[email protected]

In a message dated 11/5/02 1:24:16 PM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

<< We're planning to visit Florida in February, see the Everglades,
Keys and (urg) a themepark. >>

OH!! You're going to see THAT part of Florida!
It will be warm in the winter then. We have a whole different climate up here
near AL.
But not nearly as good of sightseeing although our beaches are a lot better
(or so I hear).
If you came in Feb. we could probably see the Blue Angels practice and meet
some of them :)

Ren

Shyrley

On 5 Nov 02, at 14:38, starsuncloud@... wrote:

> In a message dated 11/5/02 1:24:16 PM Central Standard Time,
> [email protected] writes:
>
> << We're planning to visit Florida in February, see the Everglades,
> Keys and (urg) a themepark. >>
>
> OH!! You're going to see THAT part of Florida!
> It will be warm in the winter then. We have a whole different climate
> up here near AL. But not nearly as good of sightseeing although our
> beaches are a lot better (or so I hear). If you came in Feb. we could
> probably see the Blue Angels practice and meet some of them :)
>
> Ren
>
What are the Blue Angels?
I'm not a beach person unless its rocky with dramatic cliffs. My
idea of hell is sitting on a hot sandy beach.
I imagine the beaches of Maine are more 'me'.

What I would like is unlimited money and time to visit everything in
the US - like Bill Bryson did in 'The Lost Continent'
I'd drive and stop wherever fancy took me. Unfortunately, in a small
car with 3 children saying 'Are we there yet' whose longest drive
experience has been 5 hours this just ain't gonna happen.
The US is just tooooooooooo big so we get to see 'tourist' places
cos thats easy to plan.
We were thinking of driving to the GC. I think its about 2400 miles
from here. Having found the 5 hour, 260 mile jaunt to NYC a never
to be repeated experience we are just gonna have to fly.
We will be driving to FL however. 800 miles will be a 3 day
marathon for me. Gonna have to drug the children. DH wont drive
the minivan and he wont drive on roads he's never been on
before....so its all up to me :-(

Is Universal Studios as hideous as I think its going to be?

Shyrley


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"You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you are all the same."

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/5/02 3:55:00 PM, shyrley.williams@... writes:

<< Is Universal Studios as hideous as I think its going to be? >>

I went in California when Kirby and Marty were little and we had a GREAT
time!!

If you look at things through your kids' eyes, lots of things will look
pretty new and exciting!

Sandra

Shyrley

On 5 Nov 02, at 18:53, SandraDodd@... wrote:

>
> In a message dated 11/5/02 3:55:00 PM, shyrley.williams@...
> writes:
>
> << Is Universal Studios as hideous as I think its going to be? >>
>
> I went in California when Kirby and Marty were little and we had a
> GREAT time!!
>
> If you look at things through your kids' eyes, lots of things will
> look pretty new and exciting!
>
> Sandra

Sounds like an idea. My kids have never seen a theme park. We
are deprived in the UK and I'm afriad I've always had this veiw that
they are tacky and over-priced, crowded and noisy.
I'm a mountains and scenery type of person myself. I could spend
all day just gawping at mountains as I did in the Himalaya once.
Snow covered peaks, moonlight. It was awesome.
Maybe I'm just weird.

Shyrley


"You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you are all the same."

Nancy Wooton

on 11/5/02 4:02 PM, Shyrley at shyrley.williams@... wrote:

> Sounds like an idea. My kids have never seen a theme park. We
> are deprived in the UK and I'm afriad I've always had this veiw that
> they are tacky and over-priced, crowded and noisy.
> I'm a mountains and scenery type of person myself. I could spend
> all day just gawping at mountains as I did in the Himalaya once.
> Snow covered peaks, moonlight. It was awesome.
> Maybe I'm just weird.

Hey, Disneyland has the Matterhorn! We could see it from my backyard when I
was a kid (provided the smog wasn't too thick). Fake Snow covered peak,
Tinkerbell sliding along a wire during the fireworks every night, landing on
Sleeping Beauty's Castle... that was awesome <ggg>

Nancy, who is a theme-park avoider. Growing up in Anaheim will do that to
you.

(Yeah Angels, however!!!)

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/5/02 4:00:48 PM, shyrley.williams@... writes:

<< My kids have never seen a theme park. >>

that is awesome!!

<< We are deprived in the UK and I'm afriad I've always had this veiw that
they are tacky and over-priced, crowded and noisy. >>

yep that is what I think of them! Instant headaches producers too.

<< I'm a mountains and scenery type of person myself. I could spend
all day just gawping at mountains as I did in the Himalaya once.
Snow covered peaks, moonlight. It was awesome.
Maybe I'm just weird. >>

sounds perfect to me, but then I know I am weird :)

Jessica

Karen

>>Is Universal Studios as hideous as I think its going to be?<< Shyrley

Actually, when we went nearly two years ago, I liked Universal better than
the Disney stuff. It helped immensely that we went in January and there were
no crowds. The longest we had to wait for a ride was maybe 20 minutes; the
rest we just went straight on the ride. Islands of Adventure (you can get a
ticket that covers both it and Universal) had the best rides and a
Seuss-ville that was magical.

