Sabbatical Blog: 9/5 Paris, France

9/5 Paris, France
We arrived! And made it through customs easily, not even a question of how long we plan to stay. On the plane they gave us landing cards… but I have no idea what I was supposed to do with them. No one asked for them, not even the customs agent?

We got our luggage rather quickly which was nice. Charles De Gaulle even has free luggage carts. Which is also nice! Then we made our way to the Taxi stand, which had a long line of people. The good news is that it was a fast moving line. And with our Bonne Chance (Good Luck) we got a mini-van Taxi. We have too much luggage to fit in a typical European taxi. It cost us 60 Euros to get to the hotel (about $90). It’s spendy, but when you’re tired it’s not worth dealing with the train and having to change trains. We’re staying at the Le Meridien Montparnasse, which is at the South End of Central Paris.

The upgraded room they put us in was a “classique” room. Tiny by American standards. It was a tight squeeze for all our stuff, but we managed with a little furniture re-arrangmet.

We hibernated a bit to refresh, since we didn’t get much sleep on the flight. Traci with 0 hours sleep since she was concerned about Kylie getting awoken from all the commotion on the plane. I managed to squeeze in almost 2 hours.

So now by 4PM we finally ventured out… hungry. There were many food options, but nothing seemed kid friendly. Especially with Kylie not getting much sleep, we didn’t feel like dealing with her in a restaurant, so we headed back to the Hotel and ordered the TV dinner (29 Euros each). This was a steak, fries, salad, and Salmon and more salad. It was a very good meal, especially when you were as hungry as we are. After getting some food in our bellies we ventured out again, and got a feel for our neighborhood. We found the local Starbucks, I picked up my Paris Mug, and had a cappuccino. It was by far the best Starbucks cappuccino I’ve ever had. Most places in the US can’t make a decent cappuccino except for specialty restaurants. We wandered around some more, and headed back to the hotel and tried to rest up for tomorrow.

Bonjour and Welcome to Paris.


Here we are in the Taxi stand Queue.


Kylie playing with the phone in the room.


Our First meal in Paris... Room Service.


This was the view from our first room, the Classique. It was on an upper floor, but was drastically small for us.

Sabbatical Blog: 9/4 New York City

9/4 New York City
We began our day with a search for some breakfast food (not just a bagel, but a place we could get eggs and such). There is no such place in Times Square. We ended up at McDonalds 2 blocks away. We’ve also discovered that New York City is not exactly stroller friendly.

After breakfast, we headed to Rockefeller Plaza to take the tour of the observation deck. We’ve been told that this is the best view of the Empire State Building. It was, and it was also interesting to learn about the history of Rockefeller Plaza. Which was apparently built during the depression. After the observation deck, we headed back to the hotel, and rested up a bit before getting packed up for flight.

On our way out my best friend Adrian gave me call and said they’d stop by to say hi on our way out. Adrian and Akiko (his wife), Mother-in-law, and sister-in-law were all in New York City for the US Open. We knew about this before, so it was good to at least say hi before we venture off to Paris.

We took a $66 cab ride from the hotel to Newark Airport. Despite “rush-hour” traffic, it was a surprisingly quick drive. I think we made it to the airport in just a little over 30 minutes. We picked up a few Euros at the airport as well as some Wok and Roll for dinner.

We flew out on Continental. We finished boarding on time, but we were an hour late in leaving. The airport must have had many delays that was pushing us back. It was a decent flight, but we’ve discovered that they don’t exactly make it traveling with children friendly in that their were many loud announcements, the didn’t dim the lights until they were finished selling their duty free stuff. And upon arriving in France, they’d already brought up the lights, and were making several announcements. You’d think for a Red-Eye flight they’d keep things dark for as long as possible. Essentially we went from 9:30 PM to 10:00AM.

The view of Central Park from 30 Rock.


And the view of the Empire State building from 30 Rockefeller Plaza.


Kylie checking out the view from above.


Me and the empire state building.


Adrian, Akiko, and us outside the W Hotel. It was good to catch up with them for a bit in NYC. I think it's great to connect with friends even while you're travelling. I'm glad Adrian checked his voicemail!


