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  • Maria Angelique
July 2018

Start Spreading the News....

A two week visit to the city that never sleeps Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 7, 2018
  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    Finally here

    July 8, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    What a long trip! It didn't start too well. Our fight from Wellington to Auckland was delayed. While waiting at the gate, an orchestra entertained us (they were on the flight). In Auckland we had just enough time for a quick bite to eat before boarding our (delayed) flight to San Francisco. The next thirteen hours were spent eating (I enjoyed dinner), watching movies and trying to sleep in the upright position. We were lucky that there weren't any people behind us so we could recline easily. The on board facilities were great and we enjoyed the flight. The airline advised that we had missed our connecting flight to New York and that we were rebooked on a later flight.

    So began the longest 3 hours of our lives as we stood in a queue with about 2000 others to get through immigration. Despite the long queue, they only had 5 agents working and the whole process was quite frustrating. When we finally cleared customs we made a quick change into cooler clothing and checked our bags in for the next flight.

    With 4 hours to kill, we decided to take the train down to the waterfront and see a bit of San Francisco. We walked along the waterfront reminiscing about our last trip there. It seemed so familiar. We had a bite to eat at Starbucks and continued on until we got to Pier 23 which was our favourite spot from last time. Poppy indulged in mini donuts (a treasured memory from before) and we soaked up the atmosphere. San Fran in summer is so much nicer and was bustling with people. There was an entertainer on the stage in the centre. He was a juggler and a gymnast. He did some fascinating tricks while stand on long poles and then did one hand hand stands at the top of the poles. I couldn't watch! Poppy was taking notes and wants to incorporate some of his moves in her acro dancing!

    We couldn't be bothered walking all the way back to the train station so we hired a pedicab - cart pulled by a bicycle. That was great fun and a perfect way to end our little sojourn into town.

    We caught the train back to the airport but then I misread the map and we got off two stations too early. Luckily there is a train every 20 minutes so we made it back in time for the next part of our journey.

    The security for a domestic flight over here is nuts! It was harder to get through than the security to fly here from Auckland. We had to go through a large metal detector. You had to remove your jackets, shoes and everything from your pockets (even tissues and scraps of paper). Those went through the xray machine. Then you had to stand in a portal (similar to the thing that Scottie used to beam people up in). You had to stand with your feet apart and your arms in the "don't shoot" position while the machine scanned you for weapons and explosives. Obviously my arms looked shady because they had to pat them down. Mercina looked like a terrorist. They stopped her and gave her a full body pat down. She was quite horrified by it all. Poppy was offended because they kept asking her if she was under 12. In the end, they decided we were harmless and let us through. Needless to say, our flight to New York was delayed!

    We were also seated apart from one another for the 6 hour flight to New York. There was no food and while they provided a screen for entertainment, you had to buy headphones if you didn't have your own.

    We landed at 6:15am in New York. Coming out of the plane we walked through a large shopping mall full of restaurants and shops. It was quite dizzying. Andrew was waiting for us and we got our luggage from the carousel. We were finally here!

    He took us directly into town to get some breakfast as we hadn't eaten properly in some time. Then, as it was really quiet in town and the sky was clear, we went to the Empire State Building. We rode to the 80th floor to see the panoramic view of New York. It is huge. The land is really flat but the skyscrapers are incredible. There are so many and they are so tall. We could see all the famous landmarks. The Statue of Liberty is tiny! Central Park is huge and very green.

    Andrew has just arrived and we are going out for dinner. Will continue to post after dinner. Hopefully we will figure out how to get photos onto the laptop to add them    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler
    1

    Our first day in The Big Apple

    July 8, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    We walked around the 80th floor for ages looking at all the buildings and getting our bearings. Then we took an elevator to the 86th floor where there was an open air viewing platform. The view from up there was even better. Then we took another elevator to the 102nd floor and the view from up there was even better! We could see for miles as it was a clear day.

    One of the guides told me that they have an annual competition to see who can run up the stairs to the 80th floor the fastest. The record is just over 9 minutes!

    Next we chose to go for a walk around that part of Manhattan. We visited a park which reminded us of Wellington and San Francisco. It was warm but not too hot. We took a taxi to the Flatiron Building which is at the intersection of Broadway and 5th Avenue. It was the tallest building in the world when it was built -20 stories high.

    We found a Lego shop (I think Poppy just quivers when she's near Lego) and spent a bit of time (and a lot of money) in there. Statue of Liberty in Lego anyone?

