Mini TR for another Boston Road Trip - updated Nov 22

Ha yeah...it could have been that too. Or crickets lol.
:laughing:
My son's graduation (god willing) will be at the end of May 2021....I REALLY hope that it will be logistically possible, and also not death defying, to travel to the US by then!!
Oh I hope so!!!
Or at least, I hope I will be able to purchase insurance and not have to isolate for 14 days upon my return...that's probably wishful thinking. I'd still go, but isolating for 2 weeks (again) would suck.
There’s the 14 days... and there’s the whole “going to the worst COVID area on the planet.”
Funny, apparently snow shoes and patio heaters are the latest thing to be sold out on Amazon in these parts. Never thought about ice sculpting lol new hobby perhaps!
Snow shoes! Hadn’t heard that one. And... not very surprised.
Ugh, sorry to hear that. I hope you have a speedy recovery and can get back out there!
Thanks. :)
Funny, actually, we have dined on patios with them, just last week....and then there was a covid case where we went...so now they are shut down...scary stuff.
:scared:
Yeah I do know what I'm in for....it's gonna suck. I mean even if you only go away for a week in Feb, at least it gives you a respite from the shovelling and ice and snow and cold and something to look forward to. Ugh.
Come to Winnipeg in February. That’ll make you feel better... when you go back to TO. ;)
 
Just trying to keep the dust bunnies away from this TR until there's something more exciting to report! I can't WAIT to go on a plane again...who the heck knows when that will be. If nothing else, I WILL get to my son's high school graduation in UT even if I have to take planes, trains and automobiles to get there!! But for now....trying to keep busy and ward off anxiety about what a long, cold, lonely and boring winter it's going to be around here...
You will definitely be there! Soon we will be talking about what our boys plans are for post secondary.
What would I do without Amazon these days, I have no idea.
You and me both!
I really miss travel, and am living vicariously through all my US friends' trip reports and domestic travel. I know technically I "could" go somewhere now, or even travel within Canada, but it just feels scary and not worth the risk just yet, as much as I would love to. Some people are considering vacations to an all inclusive resort somewhere in the Caribbean, and that is very tempting, as I've not spent a whole winter in Canada in probably 15 years...but I'm still leary of actually booking anything. That said, depending on how things look in early December...it might be something to think about last minute...
I know how you feel. I have a 2 night/3 day Muskoka getaway booked for this coming weekend and I am ridiculously excited. It's like I haven't been away in almost a year or something.......
Good for you! Very ambitious.
I recently injured my hip, so my activities have been drastically curtailed.
Sorry to hear that! Hope you are up and about soon!
 
There’s the 14 days... and there’s the whole “going to the worst COVID area on the planet.”

Yeah that's a pesky little detail. For now at least there is enough time until May I can have some hope of things being ok by then to travel. A small miracle maybe.

You will definitely be there! Soon we will be talking about what our boys plans are for post secondary.

I sure hope you are right!!

I know how you feel. I have a 2 night/3 day Muskoka getaway booked for this coming weekend and I am ridiculously excited. It's like I haven't been away in almost a year or something.......

That sounds amazing!!! I'm sure it will be pretty up there this time of year too!
 
Yeah that's a pesky little detail. For now at least there is enough time until May I can have some hope of things being ok by then to travel. A small miracle maybe.
I, along with probably almost everyone else on the planet, sure hope you're right.
 


Ho hum, hello everyone!!

I have an update!! Not anything very exciting mind you, but if you want exciting.....the election results are exciting lol :)) I put up my outdoor xmas lights and some indoor decorations already lol that's exciting!! I think a lot of Americans wait until after US Thanksgiving to think about xmas but....since we don't have that here in Canada...I figure...why the heck not? I am so ready for 2020 to be over that maybe putting up some holiday cheer will help the rest of the year move along a little more quickly? Hoping.

I found a cute Disney ornament that I had bought back in 2016 so that's exciting lol. In other exciting news...I have not spent xmas in my own home in oh, forever, and only had xmas in Canada twice in the past 20 years....so let's just say my holiday decorations were lacking. I do have a ton of outdoor lights which is fun. Except the outdoor outlet at my house does not work...so electrician called and hoping that will be remedied on Tuesday and then I can be "that house" that put up their lights in the first week of November! Yay!!

