Vacation Wrap-up...The Roadtrip

Many adventures were had with my friend K on an epic roadtrip to New York City. We saw a lot of the Pennsylvania back country on the way out so she could stop by and see a friend in Altoona and we learned that in Pennsylvania, the signs lie. Where was that Wendy's again? Um...we never found the Wendy's and ended up eating at a Burger King that evidently specializes in after-dinner dug consumption in the bathroom. So...I would recommend skipping Mt. Pocono unless you are looking for a very specific type of dining adventure. We did see some fun road dots that seem to be specific to the state...white dots in the road to help you remember the 2 second rule while driving...Pennsylvania is definitely anti-tailgating. Also, they would like you to know that bridges may be icy.

After a detour through an area that looked pretty sketchy in the dark (thanks for the bogus directions Mapquest) we managed to make it to the hotel in Jersey City that served as home base for New York City adventure. The next day we headed into the city and did some people watching and Statue of Liberty gazing. It was unseasonably warm in the city and the wait for a ferry off of Ellis Island in the blazing sun made for a bit of a grind but all was forgiven once we made it to John's on 12th Street. The best lasagna and dessert that I have had in a while. I highly recommend it if you are in the city and I can get you there like a real New Yorker thanks to K's excellent cabbie instruction. Just say "I need 12th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue" and you will be whisked away to delicious food.

Overall, great ending to my vacation. I would highly recommend the roadtrip with a friend especially a friend that you haven't seen in far too long. And thanks to K's indulgence, I managed to get three states that I had never visited crossed off my list of 50 states. So goodbye Pennsylviana, New Jersey, and West Virginia. Yep, thanks to a Wendy's Kids Meal in Triadelphia...West Virginia is off the list. Not to mention, Wisconsin was crossed off during the unblogged about trip to Madision...so four states during this two week vacation!

So tell me, are you a roadtrip fan? Do you care about seeing all 50 states? Is there a method to your vacation madness?

Vacation part one

On Wednesday I went on the first part of my three-part vacation. Yes, three parts may be a bit of an overkill but I figure that it makes up for all the times that I take a vacation and don't do anything other than sit at home. I headed over to Indy for a few days and got to spend a little time with some friends. I also got a little shopping done since there is no local Sephora or Aveda. I was going to head to the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Friday but I wasn't feeling well when I woke up so I just headed home instead. I was pretty disappointed since I was really looking forward to seeing the special exhibition on European design that is at the museum right now.
Obviously, the highlight of my trip was spending time with Brett & Denisa and their fabulous kids. It always amazes me how much kids change in a few months. The boys have gotten so big and their personalities are out in full force. Jesse is quite the little performer and I was very fortunate to be on the receiving end of a goodnight hug and kiss. Jesse is very verbal and even though I had some trouble understanding everything he said...I can tell you that he is one smart cookie. No...I'm not being biased...well, maybe a little but I'm telling you he is smart! Jonah is much more serious and reserved so when he smiled or laughed it was great...I felt like I really earned it. He is still fairly young so I wonder how much he will change or if he will remain a little more reserved than his brother.Tomorrow I leave for the second part of my vacation...Madision, WI...so if anyone has any vacation ideas for Madision, feel free to post them in the comments.