Today didn’t start off very well at all.
I was awakened to the sound of my son hurling in his hotel room bed at 2:10 in the morning. Of course there weren’t any spare linens in the closet, so I had to shift the sheet and covers over so the kids could sleep warmly without lying in puke (although they were lying nearby it!). At 4:30 in the morning my son had a nice fat bout of diarrhea from food poisoning – he tried to make it to the potty, but he missed. I spend the next 20 minutes cleaning up crap off the bathroom floor with Kleenex tissues and hotel washclothes. That just plain sucked. Needless to say we started off on our journey late – I tried to sleep in a little, but really all I managed to do was waste some of the morning being grumpy.
We had a nice drive though the rest of Maryland and into Delaware and let me tell you, the 5-0 were definately out in force in that little state. They had these really cool unmarked cars that looked like station wagon / minivans and were plain jane colors. Totally busting folks. Not me though – God’s favor was on me today 
. One other note: Between Baltimore and NY I must have paid $2000 + two arms and legs in tolls! The tolls are a rip-off! On one section of the turnpike it was $8 just to enter a state! I don’t remember which one it was, but I’m sure it wasn’t worth it (no state is (except Texas of course)).
Becuase of the late start I didn’t stop in Philadelphia, and it’s a shame I didn’t. I really like Philadelphia – it has some really, really cool places and buildings – it’s a lot like NY and Boston. I had fun making a wrong turn downtown, but that was it as far as sightseening went. I did however get a chance to give a nice salute out to the Philadelphia Eagles when I passed their football stadium.
The highlight of the day of course was New York. No doubt about it, that is an incredible city. Washington D.C. and New York are probably my two favorite cities (that I have been to). While I have been to NY on other occasions, this was the first time I had been with children (not counting myself). I was amazed at how kid friendly the city is – no joke! We drove in with one purpose in mind, and that was to hit up the Magnolia Bakery for some crazy delicious cupcakes (as featured in the SNL video ‘Lazy Sunday’). I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream – drive in NY. Loved it! You can drive as agressive as you want to – and boy did I take advantage of that! We parked somehwere in SoHo, and walked about 10 or so blocks to the bakery, stopping along the way at a garden courtyard on the property of a local church.
We needed to find a restroom, and if you’ve been to NY, you know how sucky that can be for anyone let alone kids. While looking for one I stumbled across a full fledged public playground right in the city! In the Greenwich Village Historic District, right in between a triangle of busy streets and a cacophony of buildings, the playground was nestled like a desert mirage. On top of this it had a nice public restroom.
We played for awhile, and then started our way back (stopping one more time at a park on the Hudson River). Not only did I drive in NY, but I drove in rush hour traffic in the rain. I loved it. The kids were once again outstanding, and they are already starting to become seasoned and hardened travelers. We took our time, but eventually made it to our destination in Boston. We are staying with Sarah’s cousin Jon and his wife Lisa. They have two really cool kids (and cousins of C & C). There will be ample playing for all tomorrow as well as adventure on some level.
Tomorrow: Boston.
Total Miles Today: 429.
Waypoints: Baltimore, Delaware, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York (city), Boston.
Remember, you can view photos from today in the photos section of this site, as well as track my progress in real-time via GPS here: http://collinmcmullen.com/?page_id=82
Until the photos update on collinmcmullen.com, you can check them out here: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=91406&id=742377735&l=9c8f39f167
