Not sure what we'd expected. Came down here as the most direct route from NYC and booked a Hilton next to Universal. Very muggy weather with thunderstorms. Looks like one giant Butlins. Hotel is superb ($60 a night) and they're totally geared up to entertainment. Went to Sea World (90 quid to get in) and saw just the one show by the time we'd seen some of the sharks, dolphins, penguins (think Happy Feet when he gets caught and put in the enclosure - in fact, they may well have been animatronics). Then the heavens opened up so we headed back to the hotel pool whilst Oscar fell into a deep sleep as his jet-lag got the better of him - he did almost 13hrs last night).
It's clear that Orlando only exists to service the 4 big parks and for that its fine. Not what we wanted with the boys' so young - it was merely a tick of the list exercise. Today we drive up in a huge car to Panama City and the beach villa we've hired for the next 8 days. I then need to figure out how we get from Florida to Houston before heading off to San Diego - plane/train or automobile.
Food - British, middle class, educated parents - don't come to the USA and think about the food. When they say "Healthy" they mean not fried - but still full of sugar and fat. The boys' fascination with multi-coloured cereals, sweetened fruit juices, etc has increased. Portion sizes - after a pastrami sandwich (10cms thick with fried pastrami - my guts nearly fell out an hour later) - are now down to the boys' sharing a meal and we're forgetting about starters - a look of disbelief hits the waiter/ress as they hear we're just taking a mains course with nothing on the side.
So far, only Oscar and his jet-lag are the concern. Seba has acclimatised. We've blown the US budget with internal flights (getting from A to B ain't that simple in this country) but we're enjoying the freedom and people are amazed that we're heading across the States with two young kids. Next week will be more chilled as we have our own place and can control things a bit more.
Saturday, 30 June 2007
New York to Orlando
Flight from UK delayed 2 hours due to the entertainment system not working - god forgive we couldn't entertain ourselves for 7.5hrs! Arrived evening in NY with the boys' not having slept on the plane so they were shattered. Hotel just off Time Square so after hitting a deli we hit the sack at 7pm local time. Oscar then woke at 3am! So he and I went for a stroll around Time Square to see the last (or the first) of the revellers. NYPD took an interest in us - not a sight you see in NY at that time of day. Offered us the opportunity to ride in the car with the siren on but Oscar was less than impressed with going off with New Yorks' finest.
Once Seba and Marie awoke we headed off and found an all night deli for breakfast and then headed down to Battery Square to see the Statue of Liberty in the mist. The tourist map suggested you could then get to the Empire State in a few blocks but as we headed up past Wall Street in the middle of rush hour we figured that wasn't going to happen - especially as both boys' refused to walk - another sight for the City workers!
The Empire State was truly awesome at 9.30 on a clear morning - the full splendor of NY was taken in and even Sebastian was suitably impressed. Oscar tried to climb over the 6ft tall railings and then disappeared around the Observatory tour - but the 20mins trip was uneventful!
Ground Zero - having seen the Twin towers pre 9/11 the area left seemed somewhat under-whelming. New Yorkers are visibly more security conscious but there was none of the "we shall not be moved" flag waving sites we were expecting. If you hear an alarm you can see the nearby pedastrians all instinctively turn to see what's happening - a consequence of that fateful day. Work has started on the foundations but there is nothing to suggest they're moving quickly - local v national politics.
Later that day, caught the flight from Newark to Orlando - sat next to an ex-Forces Sandhurst graduate who was on his way to Florida to complete his final commercial flight exams. Asked me if I'd ever been in the Forces! I replied, "Ireland actually, a shot at the mick and all that". Marie sat next to a guy who just been on a syndicated / crappier version of Judge Judy - he had an Old Testament bible on his lap - you get the picture.
Once Seba and Marie awoke we headed off and found an all night deli for breakfast and then headed down to Battery Square to see the Statue of Liberty in the mist. The tourist map suggested you could then get to the Empire State in a few blocks but as we headed up past Wall Street in the middle of rush hour we figured that wasn't going to happen - especially as both boys' refused to walk - another sight for the City workers!
The Empire State was truly awesome at 9.30 on a clear morning - the full splendor of NY was taken in and even Sebastian was suitably impressed. Oscar tried to climb over the 6ft tall railings and then disappeared around the Observatory tour - but the 20mins trip was uneventful!