Traci and Kylie at the airport while waiting for our flight.

Sabbatical Blog: 9/3 New York City

9/3 New York City
Today we began our adventure into the heart of Manhattan. We navigated the Lincoln tunnel and found our way to the W Hotel in Times Square. There’s so much going on in Times Square (in terms of advertising) it’s tough to tell what’s what. We had to call to find out where the main entrance is. Turns out it is on 47th and Broadway.

Once again we got a room upgrade to the “Spectacular Room” http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/rooms/room_class_detail.html?propertyID=1234&roomClassId=1000000763. Though it’s been one of the smaller rooms we’ve been in, it is by far the uber-swankiest. The room comes equipped with its own CD soundtrack to set the mood. We definitely recommend a stay at a W Hotel, if you like modern design. Plus this one is in the heart of Times Square. Letterman, all the Broadway stuff, Rockefeller Center are all a stones throw away. We’re going to check out Rockefeller Center tomorrow, and maybe join the crowd outside the Today show.

Once we got settled, Kylie was overdue for a nap - she was falling asleep in the car just as we got into the city – so we put her down and after nearly two hours she finally went down. Traci took a nap as well. While they were doing that, I worked on the all too important job of trying to get our bills paid. I’m discovering that this is more difficult than I expected! Partially because of the new Macbook that I’m using (Windows XP running Virtually) and the fact that my Home Equity Line of Credit was sold to another Bank and I don’t have their welcome packet (new acct. number, etc.)

After everyone woke up, we decided to go walk to Central Park, which is only several blocks away (47th to 60th St.) We only scratched the surface of Central Park, but we were impressed! It is HUGE, and full of people and many nooks and crannies for people to relax and do their thing.

On our way back to the Hotel, we made a stop at Trump Tower and picked up a couple Starbucks Frappacino’s for the remainder of the walk. It was on this Starbucks stop, that I learned that I must get Kylie a cup of water too. Otherwise she’ll feel left out. Since she’s been off her nap schedule, she’s been throwing more tantrums and such. It’s very frustrating for us as parents. After coming back for a bit we went to TGI Friday’s for dinner, there’s no way we could’ve gone someplace nice with Kylie being unpredictably whiney. After having some playtime at the hotel, Kylie went straight down. This is good.

Here's a quick family photo before we left for NYC that morning.


Here's a look down times square towards our W hotel.


We walked through a small portion of Central park and found the children's park, it was really nice and swarming with Kids. Kylie was very interested in all that was going on.


Here are a couple Times Square at night photos.




Traci showing Kylie her cell phone.

Sabbatical Blog: 9/2 New Jersey

9/2 New Jersey
Today we had Brunch with my Uncle Brian and his family at the Coach House Diner. Nothing like Belgian Waffles and Eggs for Brunch. And came back to my Aunt Doreen’s for a BBQ. Doesn’t sound like a busy day, but it was a full day. After Dinner my Aunt Doreen’s husband, Jim, broke out some Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon. That’s some good stuff. I still like Hennesy Better though.

The family at the Coach House Restaurant. (Clockwise from Front: Kassandra, Uncle Brian, Kevin, his girlfriend Alexa, Corey, Aunt Renate, and us).


Me with everyone (except Kevin, he went into the city to see a concert with his girlfriend). Last time I saw everyone was in 2003 when Aunt Doreen got married.


Kylie taking a picture of me taking a picture of her.


My cousin Val and Kylie.


Kassandra and Kylie. Kassandra was in love with Kylie. I'm glad they got along. I think Kylie liked being around a bigger kid. She would babble so much more when Kassandra was around.

Sabbatical Blog: 9/1 New York City Tourists

9/1 Day in New York City
Today we spent most of the day in New York City with my Cousin Jenn and her husband James. We took the PATH into the city and came up at the newly renovated World Trade Center station. It’s a pretty surreal experience to be at the World Trade Center site now. There is constant work being done with preparations for the new building.

We also took the Circle Line Harbour Tour. It’s a 1 hour tour around New York Harbor, that takes you past Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and under the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a cool tour, it was too bad for Traci that Kylie was such a handful during the cruise, but hopefully I got some good shots that made it worth it.

