Over the eleven days ending Wednesday night, we'd driven over a thousand miles at night*, taken down and then put back up bamboo sticks that held some raccoon droppings and a couple ant colonies, decorated a sukkah [hut], undecorated and dismantled another, had five days where no work could be done but much eating and walking was, watched a Presidential debate (pretty decent), a spoof of a debate (pretty funny), a football game (not so good), took Elianna bowling for the first time (44!), had some Shannon Road Ice Cream (awesome), attended a panel on Iran (pretty good), and listened to a couple panelists afterward (very good).
Seeing Elianna play with her cousins lets us see just how old, big, and mature she's gotten. Full sentences, a really clean grasp of what's going on, a sharp understanding of how to do things... it's amazing. Throw in how she is with Kayla (who enjoyed having a cousin her age around and is laughing like crazy at Elianna when she plays with her), and it's really something.
How was your Yom Tov?
* New York to Cleveland: 473 miles. Sat. night, 11:20pm-6:20am, Pobody's Nerfect in the front, Serach and the girls in the back, twice stopped for gas, once stopped for a cop [no ticket, just a warning].
Cleveland to Baltimore: 370 miles. Sat. night, 1:17am-6:45am, girl who needed a ride in front, Serach and the girls in the back, once stopped for gas.
Baltimore to New York: 206 miles. Wed. night, 11:12am - 2:15am. No stops.
...Wow. I guess I should feel pretty safe with you driving, then. Except maybe around blind curves.
ReplyDeleteHow do you do Baltimore to NY in 3 hours? Is it the speed or do you drive a route I don't know about?
ReplyDeleteWe drove back on Thursday afternoon and hit rush hour (and a stop for gas, bathrooms, etc) and it took forever to get home.
Baltimore to NY: 3 hours
ReplyDeleteCircling for parking once you get back to NY: 30 min
baltimore-NY- i have done this trip over 150 times in the past 10 years and it shouldn't take more than 3 hours. it also depends where in NY u r going- queens is a little further, than say Manhattan
ReplyDeleteErachet - I'm fine around blind curves. You, however...
ReplyDeleteLB - I actually went slower this time than normal. I take 695 from Greenspring (or Reiserstown) to 95 to the tunnels to get to KGH in Queens. I don't think it's longer than the bridges to the Belt to the Van Wyck, and it's brighter with better roads. On the way out of NY to Baltimore I'm usually driving daytime, so I go down that way instead of using the tunnels to avoid traffic.
I'd *never* drive back during the day if I have a choice - between traffic and kids being awake it'd be such a headache.
SaraK - Yup. Double-parked for 20 minutes outside to unload wife/kids/luggage, then circled for 15 to find parking. Only to have to move the car 5 hours later for alternate side.
NYFunnyMan - I'm in Queens. From Manhattan to Baltimore I've done it in 2:45 with a 15-minute stop, and I had to keep slowing myself down. It was Easter Sunday of Chol Hamoed Pesach - no cars, no cops - at 4:30am when I left.
My stat this chag was 55 miles: number of miles walked between shul and my house during four weeks of being home. (It's 2.5 miles each way to shul.)
ReplyDeleteSJ - Geez.
ReplyDeleteI think there must be some secret route to Baltimore that everyone but my family knows about, because it generally takes us around 4 hours. And whenever I go some other way (like on a bus or with other people), it only takes three hours. Then again, my family makes a lot of stops, so that could have something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine traveling that late at night all the time . . . yeah, driving at night is easier, but how are not totally tired the whole time? I was pretty tired most of the way home and we left right after yom tov (thankfully, I didnt have to drive)! I never understand people who prefer to drive really late at night . . .
princess- remember, ezzie doesn't really need sleep to function, so driving at night should be natural for him!
ReplyDeleteWe try to drive at night when the kids are asleep. Lately there's been terrible traffic even at night due to construction before NJ. However, we were both too tired to leave motzei yom tov and had to be back for an appointment the next day. My kids are bigger than yours, and it's amazing how long a story CD or Uncle Moshe can keep them quiet (or singing).
ReplyDeleteI've tried going through Manhattan late at night. It is a bit quicker, but there are a ton of lights make it almost not worth it.
The shortest I've done from queens was 3 1/4, but that was late at night and going a bit fast.
"(It's 2.5 miles each way to shul.)"
ReplyDeleteSounds like it's high time for a break away minyan
Princess - A short nap during the day, talking to passengers for the beginning, and a sun rising at the end make long trips easier. (Sun rising makes the concentration needed decrease vs. night, so while you start to tire, you expend less energy, so you're okay - as opposed to getting darker as you get tired, which is far more tiring.) Plus, we really don't want Elianna to throw up, so she needs to be asleep.
ReplyDeleteLB - True on the lights, but it's still much easier for me than the Belt Pkwy and its bumps at the end of a trip. Older kids are probably harder to drive at night. I'd go crazy listening to Uncle Moishy that long. :P When Elianna wakes up we sometimes turn it on, but after one CD I can't listen anymore.
G - Actually a good piece about those in the latest Jewish Action! Was thinking about writing about it.
It's still easier to drive at night, but sometimes we don't have a choice and we try to keep them entertained as long as possible.
ReplyDeleteThat's when we tell the kids no more kid music and now it's adult music time. The truth is, they love singing along to our music too.
Right, I always forget that its easier to travel with kids when they're asleep. My family hasn't traveled with little kids in a good few years.
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