The other piece of exciting news...I'm going on a road trip!! Sadly...not to Disney...or even out of my own province...but to Niagara Falls!! Yup...it's just over an hour away from home and I'm going with my mom and daughter. We decided that we need a short change of scenery, and the weather here has been unseasonably warm, so we thought why not see the falls before the snow and ice set in. We more than likely will have to eat in our room since many restaurants are only doing take out or patio service...so it may not be all that exciting...but after 8 months of rarely leaving my own neighbourhood....I am excited! Staying in a hotel Covid style will be weird I think, but I was a germaphobe before and will travel with wipes on a good day so...yeah I will be disinfecting the room a bit before touching anything...though the hotel says they have enhanced cleaning and masks must be worn in public areas etc, so hopefully it will be ok. I'm feeling like the longer I go nowhere...the more anxious I get about travelling again, so I want to try this short jaunt. Hopefully it isn't taking too big of a risk.

The sad part for me will be not being able to zip across the border to Buffalo to do some Target and Trader Joe's shopping :( Had I known last March when I was in FL that the last Target run we made would be the last one for a solid year...I definitely would have shopped a lot more!!

Anyway....that's it for the excitement around here. Other than the fast that it's a glorious 20 degrees (celsius) out on Nov 7th!! I really hope that sticks around a while!
 
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I put up my outdoor xmas lights and some indoor decorations already lol that's exciting!!
I normally think any decorations pre-December are a no-no, but... not this year. This year... put 'em up!
I am so ready for 2020 to be over that maybe putting up some holiday cheer will help the rest of the year move along a little more quickly? Hoping.
::yes::
The other piece of exciting news...I'm going on a road trip!! Sadly...not to Disney...or even out of my own province...but to Niagara Falls!!
Made that same trip a couple times. Not a bad drive. :)
Other than the fast that it's a glorious 20 degrees (celsius) out on Nov 7th!! I really hope that sticks around a while!
It's supposed to be 18 here tomorrow. I mean... here! In November!
But... the next day it's back to freezing temps. Ah well. I'll take it.
 
It's supposed to be 18 here tomorrow. I mean... here! In November!
But... the next day it's back to freezing temps. Ah well. I'll take it.

Yay!! I hope you got out to enjoy it!! It's supposed to stay warm until at least Tuesday which bodes well for our Niagara Falls trip, since we won't be able to actually go indoors except into our hotel room...hoping the weather is nice lol
 


Yay!! I hope you got out to enjoy it!!
Well... I got a bit of an emergency call-in to work, so went in last night at 11pm-7am... which meant I slept through most of the day. Did go with DD19 to the off-leash dog park with the pups, though.
It's supposed to stay warm until at least Tuesday which bodes well for our Niagara Falls trip, since we won't be able to actually go indoors except into our hotel room...hoping the weather is nice lol
Sure hope it stays nice for you! You've done the tourist things before? Like the tunnels, etc?
 
Did go with DD19 to the off-leash dog park with the pups, though.

Well that's nice at least! I bet it was busy!!

Sure hope it stays nice for you! You've done the tourist things before? Like the tunnels, etc?

It was beautiful!! Update coming shortly!! And yes, have done all the touristy things before...and thankfully so because...covid...most things were closed or open only on weekends and since we went on a Monday...notsomuch.
 
Nov 9-10

Hi DISpeeps!! It's been a refreshing couple of days. My mom, daughter and I went for a mini getaway to Niagara Falls on Monday-Tuesday this week. It's just over an hour's drive for us from home in Toronto and a place we have been many times before, but we all felt like we needed a change of scenery, and hadn't been anywhere different since March when, well you know, the world ended. So.

We hit the road around 10am on Monday so as to avoid the highways during the morning rush. While the "rush hour" isn't what it is during pre-covid times, the traffic on our highways is still pretty brutal much of the time, so best avoid peak times! After a pretty easy drive, we arrived in Niagara Falls at the Embassy Suites, our home for the night!! Rates were great for a Monday during covid lol so we were able to get this awesome room that had three queen beds and a jacuzzi tub in it!! We had hoped to make use of that but didn't lol. We arrived before normal check in time, but thought we'd try our luck.

