Last day - September 19, 2015

Had a lovely hot breakfast at the Inn before heading off for Bangor, ME.  Uneventful drive on Highway 9 through Maine.  I had overheard someone mentioning the "Red Dog" pub in Bangor as having good lobster roll, so we decided to go there for lunch.  First we checked into our hotel for the night, the Four Points by Sheraton at the Bangor airport.  Our room was ready so we dropped our bags and headed off for lunch.  Turns out it isn't the Red Dog, but the Sea Dog, as we discovered when we did a GPS search for it.  Anyway, it's a big place right on the Penobscot River.  We ate at the bar since there was to be a 25 minute wait.  There were lots of empty tables, but perhaps they didn't have the staff to cover them.  I had my final usual lunch of clam chowder and lobster roll.  Both were good, but not the best of the trip.  Michael had a caesar salad.  I asked for a 12 oz beer but the bartender fortgot and gave me a pint.  We laughed about it, but in the end he didn't charge me for it, which was very nice.

After a little walk down the river, we headed off to return the car since they were open until 3:00 pm and we didn't really need to keep it anymore.  Found the Enterprise office and they gave us a ride back to our hotel at the airport.  There we spent a quiet few hours catching up on the computer, napping (Michael) and watching TV.  After an unremarkable dinner in the hotel restaurant, off to bed.
Overall we had a delightful trip.  It was a little disappointing that the fall colors weren't out yet, but we still saw some beautiful country and ate some great food.

Oh Canada - September 18, 2015

Checked out of the Fort Knox Park Inn (Fort Knox is across the river and apparently took 25 years to build before they gave up and left it.  Now it's a park, but not very interesting from where we stood) and had breakfast at the Rise and Shine Diner which was pretty good.  Seemed to be a locals spot.

Then off on Highway 1 again, with a few diversions to get closer to the coast.  Stopped for lunch at Lubec, Maine at a pub called Cohills.  I didn't see lobster on the menu, so I had a clam chowder and a salad with cranberry, walnuts and feta cheese.  Michael had a smoked fish sampler appetizer which he reported was good.  We could have crossed a bridge into Canada at that point, but then would have had a devil of a time getting north to our next destination of St. Andrew's, New Brunswick, Canada.  There are lots of islands in that area and the ferry service is spotty that time of year.  So we had to backtrack a little (misread the map earlier) to get back to Highway 1 and make our way up to the border town of Calais (pronounced Calis by the locals), Maine to cross into St. Stephen's Canada.  Then it was a drive south to St. Andrew's and our hotel, Rossmount Inn.  This was a beautiful mansion converted to a hotel and our room was large and beautiful.  The only negative was a tiny bathroom.  I believe I could have sat on the toilet, brushed my teeth in the sink and washed my feet in the bathtub, all at the same time if I'd wanted to.  We drove into town and walked around a bit and had an ice cream.  Since we didn't have any Canadian dollars, we paid the $5.40 on a credit card.

Back at the inn we had dinner reservations at 7:00 pm.  The dinner there was one of the best I've ever had.  We shared the salmon trio appetizer and then I had the tuna and Michael had the pork with risotto.  For dessert I had the panne cotta.  I told Michael that if I could order my last meal, that would be it.

Fitbit registered 4,309 steps.

More coast of Maine - Bucksport, ME September 17, 2015

Had a basic breakfast of bagel and cream cheese at the motel, then had to wait for our clothes to dry.  The dryer was in use the night before and we couldn't get ours done before it closed at 9:00 pm.  The clerk kindly opened it for me around 8:30 rather than make me wait until the scheduled opening at 9:00 am.  So after 45 minutes or so we were on our way.  More coast driving, which often times isn't even coast driving since the forest is so thick you often don't even know that water is there.  We got to the motel in Bucksport, the Fort Knox park Inn, early and our room was ready so we dropped our bags then went across the street to one of only 2 restaurants in town called McLeod's.  Michael had an excellent caesar salad and I had a very good hamburger.  I felt a little "done" with lobster rolls for the day.  Then off to Bar Harbor, about an hour away.  We didn't even stop to get out - Michael was more interested in driving the area since we'd been here on a cruise before.  So more driving until about 5:30.  We got gas somewhere along the line for about $2.30 a gallon.  The Focus gets about 32 mpg, so it's very light on the fuel requirement.  Since we'd eaten a late lunch, we walked around town for a little bit although there really isn't much to see.

