Moving to a New Site

 After many years, I have decided it was time to move the rest of this blog to a new platform.

I will keep this site as-is but newer posts can now be found at MarylandersOnVacation.NormanTalon.com

I hope that you will continue and visit us there.

Thanks,

Norman

Branson, Missouri

Everyone looks forward to the yearly vacation. At least I do. One of the regular issues we meet is the question of where to spend our vacation. Sure, you can always get suggestions and you end up with the usual answers. "Let's go to Orlando,  Europe or Mexico". Been there, done that. Except for Mexico. A cruise perhaps? It is an idea worth considering. "How about Branson, Missouri". What? Where? Branson, Missouri? Why should we go there? 

Why indeed should we visit Branson? The answer lies in an event that occurred over a year ago. My Aunt had gone to the East Coast of the United States with a few of her cousins from Chicago, to visit other relatives. You can say they had so much fun they wanted a repeat reunion. We were invited to meet the "Pineda" side of the family. After a few months, they had decided that they would have it in Branson. It  helped that the place we plan to stay in, Westgate, had two locations there. We thought if they invested in two locations here, then it must be a place worth visiting.

The first order of the day is to figure out how far this place is from where we live. Maryland to Branson, Missouri is a 16-hour drive! And I thought Orlando was a challenge. This is not a trip we can take without stopping. The plan was to locate a safe location that is closest to the midpoint, an 8-hour drive. And that is Indianapolis, Indiana. We will drive a car and have 4 drivers alternate every 2 hours. Good plan, I say. I told my wife, "Let us go to Branson and attend the reunion, even if nobody else goes. It will be an adventure". And of course, I had to invite my parents. They are staying in California so we need to figure out how to get hem from the Springfield airport in Missouri. I also invited my siblings from New Jersey. It wouldn't be much of a reunion without them.  It took working around schedules but after much haggling and several starts and stops, the majority of the family will make the trip. And Lynne's cousin/uncle from New York will be in attendance. 

So here is how it will play. My parents will fly to Maryland rather than to Missouri because they wanted to go on a road trip and spend more time with the grandchildren. Bobby, the cousin/uncle will  drive to Maryland. From there, we will go I'm a convoy, stay overnight at Indiana. Good. Did I mention that there are now potentially between 12 to 15 of us, plus the cousin/uncle? We now have to rent a 12 sitter van that my kids cannot drive. Should still be doable. We can always just take more breaks.

Another major issue that needed to be cleared is food. Who buys, who cooks and who pays. The first two issues are easy enough, my wife Lynne takes the lead here. As for who pays, not so easy. I have noticed that during these situations, like vacations, there us a race to see who will pay for . This can be in the grocery or even in a restaurant. What I suggested is that each family hand over to Lynne $100 each for grocery shopping or any other purchases that are used or consumed in the timeshare. Any other expenses like eating out in a restaurant or the rides will be Dutch treat. Again, everybody is in agreement. I can see those nods, even if reluctantly. 

With these decisions now out of the way, we went to bed. Rest was imperative.

The Trip to Branson

The day began as expected, late. I was prepared to leave by 6am. But after getting up late, loading luggage in the van and breakfast, we started off closer to 10am. That is ok. We can still make it to Indianapolis as scheduled if we do not stop too often. Wasn't expecting that to happen but one can always dream.

Aside from multiple stops for lunch and rest, construction along interstate 70 and the rain slowed us down. We  arrived at our hotel in Indianapolis around 9pm. We were so hungry that after dropping off our luggage's we went straight to Steak and Shake restaurant.

After dinner, it was off to bed. Again hoping to begin at 6am. Again, after breakfast, we started out around 10am. At least we were consistent.

We arrived at Branson between 8pm and 9pm. We stayed at Westgate Woods, a timeshare. There was confusion about the building we were staying in. We drove to the wrong one. The concierge had to find us and set us straight. 

So finally, we are here. The kids are bringing up the luggage and I was identifying which room this person would occupy. It was also time to ask the concierge the question  "What in Branson will make this visit unique? Why does it exist?" This is the question I posted to our concierge. Without hesitation, he answered, "The shows. These were the first attractions in Branson and is what and still keeps it on the map. There is also the Silver rides (Six flags-like) and Table Rock state park". 

The Shows

I discussed my vacation with a few of my co-workers. The common comment was "Get ready to learn how to square dance! There is plenty of western shows". The billboards we encountered on the way confirmed that. But my co-workers did not mention that there is also bible-centric entertainment.

