to get myself on a more sane sleeping schedule. Tomorrow we have to go to sleep real early for our morning flight on Wednesday- and we are sharing a hotel room by the airport with the folks so I can't stay up late even if I wanted to. So I am going to try to forget about the pink Croc. If it's gone, it's gone. I can get her a new pair. But it HAS to be around here somewhere. I just don't know where...Here is a pic of G wearing the notorious Crocs at a field trip to the airport last year...
H