    By now it was lunchtime so we found a place selling New York pizza and we all had a slice for lunch. Andrew took us to an Italian food market to see all the produce. It was amazing and smelled delicious.

    On our way back to the car, we stopped to see Grand Central Station. It was such a beautiful building. We took lots of photos and had a go in the whispering gallery. It was quite busy although Andrew said it was dead quiet!

    By now we were starting to fade (we had been awake nearly 40 hours) so Andrew brought us to the hotel in New Jersey where we are staying. We had a long nap and freshened up before going out for dinner.

    Andrew took us for a drive around the neighbourhood to show us his old home and the houses. He said the houses range in value from $300K to $25Million! We quite liked the $25 million places and could happily live in those houses.

    We went to a Buffalo Wings place for dinner. It was a large sports bar with heaps of tv screens around the room. The wings were delicious although they were a bit spicy.

    It's now quite late and we need to get some sleep as we have a big day in town tomorrow.

    I'm going to try and attach some photos

    1 -Floor 80 of the Empire State
    2 - Grand Central Station
    3 - Empire State Building - ground floor
    4 - Outside Grand Central Station    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    A few words about other things

    July 9, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    As with our last trip, there are certain differences we notice. The technology here is quite amazing from the self flush toilets to the ordering systems to the technology in Andrew's car. Andrew has a Tessla which is a fully electric car. The dashboard is space age with two screens giving him all sorts of information. He has an enormous GPS screen and another one which shows him where he is within the lane and where the other vehicles are. Poppy is fascinated by the door handles which pop out when Andrew approaches the vehicle. Mercina likes the extra boot space in the front where the engine is in regular cars.Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    A long day in the hot sun

    July 10, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Apologies for the infrequency of the posts. We left the hotel at 9am yesterday and didn't return until midnight. It's now 9am and we are struggling to wake up and get moving.

    We drove into town and went for a walk around the Meatpackers District. As the name suggests, this is where al the butchers congregated. Even though they have been gone over 30 years, the place still smells heavily of meat. The architecture is very industrial. This is now a trendy place to live and has many designer stores.

    From there we walked to the Highline. This was an old elevated railway line which had been decommissioned a long time ago. It has been turned into a lovely walkway with gardens and pleasant places to sit. All around there are highrise apartment buildings and you can see right into the rooms.One building had claw foot baths which overlooked the walkway!

    We had lunch in a typical New York Deli. It was full of construction workers.

    After lunch we caught a taxi to the wharf. Poppy has been most impressed by Andrew who just steps out into the road and hails a cab. It was her turn and she was pleased to flag one down.

    We took a cruise around Manhattan Island. This was a great way to see the city from the outside. We saw lots of famous buildings and our tour guide was excellent. We understood most of his jokes. For me, the best bit was when we sailed up to the Statue of Liberty. She was an awesome sight and something I had been wanting to see. The cruise was 2.5 hours and went right around the island. It was a great trip.

    After the ride, we went for a walk to see the Rockerfeller Centre. I always thought this was one building but it turned out to be 12. We also visited St Patrick's church which was pretty spectacular.

    Finally we made it to Times Square. It was full of people and very loud - both aurally and visually. There were huge screens everywhere you looked an it was quite dizzying to see. It reminded me a lot of Las Vegas as you could have your photo taken with characters - eg Mickey Mouse, Statue of Liberty etc. It was a great place to sit and watch the people go by although I did feel quite dizzy as there was way too much going on.

    Andrew and Mercina went off to get Oliver and Eva while Poppy and I wandered around. We found a Starbucks and sat outside using their free wi fi. We also visited a souvenir shop and Poppy is now the proud owner of a sparkly New York cap!

    Going to have breakfast now. Will finish this story later    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    A Long Day in the Hot Sun - part 2

    July 10, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    So I finished this story and then something happened to the computer and now I have to start again!

    Andrew and Mercina met up with Oliver and Eva and brought them back to Times Square. The kids were very excited to show their cousins their home town. We started with a trip to Dave and Buster's which is an amusement arcade. They had a great time playing all the games for an hour or so.

    We took the subway to a restaurant for dinner. It was just like in the movies - crowded!

    Dinner was at a nice pub where we had another great meal. It is so much more fun travelling with a local as they know all the best places to go. A word about the meals - they are huge. I shared mine with Eva and it was still too much.

    It was a long drive home as we were exhausted. Bed by midnight.    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    Thing I learned in Times Square

    July 10, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Jesus is coming, so it's time I repented my sins

    The aliens have killed some man's family which is why he is begging in the street.

