Thursday, April 22, 2010

Planes, Trains, Automobiles and a Bus

We are planning a family vacation. Personally, I really don't like vacations since it cuts into my yardsaling time. If I could do a Sunday-Friday vacation only, that would be ideal. The bulk of the planning is complete. It will involve various modes of transportation. It starts off with a mini adventure just to get to the airport. I will be amazed if it all works out. Goes something like this:

Drive to a Metro (subway) station that has free long term parking. Cross fingers that the car doesn't get stolen. Take the subway to another station that has a bus service to get to the airport. Fly to Long Beach, California. Rent a car and spend several days in Los Angeles. Then drive to Big Bear Lake, CA and spend a night. Then continue driving to Vegas, baby. Spend two free nights at Mandalay Bay (cuz DH got a promotional flier from them). Win tons of money. Visit the Pawn Stars pawn shop. After checking out of Mandalay Bay, drive to Oatman, Arizona and feed wild burros some carrots. Continue driving to Lake Havasu and see the London Bridge and what else Lake Havasu has to offer. Jacob loves bridges. Spend a night. Leave Lake Havasu and drive to Palm Springs, CA. Maybe spend a night there (undecided). Then drive back to Los Angeles for a few more nights. Then get on an Amtrak train (with a sleeper car) and take the train back to Washington DC. Once off the train in downtown Washington DC, take the subway back to where our car is parked. Then drive the 50 miles home. Then relax.

You're probably thinking "why not just drive to the airport?" Well silly, that would mean we would have to pay to park. If we were flying roundtrip, that would be logical, but we aren't. And since the airport is so far away, asking someone around here to drive you to the airport is equivalent to asking for their firstborn child.

While in Los Angeles, we may go to Disneyland (I have some old Hopper passes that have some unused days on them - I was told they never expire. Will have to research that). Also plan on visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific Originally we had planned to fly to Los Angeles, driving to San Diego and then going to Vegas. But in researching hotel prices in San Diego and seeing that admission to Seaworld is a crazy $69.99 per person for ages 10+, I got to thinking I really don't need to see San Diego this time around. And just going to the aquarium in Los Angeles at $24 a person will be good enough. Would like to see a taping of a TV show. May try to go to The Price is Right taping. Would love to go see Ellen

DH lived in Los Angeles during his teen years and when in Los Angeles we'll be staying at his mom's.

If you have any tips about any of the places I mentioned, just leave a comment.

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About a week or two ago, Jacob's school sent home an order form for spring pictures. Normally they have the date printed on it telling when pictures will be taken. But there was no date printed on it. So yesterday when I went to the school to do some volunteer work, I asked the teacher when pictures are being done. Well wouldn't you know they were done yesterday. And as luck (???) would have it, he wore the EXACT same shirt he wore when the fall pictures were taken. Ugh.

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Update on that missing garage saling mom in Ohio. She was found safe in Florida with her mystery man. No comment (that I want to share, that is).

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think Ellen is taping while you will be there but double-check. Also, I don't think they allow kids to any game show so J would have to stay at grandmas. Your trip as I told you before is absolutely awesome. Susan C.

Chris the Yardsale Queen said...

I think Ellen only puts out the tickets 3 months at a time on her website. The Price is Right is 18 and above but Wheel of Fortune is only 8.

Zakary said...

I think, but I'm not sure, that you have to go down the night before and pull a number at CBS studios for the Price Is Right. Then you have to go back the next day and line up at like 4 a.m. and they only allow so many peeps in.

This is how it went down years ago when I wanted to go to a taping. Your vacation sounds fun and exhausting.

Leslie said...

Hey Chris,
Sounds like this trip will be long. Disneyland and San Diego was too much when we went. We bought passes from Costco that included those 2 and Universal Studios. The kids were complaining, to which I said no we cannot leave these passes cost a lot! If you do Disneyland/California Adventure you really need 2 days.
The boys at Gold and Silver Pawn are nice and the Old man really is grumpy. They were filming when I went, didn't make it into a shot though. I am anxious to here about the train ride, never been.
Have fun!

Marc said...

The kids were complaining, to which I said no we cannot leave these passes cost a lot! If you do Disneyland/California Adventure you really need 2 days.