The open sky where the World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2 once stood.


The Statue of Liberty


Below is my cousin Jenn and her husband James. They hung out with us in the city, which was great to spend some time with them.


The Statue of Liberty in all her glory.


And the new twin towers... I was told that these buildings were built post 9/11, They are much smaller, but are unique in the skyline.


The Empire State Building.

Sabbatical Blog: 8/31 New Jersey

8/31 New Jersey
Today we spent the day with my family and had dinner at the Land and Sea Diner with my 2 Aunts My Great Uncle Dick and Great Aunt Eileen. It was good to see so much of my family in one place. If my Aunt or whoever didn’t set that up, we probably wouldn’t have seen them. It was a real treat to discover that my Aunt Kathie and Uncle Bill were up visiting from Florida at the same time too. We’ll get to see them later in our trip when we get down to Florida.

After dinner we connected with my Uncle Brian, Aunt Renate, and their kids (my cousins) Kevin, Corey, and Kassandra. Kassandra just loved playing with Kylie, and Kylie would try to vocalize more with Kassandra than she normally does, which was impressive. There is a 4+ year gap between the two of them.

Kylie found some sidewalk chalk to play with before we left for Dinner.


Everyone at Dinner at the Land and Sea. They took good care of us and Kylie there.


My Great Aunt Eileen (Auntie Ei) and Kylie. This is my Grandma Carlson's sister.


My Great Uncle Dick. My Grandma Carlson's Brother.


My Uncle Brian, Kassandra, and you know the other two.

Sabbatical Blog: 8/30 Philadelphia (misc. photos).

Playing around with some Colonial Toys.


Back to the Hotel for a nap and a photo.


Kylie getting some wiggles out before we head up to NJ. This was just outside Independence Hall.


The Tower on Independence Hall.


Me and Kylie walking some of the Cobblestone Streets.

Sabbatical Blog: 8/30 Philadelphia - Wayne, NJ

8/30 Philadelphia
Today we did the bulk of our American History touring. We visited the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall (signing of the Declaration and the Constitution). We also met some great Colonial Characters in the park. These are actors who are paid by “Once upon a nation” to play the role of certain colonial people. They were really good with Kylie and a lot of fun to talk to. We even met Benjamin Franklin. As an adult, the Liberty bell is much smaller in person, than it appears in photographs.

There’s so much history around Philadelphia. And staying in the Society Hill area put all of that at our fingertips. We left Philly, with a good feeling for the city. Only 2 hours to my Aunt's house in Wayne, NJ. We left at 6pm, and arrived sharply at 8PM.

Ben Franklin and family.


The Liberty Bell w/Crack.


Our merry cast of Colonial friends.


The seat in which George Washington Sat at the signing of the Constitution. The chair has a sun engraved in it. Ben Franklin was quoted as saying after having signed the constitution that he was now confident that it was a rising sun and not a setting sun.


Traci and Kylie after completing our history lesson and tour of Independence Hall.

Sabbatical Blog: 8/29 Harrisburg - Philadelphia, PA

8/29: Harrisburg, PA – Philadelphia, PA
Today we slept in a bit. Traci hit the gym, and Kylie and I hit the pool. Once we got packed up, we had lunch at the nearby Chili’s. They have a new Chipotle Chicken Crisper entrée. It’s pretty good. Kylie was a handful. She tried eating the crayons, licking the salt shaker… she couldn’t sit still, until we locked her into her high-chair. Sadly, she hasn’t been napping well the last few days of our trip. After lunch we headed to the “National Civil War Musuem.” It’s a fairly new museum, built in 2000. Very nice. Lot’s of civil war relics, and as they describe in the brochure, it tastefully handles the central issue of slavery in the war that nearly divided a nation.