    The CIA are part of a conspiracy designed to destroy civilisation

    You can wear any outrageous clothing you want and no one bats an eyelid.    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    Culture

    July 10, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    This morning we had a later start. We drove to the Upper West Side and parked. We tried to find a park on the street (which is free) but we couldn't find one on the right side of the road. It turns out that every second day, the street sweepers clean the streets so all the cars parked on the north side had to be moved by 11:30am until 2pm else they would be towed. Apparently what they do is at 11:30am the people parked on the north, double park their cars on the south side (one way streets) until 2pm when they move them back!

    We walked through Central Park and around the Jackie Kennedy Reservoir. The park was quite lovely and green.

    We visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or The Met) which is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. This museum is full of artworks from different countries and different eras. We started in the Egyptian section and saw mummies and frescos filled with hieroglyphics. It was quite fascinating to learn about the techniques they used to preserve people. From there we moved to the American Wing followed by Arms and Armour. I really enjoyed seeing the knights and the different suits of armour. The Medieval Art was spectacular and they were playing some dramatic music which really set the scene. Things came a little unstuck in the European Paintings section when I heard Andrew and Mercina casing the joint. We figured out that each Monet was worth approximately $7Million and they were trying to figure out how to take one! Eva encouraged us to take a trip to the Roof Garden where we saw some spectacular views. We ended our time at The Met reviewing our own cultural artifacts in the Greek and Roman Art room.

    Andrew took us to Lennich (a famous NY deli) which was further uptown. We had to get two taxis for the 6 of us. I managed to flag one down straight after Andrew and was able to utter those magical words "Follow that cab!". Lunch was delicious. We even managed to watch the second half of the France/Belgium semi final - although the commentary was in Spanish.

    After lunch we took a walk to the Dakota Building where John Lennon lived and died. It was a special moment for me. Luckily there were no other tourists when we were there so I had plenty of time and space to contemplate. We then walked across the road into Central Park to see Strawberry Fields and the Imagine Memorial. There were heaps of people there. Some had brought flowers. A man was playing John Lennon songs on his guitar and we were all singing along. It was great to sit there and reflect on his life and his death and the impact he made on the world. I am really glad we did this as it was something I was really looking forward to seeing.

    On our way back, we stopped in at the NY Barber Museum which was run by a couple of guys who were quite passionate about the history of barbering in NY. Thy gave us a full guided tour of the place. It was very interesting.

    The kids wanted to take the girls to their favourite frozen yoghurt place , 16 Handles. Everyone had a great time selecting their yoghurts and their toppings.

    By now it was 5pm and we were all a bit tired so we returned to the hotel. The kids went for a swim and I updated my blog and had a nap.

    At 8pm we went to Rosa Mexicano for dinner. We enjoyed the food although there was too much of it again!

    Another great day. Andrew is an awesome tour guide. It has been fun seeing where he lived and worked and also learning about the city. We have covered heaps of ground and we have seen a lot. I do have photos to share and I hope to put more up in the morning.    Read more

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    A word about taxis

    July 10, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    A lot of what we know about NY is from the movies and TV programs. The taxis are indeed yellow and you do just step out into the street and flag them down. I don't know how they make money as there seems to be so many of them and they aren't terribly expensive. They have TV screens in the back so you are bombarded with advertisements or sometimes they show news or programs which can be quite interesting. Most of the aren't exactly air conditioned although one taxi had an interesting set up. He had an air con unit in the front to which he connected a cardboard tube to feed the cold air into the back! Another great use for cardboard.

    The taxi drivers have all been polite and friendly. They have also all been foreigners. Many of them spend most of their time talking on the phone in their mother tongue while navigating their way through the traffic. It's crazy!    Read more

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    Photos from The Met

    July 11, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Photos 2 and 3 are taken from the roof garden. The very tall skinny building on its own is the tallest residential building. It is quite mpressive
    The last photo is the outside of the building

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    A Time to Reflect

    July 11, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today was all about remembrance. We drove into town this morning to the Freedom Tower which is above the 9/11 Memorial. We took the elevator tot he 102nd floor - the trip took 45 seconds! On the walls of the elevator they showed you how the skyline of Manhattan changed over the last 250 or so years. It was quite fascinating to see. From the top of the Freedom Tower (the tallest building in the Western hemisphere and in the USA) we had a fabulous view of lower Manhattan. It was a reasonably clear day and we could see a great distance. To see what we could see go to www.revisitoneworld.com

    Upon leaving the Freedom Tower we walked through the Occulus which is a brand new transit complex where the new transit system is based. It is also a Westfield Mall. We spent a bit of time looking around in there and we had a bite to eat.

