While in New York, we thought we’d better try the self-proclaimed “Best Pizza on the Planet.” On Facebook my pizza-lovingest friends, Vincent Gee and Joe Buckley immediately began drilling me on the quality. We decided that it was very good-VERY good- but perhaps not the best pizza on the planet. It was only a few ingredients (dough, cheese, spices and a sauce) but they were [Read more →]

Neighbor, Mark Standley commented, “I remember circling the block a jillion times near Grand Central Station before anyone would let us change enough lanes to park in front of the hotel…that’s why you walk in Manhattan.”

I wouldn’t have missed this. Despite the cold and rain, we took our rental car to our last stop in D.C., Arlington National Cemetery. It was a somber experience visiting the grave of President Kennedy and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The cracks of [Read more →]

Look who we ran into! Actually, Lisa’s cousin, James Friel drove down from Delaware just to have dinner with us while we were on vacation in DC. We hung out for a bit at our hotel and ate Chinese. It’s always great to see family, and Jimmy never disappoints as far as company goes.

We braved inclement weather in DC again to do the things that tourists do. Today that meant touring the White House. The first-family was in Hawaii, so that meant rolling back the carpets and creating NSF files for 400 tourists an hour. Emily sprinted through the tour, bored to death, pouting the whole way. Let’s not forget that she was scolded by Secret Service for sitting on an antique chair. Then she posed for nearly 20 selfies on the exit to the east lawn, smiling as if it was the highlight of her trip.

It’s never too cold for a nice mandarin vodka & cran. After our full day in DC at nearly freezing temperatures, we ducked into the first heated restaurant we could find. No, not some DC dive, a national chain known as The Hardrock Cafe. Now time to let the extremities thaw out.

You know you’re in a quality hotel when there is a phone in the bathroom.–at The Mayflower Renaissance, Washington, DC

A day off from the Disney parks meant taking a short drive to Tampa to visit our Pollard cousins. Steve’s aunt, Norma joined us along with cousins, Tom and Adrienne and their kids Joshua and Finn. For these McClellands it was the first time meeting our east coast kid-cousins, Joahua and Finn.

After visiting with the family at Tom and Adrienne’s place, Norma took us out for an upscale Mexican dinner. The long-ish table only became a barrier to conversation and I felt left out of the talk at the other end. My words with my Aunt Norma were too few, our time together too short.

We can do Disney World, visit museums and even see a Broadway play, but the most personal part of any vacation is the time we spend with family, and this visit is one we'll always remember.