Day 17 Drive home

Happy July 4th!

Hit the road leaving Times Square at 8:00 a.m. and made it out through the Lincoln Tunnel with very little traffic.  Decided to drive through Pennsylvania and West Virginia rather than take I-95 through Baltimore and D.C. for the 15 hour drive through thunderstorms and flash floods.  Didn’t matter since we had a fantastic trip and experienced a tremendous diversity of landscapes and culture through 16 states and 2 Canadian Provinces.  So much fun!

Day 16 NYC - Broadway

Woke to thunderstorms so we decided to watch Wimbledon and play with the boys' new Harry Potter chess set before having an early lunch.  Once the clouds broke we headed down through Times Square to Carmine’s for our favorite Italian food.  We had Caesar Salad, the Hot Antipasto with clams, salmon, oysters, polenta with mushrooms, asparagus with artichoke, fried cauliflower, etc., Veal Parmesan, and a giant Tiramisu - yum!  After the delicious lunch we walked across to see Spiderman Turn of the Dark.  What a cool show!  The music by Bono was really fun for the kids.  The sets depicting areas of New York were very elaborate.  But the high flying production was incredible - like Cirque de Soleil on Broadway.  How so many people have been injured is obvious with the difficult stunts they perform.  On the final fly-by of the performance Spiderman landed 5 feet from us in the balcony - very cool.  Really enjoyed the show!

Day 15 NYC - Museums

Took the train uptown to the American Museum of Natural HIstory and saw the Journey to the Stars in the Planetarium before roaming around to see all of the dioramas and dinosaurs that the boys enjoyed on our last visit.  Decided to walk through Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum to see the Egyptian Artifacts and the Arms and Armor displays again.  Walked through the impressionist displays to see works by Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, and Degas before going to the rooftop for beautiful views of the city.   Before going to the train we walked up the street to see the Guggenheim Museum.  

Day 14 NYC - Harry Potter Exhibit

Cannot believe we were able to keep the plan to see the Harry Potter Exhibition a secret from the boys.  After stopping by the Fox News Friday morning concert, we headed to the exhibit.  Brett, Charlie and Jack got to meet Dave Briggs and Molly Line who were subs for the holiday weekend.  The boys read every last detail in the exhibit and loved seeing the costumes and props used in the Harry Potter films before spending another hour or so in the gift shop.  Great surprise for the kids!  Before heading uptown we stopped at Stage Deli for Pastrami and Meatball sandwiches.  Walked through the shops and lobby of the Plaza Hotel - couldn’t convince the boys to stop for tea.  Walked across the street to Fao Schwarz and wandered around through the toys.  Sad that they’ve outgrown so many of the toys since their last visit.  Afterwards, we walked along 5th Avenue to Rockefeller Center and dropped by the Lego Store.  Continued down 5th to Barnes and Noble to get books for Jack and Charlie to read on the drive home before stopping at Grand Central Station to catch the train back to the hotel for the night.

Day 13 NYC - Statue of Liberty

After breakfast we walked back through Times Square and caught the train down to the World Trade Center to see the construction on the memorial park and One World Trade Center.  For a look into the park we walked into the Financial Center overlook to see planted trees and a fountain in the center of the construction site.  We walked along the Hudson River through Battery Park to meet the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands.  There were beautiful views of the south end of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as we approached from the water.  Once inside we enjoyed the museum inside the pedestal and climbed the steps up to the pedestal base for close views.  Loved getting to see the Statue of Liberty but got back on the ferry for Ellis Island where we watched the film about the first immigrants to come to America through Ellis Island. Brett was the Immigration Official that asked the boys questions and heard their request for entrance into the land - not so sure I would have let them in . .  .  After a full day we decided to take the train back although we had planned to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for pizza at Grimaldi’s.  Stopped at Ray’s Pizza instead and got ready for another busy day.

Days 9-10-11-12 Acadia/Bar Harbor

Started the morning with trip to the Acadia National Park visitor's center.  Watched a short video on the park and grabbed some maps to plan the next 3 days in Acadia.  Since the weather was overcast and more rain was expected, we spent the afternoon in Bar Harbor shopping and visiting the art show before stopping at Stewman's for lobster rolls for dinner.  As the rain moved in, we went back to the room for poker night.  Got up the next morning to beautiful sunny skies and drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to hike before heading to Sand Beach.  Spent the next few hours building an enormous sand castle land before rinsing off the the chilly Atlantic Ocean.  Cleaned off and drove over to Jordan Pond House for their famous popovers and lemonade.  Decided to walk around Jordan Pond once we were finished and saw a loon diving for fish in the pond.  Jumped back in the car and drove over to the Bubbles to hike to Bubble Rock and give it a big push.  Drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain to watch the sunset and build cairns. Beautiful day.  Got up the next morning to view the Perigrine Falcons with the Park Ranger before hiking the Great Head Trail with sweeping ocean views from high cliffs.  Took the Ocean Trail to Thunder Hole to listen to the giant waves crash against the wall of the underground cave.  Went back to spend the afternoon again building castles on Sand Beach.  Made a stop by the Hull Visitor's Center before leaving for dinner.  Arrived at Trenton's Lobster Pound and chose 2 2 1/2 pound lobsters from the tank and waiting for them to steam in the sea water.  We had a great time with the "lobster experience" and really needed showers. Headed back to the hotel to clean-up and pack-up for the long drive from the rocky coast of Maine, through the farm lands of New Hampshire and Vermont, the quaint towns of Massachusetts and Connecticut, to the bright lights of New York City.  Arrived in Times Square just as it got dark.  Quite an experience driving through the city.  

