Reflecting on Vacation

While on vacation for the most part we kept really busy. Even when we had down time when driving a lot of it was either driving or navigating. There was also a lot of talking and planning that took place on the drives. For me I got up early before everyone else, grabbed some coffee, and made my way to a quite place. I used this time to write, read, and just think in general. It made a great way to start each day.

It seems that after every vacation I end up thinking about customer service. Not sure if it is because of all the interacting I end up doing with different people all over, or because I actually do have time to think, or a combination of both. Coming back I felt the same way I did last year, almost every interaction I had was positive. In the past I used to think that small talk was a big part of being friendly. While that certainly has it’s place you can be friendly and professional and stay on point. For many people this is even more important. They have other things to do with their time than chat. That was the majority of the service I had, everyone was friendly and helpful, but they stayed on point and got the job done.

The only one time that comes to mind that was not a great experience was one of the hotels we stayed in. We arrived basically right at 8:00pm. We had been driving pretty much all day, it was still light out and 30 degrees Celsius out. On the way we figured it would be great for me an the older kids go relax and stretch in the pool while Jen put Noah to sleep with no one else around. As I’m checking in I ask about how to get to the pool, she tells me, but then says it closes at 8:00. It’s not a supervised pool, still really warm and light, so there is no real reason for it to close at 8:00 except that it’s the rule. It made me thankful that in my job I wouldn’t have had to say no. If this hotel were like Automattic I pretty much would have been able to say, go swim and have fun, then let everyone know that I let them go swim and that we should revise our thinking on pool closing times.

In all the vacation was a great time away and I feel refreshed and looking forward to getting back to work. I’ll take the good parts from interactions I had and use them when I talk with our users and make sure I don’t follow any of the things I didn’t like. I also read this great post by Andrew Spittle on Customer Success and renew my efforts to ensure I take advantage of the opportunities I have each day.

Welcome Home Surprises

We have made it home! It was an amazing vacation but I’m very thankful to be in my own home, to get clean in my own shower, to sleep in my own bed, and have fast stable internet connection 🙂 No more having the the younger girls share a bed or Jen and I on either side of Noah in double beds.

We woke up early this morning and hit the road. We had talked about it off and on but finally decided the night before to book the ferry from Saint John New Brunswick to Digby Nova Scotia. This saves us a large drive around where we can get out and stretch and move around while still making progress to home. It also puts a time constraint on us though. We had to be there to make the ferry or we’d miss it.

This meant it was a long day of driving without really stopping. We only stopped twice, once for gas and bathroom break and one more to grab lunch to eat in the car.

When we arrived home the first thing I noticed as a surprise was my peony has its first bloom. It apparently just opened today to welcome us home.

When we opened the door inside there were welcome home cards on the counter from my sister and her kids along with some fresh strawberries. She had also picked us up some groceries so we had things like milk and bread so we didn’t have to worry about that stuff. What a nice thing!

Jen and I were on either side of Noah
Peony in Bloom
Waiting to board the ferry

Day Ten – Last Night on the Road

On day ten we made our way back to Maine to spend one last night in a hotel. Not sure I’m ready for all this fun to end, but I can’t wait for my own bed. 

There was a lot of driving today but we made a number of stops to beak it up. Our first stop was to a Mass EZPass customer service station to get an account. We should have done it at the beginning of the trip but at least now our next visit we won’t have to worry about having enough money for tolls and we will be able to blow through the toll booths!

From there we went into Hingham Mass to have an early lunch as Wahlburgers. The timing was perfect as we were there shortly after it opened and it wasn’t busy yet. Jen is a little obsessed, but the food is good. 

Our next stop was to be Hampton Beach. We made it there in good time but at the beach it took us about an hour to get near the beach and find parking. Looks like everyone else wanted to go there too. We finally found a spot but it wasn’t on the main beach, it was down further and not nearly as nice. There was next to no sand area and a fair amount of sea weed. The kids had fun though and it was nice to sit on the beach. 

Whenever we get down this way we try to stop in and see Jen’s Aunt Claire. Thankfully we were able to get a quick visit in with her and Jen’s cousin as well. 

As a treat we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese for supper and a bit of play time. I had gone as a kid and remembered it being fun, but only very vague memories. The kids had a blast and the pizza wasn’t terrible either. 

We made it to the final hotel around 8:30pm. While Jen got Noah ready for bed I took the kids to the pool to cool off and stretch, relax a bit before bed. It seemed to work as everyone went to sleep quick. That’s good because there was an early wake up call to head home. 
   
    
    
    
 

Day Nine – Starting Home

Vacation is starting to wrap up. We left the awesome B&B and started the drive back home. On the drive we changed up plans. We were going to drive around NYC but changed it up so we went straight through instead. There was certainly a lot more traffic than we were used to but Jen sailed through no problem. 

