Mea Culpa!

So, it's been a while since I've blogged.  

In my defense, it's been a busy week.  

It's summer, and with the sweltering heat and the high electricity bills comes my annual desire to pack up the car and travel. 

For better or worse, we decided to take a 'spur-of-the-moment' trip to Philadelphia for the July 4th weekend.   I don't know why we thought that it would make sense to leave the influx of NYC tourists for the influx of patriotic Americans making the trek to see the Birthplace of Independence, but off we went.  

I say 'pack up the car' and not 'hop on a plane' because I am not, nor will I ever be .... a flyer.  I blame a combination of factors, not the least of which is my neurosis about air-travel mortality rates, my inability to pack for even a weekend trip using less than two suitcases, and my hope that if we're driving, I have a chance of convincing my husband to pull off when we pass an outlet mall. 

Traveling does a lot of great things for me - I even get my house clean and my laundry done before we go (a miracle in itself).  I get my hair cut, my toes painted ,,,, I have a great, wide-brimmed, floppy hat that I bought in Soho that makes me feel a little 'urban sophisticate' with my great big designer knock-off sunglasses.  By the time we leave the house, I am so ready to vacation in style.

The problem is, I occasionally have a tendency to get ever-so-slightly irritated in situations that at all involve interacting with other human beings. 


So, if you plop me in a fantastic city center, in the middle of a heat-wave in my 'trying to look like a sophisticated tourist' outfit that almost inevitably means a black dress in 100 degree weather, stilettos, blow-dryed hair and perfect make-up - things can go wrong very quickly.  Especially if I'm discovering that my make-up/hair/shoes/outfit are having trouble standing up to the rigors of a day of summer sight-seeing. Being anywhere near me at this point is dangerous.  Stepping on my foot because you're looking at your map instead of the sidewalk is suicide. 

My problem with doing the 'tourist thing', is the fact that there are other people doing it at the same time.  Often, they are wearing t-shirts that are either offensive or display the US flag, and it is very difficult for them to walk, talk and sight-see at the same time. 


So hours into our first day in Philly, Maria is tired, my face is melting and my hair is frizzing, and I've just about reached my quota of 'tourist dodging' for the day.*


*Tourist dodging is when the parties that are actually aware of their surroundings have to stop short, change direction, or circumnavigate large groups of people that simply choose to stop in the middle of city streets, hotel lobbies, restaurants, lines for attractions, etc., without any acknowledgment to the disruption in pedestrian traffic they've caused.


In the end, we all head back to the hotel, crash, wake-up at 9 PM, and head out for supper. 


One thing I've begun to take for granted in NYC is the fact that at any time of the day or night, you can walk for 5 minutes in any direction, and find a fantastic restaurant.   I don't know about you, but one of the most annoying things in the world is to be hungry, looking actively for food, and finding .... nothing. 


By the afternoon of day 2, I'd finally convinced my husband to visit the most stunning architectural achievement in downtown Philly - the Macy's. 


And finally, the vacation begins!!!!


From the moment she woke up on the fourth, Maria began asking us to take her to the fireworks.  The fact that fireworks cannot happen until night was lost on her.   One of the most miraculous and trying things about a pre-schooler is their unwavering ability to grasp onto a whim, and hold on with the tenacity of a bulldog.  Ten hours and 5000 'can we go see the fireworks' later, it's time.


If you can picture the size and scope of the fireworks spectacle on the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, you are probably beginning to understand that it is a potentially volatile situation for me.  


In the end, we made it in and out of the fireworks without my being arrested, Maria saw her fireworks, and the entire event was beautiful, and pretty darn cool.  Philadelphia is a beautiful, classic city, and it was a great choice for us to visit.  


Maria had a lot of firsts - she got to tour a tall ship, she saw an amazing fireworks display, and learned about a new city.


She also watched a show on the Discovery Channel that involved the death of a mommy squid.   Whoo boy!  We're still dealing with the ripple effect of that one.  She wasn't satisfied with the 'she just went away' answer that we threw out at first, so it turned into a real discussion!   It's amazing how many deep questions a kid her age can come up with about death.  Amazing, and scary, and stressful.  Here's hoping we haven't screwed her up permanently. 


All in all, we had a fantastic time.  For now, my wanderlust has been sated.  It is always good to come home, and start planning for the next trip!  (We booked Disney this week.  It's become an annual family trip with my parents and brother, and we basically look forward to it all year! I'm getting excited just thinking about it.)


To quote St. Augustine: 'The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.'.  


Now that I can get behind!  (As long as I can bring all my shoes .....)