Taking a Step Back in Time: Washington, DC Trip

Reese had his 15 year reunion in Washington DC back in May on a Saturday, and on the Friday of that weekend he had another shoot in NYC, so we decided to make it a weekend trip and go visit his family in nearby Maryland as well. The drive from Connecticut was about 6 hours in total but since we were in New York most of Friday, it ended up breaking up the trip into 2 hours (to NYC) and 4 hours (down to Maryland). 

THE US CAPITOL BUILDING

In Maryland, we spent a lot of time with his parents and sister. I like his sister a lot, we are the same age, both love to play soccer and we have a similar personality, reserved and quiet natured. His parents are incredibly nice people, very welcoming and friendly. I enjoyed every minute of the time I spent with his family, including the trip I made with his mother and sister to a little thrift shop type place to pick up a table.. apparently his mother shops there a lot because the people knew her by name. I actually think she is their best costumer.. It seemed that she either bought, or planned to buy, everything there (not quite, but almost!). His sister and I had a pretty good time laughing the whole time in the store about how much she loved to shop and get a good deal.

After the boat trip through Washington, D.C

The reunion took place on a boat in Washington, D.C. since Reese went to a private school there when his was in high school. I got to see (well...drive by) the White House and the Capitol building on our way to the harbor where we were getting on a boat. 


It was neat to meet all his old friends, but it was even more interesting to sit and talk with all the wives and girlfriends. It seemed like the majority of them were from another country, which made me feel comfortable being a Canadian.. I was exotic too! Ha! I met a few really nice girls and had some great conversations. 



Overall, the trip was a success and we ended up visiting, or at least driving through, 7 States at some point during the weekend...Washington (D.C.), Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania (and Connecticut but I didn't count it because we live there). 

Fun in Philadelphia

March, 2013

As a Canadian living in the U.S., I struggle using miles instead of kilometers. I realized I was really bad at estimating times based on distance using miles when Reese was doing mental math to figure out how long it would take us to get to Philadelphia from Connecticut.

In Canada, I never had difficulty when calculating how long it would take to get somewhere. If I was travelling 300km to another town (or city) I could quickly assume that I will reach my destination in roughly 3 hours. When you’re driving in the US, however, it requires a lot more math skills since the average speed limit is about 70mph (give or take 10mph). I did not even attempt to do the math for travelling somewhere 300 miles away at 70mph.. there are apps that can do it much faster than my mental math skills AND we have a GPS that will also tell us, or Reese can figure it out. But now I feel a little stupid and lazy for not doing the calculations on my own (thanks America), and I only know how long it takes to get to Philadelphia from Connecticut because we went there in March for wedding ( if you were wondering, it took us about 5 hours).

The hotel we stayed at for the wedding was called Loews Philadelphia, located right in the downtown area and it was very fancy. Before the wedding, we were able to take in some sights that were within walking distance of the hotel. We tried to see the Liberty Bell but the lineups were way too long and we didn’t have the extra time to wait because we had to head to the wedding at 4pm.  In addition to a tour, Reese also gave me an American history lesson and explained how Philadelphia played a major role during the American Revolution. I also learned it was where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. We also got in a little walk and got to see Ben Franklin's grave.. (Reese got a little emotional), Betsy Ross' grave, and stopped by a gift shop.

The wedding in Philadelphia was gorgeous, the couple was stunning and the venue for the reception was perfect. It was half inside, half outside in what seemed to be a courtyard or greenhouse. It really was lovely with all the nature around and I thought it was tastefully decorated. I didn’t know anyone there but it was still a lot of fun and I was able to meet some of Reese’s friends. The speeches were interesting even for an outsider not knowing either the bride or groom, and the meal was delicious. If I were a wedding critic I would have given the wedding a pretty high score.

On the last day that we were in Philadelphia, we HAD to stop at the front entrance and steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.. the same steps that are also referred to as the "Rocky Steps" because of the movie Rocky. Reese just had to mimic Rocky's famous climb, and surprisingly he didn't look out-of-place at all since a lot of people were also running up and down those steps. I'm sure Reese was singing the song that goes with the climb but I was too far away to hear him. I didn't have the energy to join him.. and also we were parked illegally and I needed to make sure we didn't get a ticket.

Overall, the trip to Philadelphia was a blast and I look forward to going back some day!

Here are some more photos from the trip..