Since lunch was so good, and there aren't many choices in this tiny town, we returned to McLeod's for dinner.  I had a good chicken picatta, Michael had chicken curry soup and a caesar salad.  Dessert was an excellent warm lemon souffle, which was sort of like a heavy lemon flavored meringe.  Delicious.

Back across the street to our motel, which was a step up from the one last night, but definitely not worth the $150 price tag.  At least we had 2 double beds.

Fitbit registered 7,245 steps

Can we get there from here? - Maine, September 16, 2015

For breakfast we had the yogurt and fruit parfait things we bought last night.  It was the thickest yogurt I've ever had - almost like cream cheese.  Then downstairs to pick up our Enterprise rental again, this time a Ford Focus which was pretty basic.  We didn't bother to connect a phone to blutooth, but just used our GPS on the phone to find our way out of Boston and onto Highway 1 which goes up the coast.  Apparently we weren't paying attention and we actually got into New Hampshire after Salisbury, MA and before Seabrook, NH.  We didn't see a Welcome to New Hampshire sign and didn't realize where we were until Portsmouth, by which time we were almost to Maine.  But since there's only 18 miles of coast in NH, I guess we can be forgiven.  We wandered onto Highway 1A right on the water and saw some of the most beautiful homes - as beautiful as in Newport, but probably not nearly as expensive.

We had lunch at Mike's Clam Shack in Wells, Maine.  I had a good clam chowder and a so-so lobster roll.  Not terribly impressed.  Michael had a caesar salad and a delicious Italian lemon cream cake.

That night was at the Knights Inn in Brunswick, a completely forgettable motel.  The room was tiny with a double bed (my fault, I decided not to pay extra for 2 doubles).  The only good thing was the laundry facility that we made use of.   Dinner was pretty good pizza at Amato's, a small chain in the area.  Watched the CNN Republican debates and was impressed by Carly Fiarina.

Fitbit registered only 3,296 steps.

Give my regards to Boston - September 15, 2015

Today was back to Flour for breakfast - same order, same guy who took the order and remembered us.  Then we decided to walk a little more of the Freedom Trail.  We'd actually done lots of it already,  so today was just a leisurely walk and stopping at churches and cemetaries we missed on our previous walk.  The Boston Library is a particularly beautiful building.  We had a nice lunch from a Japanese place in Quincy Market.  About this time, I decided that my poor feet and back were desparately in need of a massage.  I checked and fortunately there is a Massage Envy close to the Westin and they had an opening at 2:00 pm.   Dorise did a fabulous job.  Then a relaxing afternoon in the room until we went to Fabo de Chao, which is a Brazilian steakhouse, also known as a churrascaria.  We ate at one in Rio de Janeiro.  While we thought the meats were more interesting in Rio, the salads were much better here both in variety and quality.  The service was excellent.

Tomorrow we pick up the Enterprise rental car here in the hotel and off to Maine.

Fitbit registered 13,807.

Duck, Duck, Go - September 14, 2015

This morning, on the recommendation of the concierge, we went to a local bakery/coffee place called Flour for breakfast.  I ordered a breakfast sandwich and we each had a delicious French roast coffee.  this was a jumping spot with lots of young people stopping for a pastry and coffee.  I overheard a woman interviewing someone for a nanny position.  I observed that everyone seems to carry either a backpack, a cup of something, headphones, or a telephone - sometimes 3 or 4 of those things at once.