    We went to the 9/11 Memorial to see the cascading waters of the memorial built on the footprints of the twin towers. Around the edges are the names of the victims. On their birthday, a rose is placed by the name of the victim in their memory.

    Then it was time to visit the 9/11 Museum. This was quite sobering as we relived that day. It was interesting to note that the children didn't really know too much about the tragedy. By the end they knew a great deal. We saw bits of the building that survived the collapse and we saw lots of footage of the towers burning and of the collapse of each tower. We heard audio from the day and of survivors telling their stories. It was fascinating.

    It was late afternoon when we finished. We drove back to New Jersey and did a little bit of shopping before having a delightful Italian dinner.

    After dinner we drove to the Tesla dealership to refill the batteries with electricity.

    An early night tonight.    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    Fun in the Park

    July 12, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today Andrew left us to our own devices. He dropped us off at the Central Park Zoo (made famous in the movie Madagascar). It's quite a small zoo - perfect for small children and tired tourists. We saw the penguins, seal lions and seals as well as tropical animals and bears. What we did not see was Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman. Furthermore, the penguins were not trying to escape. That was quite disappointing. Admission included a 4D movie - an Ice Age short and a visit to The Children's Zoo which was a small petting zoo.

    We walked through the park to the Hans Christian Anderson statue and on to the Alice in Wonderland Statue. It was a lovely park. We saw the pond where they sail small radio controlled boats. We had lunch at the Loeb Boathouse and then continued to walk to the northern end of the park. Along the way we came across many scenes that seemed vaguely familiar. I really want to watch a whole lot of New York based movies just so I can say "I've been there!" We also came across an old carousel. The girls had to have a ride. The park was full of all kinds of people - old, young, locals and visitors. It's a great asset to the city and has certainly been a highlight of the trip for me.

    Once out of the park, we hailed a cab (not as easy as Andrew made it out to be) and drove to Times Square. We had planned to get tickets for a show but the queue was way too long and it was way too hot to stand out in the sun so we flagged that idea. We'll do that on our next trip!

    We decided to do a bit of shopping. You will be pleased to know that shopping with teenage girls in NY is the same as shopping with teenage girls in NZ.

    We also stumbled across Gulliver's Gate - www.gulliversgate.com - which was an awesome exhibit of models of famous buildings and sights around the world. We really enjoyed it.

    Dinner was at The Bubba Gump Shrimp Company - www.bubbagump.com . It was a great meal and a very American experience. The waitress was so happy to see and serve us! They have signs on the table. When you want the waitress to come over, you display "Stop Forrest, Stop" and when you are happy to be left alone you display "Run Forrest, Run". We ate well and left a decent tip.

    Finally it was time to leave Times Square and hail an Uber for the trip back out to New Jersey. A lovely day.    Read more

  • Maria AngeliqueStart Spreading the News....Traveler

    Bits and Pieces

    July 13, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today we decided to have a quiet day before we travel to Cape May tomorrow. We took an uber to a local mall for a spot of shopping. We had to stop when we realised that we wouldn't be able to fit everything into our suitcases!

    The Mall - Westfield Garden State Plaza - was about the size of Levin spread over two floors. There were hundreds of shops of every variety. There was one shop that only sold baseball caps - nothing else!. Despite it being a working day, the mall was quite busy. All the malls and most of the big chain stores have free wifi.

    This mall also had Phone Charging Machines. You opened the appropriate portal for your phone, plugged it in, answered a bunch of questions and then the portal would lock. When you come back later, you have to answer the same questions for your portal to unlock so you could get your phone out. The charging was free and you didn't have to bring your own charging cable as that was available in the portals. You can also top up your phone while having a bite to eat in the foodcourt as they have USB plugs everywhere. Of course, you do have to bring your cable for those.

    Many rubbish bins come in 3's - one for rubbish, one for bottles, cans and plastic and one for paper recycling. It can be hard to find them on the streets but there are plenty in the malls.

    The shop staff are very attentive. They are also wired up with mics and headphones. When trying on shoes, they call up to someone else to find you the pair you want in the size you need and the shoes are delivered to you. There is often a manager type wandering around the store giving instructions to staff via these devices. If they see someone who needs service or they want a little more presence in one part of the store then they just give the order and it is done.