The first show we considered was "The Showboat" dinner and cruise. The idea of having dinner and watching a show while cruising around a lake sounds romantic. After considering pros and cons, we decided it was too expensive. There are just too many of us. We also considered "The 60's",  "Tribute to ABBA" (not too popular) and "Moses". It was difficult to get a consensus, my kids, nephews, and niece  in their late teens to early 20's. The rest of us are in our early 50's or early 70's. It is good that the story of Moses spans generations, so that is the first show we watched. Later in the week, the elders watched "The 60's".

It can be said that the shows are comparable to what you can expect in Broadway or any other similar locations. According to my wife the show Moses is a standout. Not because the  were much better performers than everybody else but with the choreography and presentation. The show used three stages and, from my understanding, magic tricks.

Glide and Ride

Branson is a typical vacation spot. You can find the usual rides like roller coasters, bungee jumps, bumper cars. A museum of the Titanic, in the shape of the titanic. Minerals and other cool looking stones can be purchased after a visit to the caverns that dot the area.  Alas, the cavern we went to could not compare to Lurey caverns in Virginia. At least according to my daughter.

You will also find campgrounds, for those who love camping. And horseback riding. My nephews and niece were excited to go horseback riding. More so was my kid's uncle who has never been on a horse before.

I wish I could speak in a first voice to how good the shows were, or the rides where. But I can't. Turns out being one of two people able to drive the van means I am also the driver who takes everyone around, although not all the time. For grocery shopping or to the outlets, I was definitely out. For those, we could use the smaller vehicles. But for the others, I had to content myself to driving people from point A to B, then back or to C.

The Reunion 

The reunion was not as big as we expected it to be. Several attendees could not attend, maybe due to the distance. But we met. We had lunch at McFarlain's Family Restaurant. There we met two of the Pineda's, and my Aunt. The stories they told of their youth, or how life was for them when they first started their lives in the United States are revealing. We laughed at the challenges they encountered because the stories were narrated in a funny fashion. It did not diminish the sacrifices they made.

The next day, we met again, ostensibly for karaoke night at their timeshare. It turned out to be more of a "watch our YouTube videos" night that quickly became boring.

Painting

Paige had a very specific plan for tis trip. She will paint outdoors. There isn't plenty of time to go around town looking for the perfect scene. Luckily there was a small waterfall next to the building we were staying in. Sha started painting at 4pm, and we ended at 730pm, when there was not enough light and the creepy creatures of the night had started to stir. If you have time, you will find plenty of scenic mountain areas in and around Branson.

The Trip Back Home

The trip back home is  a mirror of the trip to Missouri. We started late, we stopped at Indiana. There was construction along interstate 70. We took fewer stops.

The Recommendation

So, if you are asking if I recommend people visit Branson, I say yes. Will I consider going back? Not if I had to drive again. It is just too far and there is nothing that unique. But my recommendation will change if I lived a few hundred miles closer.

Branson, Missouri

Everyone looks forward to the yearly vacation. At least I do. One of the regular issues we meet is the question of where to spend our vacation. Sure, you can always get suggestions and you end up with the usual answers. "Let's go to Orlando,  Europe or Mexico". Been there, done that. Except for Mexico. A cruise perhaps? It is an idea worth considering. "How about Branson, Missouri". What? Where? Branson, Missouri? Why should we go there? 

Why indeed should we visit Branson? The answer lies in an event that occurred over a year ago. My Aunt had gone to the East Coast of the United States with a few of her cousins from Chicago, to visit other relatives. You can say they had so much fun they wanted a repeat reunion. We were invited to meet the "Pineda" side of the family. After a few months, they had decided that they would have it in Branson. It  helped that the place we plan to stay in, Westgate, had two locations there. We thought if they invested in two locations here, then it must be a place worth visiting.

The first order of the day is to figure out how far this place is from where we live. Maryland to Branson, Missouri is a 16-hour drive! And I thought Orlando was a challenge. This is not a trip we can take without stopping. The plan was to locate a safe location that is closest to the midpoint, an 8-hour drive. And that is Indianapolis, Indiana. We will drive a car and have 4 drivers alternate every 2 hours. Good plan, I say. I told my wife, "Let us go to Branson and attend the reunion, even if nobody else goes. It will be an adventure". And of course, I had to invite my parents. They are staying in California so we need to figure out how to get hem from the Springfield airport in Missouri. I also invited my siblings from New Jersey. It wouldn't be much of a reunion without them.  It took working around schedules but after much haggling and several starts and stops, the majority of the family will make the trip. And Lynne's cousin/uncle from New York will be in attendance. 

So here is how it will play. My parents will fly to Maryland rather than to Missouri because they wanted to go on a road trip and spend more time with the grandchildren. Bobby, the cousin/uncle will  drive to Maryland. From there, we will go I'm a convoy, stay overnight at Indiana. Good. Did I mention that there are now potentially between 12 to 15 of us, plus the cousin/uncle? We now have to rent a 12 sitter van that my kids cannot drive. Should still be doable. We can always just take more breaks.