Well, we didn't actually do a Duck Boat tour, but we did a Hop On - Hop Off bus tour today.  It included a tour of the Charles River, which was interesting, and a Seaport Loop, which wasn't.  For lunch we went to the No Name Restaurant, which was recommended by neighbor Al Stewart.  It was mid afternoon so we split a lobster roll (!) which was probably my least favorite so far of the trip.  We also had a beer sampler at Harpoon Brewery - both of these establishments were on the Seaport Loop run.  Then back to the regular tour bus route.  On our way back to the hotel we hit a gust of wind and Michael's Australian hat blew off and out the window, which was less than a window and more like just the open part of the bus.  Unfortunately, it was gone, but we did save his new sunglasses - the kind that fit over his regular glasses.  Not the most fashionable, but they get the job done.  So now he's lost 2 things on this trip.  I told him he better keep a close eye on his wallet.

Neither of us were very hungry for dinner so I just bought a salad from the take out store in the hotel.

Fitbit registered 10,057 steps.

Off to Boston - September 13, 2015

Check-out was at 11:00 and at first we thought we'd wait until then since our train from  Providence to Boston wasn't until 1:30 pm.  But then we decided to take a longer route back to Providence, so we left around 10:30.  We took a minor highway through Bristol, and it still only took about an hour.  Thank goodness for the GPS on our phone since the maps we had weren't very detailed, but we found our way back to the Enterprise rental place with no problems.  We walked up to the train station and decided to take the earlier train since we had plenty of time.  It costs us a little more to change the ticket, but it seemed better than hanging around the station for an extra hour.  The trip took about 45 minutes.

The Westin Copley Plaza is only a couple of blocks from the train station so it was an easy walk.  We were upgraded to a River View room and it was ready, so we dropped our bags and took off to explore the area.  Again, lots of walking.  Michael wanted to have dinner at Durgin Park restaurant where he ate probably 40 years ago and remembered having a great steak.  So after a couple hours of walking, we got there at about 4:30.  They were open, we were hungry and thirsty so in we went.  It was almost empty, but filled up before we left.  We had a cup of clam chowder (very good) and a caesar salad (also good), then shared a 16 oz piece of prime rib.  We were a little disappointed - not much flavor, but it was tender and the baked potato, carrots and squash were very good.  We split a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.  Then a little bit more walking around before catching an Uber car back to the hotel.

Watched a coupld of episodes of NCIS then off to dreamland.

Fitbit registered 13,919 steps.

Over the Cliff Walk - September 12, 2015

Today was our last full day in Newport.  Since the weather had cleared we decided it was finally time to do the Cliff Walk.  We drove to the parking area on Naragannsett Street where they've installed a parking meter machine for the street parking.  Might as well make a little money.  The entire walk is 3-1/2 miles each direction, which we decided we weren't doing.  We paid for 2 hours of time and headed off.  Most of the walk is a paved walk between the ocean and the beautiful homes along Bellevue Street.  Almost all of the homes have big walls of some sort so you can only get glimpses, but what you can see is breathtaking.  We got up to the Chinese Tea House and decided to head back.  Along the way we came to a break where we could get back to the street so we went that way to see something different.  The campus of the Catholic college Salve Regina is right in the midst of all of these homes.  Apparently the tuition, room and board is $47,000 per year.  They certainly get to spend time in beautiful buildings since the university bought up a lot of mansions and made them in to dorms or classrooms.

Then it was off to lunch.  A couple of places we thought of had no parking so we ended up heading back to the unit, parking there, and walking up to Panera Bread for a very good sandwich and salad.  There are lots of these lunch places around, along with Dunkin Donuts seemingly on every corner.

Then more walking around new areas and back to the unit to finish up our food in preparation for leaving tomorrow.

Fitbit registered 12,173 steps.