The reason we changed was so we could head over to Point Pleasant Beach on New Jersey. We didn’t go onto the beach though we checked out the Jenkins Aquarium there instead. The beach looked amazing though and I was tempted to go spend some time there. The plan is also to go to Hampton Beach on the way home though so I resisted.

The reviews we read about it were bang on. It was small and quick to go through but it was really nice as well. It was a great way to break up our drive and the cost wasn’t as high as some of the larger aquariums. The kids loved seeing the penguins get fed. The sharks were swimming all around and the seals as well. 

The one thing we ran into was parking there. Of course it was a Sunday on a Holiday weekend but some places were charging $25 and up to $60. If we were heading to the beach all day $25 would be fine but we were only stopping for a bit. We ended up finding parking for $2 at the train station. It was a bit of a walk but not too far at all. Well I actually paid $4 because I chose two days instead of one. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Day Eight – Chesapeake Beach and Fireworks

Yesterday was Independence Day. What an opportunity being right next to the Nations Capital. Someday I might look back and regret our decision to stay out of downtown Washington DC for the day, but we had a great day anyway. 

The weather was off and on raining all day. At some points it came down very heavy. We didn’t want to chance getting soaked or the crowds for either the parade in the afternoon or the fireworks at night. Instead we headed towards the Beaches on Chesapeake Bay. 

As we were driving there we actually stopped for a long time trying to decide what els to do because the rain was coming down so hard. We took the kids shopping again though and by the time we came out it looked good so we continued on. 

When we arrived the weather was great but we had a surprise at the cost to enter the beach. We could have likely drive. Further and found a free area, but the weather was good now. So we sucked it up and had a lovely time playing in the water and sand. The water was so warm. After spending days walking around it was a treat to relax in the sun and sand. 

We came back to the B&B andade some pizza for supper, got the kids all clean and went to watch the fireworks put on in College Park at the University of Maryland. They were really close to where we are staying and we heard good things about them too. 

From what I can tell it was the right move. We arrived a bit early but ended up with a great parking place that was easy to get out of at the end. The Fireworks display was brilliant and long and we had a great view from where we were and not a huge crowd. 

Shortly into the show Noah was so tired though he was asking to go home and go to bed. Even sitting on my shoulders was not able to keep him content and he loves it up there. I was thankful for the quick drive back. 

Even though we didn’t take in any of the big events we had a great July 4th in the USA. 

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Day Seven – National Zoo

Our smart phones are our lifeline when on vacation. We use them to most of research when we are out, stay in communication with home, each other, and with our friends traveling with us. Most importantly they are our navigation systems. 

Jen is partial to Apple Maps, but I prefer Google Maps, either way they really guide us everywhere. Sometimes we can rely to heavily on them though and today I did that and made some dumb moves. 

We read to get parking at the zoo you had to get there early as it filled up quickly. Being so close to Independence Day we figured it will likely be even busier than normal. Before we left I took a look at the map and found a good route. We used most of it already to go downtown already so I felt comfortable just at one point it would veer off towards the zoo. 

As I started out Jen picked a route and had me turn off, this is normal as the maps can take into account traffic so I figured it was a faster way. After a bit though I kept saying this seems like an odd way to get to the zoo, but I’m hardly familiar with the area so went with it. Once we were down right by the Washington Monument Jen looked at the map and she had accident dropped a random pin on the map and routed us to that. 

Hardly a big deal, and we were able to see some of the monuments and downtown again. By the time we made it to the zoo after the little detour the parking as full. That’s OK smart phones to the rescue again, we’ll book with parking panda again. We found the closest one for cheaper than the zoo charged for parking and made our way there. 

Mapped our little walk using our smart phone and went along. Made it to a road where we would turn right but we were on top of a high overpass bridge and the road going right was way below us. So we had an extra walking detour to get to the entrance on the other side of the zoo instead. By the time we arrived my feet and shoulders/back were already tired. 

The zoo was great though. We didn’t even get to see everything, partially because we were late getting there, but it was also really busy. Noah is in love with the gorillas, he has a stuffed one he sleeps with every night so he was very excited to see them up close. He ended up buying a new one in the gift shop. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Day Six – More Washington

It was calling for rain off and on today so we planned to be indoors for most of it. After rushing through only part of a museum yesterday it was nice to be able to start the day fresh and with lots of time for the Natural History Museum. 

The museum has so many great exhibits and the kids didn’t seem to get bored of any of them. This didn’t surprise me about the ones like the dinosaurs but even the gems section kept them looking at everything. 

When we finished up it wasn’t raining so we walked towards the White House. When we were about a block away a bunch of sirens and law enforcement on motor cycles came down the street stopping traffic. We aren’t sure who was in the motorcade but the kids thought it was very cool to watch. 

