Morning in Mystic, ferry to Long Island, and first night in NYC - Sunday, July 19, 2009
We woke up early and took a wrong turn on the way to Mystic, CT which turned out great. We went to a Submarine museum and actually went into a submarine. We drove through modern Mystic (not so modern), and then went to Historic Mystic Seaport. Al and I were surprised to learn that it was like a museum, we thought it was just shops, etc. In fact, it is a port city with buildings that were preserved and then integrated with new exhibits, etc. It was really nice. We rented a row boat and rowed on the Mystic River. The kids really enjoyed it. We kept losing control of the boat so "Chaser" had to come out and rescue us twice. Dad was not too happy.
We left there around 3:00 p.m. so we could drive over to New London, CT for our 4:00 p.m. ferry to Long Island, NY. Jake was very excited about driving the car onto the ferry. We were on the ferry with 300 boy scouts ages 11-18. It was cool to see so many in their uniforms. Al, of course, interrogated them about badges, what they were doing, etc. and wants to put Jake in it as soon as we get back to Miami. I agree, it would be a good, non-typical Miami thing to do.
The ferry left late and took about 1 hour 15 minutes. It was super hot in the interior part of the boat. I was so hot that I went up to the top deck and sat in the sun because at least there was a heavy wind blowing. We arrived in Orient Point port (Montauk port was not available with cars). We had to drive down to a fork in the island and then turn to go east to Montauk. We never made it to Montauk (to at least see it) because we drove through South Hampton, and East Hampton and then it got dark. It wasn't worth continuing to Montauk beause it would be too dark.
We drove around the towns as they have beautiful shops and cute restaurants. We got take out from a Mexican restaurant called La Fondita. It was delicious. We drove to a public beach, in the middle of a neighborhood with beautiful homes just like in the movie "Something's Gotta Give." Ana wanted to find a place that looked like that. We flew a kite on the beach, the kids played Kadima, and I took beautiful photos. The sky was a gorgeous with layers of pink, orange, and blue...perfect! I took pictures of the homes on the beach (just like in the movies) and then got awesome shots of a plane flying right over the shore. It was a spectacular sight and a perfect evening.
We drove through Long Island to New York City (NYC). We arrived in NYC around midnight. We needed to arrive earlier because the girl that is staying at Tita's house (Nicki Borges, sister of Gabi and Manny's friend Javi) had to go to work at 5:00 a.m. It was embarrassing to arrive so late, but we couldn't help it with all of the traffic. At that time, we had to unload the car and take everything up. It was exhausting. However, it felt great to know we would have five whole days in one place and time to relax.
Showing posts with label Mystic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystic. Show all posts
Whale watching off of Plymouth to the Rock to Newport, Rhode Island - Friday, July 17, 2009
Whale watching off of Plymouth to the Rock to Newport, Rhode Island - Friday, July 17, 2009
We wanted to go whale watching, but weren't sure we could wake up to do so. We would have to wake up by 8:30 a.m. I thought for sure we wouldn't make it because we haven't slept in several days. Miraculously, we all woke up and made it to the whale watching boat. We went out offshore for 1.5 hours to get to the feeding area. The whales are beautiful creatures. We saw about seven different whales, and they did give us a show. They were swimming and going up and out of the water, and they breached a few times, but not too much. They also sprayed water and made noises. They were amazing and much larger than you would think.
We enjoyed it so much and my daughter was thrilled, but my son got tired of the same thing over and over again. We had to go another 1.5 hours in after the "show," so the whole event lasted about 4 to 4.5 hours. It was a LOOOOONNNNGGG tour. If I do it again, I'd do it from someplace closer, so they don't have to take us out so far. The guide told us that if you drive to the tip of Cape Cod, which is Provincetown, the whale watching tours are shorter. After the whale watching, we went back to the hotel to check out and pack our stuff.
We drove around Plymouth and took the kids to see the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock. They were impressed to see it as they have studied it in school. In addition, we crossed the street to see the view of Plymouth Rock from up high and it was small. The kids were amazed at how small it was and we explained that it is a piece of the original rock. We drove a little more around Plymouth and then headed for Newport, Rhode Island. I wish I would have planned better to stay there longer as this place is beautiful! They have a cute little town with lots of shops and restaurants, etc. They have a beautiful marina/harbor area and then they have the amazing, amazing mansions. I remember coming here as a child, but I didn't remember how beautiful it was. We walked a little on both ends of the "1/2 mile Cliff Walk" behind all these mansions on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was spectacular. It reminds me a little of Palm Beach, but these homes are directly on the ocean with this Cliff Walk trail behind them open to the public. There was a thunderstorm with lightning going on, so although there was very light rain, we were scared to be out there and cut the walk short. We did a good portion of it and want to go back one day to spend more time.
We continued on our drive to Mystic, Connecticut (CT). We actually stayed at a new Marriott in Groton, CT. The hotel was nice, but appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, as there was a lot of fog, hardly any street lights, and dark winding roads. Again, I didn't sleep very well. I ended up watching "What Not to Wear" and a show about brides choosing their wedding dresses. Entertaining...yes...but I needed to sleep.
We wanted to go whale watching, but weren't sure we could wake up to do so. We would have to wake up by 8:30 a.m. I thought for sure we wouldn't make it because we haven't slept in several days. Miraculously, we all woke up and made it to the whale watching boat. We went out offshore for 1.5 hours to get to the feeding area. The whales are beautiful creatures. We saw about seven different whales, and they did give us a show. They were swimming and going up and out of the water, and they breached a few times, but not too much. They also sprayed water and made noises. They were amazing and much larger than you would think.
We enjoyed it so much and my daughter was thrilled, but my son got tired of the same thing over and over again. We had to go another 1.5 hours in after the "show," so the whole event lasted about 4 to 4.5 hours. It was a LOOOOONNNNGGG tour. If I do it again, I'd do it from someplace closer, so they don't have to take us out so far. The guide told us that if you drive to the tip of Cape Cod, which is Provincetown, the whale watching tours are shorter. After the whale watching, we went back to the hotel to check out and pack our stuff.
We drove around Plymouth and took the kids to see the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock. They were impressed to see it as they have studied it in school. In addition, we crossed the street to see the view of Plymouth Rock from up high and it was small. The kids were amazed at how small it was and we explained that it is a piece of the original rock. We drove a little more around Plymouth and then headed for Newport, Rhode Island. I wish I would have planned better to stay there longer as this place is beautiful! They have a cute little town with lots of shops and restaurants, etc. They have a beautiful marina/harbor area and then they have the amazing, amazing mansions. I remember coming here as a child, but I didn't remember how beautiful it was. We walked a little on both ends of the "1/2 mile Cliff Walk" behind all these mansions on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was spectacular. It reminds me a little of Palm Beach, but these homes are directly on the ocean with this Cliff Walk trail behind them open to the public. There was a thunderstorm with lightning going on, so although there was very light rain, we were scared to be out there and cut the walk short. We did a good portion of it and want to go back one day to spend more time.
We continued on our drive to Mystic, Connecticut (CT). We actually stayed at a new Marriott in Groton, CT. The hotel was nice, but appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, as there was a lot of fog, hardly any street lights, and dark winding roads. Again, I didn't sleep very well. I ended up watching "What Not to Wear" and a show about brides choosing their wedding dresses. Entertaining...yes...but I needed to sleep.
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