We enjoyed our week in the Poconos last year, so decided to give it a go again this year. The place we rented last summer was not available by the time we decided to do this, and it is difficult to find a house large enough for the 12 of us, especially one with a swimming pool. Joe did manage to find a place through VRBO in Cresco, PA, not cheap though.
For our 2020 trip we wanted to minimize contact with the outside world, so we packed as much food as we could. After that trip we realized there are stores around this area that we would feel comfortable to shop in, but old habits (kind of) die hard, so we still brought a lot of stuff along.
Sunday 7/25. Ellie was the first one to arrive, Joe second, and Anne and I (with Harrison) the last. By the time we showed up, Kuau was bringing back pizzas from a nearby store.
The house has five bedrooms, can sleep a lot more than 12. In addition to the pool, it has a game room (think air hockey and foosball), billiard table, and pin pong table. There is also a sauna and a hot tub. All that, utile is a better adjective than luxurious. Which servers our purpose well.
Accommodations (7 nights). 131 Williams Road, Cresco, PA.
Monday 7/26. By the time I woke up a lot of people were in the pool already, they would stay there until around 2 pm. One fear with six children (five of them have strong opinions, the other is not yet one) there may be a lot of fighting. So far, so good.
Thursday 7/29. All of us walked the Kurmes Paradise Creek Nature Trail, about 1.7 miles, took about an hour.
Friday 7/30. Anne and I checked out a couple of kayak rental places and decided on the Yeti Rentals at Harmony Lake. Kuau didn't go on a kayak as he was watching Everly. I didn't go either. The kids had fun.
Saturday 7/31. We bought an ice-cream cake to celebrate Jess's birthday.
Sunday 8/1. Time to pack up and go home. Cleaners showed up at 11 am sharp; they had to get the place ready for the next guests checking in at 4 pm.
Anne and I stopped by Yaraku in Edison to pick up lunch.
Some photos from the trip. Many of them taken by Anne.
For quite a while Harrison has been into trains. His dad therefore booked a short trip to Washington DC, goin on the Acela. When Harrison suggested that I join them, I was happy to oblige and make it one for three generations of Cheung men.
August 3. Anne dropped us off at Metropark. The train was quite full, but we had an empty seat at our table. The hotel is less than a five-minute walk from the Union Station, even with our not sure of our bearings.
Union Station was very quiet, but a few businesses remained open, including a Shake Shack and a Chipotle. We would end up getting takeout from these two places.
Today we toured the National Gallery of Art. The collection is quite impressive, and I venture to guess little to none of which are the spoils of war.
Joe Jr managed to snag a one-bedroom suite with an adjoining bedroom, so thing were great on that front.
Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Capital Hill (2 nights).
Tuesday August 4. The seating for the cafe at the hotel was closed, but one could still order hot breakfast from the limited menu, with some items (omlets and waffles, for example) prepared fresh. We would end up ordering a dinner from the hotel kitchen also.
The museum we visited was Natural History. We ended up spending very little time inside, much of that on the evolution story. Using my standard of "do I know/understand the subject a bit better after the tour," it was a failure.
Wednesday August 5. Today's target museums are the Air & Space and the American Indian. The line to the A&S was very long - when we joined the queue, it wrapped around to the back. And forget about social distancing inside. It's always a popular museum. Somehow the elevators were not working (the escalators were, as far as I could tell), so they closed down the entire second floor, ostensibly to accommodate those with physical disabilities. I am loss for words. We ended up spending very little time inside, much of that on the evolution story. Using my standard of "do I know/understand the subject a bit better after the tour," it was a failure.
The American Indian museum disappointed last time I visited. It disappointed again this time. Of the usual three floors accessible to the public, one was closed off. That I don't understand.
I did find out there were boarding schools just like they did in Canada. Another painful page in American history.
To add to the surreal feeling I got, here many signs are in English and Spanish. Signs at the other two museums I visited were predominantly (if not exclusively in English). I don't know who decided it would be necessary to be helpful to Spanish-speaking folks at this museum, but not the others. For the American Indian, it must be more puzzling.
We had a late check-out of 4 pm, and it was a short walk to Union Station. Actually I took advantage of the hotel's proximity to the Mall and did a lot of walking there. And it was great to be able to spend some time with Harrison and Joe.