The hotel lobby felt surreal. It was very quiet and of course everyone was masked up. But the Twilight Zone feeling was more because of all the plexiglass. There was plexiglass on the check in desks, plus big plexi dividers between each check in counter. There were all kinds of arrows on the floor indicating which direction to walk and to social distance, and signs all over about wearing masks and social distancing, and hand sanitizer dispensers EVERYWHERE. All this was both weird, but also reassuring because the night before going to Niagara I had tossed and turned and wondered to myself if this trip was even a good idea during a pandemic. I know that some people are travelling and everyone has their own tolerance for risk, but I am quite an anxious person, and in my circles...most of the people I know...are not venturing at all far from home.

ANYWAY...we got our room at 12pm which was fantastic. When we got to our room there was a sticker across the edge of the door onto the door frame that you had to peel off to indicate that the room had been santized. Once inside, there were more like it on the door the bathroom. The TV remote was wrapped in plastic and had a "sanitized" sticker on it. Even so, I brought my Lysol wipes (which note: I even used to do pre-covid lol) and made sure to disinfect every light switch or anything else we might touch. Once that was done, we could relax and unload our overnight bags and check out the view!!

537621

This was the amazing view from our room!! I could have stared at that all day!! But alas, it was lunch time and we didn't know what the restaurant situation was in the area so we headed out, masked up of course, to go see what the options were.

Niagara Falls is normally such a busy tourist area. A lot of it is pretty tacky mind you, but normally a lot of the draw for me anyway, is people watching. Sadly there wasn't much of that to be had this time as it was eerily quiet. Part of it might be that it was Monday, but I'm sure covid didn't help the situation. In any case, we quickly stumbled upon an Applebee's that was open, and decided to give that a try, since we were hungry and didn't know what else would be on offer nearby. I had the sweet and spicy chicken sandwich, which was pretty darn good actually! My mom had the same, and my daughter had the fajitas.

Gotta run out and pick up my DD at her dance class which is weirdly still running...will complete this riveting TR later!
 
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we all felt like we needed a change of scenery, and hadn't been anywhere different since March when, well you know, the world ended.
Oh, how I can relate to this.
the traffic on our highways is still pretty brutal much of the time
I've never really been to bothered by it. Except for that one time that person cut in front of a few cars, then veered into ;and up the embankment.
we were able to get this awesome room that had three queen beds and a jacuzzi tub in it!!
Nice!
The hotel lobby felt surreal. It was very quiet and of course everyone was masked up. But the Twilight Zone feeling was more because of all the plexiglass. There was plexiglass on the check in desks, plus big plexi dividers between each check in counter. There were all kinds of arrows on the floor indicating which direction to walk and to social distance, and signs all over about wearing masks and social distancing, and hand sanitizer dispensers EVERYWHERE.
I can certainly see how that would feel... surreal.
When we got to our room there was a sticker across the edge of the door onto the door frame that you had to peel off to indicate that the room had been santized.
Huh! But... I'm sure it also helped ease some more worries.
537621
Wow! What a great view! Holy smokes!
Niagara Falls is normally such a busy tourist area. A lot of it is pretty tacky mind you
:rolleyes1 Just a little. Don't mind the upside down house or anything...
dance class which is weirdly still running..
Really! Very surprised by that.
 
Just a little. Don't mind the upside down house or anything...
Really! Very surprised by that.

Yeah a lot of the tacky attractions were closed. But it was still fun to look at. And yes, surprising about the dance classes, they closed for a bit and then reopened, not sure how long that will last with cases going up again.

I am masked at all times because honestly I can't be bothered to remove and hold and replace my mask; just easier to wear it the whole time and not touch it.

Yeah my daughter's dance classes have everyone masked through the class, she doesn't seem to mind it that much. Even if you want a sip of water you have to leave the room to take off your mask to drink from your water bottle.
 
