Tuesday, September 30, 2008
餃子 Making!
This past weekend, we went down to West Palm Beach for part one of the birthday celebration. More to come on the birthday fun...
Monday, September 1, 2008
Labor Day Weekend with the Parents
For Labor Day this year, my parents decided to come up to Boston and spend the long weekend checking out the New England sites.
Friday night, I met my parents at the Boston airport and we headed back to the apartment. We got back around 10:30pm so we just hung out and watched tv while they unpacked and checked out the apartment.
Saturday morning, we woke up, got ready and headed out for a day in Boston. The weather was great for walking and the forcast didn't call for rain until the late afternoon (luckily, it never rained Saturday). We started our day out with a walk from the apartment to Faneuil Hall for breakfast. Dad got the usual, pancakes. Mom found an egg sandwich on a bagel. The pizza place wasn't open yet, so I settled on a bacon and egg sandwich on toast with hashbrowns.
After breakfast, we headed across the street to catch a trolley tour of Boston (the same tour company where we took a tour of Savannah, GA). We got on at stop one (Faneuil Hall), rode through the North End and got off at Stop 3 and visited the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young where we showed up right on time for a 45 minute guided tour of the destroyer.
In front of the USS Constitution
Ammo loading station on the USS Cassin Young
After viewing the ships, we got back on the trolley and headed over to Boston Common where we rode on the Swan Boats.
We took the trolley a few more stops and got off at the Prudential Center to grab lunch before getting back on the tour to take us to Cambridge. Once in Cambridge, we took the T (subway) 2 stops to Harvard Square to check out Harvard's campus.
After walking around the school for a bit, we stopped to get some ice cream at JP Licks before heading back to catch the trolley.
Once back on the tour, we finished the route and ended up back where we started at Faneuil Hall just in time to start thinking about dinner spots. We walked over to the Union Oyster House and checked out the menu. No one was really hungry yet so we decided to walk around a bit and ended up going to CVS to get my mom some new reading glasses. Afterwards, we decided on going to Anthony's Pier 4 since it was closer to the apartment. Dinner turned out to be just so-so which was pretty disappointing since so many people had given that place a good review. The food was just average but the service was just so incredibly slow. It did have a good view of the water though. In the end, we all decided that it wasn't a place that we'd go back to. (Although apparently the leftover halibut made an excellent breakfast Monday morning!)
Sunday morning, we headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car. We decided that we'd go check out Maine and find some lobster since we didnt end up ordering any Saturday night.
Ogunquit, Maine was pretty packed with people but we made our way to check out a lighthouse and some great views. We all got lobsters for lunch and then found some more homemade ice cream for dessert.
Saying "bye" to Maine, we headed back to return the car in Boston. We made a quick stop at a mall along the way to pick up a few things and get some coffee/snacks. Once back in the apartment, we all relaxed at home, ordered some Chinese food (again just so-so), and watched the news of Gustav making it's way to land.
Monday morning was mostly just cleaning up and getting ready to head back home to Florida. What a quick weekend...it all went back so fast! Hope you guys can come back again soon!
Thanks for visiting! Come back soon! Love you!
Friday night, I met my parents at the Boston airport and we headed back to the apartment. We got back around 10:30pm so we just hung out and watched tv while they unpacked and checked out the apartment.
Saturday morning, we woke up, got ready and headed out for a day in Boston. The weather was great for walking and the forcast didn't call for rain until the late afternoon (luckily, it never rained Saturday). We started our day out with a walk from the apartment to Faneuil Hall for breakfast. Dad got the usual, pancakes. Mom found an egg sandwich on a bagel. The pizza place wasn't open yet, so I settled on a bacon and egg sandwich on toast with hashbrowns.
After breakfast, we headed across the street to catch a trolley tour of Boston (the same tour company where we took a tour of Savannah, GA). We got on at stop one (Faneuil Hall), rode through the North End and got off at Stop 3 and visited the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young where we showed up right on time for a 45 minute guided tour of the destroyer.