You do have to see it through your kids' eyes. I grew up thinking a trip to
Six Flags was just the best thing there was, and even now I get a little
thrill walking through the front gate although I'm also aware of the
tackiness and expense and smell and noise.

The only thing I wouldn't do again is take a 4 yr old on the Jaws ride...!

Karen M.

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/6/02 6:01:15 AM Central Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:

<< What are the Blue Angels?
I'm not a beach person unless its rocky with dramatic cliffs. My
idea of hell is sitting on a hot sandy beach.
I imagine the beaches of Maine are more 'me'. >>

The Blue Angels are the Navy's flying team. Very noisy, but oh so fun to
watch.
The kids dig it...
And our beaches are anything but rocky and dramatic, but you knew that!!
They aren't hot anymore either, I won't even swim in the water, but some do.
It's a very loooong stretch of extremely white sand and turquoise water.
Dolphins swim by frequently and you can often catch sight of manta
rays...lets not talk about those sharks. :)
It's the kind of beach you swim at, if you don't like swimming and you don't
like sunshine, it's not gonna be much fun.
I do think you would be a great candidate for living in the Portland area
(Oregon).
Drizzly grey skies most of the time, liberal city and more dramatic beaches
just two hours away.

Ren

Kate Green

Having found the 5 hour, 260 mile jaunt to NYC a never
> to be repeated experience we are just gonna have to fly.
> We will be driving to FL however. 800 miles will be a 3 day
> marathon for me. Gonna have to drug the children. DH wont drive
> the minivan and he wont drive on roads he's never been on
> before....so its all up to me :-(
>

Oh this is a shame you all don't enjoy long drives. We've driven back and
forth across the US a couple of times and had a blast. That's something we
really miss here as we can't do long road trips (just won't go to Saudi:)
My kids all pack a backpack for the trip and get new books, markers, tapes
etc. We buy fun food and get a stack of story tapes (we all really love the
ones by Patrick McManus and even Monty Python for older "kids"). We get
excited looking on the map and even stops at Burger King (always with play
areas when they were little) were fun because it was new.
I've just found it's a great way for us all to connect and talk and just
"be" with each other. Although I have to say I haven't made a trip yet
since the oldest has hit 15-year-old hormones!! After this evening I'm not
sure I could be in a car for 5 minutes #%$^^%&

> Is Universal Studios as hideous as I think its going to be?

No it's OK. Are you going to LA? We like Knotts Berry Farm much better than
Disney. It's older and more trees and just seems calmer.

Kate
>
> Shyrley
>
>
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Kate Green

>
> Sounds like an idea. My kids have never seen a theme park. We
> are deprived in the UK and I'm afriad I've always had this veiw that
> they are tacky and over-priced, crowded and noisy.

really -- some of the nicest theme parks we've been to were in the UK.
Smaller ones that were more folksy and less glamorous. But Alton Towers has
one of the highest roller coasters in the world -- something dh and one of
the boys really loved!

> I'm a mountains and scenery type of person myself. I could spend
> all day just gawping at mountains as I did in the Himalaya once.
> Snow covered peaks, moonlight. It was awesome.
> Maybe I'm just weird.
>

Isn't there room for both? I couldn't do theme parks daily but every now
and again they are fun "if" the kids enjoy them. I hate rides and don't go
on anything except wimpy things like carousels. But I get loads of
enjoyment and satisfaction from watching my kids shriek with laughter.
Some great views of mountains I think were on the highway thru the Rocky
Mountain National Park -- really fantastic in fall and we got to see loads
of elk.
Bavaria was nice but only the mountains with lovely German guesthouses on
top serving loads of beer and hot soup:)

Kate

> Shyrley
>
>
>""
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
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Shyrley

On 6 Nov 02, at 21:28, Kate Green wrote:

> >
> > Sounds like an idea. My kids have never seen a theme park. We
> > are deprived in the UK and I'm afriad I've always had this veiw that
> > they are tacky and over-priced, crowded and noisy.
>
> really -- some of the nicest theme parks we've been to were in the UK.
> Smaller ones that were more folksy and less glamorous. But Alton
> Towers has one of the highest roller coasters in the world --
> something dh and one of the boys really loved!

It does?
We never went cos of the price.