    The selection of merchandise is dizzying. No matter what colour or size you might be looking for, you are likely to find it. In the Department stores, the girls section goes up to 16 while the Boy's section goes up to 20! I'm not sure if that is age or size but my girls found plenty in the girls section that they liked, that would fit and was appropriate. They did find the sizing a bit weird. Poppy was mostly an 8 or 10 while Cina was 14 to 16.

    Some of the people here are huge. I have noticed that the aisles seem a bit wider than at home. The people aren't just fat but also very tall and big in general. I know I'm small but these people make me feel really tiny.

    It is so warm outside - 30 degrees - yet inside the air conditioning is on so high that it is freezing. It's weird to have to put on a jacket when you go inside and take it off when you go outside.

    We have come across plenty of groups of school aged children on holiday excursions (it's the summer school holidays here). Despite it being the height of summer, none of them are wearing hats! There's never anyone telling them to put on sunscreen and they have lots of exposed flesh (arms, legs etc). They would be burnt to a crisp at home, but here there don't seem to be any problems.

    That's it for now. I'm going to try and find somewhere for us to eat tonight. We need to have an early night so we can get into town for our bus ride south tomorrow    Read more

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    Multicultural Society

    July 13, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    Tonight a Turkish uber driver took us to dinner at a Greek restaurant run by Mexicans - now that's multicultural!

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    Travelling to Cape May - the long way

    July 14, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    On Saturday morning we woke early because we had to get into NYC to catch a Greyhound bus to Atlantic City. We caught an Uber to the Port Authority Bus Station and then queued up to get tickets for the bus. Only $22 per person - no discount for kids because it was peak time. Not only that, but you couldn't get tickets for a specific bus time. You bought your ticket and then you queued up for the next available bus. Many New Yorkers like to go to Atlantic City for the weekend in summer. Many, many, many New Yorkers. We were lucky in that we arrived early and only had to wait 2 hours. When we finally got on the bus (we were the last 3 to get on our bus) the queue behind us was even longer than when we arrived.

    Our bus driver was a lovely woman full of character. She started by greeting us with "Good morning" to which we half heartedly responded. Well, that wasn't good enough for her so she tried again and again. Finally she said "I all got dressed up in my Sunday best and that's the best you all can do? GOOD MORNING" . We gave the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and she continued on with her spiel. She was very entertaining.

    The bus ride was uneventful. It took 3 hours to get to Atlantic City which is a casino town by the seaside. There isn't much to say about it other than it reminded us a little of Las Vegas. Andrew and the kids met the bus. We went for a bite to eat at a Mexican pizza restaurant and then piled into the Tesla for the ride to his new home in Cape May.

    Andrew and Kelly bought this house a week ago so it is quite new for them too. It is on 18 acres of marshland and woodland. It is very American - hard to describe. The main house has 3 bedrooms and then the master bedroom is in the annex. The kids have a room each and there is a large spare room with a huge ensuite. Kelly has found the most unusual and delightful light fittings which really give each room a unique look.

    We walked around the property and then sat in their open air indoor/outdoor room and relaxed. They cooked a lovely dinner which we all enjoyed. We took a walk to the end of the pier to watch the beautiful sunset. The property has many wild animals including squirrels and rabbits. The girls were in heaven.

    The kids played board games and their conversation reminded me of our summers at Waikanae. Poppy and Oliver are definitely Marina and Andrew!

    Early to bed as we have a long day ahead of us    Read more

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    Cape May

    July 15, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    This morning we packed up to move to Andrew and Kelly's Inn in Cape May itself. They have just bought another property and it happens to be empty this week so we have the place to ourselves. The Ashley Rose is a 7 bedroom Victorian mansion which has been converted to a bed and breakfast. The rooms are old fashioned and quite luxurious. We each have our own room. Mine has a king sized poster bed and a lovely little bathroom.

    Andrew and Kelly showed us around their other inns - The Casablanca and The Harrison. These are Victorian houses which have been converted. The rooms are stunning. Each room is different from the rest.

    After lunch we went to an historic village. We learnt about basket weaving, pottery, blacksmithing etc. They had a falconer there and he showed us his birds. He had a gorgeous baby owl which was soft to pat. We had a lovely time and we learnt a bit. They also had very nice ice cream!

    In the afternoon, Andrew, Eva, Mercina and I went to the light house. 180 steps to the top. A great view. I learnt quite a bit about the area. The hardest part about walking up 180 steps is getting back down!

    We went for a walk along the beach and I finally dipped my toes in the Atlantic Ocean!