Just hanging around - September 11, 2015

Today was our laziest yet.  The only thing we did was go out for lunch and a walk.  We ate at the White Horse, which claims to be the oldest tavern in the US dating from 1673.  Even though it was 1:00 pm on a Friday after Labor Day, we still had to wait 45 minutes for a table.  We took the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood.  I took a picture of a particularly nice home that I later found was for sale for $645,000.  The house is on the National Register but the inside has been remodeled and is beautiful.  Ah well, we don't really want to move here anyway - too far from family and friends.

Back at lunch we shared a delicious caesar salad with white anchovies and a lobster mac and cheese dish.  Both were fabulous.  The waitress recommended their "cheese cake spring rolls" for dessert.  She wasn't wrong - they were wonderful.  We shared them as well - one each - and it was perfect.

Then it was a little more walking before returning to the unit for some TV, computer time and salad for dinner.

Fitbit registered only 4,913 steps.

Rainy days are made for this - September 10, 2015

The plan was to do the Cliff Walk, but when we woke up it was dark and raining.  So we got into the car and headed west.  First stop was just across the bridge  ($4 toll) to Jamestown, a very pretty city on an island.  There were many beautiful homes similar to those in Newport.  Then off across the other bridge to the "mainland" and a stop for lunch at the Twin Willows.  My clam chowder and fish and chips were OK, nothing great.  Spent the rest of the afternoon just wandering.  It's a beautiful area with so many trees I can believe that the world has 6 trillion trees.

Not much walking so the Fitbit only registered 1,900 steps today.

Touring by bus and car - September 9, 2015

Another lazy morning before taking a 90 minute bus tour of town.  We did a little walking of the local neighborhood first and marvelled at the homes built in the 1700 and 1800's.  Many were undergoing refurbishment and we could see that what passes for a "foundation" here is a little shaky.  Sometimes it was just columns of bricks every few feet.  One little house looked like it could be pushed off it's foundation with a little effort.

The bus tour was interesting - learned about the history of Newport as a rum trading town, then home to the British and then French armies, before finally becoming the summer resort town for the very rich during the Golden Age of 1860's to 1913.  At that point, income taxes, WWI and then the Depression put an end to all of that.  My favorite house was the one built for his 39 year old wife for $11 million dollars (susposedly equal to about $180 million today).  Two years later she divorced him, got the house, then married her husband's best friend down the street and moved into his home.  She later sold her house for $100,000.  Sounds like a little animosity going on there.

Lunch was at The Moorings which is right on the water.  I tried another lobster roll ($21) , this time on a croissant which was not my favorite - too sweet.  I agree with the fellow from New Jersey I overheard the other day saying "you don't serve a lobster roll on a croissant".  Michael had a caesar salad (good) and a crab cake, although the menu said "crab cakes".  The service was good and the view delightful.

The afternoon was spent driving around the area - this time with Michael doing the driving so I could actually see something.  We followed the Ocean Drive again where we could get a better look at the fancy ocean front homes we passed on the tour.  We saw the church were John and Jackie Kennedy were married, then her childhood summer home where they had the reception for 1,200 people on the lawn.

Another trip to a Stop and Shop for more dinner salad makings.  We started with cheese and crackers and never got around to making the salad for dinner since we were still full from lunch.  Watched Jersey Boys on the TV.

Fitbit registered 6,743 steps.

Relaxing start - September 8, 2015

Today began with a massage for both of us at a little place right next door that advertised Chinese foot reflexology for $39 for 60 minutes, couples welcome.  We didn't have to get undressed although they did head, neck, shoulders, back and feet.  It wasn't as good to me as the massages I get at Massage Envy, but it was still pretty good.

Then we walked down for lunch at Diego's, a Mexican food place recommended by the check-in guy.  I had fish tacos and Michael had a ground lamb burrito.  Neither was exceptional, but OK.  The afternoon was spent wandering around town again.  Today was the first day after the Labor Day holiday and you could really tell.  Restaurants were very quiet and traffic was much better.

