Matzeltov Moments: May 2011

After 2 months of solitary boredom, job hunting, and many episodes of Felicity (thanks to my sister in law), it was time to engage in another gallivant. This time my travels would take me to the fabulous and historical East Coast (I left my heart there 6 years ago- so I was long overdue for a trip back). My brother Cole had been living in WASHINGTON DC for the semester, so we decided it would be fun to go fetch him on his last day of his internship, site see for a few days, and from there, head northeast to PHILADELPHIA, next NEW YORK and finally up to BOSTON along with the lush, green island of MARTHA'S VINEYARD. To sum up, it was a whirlwind adventure full of trains, buses, subways, ferries, bicycles, planes, not to mention LOTS OF WALKING!! (I regret we didn't experience the joy of a scooter, which stifled my fun for about 4.5 seconds, but I got over it.).

In preparation for this rather quick trip, I decided it would be wise to compose an itinerary-so we could be sure to hit all the major sites, since we definitely were on a strict schedule. Composing an itinerary reminds me of when I came up with one for me & Erin went we went to Hong Kong and China...so Erin, I hope you realize the sheer LOVE I have of making itineraries!~ I can't stop the planning...it's somewhat addicting. Our first stop was Washington DC. I super adore this town, because not only is DC full of history, but it's full of diversity, great lawns, houses and eateries. DC is unique because it was established 217 years ago by the US Constitution to serve as the nation's capital. As you may know, DC was founded & named after by the 1st President of the US: George Washington.

Interesting jibjab: Did you know that Washington DC has the largest percent of adult advanced degrees in the entire United States? That means that the majority of residents living in DC have Bachelor's degrees or higher, than compared to any other city/town within the entire American population! DC is a wealthy, competent, educated and diverse place~ cool, right?

My brother was an intern for Senator Hatch at the Capitol Building, so he gave us tour of this fine building

(this is where the Supreme Court used to meet in the 1800's)

DC city is laid out in quadrants (north, west, south and east) and this little golden gem marks the very center where the quadrants meet.

Supreme Court Building

We went to this awesome burger joint, called The Good Stuff Eatery. They are famous for...can you guess? The Obama burger.

I love the homesteads...aren't they precious?

The American Indian Smithsonian

The Air & Space Smithsonian

F-1 Engine used in the Apollo mission...it was as big as a house!

The Washington Monument

The Smithsonian Institute...it's practically medieval

Natural History and Art Museum

Connecting to my Jewish love...

Jefferson Memorial

Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

World War II Memorial

Washington Memorial with sunset...

White House

FBI Headquarters (ode to my obsession for human behavior)

After spending a few days in DC, we took an early bus to Philadelphia...oh, but wait. Let's rewind. I, as the official "itinerary planner" decided that reservations for transportation would be the best and cheapest if we pre-ordered the tickets...so I did (through Mega bus was a cheap bus ride, I highly recommend this company if you don't want a car rental or don't want to take a short plane ride. It was seriously CHEAP) BUT, our bus from DC departed super way early (before any of the subways functioned, little did we know) and so we missed our reservation! It was horrible...I was a beast, to say the least. If I make plans, I get super bugged if they don't turn out. But, we were fortunate enough to make a later bus departure, which got us into Philadelphia 1 hour later than planned. It all worked out.

There we met up with my best friends little sister, Mallori. She lives in New Jersey, 45 minutes from Philly. She picked us up (with all our luggage) and drove us around. It was nice, since we had scarred our feet walking the previous days. Our first stop was the Rocky statue at the Philadelphia Art Museum.

Steps that Slyvester Stalone ran up in the Rocky movie series

Washington Park

Mosaic wall art of which I adore.

Jim's Steak, famous for their Cheesesteaks!

Independence Hall

A traveling mustache is a great essential.

George. Washingon. & Mustaches.

Liberty Bell, crack and all.

City Hall

JFK Plaza

Here we all are (bro, Trevor, me and Meems) in the city of Brotherly Love.

Ben Franklin Bridge, which leads to the state of New Jersey

That night we stayed with Mallori and her husband Chris in New Jersey. I have a special place in my heart for New Jersey, so I was glad to be back in the Garden State. When we got to Mallori's house, Chris had fixed us dinner (chicken parmesan), which was ABSOLUTELY delicious! Compliments to the chef~We talked around the table and enjoyed each others company and finished off with some yummy cupcakes. The next morning, we got up early and Mallori drove us to the Hamilton train station. From there, it would take a 1 hour train ride to reach Penn Station (Madison Square Gardens) in New York City.

Atop the Empire State Building

Central Park is one of the most grandeur gardens in the US, covering over 50 blocks and is filled with fountains, performers, tracks, flowers, ponds, ice skating rinks, bridges, carousels and statues. Given the enormity of this massive park, it was wise investment to rent bicycles for a few hours to gallivant around the park and see all the splendors.

