The Secret Trip

I couldn't wait to go on the Secret Trip!  Since Chris didn't like that we didn't leave at a reasonable hour for the Vermont trip, I told him that he could plan the next trip without me.  I thought I had an idea of where we might be going, but the truth is that I really didn't know at all. 

We got up pretty early and drove in the rain towards our first stop...McDonald's breakfast! Chris kept telling me that we were going somewhere I had never been before on the first day, so eliminated that we would be going to Cooperstown, NY to see the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Even though I had been there twice, that was our first stop on the Secret Trip. The Hall was empty which was really cool because I had time to look at and read all of the exhibits.  

After we finished up at the Hall of Fame, Chris and I got in the car and drove through some pretty crazy weather with tons of fog and rainbows.  It turns out that we were on our way to Rochester to spend the night at his house.  When we got home, we had some dinner with his dad.  Guida's pizza was delicious.  That evening, we hung around his house where I met his dog, CJ, and all of the birds.  We played some Scrabble in the living room with Chris Sr. until we went to bed.  Before we went to sleep, Chris asked me where I thought we were going on the next day, and I was right when I guessed Niagara Falls!

Going to Niagara Falls was a blast.  We parked in a nearly empty lot on the New York side, then walked around to take a lot of pictures and purchase shot glasses.  I decided I was starting a collection.  It actually wasn't too cold that day, so we were able to do a lot of walking around.  We took many funny pictures, and then I convinced Christopher to walk to Canada!  At the time, you didn't need a passport to go from the US to Canada.  We beat the deadline by about 20 days, so we were able to cross over and have lunch where the grass was greener and no one carded.  *Note: If you go to Canada and order a pint of Molson, you will receive not 16 ounces of Molson, but 19.3.  Gotta love the metric system.  Also, the alcohol content of Canadian Molson is higher than American Molson.  It's wonderful (until you get your tab).

After I was nicely buzzed, we walked around Canada for a while.  I bought my 2nd shot glass for my collection and we eventually walked back over the bridge to the US where we encountered an unhappy US Customs officer who wanted to know what we were doing together if Chris was from Rochester and I was from Jersey.  I think she was just bored.  We played a little more Scrabble that evening and before leaving on Sunday morning. 

Christopher really did a great job planning this trip.  

Holidays 07 - NYC

Renata's B-day

New years in TS

gingerbread houses

Christmas Present #1: Peter Nero and the Philly Pops

Lindsay:

Chris and I got all dolled up to go out on the town for a night of fun.  First, Chris took me to a really nice restaurant that he wanted to go to across the street from the Kimmel Center.  Before we got there, we stopped at CVS for a disposable camera.  Unfortunately, those pictures have never been developed.  After a really nice dinner, we went across the street to the Kimmel Center.  I enjoyed this concert more than any other concert I had ever been to.  There was a phenomenal gospel choir, and when they sang the Hallelujah Chorus after the gospel music, one of the members continued to snap his hand over the choir loft which I thought was pretty amusing.  After the concert, we explored the Kimmel Center.  We discovered a big room with lots of plants and an awesome view of Philadelphia high up above the actual auditorium.  The echo of voices from far below us sounded really cool.  It took about 10 minutes for anyone else to make it up to the garden room with us.  

Chris:

after my final exam, I figured it was time to stop neglecting my girlfriend, so we went out for dinner and the pops.  Soto Varalles restaurant on Broad street was reasonably priced for its lvel of class and had special seatings for Kimmel center patrons so we went there first and had a very nice dinner.  For the concert, we had fantastic seats, front and center on the balcony.  It was a very uplifting and cheerful concert, with a wide range of musical styles and audience participation.  We both had a good time, so this one will probably become a tradition

Christmas at Longwood

Lindsay: A word to the wise: Never go to Longwood Gardens in December without a winter jacket.  I loved this trip, but oh man, did I freeze.  Chris and I went to Longwood Gardens to check out their Christmas display.  We walked around in the brightly lit gardens for hours in the dark. The display was really cool because there were so many Christmas lights.  There is a very famous organ at Longwood Gardens, and the man who plays it ever year at Christmas time played and the audience sang Christmas carols.  I loved this so much.  We also saw an ice skating show which was kind of corny, but still fun to watch.

On the way home, Chris and I tried to stop for dinner at a Japanese restaurant, but everything on the menu looked absolutely disgusting so we left.  It was pretty funny.  I know, we're classy.  I remember stopping at Target because I wanted to get a frame for a present I made Christopher. It was a collage with a whole bunch of ticket stubs and maps from places we had been.  I can't tell you if we actually found something to eat on the way home, but I'm entirely sure that we did not starve.  This was a great trip and I hope we do it again.

Vermont trip

Smashing Looking Pumpkins

Lindsay:  To be honest, I don't remember too much about this one.  Christopher, Jenny, and I were digging the insides out of our pumpkins at the kitchen table at my house.  My sister and Christopher wound up chucking hunks of pumpkin at each other, and Christopher was yelled at by my mother for hitting the freshly painted wall with pumpkin that missed my sister.  We also baked the pumpkin seeds.  I'm sure Chris will have more to say about this one!

late season Baseball

phillies v mets

orioles v yankees

college day on the parkway

Museums

Restaurant Week: Fall '07

This was a really neat thing that Chris told me about.  We went to La Famiglia which was the only restaurant in participating in restaurant week that had an entree that could be made into a vegetarian dish.  Chris picked me up at my house (I was living in North Philly at the time) and we headed downtown to La Famiglia where we both had meals we really enjoyed.  Afterwards, we walked over to Penn's Landing and walked around for a little while before we went home.  It was really a beautiful night between the delicious dinner and weather down by the water.