Kylie was starting to show her tired signs (read: Cranky, whiney behavior), so we hurried up during the last part of the museum, and started to head out. We plugged in direction for the Hershey Museum, but before we even got back on the freeway (like 5 minutes in the car), Kylie was out. So for the sake of Kylie getting a decent nap, we bypassed Hershey and just headed for our hotel in Philadelphia, the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel. It is nearly a 2 hour drive from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. And as we neared the city we started to hit traffic. We saw the tune to 1640AM warning and learned of a freeway closure that was impacting traffic on I-76. Fortunately we didn’t have to take that freeway, we just experienced some of the traffic leading into the city during rush-hour. Traci and I are so very glad that we don’t have the kind of commute that would force us to sit in that kind of traffic.

I made my first driving error that sent us over the Ben Franklin bridge into Camden, NJ. Fortunately, we were able to get off the freeway and make a 180 back over the Ben Franklin Bridge. I’m very glad that our rental car came with an EZ-Pass. We’ll see how the rental car company bills us for all the tolls?

We checked into the hotel. I’m glad I changed our reservation to the Society Hill location when we were planning this trip. It is just a block or two away from all the historical landmarks of Philadelphia. It’s located on a cobblestone street. A great location. We got upgraded to a club-level room. Now I know the benefits of the Club lounge. Free food, drinks, and even the bottled water is free. That’s a Starwood benefit worth writing about!

After getting settled into our room, we walked around a bit. We found the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. They are nice. We also walked over to the Delaware River and checked out some of the ships docked there from the land. They’ve got a clipper ship and a submarine, and a floating restaurant. We walked around some of the historic area at night, but there’ll be much more to see tomorrow.

Later in the evening we went to the pool as a family and met a very nice family visiting from Delaware, as well as the spouse of an American Idol contestant (Kovie from Memphis, TN). They are apparently good friends with Phil Stacy from 2 seasons ago. We’ll be watching for Kovie this fall.


This is Kylie listening to some Civil War Era music and instruments at the National Civil War Musuem.


Welcome to Philadelphia! We hit Rush Hour Traffic, so it took a little more than the expected 2 Hours.


Walking along the waterfront at Penn's Landing. I'm told that the boat behind us was used in the Godfather.


Some photos at the Philadelphia Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.


Kylie set herself up for this photo-op. She saw the flags and the flowers, and plaque, and decided to sit on the plaque and smell the flowers.

Sabbatical Blog: 8/28 Toronto Centre Island - Harrisburg, PA (The roadrtrip)

8/28 Toronto – Harrisburg, PA

The Toronto Skyline.


We began our day at 8:30AM in Toronto. We still wanted to pay a visit to the harbor islands. We took the ferry to Centre Island, they have a small amusement park there. Seems like the place would be swimming with kids and families by the time noon rolled around. We got there just before 10AM. We used the remainder of our Canadian currency and bought a few tickets… enough for Traci and Kylie to ride the carousel together. This carousel was probably the fastest (in terms of RPMs) that I’ve ever seen. It’s an antique, but that thing was spinning fast! Traci even mentioned of feeling sick afterwards, and this was confirmed by some of the locals as well. After that, we tried to hustle up and get back to the hotel so we could check-out and hit the road.

We hit our timeline and were on road just after noon. If you could drive non-stop, it’d be a 7.5 hour drive to Harrisburg, PA. We figured 8 hours, and with our 4 minor stops for food, gas, and pit-stops we arrived at 8PM to the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel. It was a long drive. Kylie did okay… I’m sure it was rough for her to be bound to the car-seat for so long. She didn’t nap for very long either. We figured she’d be good for an hour to 2 hour nap. That didn’t happen. Every time we stopped, we looked for opportunities for Kylie to walk around.

Just outside our Hotel is a strip mall, at last I have secured a bathing suit for the remainder of the trip! We also stocked up on a few more staples for the rest of the road trip. We still have to figure out what we’re going to do tomorrow. Maybe the National Civil War Museum, maybe a trip to the Great Hershey Museum. Hershey park would be fun… but I think Kylie is too little to enjoy most of the rides.


This is the view from our room at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.


Traci and Kylie on the world's fastest carousel.


Traci and Kylie with the Toronto Skyline.


This is the map of our 8 hour drive from Toronto to Harrisburg. It's 7.5hours of driving, and we made it in around 8pm after leaving at 12PM with a couple stops. We covered a lot of Earth that day.