In front of the USS Constitution
Ammo loading station on the USS Cassin Young
After viewing the ships, we got back on the trolley and headed over to Boston Common where we rode on the Swan Boats.
We took the trolley a few more stops and got off at the Prudential Center to grab lunch before getting back on the tour to take us to Cambridge. Once in Cambridge, we took the T (subway) 2 stops to Harvard Square to check out Harvard's campus.
After walking around the school for a bit, we stopped to get some ice cream at JP Licks before heading back to catch the trolley.
Once back on the tour, we finished the route and ended up back where we started at Faneuil Hall just in time to start thinking about dinner spots. We walked over to the Union Oyster House and checked out the menu. No one was really hungry yet so we decided to walk around a bit and ended up going to CVS to get my mom some new reading glasses. Afterwards, we decided on going to Anthony's Pier 4 since it was closer to the apartment. Dinner turned out to be just so-so which was pretty disappointing since so many people had given that place a good review. The food was just average but the service was just so incredibly slow. It did have a good view of the water though. In the end, we all decided that it wasn't a place that we'd go back to. (Although apparently the leftover halibut made an excellent breakfast Monday morning!)
Sunday morning, we headed back to the airport to pick up our rental car. We decided that we'd go check out Maine and find some lobster since we didnt end up ordering any Saturday night.
Ogunquit, Maine was pretty packed with people but we made our way to check out a lighthouse and some great views. We all got lobsters for lunch and then found some more homemade ice cream for dessert.
Saying "bye" to Maine, we headed back to return the car in Boston. We made a quick stop at a mall along the way to pick up a few things and get some coffee/snacks. Once back in the apartment, we all relaxed at home, ordered some Chinese food (again just so-so), and watched the news of Gustav making it's way to land.
Monday morning was mostly just cleaning up and getting ready to head back home to Florida. What a quick weekend...it all went back so fast! Hope you guys can come back again soon!
Thanks for visiting! Come back soon! Love you!
Day 8: Monday, June 9th - Rome
We started Monday with a visit to the La Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of Truth). Goo Ma had wanted to see it since it was in the movie, Roman Holiday. It's believed that if someone tells a lie with their hand in the mouth of the sculpture, their hand would be bitten off. There was a pretty short line, so we waited to each get a picture with our hands in the mouth. No one's hand got chopped off so looks like none of us were liars :)
After La Bocca della Verità, we walked over to Capitoline Hill. We had quickly driven past it the day before while on the tour and my mom had seen pictures of it in her book of Rome, so we decided to go and check it out. There were a lot of steps (Michaelango Steps) to the Piazza del Campidoglio but luckily they weren't too bad. Once we made it to the top, we followed Rick Steve's tip to take a shortcut (saving us a trip back down the stairs just to walk back up another set) to Palazzo Venezia & the Victor Emmanuel II monument.
After that, it was time to get back on the bus to head over to the Vatican...but not before another snack while waiting for the tour bus.
We planned to go to the Vatican Monday afternoon since they were closed on Sunday. When we arrived, we walked to long walk to the ticket office and headed in to the museum. The museum is set up to where there are a lot of exhibits once you enter and you make your way back to the Sistine Chapel.
Our ticket in
The courtyard into the museum
Toes
A "rug" made out of tiles
David and Dah Jeh Jeh on their way into the Sistine Chapel
My parents found the Vatican to be very thrilling :-)
After the Vatican, it was lunch time! We searched around for a bit but ended up at this kebab/gyro place. After our food, we went across the street and found another gelato shop for some dessert.
The last stop for the day was a walk back towards the bus stop to go and visit St Peters Basilica. It was a great time of day to visit, getting late in the day so there weren't that many people. We also showed up when the sun was starting to get lower in the sky and caught some great looking rays in the stained glass windows inside.
A long day...waiting to regroup to head home
On the way out, we tried to perfect some "jumping shots". What can I say? I'm just not a great jumper!