Since I know you are all dying to know how the rest of our adventure went... :)

We left off when we were having lunch at Applebees. Am I the only one who thinks of the movie Couples Retreat whenever they see or eat at an Applebees? But I actually like the food there lol and see nothing wrong with it as a place to hang out on Friday nights lol. Although hanging out anywhere other than my living room sounds appealing right about now lol.

Moving on...after our gourmet lunch, which note, was indoors!! Niagara Falls still has indoor dining open, whereas Toronto does not, so that was different. But you had to keep your mask on until you had placed your order and until the drinks arrived. I guess to protect the server. But we had questions about some menu items and it can be hard to decipher what people are saying. Luckily we all got what we ordered!

After lunch we went for a little drive around the area and parked and walked around the falls for a bit. It was a lovely warm day and the views were fantastic. It was nice that there were no crowds and we could get a prime viewing spot anywhere we wanted...so that's a positive lol. When we had our fill of the views and the surrounding gardens, we drove to Clifton Hill which is the real tacky tourist part of town. We looked around there a bit and decided to try Dinosaur Mini Golf!

537738

This was actually quite fun. The dinos were pretty real looking, and they made a lot of noise!! The noises would sneak up on you every so often so it made things more interesting!! The course was challenging enough to make it fun, but not so much that it would be overly frustrating.

After mini golf, my DD wanted to ride this cheesy Frankenstein themed roller coaster. It was up on the top of a Burger King!! They didn't have an elevator to get to it, only stairs, so my mom and I sat that out and my DD still wanted to go by herself. She said the ride was fun but it was weird being the only one on it!

Next we headed back to our room for a short rest and to freshen up before dinner. My mom has a friend who lives nearby so she joined us for dinner at the Keg restaurant. I'm not sure if this chain is in the US or not, but I think it's a great steakhouse and a good value for the money. I unfortunately can't seem to eat much steak in recent years without feeling like I swallowed a bowling ball so I did not have steak, but everything there is usually pretty consistently good. We had the baked brie starter, and then as my meal I had the baked garlic shrimp, with an iceberg wedge salad. Both were really good. The shrimp is served in those little dishes like they usually use for escargot, and they are filled with buttery garlicky goodness that you can sop up with bread after you eat the shrimp! Delish. Everyone else got steak and I got a bite or two which is all I can handle!

After dinner, my mom went back to our room and my DD and I went for a walk to see the falls at night. They have rotating different colours of lights sort of projecting on the falls. Turns out later this week they will be starting their nightly projection shows with lights and music for the holidays..maybe we'll have to go back to see that! But anyway...the views were fantastic, except...you get pretty soaked walking close to the falls!

537739

After that we called it a night!
 
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Nov 10th

As usual I woke up early...I'm pretty much always a morning person as much as I would have loved to sleep in, it just wasn't happening. Went for a little stroll around the area while waiting for everyone else to get up!! When I got back to the room, there were three paper bags left outside our door indicating that this was our "free continental breakfast" Each one contained a blueberry muffin, an apple, a bottle of water, and a bottle of orange juice. Not terrible but...we had had visions of a leisurely room service breakfast...which..clearly was not happening. I guess that's a covid thing too, although I think they could totally have found a way to do room service safely but I guess they aren't taking any chances. But thankfully there was a Starbucks in the lobby of the hotel, so we went down and picked up some coffees and more baked goods.

We lounged around for a bit and then decided to hit the road. On the way home, we went and checked out Queenston Heights park. This is a little park literally right at the bridge where you cross the border into the US. It also contains a statue for the Southern terminus of the Bruce Trail. That probably won't mean much to most people, but it's a 900 km foot trail that goes all the way from Queenston to Tobermory which is way up North in Ontario. There are all kinds of hiking clubs and badges you can earn for hiking parts or all of the trail. Some people camp along the way or stay at Air BnB's and try to hike it all in one go. More people just do little stretches here and there and record what they have done until they have enough for a badge. I find this all pretty interesting and hope to do some hiking on this trail at some point. There are some amazing views.

537747

Anyway...after that we started heading towards home, but were trying to think of somewhere to stop for lunch on the way home, since we never have anything in the fridge after being away. Hamilton, Ontario is a town that is part of the way home from Niagara Falls to Toronto, so we decided to try to find a place to eat there.

