East Coast Summer Tour 2019

We were ambitious, we were brave, we almost abandoned a stroller on the platform, but while in Virginia we took the Amtrak train up north to visit friends in Philadelphia. What a fantastic way to travel! Admittedly, it's easier when you don't have a stroller, and when you don't have full sized luggage to tote along with three children, but it was fast and fun and so much easier than flying! I hadn't quite thought through how we were going to find seats together AND I was going to get our luggage on the train AND I was going to fold up the stroller and carry it up the steps while leaving all three kids in Gretchen's 8-year old hands while I made multiple trips. But we did it, and some kind commuters had mercy on me so we didn't need to all sit apart from each other in four separate middle seats.

The sheer fact that we were on a train was a portion of the trip's entertainment for the kids. The Nintendo DS helped too. 

Thankfully, once we arrived at the train station, my fantastic friend Jenn was there waiting for us, ready to help unload our many things. Additionally, our children love each other so the weekend was full of constant entertainment. 

Philadelphia is full of interesting things to do. I wish I could say that we ran the Rocky steps, toured Independence Hall and took a picture in front of the Liberty Bell. Perhaps when our kids are a little older, for now, we visited the Please Touch Children's Museum and I wouldn't take it back. There was a whole station where you could wash your hands, then go to a blow drier to dry them off. Graham was obsessed. His hands have never been so clean or so dry. His shirt, however, was drenched. 

And I got to ride a Dodo.

We had the chance to meet up with college friends, the Mayes family! They live in the Philly area and were willing to weather the incredible rainstorm to drive and meet us at this fantastic spot, The Creamery of Kennett Square. It would best be enjoyed on a lovely sunny day, but our crew of kids spent the entire time eating and creating the Zelda Tri-Force out of a life-sized peg board on the wall. What a fun treat to have so many favorite people under the same roof.

Through a few families that live in the greater Philadelphia area, we had heard about this utopia called Longwood Gardens. This was another kid-friendly spot that didn't disappoint! The gardens are incredible, however that is not usually enough to keep kids occupied. Never fear, the entrance offers tiered hedges to hide and seek in, a huge rolling hill for dizzy delights and a scavenger hunt that kept everyone happy and occupied. 

In case that's not enough, everyone brought a Pokemon toy to play with.

All important decisions between 8&9 year olds happen over ice cream.

The crowning jewel of the trip (for me) was this unreal dinner spot that Mike and Jenn brought me to in celebration of my 38th birthday. The food was divine, the bubbles flowed, the sun set and the Phillies won - so the night included a fireworks show over the cityscape of Philadelphia. I couldn't have planned anything better. 

Four Amtrak tickets later, we're back in DC! For another kind of train ride, the DC Metro! What used to be my daily commute is now a fun excursion for kids and Grammy's alike. DC is a magical place at almost every turn. There are monuments and history and memories around every corner. Just take a look at what a beautiful day we had to explore the city!

Gretchen, Alex and Grammy at the Washington Monument. Can you spot the line where construction was stopped for 23 years when the US ran out of money for the project and fought the Civil War? 

We visited the World War II monument, my first time there. Everything is symbolic. It is a long awaited sight to be seen.

We went way back in history at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Dinosaurs and birds and gems, oh my! We have a special behind the scenes friend that was able to meet us for lunch, and explain some of what goes on in the non-accessible portion of the museum.

The monument that the kids wanted to see most was the Lincoln Memorial. Who wouldn't! It's impressive! It's larger than life! There are a gazillion steps leading up to it! It took us a few minutes to line up this selfie without background tourists in our shot, but we got the big man included, so that's what matters. 

 To round out the whole trip, we got to see another family friend, this time the Welsh family. Alex and Jon have been friends since elementary school and we were excited to re-introduce the next generation of friends. Kids meeting our friends kids has been such a great part of being back in the US. Thank you to everyone who hosted us and took time out of a busy summer to meet up with us. Back to the Houston heat!