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.