I was driving so my mom was tasked with Googling some restaurant ideas. She found a list of 10 restaurants in Hamilton to try!! So she found this place called the Pickled Onion that sounded good. We headed into the downtown area to try to find it....and here's where it got funny. Let's just say...for an 81 year old, my mom is quite tech savvy and I think it's great that she knows how to Google anything...but when she tried to find directions to the restaurant, her phone was having trouble. So my 14 year old DD took the phone over and started trying to find it. But then she wasn't having any luck either. After much fussing around....it turned out that the Pickled Onion restaurant is in Hamilton....BERMUDA lol, not Hamilton Ontario. So as much as we would have liked to have lunch there, that wasn't going to happen now or anytime soon thanks to Covid!! So.

We decided to just park in the downtown area and try to find somewhere to eat. We found a great place called the Bread Bar that makes their own bread and has a great menu of farm fresh soups and sandwiches and salad type stuff. I had a kale cesar with chicken fingers because they were apparently known for their chicken. It was pretty awesome. My mom had a turkey and brie sandwich and my DD had a grilled cheese. All were really good.

After that we hit the road and got home around 3:30pm. And that is pretty much the end of our adventure!! It was a very nice break from reality and isolation at home, and if this goes on, I may do it again sometime.
 
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Am I the only one who thinks of the movie Couples Retreat whenever they see or eat at an Applebees?
Not me. I've only seen part of that movie and must have missed that part.
after our gourmet lunch, which note, was indoors!!
We were eating indoors, but... restaurants closed again, last Monday.
It was nice that there were no crowds and we could get a prime viewing spot anywhere we wanted...
Hadn't thought of that. Yes, I would think that would be pretty nice! Sometimes, you can't seem to find a spot along the guardrail.
so that's a positive lol.
Don't use that word!!! :scared:
we drove to Clifton Hill which is the real tacky tourist part of town.
::yes::
We looked around there a bit and decided to try Dinosaur Mini Golf!
We played that course!
And yes, it was fun... but more importantly... I won.
After mini golf, my DD wanted to ride this cheesy Frankenstein themed roller coaster. It was up on the top of a Burger King!!
I wonder if that's new? At least I don't remember seeing that.
dinner at the Keg
mmmmmmmmm.... The Keg. :love:
I'm not sure if this chain is in the US or not
It is, but just barely.
There's one in Denver, Colorado, one in Seattle, Washington, three in Texas and a five in Arizona.
The shrimp is served in those little dishes like they usually use for escargot, and they are filled with buttery garlicky goodness that you can sop up with bread after you eat the shrimp!
I wonder if it's the same butter? It's a very rare visit that I don't have the escargot.
DD and I went for a walk to see the falls at night. They have rotating different colours of lights sort of projecting on the falls. Turns out later this week they will be starting their nightly projection shows with lights and music for the holidays..maybe we'll have to go back to see that!
I'd love to see that.
When I got back to the room, there were three paper bags left outside our door indicating that this was our "free continental breakfast" Each one contained a blueberry muffin, an apple, a bottle of water, and a bottle of orange juice. Not terrible but...we had had visions of a leisurely room service breakfast...which..clearly was not happening.
Huh. Kinda... cheap. But I guess their revenue is down too, so maybe nice to get anything at all.
It also contains a statue for the Southern terminus of the Bruce Trail. That probably won't mean much to most people, but it's a 900 km foot trail that goes all the way from Queenston to Tobermory which is way up North in Ontario.
Huh! Nope. Hadn't heard of it.
try to hike it all in one go.
:faint:
After much fussing around....it turned out that the Pickled Onion restaurant is in Hamilton....BERMUDA
:lmao:
We found a great place called the Bread Bar that makes their own bread
oooohhhh.... that's a huge plus.
 
I wonder if that's new? At least I don't remember seeing that.

Yeah I don't remember seeing it before this trip either, so it's entirely possible it's new. One other new thing that I was sad wasn't running was the go karts. They have this new track that seriously looks like a kids toy with ramps and such, looked like it would be a lot of fun. Next time I hope!

I wonder if it's the same butter? It's a very rare visit that I don't have the escargot.