Another salad for dinner and watching the Williams sisters play at the US Open.

Fitbit registered 6,743 steps.

Lobster roll and reconaissance - September 7, 2015

Today was pretty laid back.  After breakfast I did our laundry in the common laundry room on the 3rd floor.  The timeshare provided laundry soap and it took about 1-1/2 hours.  Then we started walking down the road towards the shopping area.  Lots of typical touristy shops and some upscale clothes shops.  We looked, but didn't buy.  Then it was off to the Barking Crab for my long-awaited first lobster roll and I'm pleased to report that it didn't disappoint.  This one was $19 - I plan to compare prices along our journey.  After lunch we took a short break at the unit, then got in the car to explore the area a little.  We drove down Bellevue Avenue with all of the beautiful mansions that were the summer houses for the rich and famous of their day.  We also headed over to Middletown and stopped a the Newport Vineyards winery to pick up a bottle of wine.  We selected a Gemini Red, described as a dry, Italian style wine, but we found it to be pretty light.  It did work well with our salmon and corn on the cob that we cooked for dinner though.

Fitbit registered 6,681 steps.

Rhode Island or Bust - September 6, 2015

We had tickets for the 9:00 am Amtrak train to Providence, RI leaving from Penn Station.  We were up early and caught a cab to the station.  Fortunately traffic was pretty light because our cab driver was the quintessential New York cabbie.  He blew through just-turned red lights, wove through and around other cars and pedestrians and blew his horn most of the way there.  Once at the station we had a little time to grab a breakfast sandwich and wait for the train to arrive.  It was spot on time so off we went.  Upon our arrival in Providence we walked to the Enterprise Rental Car place in an office building a few blocks away.  Since I had checked the route on Google Earth I knew exactly where we were to go.  There were at least a half dozen people waiting to pick up their cars from one of the two agents on duty.  The line moved very slowly and we finally learned why.  It seems that those who had made their reservations within the previous 24 hours were out of luck as they had no cars for them - something about not having time to update their inventory.  I madly checked the recent email I had from AutoSlash.com which had automatically re-booked my reservation at a new lower rate.  Fortunately it was from last Thursday so I felt confident I'd be OK.  However, it was still a relief to hear the woman say that yes, they did have our car.  So we picked up our white Dodge Journey and headed for Newport.  We checked into our Wyndham Inn on the Harbor timeshare without any drama.  It's a one-bedroom unit that is pretty small (the kitchen has a small 2-burner cooktop, a microwave, a full size refrigerator and a mini-bar sized sink), but it is right on a pier overlooking the harbor so no complaints.  Right next door is a little place selling lobster and crab at "off the boat prices" and a small outdoor cafe where we got a cup of lobster bisque and some lobster dough balls to tide us over until dinner.  Then it was off to the Stop and Shop supermarket to stock up on breakfast and salad makings.  We figure we'll eat lunch out most of the time, but will have salads at the unit for dinner.  We watched some of the US Open looking for Daniel and Elizabeth who were there, but alas, didn't see them.  Then off to bed and a good night's sleep.

The fitbit registered 6,619 steps.

A Day in the Life of a New Yorker - September 5, 2015

This morning we returned to our Greek Market for breakfast only to find it closed for the Labor Day holiday weekend.  So, off we walked until we came upon an open McDonald's for an egg mcmuffin.  Not the best breakfast, but we do what we can.   Then we had a leisurely morning at the hotel until we left for the subway to meet Daniel and Elizabeth at the farmer's market at Union Square.  We visited the largest Whole Foods I've ever seen and then picked up the rest of the makings for a dinner party at their apartment.  We had a lazy afternoon watching the US Open, eating delivered salads from a local pizza place, and then playing bocce ball.  Daniel and Elizabeth have a one-bedroom apartment in the Peter Cooper Village complex.  Together with the Styvescent Town units which are part of the same complex, there are over 11,000 apartments.  Their living room overlooks basketball courts with big trees outside their windows.  Elizabeth's father, Charlie and her aunt and uncle, Fran and Joe (Charlie's brother) joined us for dinner.  It was a delightful evening and we learned a lot about their lives in New York.  Afterwards we had a look at Fran and Joe's apartment.  All of them live in the same complex, so it was an easy walk.  They have a 2 bedroom unit that overlooks the East River and they've lived there for almost 49 years.

