My son and I are out the door for our annual vacation in just about 72 hours. We’re going to New York City with a day trip to Philadelphia.
Why New York? When I was a kid I always wanted to visit New York and in 1988 when I was starting to date my now-ex, my folks finally agreed to go. We had a fantastic time and I’ve always wanted to go back.
Fast-forward to my son and my 2013 vacation to North Carolina. We rented a car and drove through the Smoky Mountains and the Outer Banks. I’m not a huge fan of driving at the best of times and driving in places that I am unfamiliar with makes me really nervous. Nearly all of that vacation was driving in unfamiliar places. As a result, we were both so stressed out from some of the driving that I told my son I needed a couple of years off from rental cars. In 2014, we went to Rome and Naples and pretty much took public transportation or walked everywhere (we took a cab a few times as well). Then, for 2015, I needed someplace else we could go where we wouldn’t need a rental car. I asked a dear friend who grew up in the New York City area if she would recommend New York City as a vacation destination and she said of course she would. So when the time came (about six months ago), we started planning for New York.
Now, in the next 72 hours I have to pack, clean my bathroom, clean my bedroom, do all of my laundry, and board my cat. I don’t have to do much other cleaning because my dad will be home. We invite him every year and every year he refuses to go. We’re boarding the cat because my dad and the cat don’t get along and I will be more relaxed knowing that they’re out of each others’ hair (or fur, as the case may be). I’ve gotten a start on those first two, and am about to start on the third. I’ll do most of the fourth on Sunday and that last item has to wait until Monday.