Another major issue that needed to be cleared is food. Who buys, who cooks and who pays. The first two issues are easy enough, my wife Lynne takes the lead here. As for who pays, not so easy. I have noticed that during these situations, like vacations, there us a race to see who will pay for . This can be in the grocery or even in a restaurant. What I suggested is that each family hand over to Lynne $100 each for grocery shopping or any other purchases that are used or consumed in the timeshare. Any other expenses like eating out in a restaurant or the rides will be Dutch treat. Again, everybody is in agreement. I can see those nods, even if reluctantly. 

With these decisions now out of the way, we went to bed. Rest was imperative.

The Trip to Branson

The day began as expected, late. I was prepared to leave by 6am. But after getting up late, loading luggage in the van and breakfast, we started off closer to 10am. That is ok. We can still make it to Indianapolis as scheduled if we do not stop too often. Wasn't expecting that to happen but one can always dream.

Aside from multiple stops for lunch and rest, construction along interstate 70 and the rain slowed us down. We  arrived at our hotel in Indianapolis around 9pm. We were so hungry that after dropping off our luggage's we went straight to Steak and Shake restaurant.

After dinner, it was off to bed. Again hoping to begin at 6am. Again, after breakfast, we started out around 10am. At least we were consistent.

We arrived at Branson between 8pm and 9pm. We stayed at Westgate Woods, a timeshare. There was confusion about the building we were staying in. We drove to the wrong one. The concierge had to find us and set us straight. 

So finally, we are here. The kids are bringing up the luggage and I was identifying which room this person would occupy. It was also time to ask the concierge the question  "What in Branson will make this visit unique? Why does it exist?" This is the question I posted to our concierge. Without hesitation, he answered, "The shows. These were the first attractions in Branson and is what and still keeps it on the map. There is also the Silver rides (Six flags-like) and Table Rock state park". 

The Shows

I discussed my vacation with a few of my co-workers. The common comment was "Get ready to learn how to square dance! There is plenty of western shows". The billboards we encountered on the way confirmed that. But my co-workers did not mention that there is also bible-centric entertainment.

The first show we considered was "The Showboat" dinner and cruise. The idea of having dinner and watching a show while cruising around a lake sounds romantic. After considering pros and cons, we decided it was too expensive. There are just too many of us. We also considered "The 60's",  "Tribute to ABBA" (not too popular) and "Moses". It was difficult to get a consensus, my kids, nephews, and niece  in their late teens to early 20's. The rest of us are in our early 50's or early 70's. It is good that the story of Moses spans generations, so that is the first show we watched. Later in the week, the elders watched "The 60's".

It can be said that the shows are comparable to what you can expect in Broadway or any other similar locations. According to my wife the show Moses is a standout. Not because the  were much better performers than everybody else but with the choreography and presentation. The show used three stages and, from my understanding, magic tricks.

Glide and Ride

Branson is a typical vacation spot. You can find the usual rides like roller coasters, bungee jumps, bumper cars. A museum of the Titanic, in the shape of the titanic. Minerals and other cool looking stones can be purchased after a visit to the caverns that dot the area.  Alas, the cavern we went to could not compare to Lurey caverns in Virginia. At least according to my daughter.

You will also find campgrounds, for those who love camping. And horseback riding. My nephews and niece were excited to go horseback riding. More so was my kid's uncle who has never been on a horse before.

I wish I could speak in a first voice to how good the shows were, or the rides where. But I can't. Turns out being one of two people able to drive the van means I am also the driver who takes everyone around, although not all the time. For grocery shopping or to the outlets, I was definitely out. For those, we could use the smaller vehicles. But for the others, I had to content myself to driving people from point A to B, then back or to C.

The Reunion 

The reunion was not as big as we expected it to be. Several attendees could not attend, maybe due to the distance. But we met. We had lunch at McFarlain's Family Restaurant. There we met two of the Pineda's, and my Aunt. The stories they told of their youth, or how life was for them when they first started their lives in the United States are revealing. We laughed at the challenges they encountered because the stories were narrated in a funny fashion. It did not diminish the sacrifices they made.

The next day, we met again, ostensibly for karaoke night at their timeshare. It turned out to be more of a "watch our YouTube videos" night that quickly became boring.

Painting

Paige had a very specific plan for tis trip. She will paint outdoors. There isn't plenty of time to go around town looking for the perfect scene. Luckily there was a small waterfall next to the building we were staying in. Sha started painting at 4pm, and we ended at 730pm, when there was not enough light and the creepy creatures of the night had started to stir. If you have time, you will find plenty of scenic mountain areas in and around Branson.