    Back at the house now for a rest before the evening's entertainment

    Photo one is the view from the tower    Read more

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    Dinner in Cape May

    July 15, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Tonight we partook in a Cape May tradition. It seems that everyone who comes to Cape May has to have dinner at The Lobster House. This restaurant seats 2000 people at a time and specialises in seafood - especially lobster. The decor is 70's Fisherman's Table as are the waitress uniforms. Despite seating so many, you can't book a table, you just have to turn up and wait.

    So, Andrew takes Mercina and Oliver and drives there at 5:30pm to get a table. They tell him there is a 1 hour wait an they give him a beeper. He comes home and tells us that dinner is at 6:30pm! Mercina thought this was a great trick. She wants to be a Bares!

    There was an extensive menu of seafood. Cina and I shared the Lobster House special which consisted of lobster tail, shrimps and scallops - all fresh from the sea - on a bed of linguine with a side salad, vegetables and a baked potato. This was actually a meal for one but it was more than enough for the two of us. Eva had a one pound lobster all to herself. Andrew and Kelly had oysters for entree and Mercina decided to try one. We didn't tell her until afterwards that the oyster was raw! It was a great meal.

    After dinner we drove back to the Ashley Rose. Andrew, the kids and I walked down to the waterfront to soak up the atmosphere. There is a boardwalk with arcade games and souvenir shops - lots of flashing lights and noise. We played mini golf and had a great time.

    A fantastic end to our first day in Cape May township    Read more

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    Things to do in Cape May

    July 16, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    This is the third time I am typing this!

    We woke to a lovely breakfast provided by our stellar hosts. Kelly makes great pancakes and the bacon was fabulous.

    We walked into town for a spot of retail therapy. The shops here are typical of a resort town. Lots of t shirts, souvenirs and assorted fun stuff. They have quite a few specialty shops. The kids loved the sweet shop and they have some salt water taffy to bring home for everyone to try. Andrew likes the Peanut Butter shop where you can try the different concoctions. I quite liked the honey roasted peanut butter and the butterscotch flavour but the chocolate peanut butter and the cappuccino peanut butter left an interesting taste in the mouth. Kelly bought a jar of Bacon and Maple Peanuts. They were educational. Sometimes it's best not to combine flavours!

    Andrew and Kelly took the kids to the beach. You have to pay to go to the beach here. It is more expensive for the tourists who pay $6 a day or $12 for 3 consecutive days or $18 for a week. The locals buy season passes for $20. The money pays for the upkeep of the beach as well as the lifeguards. The surf is pretty rough but the water is quite warm. The beach is very sandy and the sand can get quite hot. The beach is a 5 minute walk from the Ashley Rose. You can see it from the front porch.

    I went to the Cape May Day Spa for a Swedish Massage. This was my first experience and I enjoyed it! Good to get a bit of pampering every now and then.

    I joined everyone at the beach for a while before the weather closed in and we all scampered back to the house with our umbrella, chairs and gear.

    A fun day    Read more

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    Evenings in Cape May

    July 16, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    When we returned home from the beach we all sat in rocking chairs on the porch and watched the world go by. There are elegant house drawn coaches which do a tour of the town. The drivers give an historic commentary as they pass the different houses and landmarks. There is a Cinderella coach whose driver is dressed like Cinderella. That one lights up at night. There is also a bus tour. The bus stops outside the Ashley Rose and the guide tells everyone about the bathroom added on the side of the building on the 2nd floor. It's quite amusing to have them stare at us while we stare at them.

    Mercina, Eva and I went for a walk. We saw many historic buildings and lots more Victorian houses.

    In the early evening we went to Congress Hall which is a huge hotel and restaurant complex. It has been on the same site for over 150 years. Every Monday in summer they hold an old fashioned carnival on their lawn. We bought game tickets and then had fun taking part in the different activities. There was Toss the Ring Over the Bottles, Bean bag throwing, Frog Flinging, Skeet Ball and Poppy's favourite Hit the target so hard that it flies up the pole and rings the bell.    Read more

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    Evenings in Cape May part 2

    July 16, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    I'm doing this on my phone and hit a wrong button.

    Poppy had several hours on her favourite game. Each time she rang the bell, she won some tickets. Between them the kids won enough tickets to claim a prize.

    They also had the Beanbag Toss game where you had to throw the beanbag into the hole on a board. I was terrible at this. I wasn't letting go at the right moment and I kept throwing the beanbag straight up or in the wrong direction. The crowd found this hilarious. Those within range found it dangerous. In the end Oliver suggested I should stop before someone got hurt!

    We had a fantastic dinner at The Blue Pig and then walked home    Read more

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