Planning For Vacation

There's no way I can put a good spin on today's weather. It was just hot, hot, HOT! Really humid, too. Not even the breeze could help this time. I spent the day inside in the air conditioning.

Mom called while I was getting out of bed. She wanted to tell me that their house phone is out and to call her on her cell phone. She was on her way to Cape May to buy herself a nice outfit for my cousin Adam's wedding.

I made myself French Toast with the last of the Honey Whole Wheat Bread while listening to the Brunch With the Beatles show. Magical Mystery Tour was in the spotlight today. I haven't seen it, and from what everyone says about it, I'm not sure I want to. It sure has some great music, though - "Your Mother Should Know," "The Fool On the Hill," "Hello Goodbye," "All You Need Is Love," "Penny Lane," "Strawberry Fields Forever."

Went online for a while after breakfast. I wanted to do some research. I'm hoping to take my last week of vacation between August 1st and 7th. I want to do some traveling after spending my last two vacations in the Philly area, but I don't have the money to run up to New England. I decided to compromise with two smaller vacations. I'll spend a few days, probably Sunday through Tuesday or Wednesday, visiting Mom, Dad, and Keefe in Erma. Then I'll spend a day at home and get some chores done. On Thursday or Friday, I'll take a train for a day in New York City, my first visit there since June 2001.

My best bet for getting down to the shore would be to take the train from Cherry Hill to Atlantic City, like Lauren and I did a few weeks ago. Then I'd take a bus from AC to Rio Grande. Alas, no bus goes through the part of Erma where Mom and Dad live. Someone would probably have to pick me up at Rio Grande.

My first thought for getting to New York would be to just take the NJ Transit train from Cherry Hill to Penn Station. Doesn't look like that's going to work. It makes waaayyy too many stops. I wouldn't be in New York until late afternoon! I'll take the Transit train to the 30th Street Station, then just hop on an Amtrak train to Penn Station. At $35 for the round trip (plus an extra $10 for the round trip from Cherry Hill), it's surprisingly cheap, and certainly cheaper and quicker than a bus ride would be. (And no worries about getting stuck in traffic.)

I'm also looking into other, local options for amusing myself this summer. When I was checking bus schedules, I was surprised to see that the NJ Transit bus that passes through the White Horse Pike here in Oaklyn also goes through Clementon Park. Clementon Park is a local small amusement park, one of the oldest continually operated parks in the US. Uncle Ken used to take Rose and me there when we were really little, but I haven't been there in years. The adult one-day pass is $36.99, certainly cheaper than the other local amusement parks, Hershey Park and Sesame Place.

I read books and listened to my original cast album for Sail Away, a flop 1961 vehicle for Elaine Stritch, before heading to work. I left early and rode slow...and I still arrived sweating like crazy.

The heat must have scared off our customers. It was steady when I came in at 4:30, but by 8:30, it was so dead, I was just doing candy. I got out with no problems.