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park

Jackie Onassis Kennedy Reservoir

Gothic Bridge

Bow Bridge

My favorite place in the city~

If you stop in NYC, you must stop at Dylan's Candy Bar

3 floors of candy

makes me think of Taiwan...

There's even candy in the floor and steps

Rockefeller Plaza (for all you "30 Rock" fans)

Times Square-42nd Street

Catching a ferry to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

South Street Seaport

Brooklyn Bridge

Maplewood, New Jersey Train Station (this town is where I spent 1 year of my life nannying for 3 cute little buttons)

Here we all are, eating ice cream from the best Hershey Ice cream store!

Matthew 12, Allie 8, Kat 10

( I can't believe how fast time flies. I was their nanny 5 years ago! They have grown up on me!)

Taking Kat and Allie to school. Sadly, this was time to say goodbye... :(

While in New Jersey/New York, my dear employers (from 5 years ago) let us stay with them for a few nights. I seriously LOVE this family- I can't even tell you how glorious this visit was for me. When I arrived to be their nanny 5 years ago, they were all little little. Allie had just turned 2 years old, now she is 8! They have grown up so much and their fun personalities have blossomed so much. I will always remember those precious days when I walked them to school, played make believe games, spending many hours coloring art projects after school, singing I'm A Little Teapot, having a lemonade stand after school, making no bake Mauchan cookies, enjoying dinner at Tinga, our favorite Mexican restaurant, walking into town, getting our makeup done at Sephora, playdates and many more memories... I surely do miss my cute little people, and I wish I could make it back to Maplewood more often. This family truly changed my life- I couldn't have asked to be part of a better family than them. I love them all so very much!

We then took an early bus ride (mega bus) from New York City to Boston-about a 4 hour drive. Totally worth the money and time! The bus took us straight to South Street Station, where we purchased a Charlie Ticket for the subway and rode to Andrew station, where our hotel was. We dropped off our luggage at Holiday Inn Express (best service at this hotel) and continued our ventures to Cambridge, home of Harvard University.

Campus Grounds

Coat of Arms: VE RI TAS (which means, truth)

John Harvard, the founder

Cheers

"Where everybody knows your name"

Frog Pond, Boston Common

Freedom Trail, which consists of historic Boston sites of interest.

The Freedom trail is marked with a bright red line that goes throughout Boston, which meant we could be our own tour guide~

Park Street Church

Granary Burying Ground

King's Chapel & Burying Ground

Old City Hall

~Because I believe in Matzeltov Moments~

Old Corner Bookstore

Old South Meeting House

Boston Massacre Site

Old State House Museum

Layout of the Boston Freedom Trail

Faneuil Hall

Quincy Market

Paul Revere House

The door to Paul Revere's house

All the locals call this Boston Bakery the best bakery in the nation

Paul Revere Mall

Boston Harbor

Following the "Red Line"

Bunker Hill

USS Constitution

Boston Skyline & Harbor

We took the Water Shuttle from the USS Constitution to Long Wharf along the Boston Harbor

($1.80 for a 5 minute ferry trip- it was definitely pleasant)

What's better than fresh seafood???

gotta love Boston

The next day we caught an early subway to South Street Station, where we had reservations on the Peter Pan (dumb name, I know) bus. The bus took us to Woods Hole, which is at the very southern tip of Massachusetts. From Woods Hole, we caught the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, which is an island south of Massachusetts. Martha's Vineyard is known for being a "summer colony," and is only accessible by boat or air. Martha's Vineyard became well known after the tragic accident on July 18, 1969 when Ted Kennedy drove off the Dike Bridge in Chappaquiddick county (eastern side of the island). Additionally, a small plane crashed off the cape of Martha's Vineyard which carried passengers John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Carolyn, killing both of them. Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy maintained a home in Aquinnah (western side of the island) until her death in 1994. Many presidents and celebrities like to visit this island, because it is secluded and spread out. Many find it a place to relax and find peace.

Taking the Ferry

Nantucket Sound

There are 6 provinces in Martha's Vineyard

1: Vineyard Haven

2: Oak Bluffs

3: Edgartown

4: Chappaquiddick

5: Aquinnah

6: Tisbury

Vineyard Haven

Black Dog Tavern

Oak Bluffs

Oak Bluffs is known as the "Gingerbread Cottage" province. There are numerous gingerbread looking houses in this small town, which I fell in love with.

I have a dream... let the gallivanting begin!

Ocean Park

super duper delicious ice cream

Edgartown

These homes rested on the Nantucket Sound (Pacific Ocean). Can you imagine the view every morning when you woke up? I would love to wake up to ocean as my backyard every day...