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.