The Trip Back Home

The trip back home is  a mirror of the trip to Missouri. We started late, we stopped at Indiana. There was construction along interstate 70. We took fewer stops.

The Recommendation

So, if you are asking if I recommend people visit Branson, I say yes. Will I consider going back? Not if I had to drive again. It is just too far and there is nothing that unique. But my recommendation will change if I lived a few hundred miles closer.

Aug 1, Niagara Falls

A few years had gone by since we last visited Niagara Falls. There were other options as far as where to go this year, Europe was certainly one. But, my Dads birthday was coming up in August 2 and they have never been to the falls, it just seemed like a better choice.This would mean that we could coordinate with other members of the family since a 7 hour drive would be cheaper than a 7 hour flight. It meant my sister, who is based in California, could fly in for a surprise visit. But that also meant a vacation without both my daughters since they would be heading to Europe. A first for us.

The seed for this plan began during the anniversary celebration for my parents earlier this year.. My wife and my sister were discussing what to do when a surprises visit to Niagara was hatched. The concept was simple enough. Get to Niagara without my parents knowing my sister would arrive. Get everybody to the hotel, answer any questions without the truth slipping out. Have my sister and her husband make an appearance, shout ,"Surprises", have a few minutes of laugh and giggles then start the rest of the vacation. In practice, it was more difficult, mainly because the responsibility for keeping the charade running fell on my shoulders.

The road to Niagara

My wife, parents and myself started the trip early with the expectation of arriving just before check-in time, 3pm. That was the plan. Instead, we left early enough but made a detour towards Pittsburgh to meet a friend. The circuitous route took us through some scenic areas in Pennsylvania, such as the city of Ridge way in Elk county, Pennsylvania, and some oil fields.Ridge way is a town built by the lumber industry and seemed typical small town USA. We stayed only long enough to have lunch. Yet, during that short stay, we couldn't help but noticed all the financial institutions that dotted the area, credit unions, banks and more. There appears to be plenty of money in lumber.

Courtyard by Marriott

We were to stay at the Courtyard. Although we would have saved more by renting a vacation house, most seemed to prefer a hotel because of the proximity to the falls plus the fact that tidying the place up after or stay was not a requirement. But first things first, we needed to check-in without causing an issue. My sister included, we would be needing 4 rooms. But since we parents did not know they were coming, they were expecting 3 rooms.

July 25, 2014. Start of the empty nesters?

July 25, 2014 is a new adventure for us. Today my kids go on their very first real vacation without their parents. Going on a 10 day European trip. Unfortunately for them but not for us, this isn't an unsupervised vacation as they will actually be joining their cousins family. The trip will take from their departure from JFK International in New York to Barcelona, Spain, Paris in France,  Athens in Greece and a cruise to Turkey. Lucky them.

On the other hand, their patents ( me and my wife) get to o on our vacation with out them. Though the experience of not being able to personally communicate with them on a daily basis is new and, in a sense, sad, technology allows us to keep in touch.

Foxwood Hotel and Casino

Our first order for us after they had left is to proceed to Foxwood Hotel and Casino. We were expecting an almost 3 hour drive to Connecticut but construction and volume on I-95 quickly turned this to over a 5 hour journey. However, the place was not disappointing.

Contrary to the image I had in mind, the casino did not strike me as Family-unfriendly as say, Atlantic City. Don't get me wrong! There are plenty of kid friendly activities in Atlantic City, but not under one roof. Foxwood is four hotels with stores and shops, theatres and restaurants ( Dinner at Festival Buffet is well worth the price)and arcade games ,pools and the High Rollers luxury lane and lounge. surrounding a very clean looking casino. The layout and atmosphere actually reminds my of Ceasar's Palace in Atlantic City

And if bingo is what excites you, they have Festival bingo, a huge bingo hall very near the buffet. There is ample parking space although be prepared to be somewhat confused. Construction on the adjoining Ranger Outlet stores ( Ongoing as on this date) adds to the confusing temporary road closures.

The room we stayed in spacious, clean and well maintained. Cannot compare to the room we had in Atlantic City. Still, like most hotel rooms I've stayed in, there is no exhaust in the bathroom. Small details that I think is important. And surprisingly, no sugar, cream or a microwave in the room. Nowadays you would think those would be standard.

Nearby sites include the Pequot museum, Mystic beach and the Nautilus sub exhibit.

Our vacation does it end here. Remember the kids will be out for 10 days. So after going back to work for 4 days, our next destination will be Niagara Canada, with my parents, younger brother and sister ( Sshhh...that is a secret) and celebrate my Dads birthday on August 2.