Well, good morning to you from the Lancaster, PA area where we (finally) arrived last night.
We started the day getting checked out of our hotel where I caught this mirrored picture of my hubby, contemplating the day.
Just so you are aware–we only stay in hotels that feature beautifully manicured lawns and exquisite landscaping.
I mean, look at the beautifully manicured light post!
Staying in a hotel is always a challenge for me since I don’t travel very often these days. I will say to myself, “I think I will dry my hair.”
Easy enough at home. But in a hotel? Not so much.
Once I make the pronouncement to myself about what I am going to do, I stand in the middle of the room for five minutes and survey my surroundings with considerable deliberation. Where is the hair dryer? Is it in a logical place or a non-logical place? What suitcase is it currently residing in? Where are my brushes? Where is my hair gel? Where is my flat iron? What city am I in? What is my name?
I am pitiful.
Yesterday I did eventually get my hair dried, and we did eventually leave behind the glorious beauty of the parking lot view.
On our trip to Staunton (pronounced Stanton–who knew?), we had to go over a mountain which was suddenly overtaken by fog.
When we met up with Steve’s friend in Staunton and told him about it, he said that there was once an 80-car pile-up on that road because of fog. Yikes. (By the way, Steve and his friend had a great time seeing each other for the first time since 1967.)
We finally made it to Lancaster at about 7 pm last night after way too many freeway miles.
I found a relatively inexpensive place on Airbnb. For the same price as a Holiday Inn room, we get all this–a two-bedroom apartment.
It’s actually an old carriage house that used to house horses. And now it houses us! Our apartment is on the second floor.
Today we are going to see Noah at Sight and Sound and do some exploring. And I’m sure there will be some back-road driving in my future.
Tomorrow we will experience cultural whiplash as we board a train for a day in New York City. I am so excited for my first train ride!
Talk to you soon.
What about you?
Are you a good traveler or a confused traveler, like me?
Do you have any packing/travel tips?
Do you like traveling by train?
What a lovely Airbnb! It is so nice to feel like you are in a home instead of a hotel. I am so excited for your adventures over the next few days! I travel quite a bit for work, mostly internationally to South Asia and Africa, so I have gotten better at traveling. A few random tips:
Doggie poo bags make great shoe-bags when you don’t want your dirty shoes getting your clothes dirty in your suitcase.
I’m a big fan of bags within bags. My suitcase usually has a toiletries bag, a bag of snacks, a bag of all chargers/electronics, a cube-shaped bag with everything else that is not clothes, and a bag with socks and undergarments, leaving just my clothing loose in the suitcase. That works well for me to stay organized.
I try to embrace the adventure and trust that no matter what happens, there is joy and learning to be had. Plane is delayed 6 hours? Embark on a scavenger hunt to find the coziest spot to nap in the airport! Every food establishment is closed by the time you arrive? Know that “vending machine dinner” probably only happens once in life! Taxi gets a flat tire in the middle of nowhere in India? You get to see how Indians respond to things not going as planned. Of course this is all easier said than done, but I am definitely getting better at going with the flow.
Can’t wait to hear about the rest of your trip!
I feel your pain as I also have trouble finding things that at home are readily at hand. It’s always a “I know I packed it” moment. We are heading into Niagara Falls for tonight, so this morning it was a hunt for our passports.
My packing help is a list on my computer that I print out of all I need to pack. Originally it came on a ticket holder from a travel agent and I adapted over the years. I rarely forget something now.
I do like train travel but do it rarely. Enjoy NYC it is awesome.
Thanks for taking us on your vacation, Becky! I grew up and now live near Lancaster, but the one in Ohio, not Pennsylvania. I have visited Lancaster, PA numerous times, though. What I notice about towns in the east, near the coast, is how OLD they are! Here in the midwest, we don’t have the abundance of big, fancy buildings like you are exploring on your trip, or even smaller places, like your carriage house spot. I lived in Baltimore, MD for 10 years, before moving back to Ohio. It was interesting to experience the OLD there, although it’s nothing like the OLD of Europe. We are babies in this country! There’s a train museum in Baltimore, and it was fun to learn about the history of the railroad, which started there. Speaking of trains, enjoy your ride! When we lived in Baltimore, we would hop on Amtrak to go to NYC. It was so easy and efficient! I loved not having to deal with traffic, parking,….
I’m glad Steve got to meet up with his friend. I bet it was fun to see the “boys” reconnect!! Now that I live back near my hometown, I’ve linked up with a friend I had in kindergarten! There’s such a depth to those types of relationships, sort of like cousins. We just KNOW each other!
Hang in there! From Noah to NYC! Wow! I’d certainly be confused!