The Road Trip Divas Visit New York City

Let's just get this straight.

New York is crowded:    from Time's Square to the Brooklyn Bridge



Night or day, day or night.

Crowded.

The fact that the United Nations was in session and President Obama came up to speak just increased the crowdedness!    And my poor sister had to DRIVE in all that craziness!

But I'm happy to report we survived....and had some fun!



Because thankfully, there are places to pull over (physically or mentally) to take a break from the crowds.

The best thing we did was park the car and not use it until we were ready to leave the city.

Whew.

Another way to take a break was visit Central Park.



We first stopped at a cute little organic farmer's market in Union Square (yes, they sell vegies in NYC!)
We bought apples, fresh bread, Amish cheese and homemade gingerbread and had ourselves a lovely little picnic enjoying the beautiful scenery of Central Park....

Another way we got away from the crowds by heading UP.

Up 102 floors (1224 feet!) to the Empire State Building..

  (This next photo is looking up at the very tip of the building from the visitor's platform - the others are looking down.)



But it's a marvelous city - so vibrant, interesting and thankfully we found New Yorkers to be friendly and nice!  (well...except for the ones who didn't obey traffic laws and swarmed into the street when it was OUR green light...eek!)



 Over the great bridge, with sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money. The city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world. F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Road Trip Divas visit Mystic, Connecticut

We left Boston and headed south for New York City.

(Remember it was a business trip?  Well the business required my sister to make a presentation in three cities:  Boston, New York and Washington DC in about a week!  So YES, there was some driving involved....)



But we stopped for lunch at the most beautiful little bay side restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut.



We sat outside on their patio and enjoyed crab rolls with a side of THAT view!

Honestly, I think it was the most beautiful and peaceful lunch I've ever had.....wish you all could go back there with me for lunch!  (My TREAT!)



We also watched these little guys enjoy their lunch too!







It was a magnificent little spot to stop during our 6 hour drive from Boston to New York...
...and I just found out as I was writing this that the city's motto is:

 "Mystic:  A breath of fresh air between Boston and New York"


Perfect!  Cuz it really is a breath of fresh air.  We wished we weren't on a deadline, because there was a great Seaport Village with museums and lots of cute little shops..... but boo hoo we didn't have time to stop...!

For more info on the town of Mystic, click HERE

Mystic was founded in 1654 and quickly rose to prominence as a shipbuilding center during the clipper ship era. Nowadays, Mystic has become known for its quintessential New England charm, as well as its two world-class museums: the Mystic Seaport, the world's largest maritime museum; and the Mystic Aquarium, featuring fascinating creatures from both sea and land, as well as the exhibits of Dr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic.

The relaxed New England charm that has made Mystic a well-known vacation destination can be felt all through the area – from the quiet farm areas of the Northeast corner of Connecticut, to the coastal towns of Connecticut and neighboring Rhode Island. As a result, it has become known as Mystic Country.

Boston, Massachusetts: A Road Trip

My sister invited me to tag along on a business trip.

Since I just finished 5 weddings in 5 weeks, I thought maybe I deserved a vacation, so I jumped at the chance to go with her on what was to be our first sister's only trip EVER.

So we dubbed ourselves the "Road Trip Divas" and took to the sky.

(umm..... I guess to be really accurate, we started out as the "Air Plane Divas" then transformed ourselves into the "Road Trip Divas" when we flew into Boston.)

There are lots of wonderful things to see in Boston.



(No we are not one of the wonderful things to see...thought I'd just give you a perspective before we get going...)



But they have beautiful bridges, a magnificent bay...



And the Freedom Trail.  Let me fill you in on the Freedom Trail because this is definitely something you need to take your family to see:
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one an authentic American treasure.

The Freedom Trail today is a unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond.

It’s fun, it’s entertaining, it’s really interesting — it’s American Revolutionary history but not the same old story....



So you just jump on the red line and follow it!   (Don't you wish touring every city was that easy?  I want to give an award to the person who thought of just drawing a line on the sidewalk!)

They also have audio tours, podcasts and guides in costume to help guide you along--with stories, details and extra information if you want.  (We did the podcast a couple years ago and it was FABULOUS!)

More info HERE if you are interested.




The Freedom Trail guides you to historic houses, parliamentary buildings, cemeteries, battle sites, a ship and churches (Remember Paul Revere and the Old North Church:  "One if by land, two if by sea....?")

Yep.  That's all here.



Course there are a few sights NOT on the Freedom Trail that you can stop at as well.



And let's finish off today with a little side note.

When you are in Boston, you MUST eat at Legal Seafood!
YUM!



"Your visit to Boston must include a walk into history along the Freedom Trail. You can start in the beginning, the middle or the end and wend your way through the streets of this very modern city — Boston — and along the paths of history. This is Boston’s indoor / outdoor history museum. There are 16 “official” sites of the Freedom Trail!
You’ll want to visit every one!"

Trade Show Corporate and Product Photographer Town and Country Convention Center

I was asked by NaturVet to capture some images of their trade show booth and the veterinarian who consults for them.

So I zipped over the the Town and Country Convention center.

Isn't it a gorgeous booth?  I love that background panel with the photos of the horse, the dog and the cat.

SO EYE CATCHING!



They also had their products on display and had employees there to answer questions about their all natural supplements.



If you have any questions about them, you can check out their website, HERE.

And this is their veterinarian - looks friendly as well as knowledgeable, don't you think?





Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet. ~Colette

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.  ~Henry Beecher





Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson





Perfumes are the feelings of flowers.  ~Heinrich Heine





How can one help shivering with delight when one's hot fingers close around the stem of a live flower, cool from the shade and stiff with newborn vigor!  ~Colett





When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.  ~Chinese Proverb





If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom.  ~Terri Guillemets





Flowers really do intoxicate me.  ~Vita Sackville-West





Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts.  ~Dodinsky





Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.  ~Gerard de Nerval







Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. ~The Koran

Allain Family: Daddy is HOME! San Diego Camp Pendleton Military Homecoming Photographer

I think I mentioned yesterday that the soldiers were almost 2 hours late and things were getting pretty boring for the little ones........

But.

THEN.

It was finally.

TIME!



First it was a rush to find daddy!



Then we all had to stand there and just look while they took attendance and did some fancy moves.

 (Cripes, don't the big wigs know everyone just wants to HUG?  Geez~!)



This waiting was hard on the little ones and the emotions started bubbling up....



But then it was finally TIME!






And then time for mommy to get her hug!





Welcome home to dad@

And hurray for the Allain Family - together again!



And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Allain Family: Daddy is coming home today! San Diego Camp Pendleton Military Homecoming Photographer

Say hi to little Tristan.



Today is a big day for him, his little sister, Seraphina and mom:  Daddy is coming home!



We arrived to find a beautifully decorated homecoming location at Camp Pendleton.






The perfect backdrop for a gorgeous family!

Camp Pendleton had some activities for the kids, which also gave the moms time for a bit of relaxation too!





Unfortunately for the little ones, the homecoming ended up being almost 2 hours late....



So things were getting pretty goofy...  :-)


But then we saw the buses pull up, and we knew that soon the soldiers would march in to greet their families....

Stay tuned tomorrow to see the emotional homecoming!



"Patriotism... is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." ~Adlai Stevenson