We said a sad goodbye and took a taxi back to the hotel.  Unfortunately Michael left his prescription sunglasses in the cab.

Fitbit said 9,995 steps.

A Day at the Museums - September 4, 2015

We slept in today and then headed to our new breakfast place - a Greek market behind the hotel that also serves hot food.  I had a lovely greek egg scramble and coffee.  Michael just had coffee and the price was a little more than 1/4 of yesterday's.

Today's plan was to spend the day at the "Met" - the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  We took the subway up to 77th Street and walked over to 5th Ave.  My ankle only complained once or twice.  The suggested entry fee for one adult and one senior is $42.  The ticket lady asked us how much we'd like to pay.  After a little confusion, we said we'd like to pay $42.  I asked if people actually paid nothing, and she said that you had to pay something, but some people pay as little as they can get away with.  We spent a few hours wandering.  Highlights were Washington Crossing the Delaware and the section of full armor.  Daniel and Elizabeth were able to leave work early so we met them outside at around 3:30 pm.  I had a street vendor hotdog earlier to hold me over until dinner.  Daniel has never had one.  Elizabeth says the natives call them "dirty water dogs" and won't touch them.  I assured her mine was grilled and delicious.  We went back into the Met and did more wandering.  Then the plan was to go to the Neue Museum at 6:00 pm since it was First Friday night and free from 6-8 pm.  We wanted to see the Klimt painting Lady in Gold since my book club has seen the movie and is reading the book and D&E have seen the movie also.  We walked by the museum at about 4:45 and the line was already forming.  Since we had 6:45 dinner reservations, we could see that it wasn't going to happen.  When we learned that they were offering half off admission since most of the gallery was closed, we bit the bullet and paid.  It wasn't too bad since Elizabeth got a teacher's discount and Michael got the senior rate again.  Saw the paintng which is quite something in person and has such an interesting back story.  Then I got postcards for the book club and we were off to a local bar/restaurant for a pre-dinner cocktail,  although Daniel is abstaining this month, so he's been having hot tea most places.

Then it was time to catch the bus down to 58th for dinner at Tao.  We saw the line we had bypassed and it stretched for at least 2 blocks.  So glad we didn't wait.  I had bought the kids a gift certificate at Tao for their Christmas present and they thought we should all use it.  Had another delicious dinner of 5 Asian small plates and beer and wine.  While we all had enough to eat, the total bill still came to $206 before tip!  Can't imagine what it would have been if we'd had regular entrees.

We taxi'd back to the hotel - the kids dropped us off on their way home.

Another interesting tidbit on this trip is that Michael keeps getting messages from "Correctional Facility" asking him to authorize a collect phone call.  He never answers the phone, but they must have called 8 or 10 times already.  So if any of our friends or family are in jail, sorry we're not there for you ;-)

Fitbit registered 11,962 steps.

