...: I've been busy, okay?

Okay...the best you can expect from me is a blog entry about every 4 to 6 weeks unless something phenomenal happens (like I get kidnapped by extraterrestrials, I win the lottery, etc.). So, without further ado, let me bring you up to date...

On May 2nd we left for a 12 day train trip to the northeast. Our first stop was Chicago..after an extended stay on the train. It was only supposed to take a little over 21 hours to travel from Dallas to Chicago. However, just the other side of Mineola we were delayed for over 6 hours because thunderstorms and tornadoes had moved through in front of us and deposited large amounts of debris on the tracks. We arrived in Chicago a full 8 hours after our scheduled arrival. Starving to death (because they hadn't planned on or stocked up on supplies for dinner) we threw our luggage in our room and left in search of food. ANY food. We stumbled upon a little pizza joint called Pizzaria Due. They claim that the real Chicago deep-dish pizza originated in their establishment. Can't swear to that...but I can tell you it was, without a doubt, the best pizza I have ever eaten...and not because we were soooo hungry. I might mention here that their margaritas were quite good as well...and they kept coming to the table.

In Chicago we were able to visit the Navy Yard (a boardwalk), take a trip to the top of the Sears Tower (which now has another name which nobody can remember), take an architectural tour down the river, and visit Millenium Park (a cool little area where they have concerts and cool stuff).

After Chicago we got back on the train and headed to New York. All the things you hear about New York...they're true. It truly is the city that never sleeps. Times Square was hopping at all hours of the day and night. If you can't walk fast you'd better get out of the way here because they will run over you...literally. In New York we went to see Jersey Boys on Broadway. Wow! It was incredible. The actor who plays Frankie Valli sounds like the real deal. They were awesome!! We also went, of course, to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. While still incredible, Lady Liberty wasn't as big as I had pictured her to be. She is still a sight to behold, though. We took a open deck bus tour through Chinatown, Harlem, Manhattan, etc., and we got a peek at the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park. We went to the observation deck at the top of Rockefeller Center and we were on the evening weather report. The weatherwoman was broadcasting from the Top of the Rock and she asked us to stand behind her to look like a crowd. When we started to leave we ran into (almost literally) Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek), Zachary Quinto (bad guy on Heroes who plays Spock in the new movie), Joan Rivers (who had just won Celebrity Apprentice and was there filming Jimmy Kimmell) and Rachel Ray (also on Kimmell's show). Of course, there were dozens of pictures taken and we felt like we were paparazzi.

After three days of New York we got back on the train and headed to Washington, DC. We did the typical tourist thing in DC and visited all of the main monuments. The problem in DC was that we were there on Mother's Day and everything was shut down for the holiday. We did however, make it the the Smithsonian American History Museum and got to see the new display for Old Glory. I keep saying "incredible" because it was.

This trip, which we took with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, was a double anniversary trip. Ronnie and I celebrated our 30th anniversary on May 4th at the Capitol Grille in Chicago. Glen and Carlene celebrated their 13th anniversary on the same date with us. Somehow, the train trip home didn't seem quite so long as the trip up.

Enjoy the few pics I have posted.
Chicago:
Pizzaria Due