>
> > I'm a mountains and scenery type of person myself. I could spend all
> > day just gawping at mountains as I did in the Himalaya once. Snow
> > covered peaks, moonlight. It was awesome. Maybe I'm just weird.
> >
>
> Isn't there room for both? I couldn't do theme parks daily but every
> now and again they are fun "if" the kids enjoy them. I hate rides and
> don't go on anything except wimpy things like carousels. But I get
> loads of enjoyment and satisfaction from watching my kids shriek with
> laughter. Some great views of mountains I think were on the highway
> thru the Rocky Mountain National Park -- really fantastic in fall and
> we got to see loads of elk. Bavaria was nice but only the mountains
> with lovely German guesthouses on top serving loads of beer and hot
> soup:)
>
> Kate

Fortunately I have DH to take the kids on rides. Middle child
(aspergers) and myself will sit and watch. He went to Universal
Studios by himself a couple of years ago when he was in the US
on a conference and loved it.
My gripe is the sheer cost. It makes you feel hard done by if the
kids want to go home after a couple of hours. This is when DH gets
cross and insists we *will* have fun ALL day.
We took them to the Natural History Museum in London back
when it wasn't free. What with the rail fare to London and the tube
plus the entry price we didn't get any change out of £100. The kids
looked at the dinosaurs (which are superb, especially the
animatronic ones) for half an hour then wanted to leave.....
DH went nuts and insisted we saw every single stuffed animal and
piece of rock. That day lives on in my memory ;-)

Anyhow, DH is looking up flights today and the cheapest ones are
round trip to Vegas so we might be doing that, seeing the GC,
petrified forest (what scared it.....?) and the meteor crater. Given
the miles involved I imagine thats all we'll have time for in a week
then back to Vegas for the flight home. Now he's decided I can on
with worrying about flying :-(

Shyrley


"You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you are all the same."

Shyrley

On 6 Nov 02, at 21:23, Kate Green wrote:

> Having found the 5 hour, 260 mile jaunt to NYC a never
> > to be repeated experience we are just gonna have to fly.
> > We will be driving to FL however. 800 miles will be a 3 day
> > marathon for me. Gonna have to drug the children. DH wont drive the
> > minivan and he wont drive on roads he's never been on before....so
> > its all up to me :-(
> >
>
> Oh this is a shame you all don't enjoy long drives. We've driven back
> and forth across the US a couple of times and had a blast.

I think its just not being used to it, coming from a tiny island.
We drove 600 miles to Niagara in 2 days and me n DD did the 5
hours to NYC.
After 200 miles I desperately wish it would end, especially the NY
turnpike which is 100 miles of tedium. trees line the road either
side so there's nothing to look at.
I do know now that I will never bitch about journeys in the UK
again. I used to dread the 100 miles to my mums house and would
have nightmares about it. Americans would drive that far for a good
pizza :-)

Shyrley


"You laugh at me because I'm different. I laugh at you because you are all the same."

Kate Green

>
> It does?
> We never went cos of the price.

Yeah and on British wages it's not easy.

>
> My gripe is the sheer cost. It makes you feel hard done by if the
> kids want to go home after a couple of hours. This is when DH gets
> cross and insists we *will* have fun ALL day.

Well I'm a bit like that I'm afraid:) Best thing if you can is to do a
2-day pass and have hotel on site. Then you can take short breaks. But
that's not always possible I know.

> We took them to the Natural History Museum in London back
> when it wasn't free. What with the rail fare to London and the tube
> plus the entry price we didn't get any change out of £100. The kids
> looked at the dinosaurs (which are superb, especially the
> animatronic ones) for half an hour then wanted to leave.....
> DH went nuts and insisted we saw every single stuffed animal and
> piece of rock. That day lives on in my memory ;-)
>
Oh my kids love that place. Again we probably over do it as well. My gripe
is Dh has to read every caption and he's a slow reader. I skim for things I
like and bounce from section to section. The kids like to be with me best:)

Usually there are cheap packets to Vegas. My mom lives 2 hours away and
that's usually our cheapest fly-in option.

Have fun, Kate


> Anyhow, DH is looking up flights today and the cheapest ones are
> round trip to Vegas so we might be doing that, seeing the GC,
> petrified forest (what scared it.....?) and the meteor crater. Given
> the miles involved I imagine thats all we'll have time for in a week
> then back to Vegas for the flight home. Now he's decided I can on
> with worrying about flying :-(
>
> Shyrley
>
>
>""
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Kate Green

> I do know now that I will never bitch about journeys in the UK
> again. I used to dread the 100 miles to my mums house and would
> have nightmares about it. Americans would drive that far for a good
> pizza :-)
>
> Shyrley

Yeah but that's because 100 miles in the UK can take 5 hours if they are
doing those damned road works! Everytime I hit the M-1 or A-1 half of it
was being torn up.

Kate

>
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[email protected]

In a message dated 11/6/02 10:44:09 AM, shyrley.williams@... writes:

<< he cheapest ones are

round trip to Vegas so we might be doing that, seeing the GC,

petrified forest (what scared it.....?) and the meteor crater. Given

the miles involved I imagine thats all we'll have time for in a week

then back to Vegas for the flight home. >>

That's sensible.

If you want to, tell him I'm really disappointed and you do REALLY need to go
to the SOS conference in South Carolina next fall since both of us managed to
miss it this year!!

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 11/6/02 10:46:31 AM, shyrley.williams@... writes:

<< I used to dread the 100 miles to my mums house and would
have nightmares about it. Americans would drive that far for a good
pizza :-) >>

Depends what part of the country. I've heard the same kinds of "what? Two
HOURS?" from people who live around where you do, and heavily-populated areas
north of there.

Sandra