Seeing the sights - September 3, 2015

After a very pricey breakfast in the hotel ($45) we hit the streets of NYC.  It was quite warm and humid - upper 80's and not much of a breeze. The Chrysler building is right up the street so we checked out the lobby - beautiful.  Then we wandered through Grand Central Station which is fascinating.  Next was a walk towards downtown during which we decided to go to the top of the Empire State Building.  We started on 42nd St and it's on 34th so it's not a long walk.  The city was crowded so it took a lot of people dodging.  At first we were so careful of waiting for the green pedestrian crossing light, but after a few blocks (and the example set by Daniel and Elizabeth last night) we were soon doing as the natives do and crossing if there was no traffic coming.  As we approached the Empire State we noticed people hawking tickets.  They assured us their price was the same and this way we could bypass the 75 minute wait.  We declined.  When we got there, we saw that their prices were the same, but they were selling the full package which included stops at the 86th floor outside observatory, the 102nd floor observatory, the "Experience" which is a movie of a helicopter trip over Manhattan and the museum.  We opted for just the 86th floor.  The price includes a free audio guide for the stop on the 80th floor where you have to change elevator banks and they have set up lots of information about the building of the ESB.  Then on up to 86.  The day was a little hazy, but we were still able to see quite a distance.  Supposedly couples have been known to create sparks (static electricity) when kissing at the top.  We were unable to duplicate the experience.

By this time it was lunch time so we ate at the Heartland Brew Pub on the ground floor.  Had a delicious beer and a kale salad.  Michael had gazpacho.  We started heading back uptown taking our time.  Somewhere along the way, by right upper ankle began to hurt - I think from the new sandals I was wearing.  We had to stop a couple of times for me to massage it.  Getting back to the hotel seemed to take much longer.  I was tempted to stop at Bryant Park to sit under one of the lovely trees in the cool shade, but decided to soldier on.  We spent a little time in the cool of the hotel and since my ankle was feeling a little better, I changed shoes and we ventured out again to look for a better spot for breakfast the next day.  Got a couple of coffees at a local Dunkin' Donuts and people watched for a while.  Then it was time to head back to change for dinner and a show with the kids.  Because of my ankle, we took a taxi.  I think we got the only timid taxi driver in town.  Before we had even made a U-turn and turned uptown, we got stuck in traffic and the meter read $6.50.  Finally we got moving but came across a closed street near the restaurant.  It was going to take too long to negotiate the traffic (especially with this guy), so we just hopped out and walked.  Ouch, ouch.

We met them at a nice Italian restaurant and had a fabulous meal (salmon that was cooked perfectly with spinach and mashed potatoes.)  Then it was off to the theatre - walking again of course.  We saw "Kinky Boots" which was energetic and fun.  It was a musical, but while we enjoyed the show, the music wasn't very memorable.  Then it was time to walk across Times Square, which was packed, to get back to the hotel.  Even Elizabeth, the native, was frustrated by all the people.

Once again, we fell into bed dog tired.  Fitbit registered 16,774 steps.  This I believe to be more accurate, although it alerted me that I had just hit 10,000 steps while I was brushing my hair before going out to meet the kids.  Mmmhhh.  Apparently even that wrist movememt counts.

Heading to the Big Apple - September 2, 2015

We used mileage points to fly on Alaska to Newark and since our trip has us returning from Bangor, Maine we weren't able to use Alaska round trip.  It took a bucketload of points to fly one-way to NYC, and only a dipperfull  more to upgrade to first class, so that's what we did.  We flew out of Redmond at 5:10 am to Portland.  Then in the front of the plane to Dallas before connecting on to Newark.  I could really get used to flying that way.  Too bad it costs so much more.  Had a  nice bloody mary and two lovely meals, not to mention all the attention from the attendants - 2 for the 16 of us.

We took a bus into the city and walked 2 blocks to our hotel, the Westin New York Grand Central (using hotel points) and met Daniel and Elizabeth on our walk from the dropoff point at Grand Central Station. The US Open is going on and this is one of the sponsoring hotels, apparently, because there were tennis ball decorations everywhere and lots of athletic looking people speaking various languages everywhere.   After dropping our bags, we walked to a pub a few blocks away for dinner.  It was after 8:30, but the joint was jumping.  Had a fun visit with the kids, then off to our room to fall into bed.  Why travel makes one so tired is beyond me.

Fitbit logged 9,272 steps which I don't believe.  After all, we didn't walk from Redmond, altough we did have long walks in the 2 airports and to the pub, but still .....