Philadelphia

What a day!
First of all, let me tell you how GLAD I am we are braking this up over 3 days...

Car was packed quickly and ready to go by 7am.

I don't think that looks too bad for a family of 6 out for 2 weeks.

We finally got on the road by 9am!

As a general rule my kids don't eat poptarts. Mostly because they give GanGan the heebie-jeebies lol. But this is vacation, and I needed something quick and easy for the road. G inhaled hers like it was the last meal she would ever eat because this is one of her top 3, all time, most favorite breakfasts.

After much debate I decided to drive us across the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. My debate was pay $18 for a toll or add at least an hour on to our journey assuming traffic wasn't insane on I95. 

After some internal deliberation I chose the bridge. I mean, its not every day you have the opportunity to cross a bridge/tunnel that is 18 miles long and was once crowned as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world.

 It was insanely hard not to try and look for whales and sharks while driving but ya'll I did it. I kept us on the road and my eyes on the prize. Then it happened... halfway across this magnificent bridge. G, who had been reading, started puking all over the back seat. Let me tell you, Poptarts are not natural... they lead to BRIGHT PINK VOMIT! No joke.

Sooo, all children screaming, and G hurling like she was trying for a remake of the exorcist, and me dying in side with the realization this bridge never ends and you cant stop. We eventually made it to the other side. With ZERO moments of enjoyment of our beautiful and expensive scenic route.

Quick stop and clean up and 20 minutes later we were back on our way!

We drove through Maryland and Delaware. We listening to the coolest podcast ever called Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest. A retelling of Grimms fairy tales, but the scary original versions (still suitable for kids). S was in heaven (for the love of all things creepy, weird and gross). We passed endless fields of corn, old farm houses and lost count of the tractors we saw.

I would say it's a pretty straight forward drive, J was most excited by some lifesize model giraffes that are apparently invisible to all other human beings but him. G said she was excited to be going to Japan... Um what? "Well, we crossed a bridge mom". One short horrified geography discussion later and everyone was excited to be going to Pennsylvania. Although S did ask me 4752 times if we were indeed there yet.

Baby F was amazing. She only asked to nurse 3 times on the way. All in all not bad.

So then we get to Pennsylvania... We are driving through what I could only describe as a very... industrial town and something does not feel right. We are passing houses that are boarded up, and falling over. There are cars on cinder blocks and groups of people I question making eye contact with. 

we drive through this for 30 minutes and our hotel is now 5 minutes away. By this point I have decided that unless our hotel is in a building surrounded by armed guards and barbed wire we would not be stopping tonight.

We arrived at a house with no windows, the door hanging off the hinges, and two old men playing checkers, who looked like they may not have moved in about 30 years. The back seat is filled with joyful cries as my wonderfully insane children let out screams of "WE ARE HERE AND THE HOTEL IS HAUNTED YAY!!!". I could see the gleam in S's eyes, she knew now. for sure she would get to actually meet a real live vampire right here in Pennsylvania as she has been determined to do (despite trying to explain she is actually thinking of Transylvania).

A few frantic google searches and I find the correct address. Another 30 minutes on the road and we enter the heart of King of Prussia. It is breath taking. Forest covered mountains on either side of the road with house roofs poking out like some kind of amazing Tolken dream. This is what I longed to see. 

We were all ready to get out of the hot vomit box we call a car and could not contain our excitement as we reached our hotel.

My bestie, who also has many childrens had talked me in to packing all the kids outfits in to individual baggies, and man was I glad. I opened the trunk, grabbed each of the kids their bags, stuffed it in their back packs and with a few more items we were headed inside to our room.

Our room is beautiful. We have all the beds we could ever need and a giant T.V. The kids were so happy and excited. G said this was the next best thing to glamping. Silently I thought, soak it up kid because this is the closest we will ever get to glamping lol.

 

Oh and the kids LOVE, the worlds oldest slowest elevator...

Apparently its the best ride ever... Why do I even bother with Busch gardens, Le Sigh.

The kids all decided that swimming needed to be the first priority. Although B said he just wanted to watch and play with his dinosaurs. I agreed this could be our first port of call and after a 20 minute frantic search for my glasses, (which I might add had somehow ended up buried under all the stuff packed in the trunk of our car) we shuffled off down to the pool.

It was packed but the kids had a blast. B sat with me and played dinos as promised and I enjoyed watching the kids splash and play.

We didn't get to stay too long but it was long enough they were satisfied. 

After some much needed toasty hot showers and the donning of fresh clean pj's, we headed downstairs to grab dinner.

My only real complaint for this hotel is the fact their dining room is staffed with one single lady. She takes the food orders, gets the drinks, COOKS THE FOOD!!!!!, and rings up the checks.

Solo... but she does it all with grace and charm so you can't be too upset. 

Although 45 minutes in to waiting for dinner, I realized this was probably going to be a 5 star microwave job and probably not the yummiest food on the planet.

We sat and waited patiently. J asked me 7 times in a row the practicality of having a small pony live in ones home. My response every time was, no that's not really possible but he is quite a determined soul and was not in the least put off the idea.

Our food came, it was edible, we ate it. The end...

Then it was back to our cozy room for snuggles and T.V and J's turn to play puke fountain. He just doesn't cope well eating food past 8pm. Poor kid, but he was soon back on his feet, building pillow forts like nothing happened.

Anyway, I would call this day a success.

I may have seen more of my children's insides that i'd care to, and taken a small detour but we made it and we had some fun along the way.

Tomorrow's big adventure takes us to see the Liberty Bell, more about that in tomorrows post.

Sleep time now!

Good night all 

- Sophie