Days 6-7-8 Quebec City

Made the 1 1/2 hour drive to Quebec City and checked into the hotel.  We grabbed our raincoats and headed out through the city walls as they were preparing for the Canada Day celebration.  Wandered around the city and passed the beautiful Chateau Frontenac before going down into Old Town by the port. Enjoyed looking in the shops and seeing the old buildings.  Stopped to have gelato before taking the Funicular up the steep stairway back to the Upper Town. As the rain continued to fall, we decided to head back to the hotel for poker night in the room.  The next morning was still wet and cool, so we walked over to the Musee' de Civilization. Walked through the exhibit on ancient Rome before heading to the hands on earth science area - incredible exhibit. As the crowds picked up, we decided to get lunch at Casse Crepe Breton. The meal was so delicious - the BEST crepes! Perfect end to the day.  The next morning we packed up and drove over to the Plains of Abraham to tour the Citadelle and see the changing of the guard.  After the tour in the chilly wet weather, we stopped in for lunch at Cafe de Paris before hitting the road back to the US. Loved our time in Canada!

Days 4 & 5 - Montreal

Arrived after a long drive in traffic and road construction.  Finally turned down a narrow brick road to the hotel and after checking in, we set out to explore Vieux Montreal.  After narrowing down our choices, we finally decided to have dinner at Chez Suzette.  We shared shrimp and lobster crepes, chicken and swiss crepes, traditional cheese fondue and beef fondue.  Delicious!  The waiter was very helpful and appreciated the boys' attempts at French.  We walked around to see the artists and performers.  Noticed a line of people standing outside of Queues de Castors and decided to get dessert there - pastries with choice of candy toppings.  Walked back to the hotel to get ready for a busy day.

After a big breakfast at the hotel, we walked by Notre Dame and up through China Town.  'Lots of construction in the area preparing for Jazz Fest later this week.  Walked into the underground shopping area before heading on towards McGill University.  After seeing the beautiful campus and old buildings, we walked over to the entrance to the Park and the hike up Mont Royal.  Reached the top of Mont Royal and had sweeping views of Montreal.  Could not believe how high we had hiked.  After spending time in the visitors center, we decided to hike down the other side and head to the Metro.  Obviously, we took the path less traveled, and almost didn't make it!  Once we made it to the bottom, we walked another 30 minutes to the Metro to the Marche` Jean-Talon.

Finally, we arrived at the Market and enjoyed looking around at the meats, fresh produce, and plants.  Stopped to have Poutine and Crepes for a delicious lunch.  Got back on the Metro for a long ride back to the Old Port.  Walked along the harbor and back through the Old Town before heading back to the hotel for dinner and laundry.

Day 3 Toronto

Got an early start and drove by for a last quick look at the Falls before heading North to Toronto.  Arrived around 11:00 am and got an early check-in at the hotel.  The boys were so excited to have a view of the CN Tower from the room that we decided to walk down the street for the ride up to the top.  The sky was perfectly clear and gave us incredible views of the area.  The walk along the outside overlook was windy and chilly.  Loved looking straight down 453 feet through the glass floor.  Afterwards, we walked over to the Harbor and watched planes and boats take off before walking to see the artist and craftsmen create their merchandise.  Love watching the glass blowers create.  After finding panini's for lunch, despite our search for crepes, we walked through 4 o'clock rush hour to the University of Toronto.  The boys thought the campus looked like Hogwarts with the incredible old stone buildings and architecture.  We took the subway part of the way back and got off at Queen Street.  Enjoyed watching the CN Tower all lit up as darkness fell.

Day 2 Niagara Falls

What a busy day! We left Toledo and headed North to Michigan after taking a peak at Lake Eerie. Made it to Port Huron for a beautiful view of the enormous Lake Huron before crossing the border into Cananda. After a quick snack at Tim Horton's we finally made it to Niagara Falls. Incredibly powerful and beautiful. Jumped on a Maid of the Mist boat and got a very close, wet view of American and Horseshoe Falls. Walked up to the top of Horseshoe Falls for a closer view and saw an full double rainbow that stretched across the blue sky. What a pretty 70 degree afternoon. Finished the day with ice cream and fireworks. Perfect Father's Day!

Day 1

Made it all the way to Lake Eerie for our first night.  'Lots of rain and an unexpected detour into Indiana made for an interesting journey.  Heading out early tomorrow to cross into Canada at Lake Huron.

Getting Ready

Gas prices are finally dropping a bit as we head out for a summer roadtrip to the Northeast and Canada.  The boys were very excited to get their passports so now if the car can take the 3250 mile trip!  We'll pass through 17 states and into Ontario and Quebec.