The best jump...after numerous tries
After La Bocca della Verità, we walked over to Capitoline Hill. We had quickly driven past it the day before while on the tour and my mom had seen pictures of it in her book of Rome, so we decided to go and check it out. There were a lot of steps (Michaelango Steps) to the Piazza del Campidoglio but luckily they weren't too bad. Once we made it to the top, we followed Rick Steve's tip to take a shortcut (saving us a trip back down the stairs just to walk back up another set) to Palazzo Venezia & the Victor Emmanuel II monument.
After that, it was time to get back on the bus to head over to the Vatican...but not before another snack while waiting for the tour bus.
We planned to go to the Vatican Monday afternoon since they were closed on Sunday. When we arrived, we walked to long walk to the ticket office and headed in to the museum. The museum is set up to where there are a lot of exhibits once you enter and you make your way back to the Sistine Chapel.
Our ticket in
The courtyard into the museum
Toes
A "rug" made out of tiles
David and Dah Jeh Jeh on their way into the Sistine Chapel
My parents found the Vatican to be very thrilling :-)
After the Vatican, it was lunch time! We searched around for a bit but ended up at this kebab/gyro place. After our food, we went across the street and found another gelato shop for some dessert.
The last stop for the day was a walk back towards the bus stop to go and visit St Peters Basilica. It was a great time of day to visit, getting late in the day so there weren't that many people. We also showed up when the sun was starting to get lower in the sky and caught some great looking rays in the stained glass windows inside.
A long day...waiting to regroup to head home
On the way out, we tried to perfect some "jumping shots". What can I say? I'm just not a great jumper!
The best jump...after numerous tries
We then made it back to the apartment for our last night in Rome! We spent the evening packing, playing Yahtzee, getting dinner from a local pasta place, and finishing up with some gelato from the place next door (by far the cheapest - 1 euro!!!)
Dave's lucky Yahtzee streak continues!
Me and some balloon baseball man at the pasta place
More gelato!
My dad can't resist chocolate ice cream no matter what!
Apparently, Katie claims she (Asian girls in general) either don't stink (BO) or was it not need deoderant?!? Dave seems to think otherwise...
Day 7: Sunday, June 8th - Rome
The only photo of all 7 of us from the entire trip!
Sunday morning we headed out, bought a 2 day bus tour ticket and started out on our sightseeing. We planned to spend most of Sunday visiting the Coloseum and the Forum. When we got to the coloseum, we bought tickets for a guided tour. While at the coloseum, we headed upstairs to check out a gallery that wasnt covered as part of the tour, went to the bathrooms outside and grabbed some sandwiches from a cart vendor, watched fake gladiators try to get tourists to buy photos with them and then headed back in for our guided tour.
Walking to the Coloseum; Captain Hook at the Coloseum
Waiting for the start of our guided tour
Lunch...various sandwiches.
"Gladiators" for hire for photos
After the coloseum, we walked across the street and walked around the Forum.
We walked back over to the designated bus stop and waited for the bus...and waited...and waited. We finally read the fine print of the bus map and noticed that on Sundays, there was an alternate route around the coloseum. We walked back over to the next bus stop and caught one of the last buses for the day to take us back over to a stop by our apartment.
We walked back over to the designated bus stop and waited for the bus...and waited...and waited. We finally read the fine print of the bus map and noticed that on Sundays, there was an alternate route around the coloseum. We walked back over to the next bus stop and caught one of the last buses for the day to take us back over to a stop by our apartment.
Waiting for a bus that doesnt come on Sundays
On the way home, it started getting cold and then it started pouring! We were sitting on top of the open air bus and had to retreat downstairs to get out of the rain. It was raining so hard that the water eventually started pouring in from the top onto the bottom floor of the bus.
Once off the bus, it was still raining! We huddled under the cover of a store roof for a while to try and wait the rain out and when it lightened up (somewhat) we walked home in the rain. It finally paid off having umbrellas after having carried them around all week long!
On our walk home, we stopped at a pizza shop close to the apartment and picked up some (ok, a lot) of pizza for dinner. We ended up lots of slices with so many flavors/toppings with plenty to spare for breakfast the next day too. That oven came in handy to heat up the tasty pizza :)
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