It might well be the same butter...I could drink that stuff!

Huh. Kinda... cheap. But I guess their revenue is down too, so maybe nice to get anything at all.

Yeah good point. We took all the beverages home for later at least!
 
Yeah I don't remember seeing it before this trip either, so it's entirely possible it's new.
<phew> So I'm not (in this one instance) losing my mind.
One other new thing that I was sad wasn't running was the go karts. They have this new track that seriously looks like a kids toy with ramps and such, looked like it would be a lot of fun. Next time I hope!
That sounds pretty cool! I'd do that.
It might well be the same butter...I could drink that stuff!
::yes::
 
Helloooo DISpeeps!

It's December!!! Yes we have been living in this Twilight Zone for 9 months!! I don't know about you, but to me it feels both like the time is flying by, and crawling at the same time. I don't know how that's possible. Like the days drag on but it also feels like just yesterday we were just home from FL in March and in quarantine...I guess since we are...in quarantine yet again, or still...depending on how you look at it!

Here in Toronto we are in the "grey" zone. Apparently that's the highest level of restrictions - no indoor dining, no indoor gatherings, masks everywhere, no in person shopping except for essential services. But...it feels a lot different than what actually was a "total" lockdown back in April. Back then it really felt like a zombie appocalypse out on the roads, they were dead and you could get downtown in under ten mins. Now it's sort of...lockdown lite. I'm not really sure how effective it's going to be. Cases are rising and I don't know how it's going to end. I know a vaccine is in sight...but the how's and who's of when it's actually going to be available and all that...remains to be seen and sadly...looks like we will be living with this weirdness for some time. Ugh.

Anyway...my son who has been in school in UT since Sept is flying home today for his winter break. I am sort of conflicted about that. Technically we aren't supposed to be travelling but he is 17 and has a 7 week break, so, we don't really have much choice but to have him come home. So I will be picking him up at the airport tonight while wearing a mask, and he will also be wearing one...until he's in his room...where he will be isolating for two weeks. My daughter is going to stay with her dad and then my parents, to reduce her risk, and I will be basically at my son's service for 14 days. Hoping he will be compliant....I'm pretty sure the customs agents will be hammering it home on his way into the Toronto airport and he had to download an app to make sure that he is quarantining properly. So...it's gonna be a looong 2 weeks..

After that...it's almost xmas. Again, I feel conflicted over the holidays and how to spend them. We are not allowed to have big family gatherings of course. But I am the only adult in my household and both my parents and I have been pretty diligent about distancing and only going out when necessary and mask wearing. They don't want to be alone for the holidays. So. I think our plan is for the kids and I to go to their place for xmas dinner, but we will eat at separate tables like we did for Thanksgiving, and basically keep our distance as much as possible. I think this is as safe as can be, and what we need to do for our sanity. I just hope that anyone who does choose to get together does it safely. I can't judge anyone for doing it anyway, as long as you are doing the best you can and not being stupid about it. So there.

Ordered a truckload of groceries and the cooking and baking will be ridiculous for the next few weeks since I won't have much else to do!!
 
I don't know about you, but to me it feels both like the time is flying by, and crawling at the same time.
YES!!

It's like... "OhmyGod the days are craaaaaaawling by... and... Holy cow it's December already!!"
Here in Toronto we are in the "grey" zone. Apparently that's the highest level of restrictions
Really? Is that above red? (That's where we are, and it sounds pretty much exactly like your restrictions.)
Anyway...my son who has been in school in UT since Sept is flying home today for his winter break. I am sort of conflicted about that. Technically we aren't supposed to be travelling but he is 17 and has a 7 week break, so, we don't really have much choice but to have him come home. So I will be picking him up at the airport tonight while wearing a mask, and he will also be wearing one...until he's in his room...where he will be isolating for two weeks.
I presume he'll be returning to school 2 weeks early to quarantine there for 2 weeks? Or is it different over there?
he had to download an app to make sure that he is quarantining properly.
Hmmm... same app as everyone else is being asked to download or is it a different one? (If you know.)
Again, I feel conflicted over the holidays and how to spend them.
Oh, man... :hug: Me too.
 

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