Ground Zero - having seen the Twin towers pre 9/11 the area left seemed somewhat under-whelming. New Yorkers are visibly more security conscious but there was none of the "we shall not be moved" flag waving sites we were expecting. If you hear an alarm you can see the nearby pedastrians all instinctively turn to see what's happening - a consequence of that fateful day. Work has started on the foundations but there is nothing to suggest they're moving quickly - local v national politics.
Later that day, caught the flight from Newark to Orlando - sat next to an ex-Forces Sandhurst graduate who was on his way to Florida to complete his final commercial flight exams. Asked me if I'd ever been in the Forces! I replied, "Ireland actually, a shot at the mick and all that". Marie sat next to a guy who just been on a syndicated / crappier version of Judge Judy - he had an Old Testament bible on his lap - you get the picture.
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Final day in Blighty
Temperatures in the USA are in the high 20's and in NZ below 5. Great.
Final prep underway on the essentials - more downloading from iTunes, sending the KCF mobile phone back (crap)..no more company credit card!
Got Seba his visa to Oz, then discovered NZ need proof that we have cash and we're not some unemployed nomads (which our status currently is).
Final, and most important pre-UK thing left, is the travel packs for the boys' on the plane - DVD, colouring books, story books, "highly saturated in E-numbers" sweets and, for sleep-induced emergancies (all parents will know this) Calpol.
On-line checking facility has given us an hour back to ourselves tomorrow and hopefully we can blag our way into the posh lounge with some freebies via BA.
Adios.
Final prep underway on the essentials - more downloading from iTunes, sending the KCF mobile phone back (crap)..no more company credit card!
Got Seba his visa to Oz, then discovered NZ need proof that we have cash and we're not some unemployed nomads (which our status currently is).
Final, and most important pre-UK thing left, is the travel packs for the boys' on the plane - DVD, colouring books, story books, "highly saturated in E-numbers" sweets and, for sleep-induced emergancies (all parents will know this) Calpol.
On-line checking facility has given us an hour back to ourselves tomorrow and hopefully we can blag our way into the posh lounge with some freebies via BA.
Adios.
Sunday, 24 June 2007
Preperation catastrophe
Sunday, 24th June 2007
Sunday night, 2 days left in the UK and am feeling rather hung over following 2 days of "good-bye" nights out. Topped off the long weekend with lunch at my sisters' house and discussions of the trip. Still recovering from the KCF session in Scunthorpe - 8pm to 2am and Italian wine.
One fundemental question to me, the man in charge of organising the world tour, "What about Visas?". Increduously, I dismissed the question with a long drink of wine. "Don't need them, it's all electronic post 7/11", I sneered. Within an hour, I packed everybody into the car back to my parents place to check the internet. Bollocks - she was right.
Australian ETA's not Estimated Time of Arrival but Entry Travel Authorisation forms. Filled them in for me, then Marie and then Oscar. Simple. Then, a subtle reminder of the horrors of (incorrectly) naming children. The format of the internet form is unable to contain all the characters of Sebastian Meredith Tulinius Hughes! So, at the moment, no Visa for Seb. Still, will save 25% of the travel expenses! Now have to contact Oz house in the morning.
Sunday night, 2 days left in the UK and am feeling rather hung over following 2 days of "good-bye" nights out. Topped off the long weekend with lunch at my sisters' house and discussions of the trip. Still recovering from the KCF session in Scunthorpe - 8pm to 2am and Italian wine.
One fundemental question to me, the man in charge of organising the world tour, "What about Visas?". Increduously, I dismissed the question with a long drink of wine. "Don't need them, it's all electronic post 7/11", I sneered. Within an hour, I packed everybody into the car back to my parents place to check the internet. Bollocks - she was right.
Australian ETA's not Estimated Time of Arrival but Entry Travel Authorisation forms. Filled them in for me, then Marie and then Oscar. Simple. Then, a subtle reminder of the horrors of (incorrectly) naming children. The format of the internet form is unable to contain all the characters of Sebastian Meredith Tulinius Hughes! So, at the moment, no Visa for Seb. Still, will save 25% of the travel expenses! Now have to contact Oz house in the morning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