On the walk the clouds started getting darker and we felt a few little drops. We didn’t have umbrellas so we didn’t stay too long and headed back to the car. The kids wanted to do some shopping so we went back for a quick supper and off to the mall. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

Day five – Washington DC

We spent the day exploring some of Washington, so far I really like this city. We pushed the kids again and did a fair amount of walking for some of their little legs. The heat is a bit more than we are used to so that slowed everyone down a bit too. Jen is the only one who really didn’t mind it at all. She said it is the first time she has felt warm this summer. There were fountains all over where we went which was fantastic. Everyone could drink and fill up our water bottles.

On our drive in we drove past the Canadian Embassy. It was Canada Day so there were all kinds of people outside celebrating. It was really neat to see and I wish we could have stopped, but we were meeting our friends at the parking area we arranged. Speaking of parking, we were referred to Parking Panda to book parking spots, and it is fantastic.

We only touched a few things today, but we went past the Washington Monument, then to the World War II Memorial. Continued on to the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool. It is really cool to see all these famous places up close an in real life.

Noah especially at this point was getting worn out, so we decided to head into the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We only took in a tiny fraction of this one, but it was really cool. We spent most of the time in the transportation exhibit.

We’re looking forward to go back in today to see some more museums and the other sights.

Day four – Conneticut to Maryland

Today was our last driving day to get to the main area we are staying. We left at a good time and headed to Easton Pennsylvania so we could break up the drive at the Crayola Experience. 

On the way we met up with our friends from New Brunswick who had a bit of a delayed start to their vacation, but now we can spend the rest of it with them. 

This was a favourite place for everyone and we plan to come back again someday. There were many activities that the kids enjoyed and we didn’t even get to do everything or take in any of the shows they out on. 

Each if the kids made their own crayons. You could choose the colour, choose an image and the name of the crayon. It then prints out a label and gives you a blank crayon you can roll the label onto. I think Noah especially could have spent all day making crayons for himself. 

Some of the other fun things was a large projection area that had a scene on the wall. There was a large group of tablets you could draw an image or colour pictures and they would then show up in the scene. 

From there we moved on to an area you could dance and move and the crayola crayon person would mimic what you were doing. 

The melting area was fun too. There were large stations setup with melted crayon wax that you could use to draw and make your own pictures. There were also stations you could take a full crayon and put it into a machine that would melt it into a mould so that you could have a little figure to take home. 

There were parts of the next drive that were a pretty stressful. When a tornado warning popped up on my phone and we saw the dark crazy clouds near by it freaked us out a bit. We didn’t see anything really but the torrential rain and thunder and lightning storms we hit made it almost impossible to see at times. Luckily it was in heavy traffic so we were barely moving. 

In the end we made it to our B&B in Maryland about 20 minutes outside of Washington. So far our host is fantastic and so is the home. We have 10 people staying here and there is lots of room. 

We essential have the full top floor to our selves. There is a large room on the other side that has a library full of books. It has a foosball and pool table. Our host has large maps on the wall with pins for all the places she has had guests from. 

On our way in last night we were texting with her back and forth and she told us where a grocery store was so we could stop on our way in. 

One of my favourite places so far was last night after I unloaded the car I went into the screened in gazebo in the backyard. There is a fountain trickling water in the background. The moon was bright in the sky on between some tree branches. It was quiet and fireflies were flashing around the yard. It was around 9:00pm and still 30 degrees Celsius out, perfect!

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
 

Day three – NYC

We spent yesterday in New York City!

We booked our hotel in Stamford CT and took the train from there into Grand Central. It was the kids first time in a train and it was a great way to get into the city. 

Once in we wandered around a bit. Went into Time Square to see the buildings and shops. We probably spent too much time walking around. The kids almost got bored. For lunch we walked over to 30 Rock and grabbed a hotdog from a street cart. 

From there we jumped on the subway to head down to get to the Statin Island ferry. Everyone seemed a little stressed when they saw all the people and no seats. But it didn’t take long to get some and I think the subway trips became one of Noah’s favourite parts. Using the polls like he was some sort of dancer. 

The ferry ride was nice, we just went over and back. On the way back we had a better view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. 

When we got back we hopped right on the subway again and back up to Central Park. I love Central Park and so did everyone else. We spent too much time walking when we first got there and should have made our way to the park earlier so we could have had more time. There were places we wanted to see in there that we didn’t make it too. The park is amazing such an awesome open space with so much beauty, yet surrounded by a huge city. When I was here last time there were some paths I went down where I was the only person around. Yet I knew there were millions of people so close by. 

We want to come back again sometime and do some of the cool things like take in a Broadway show and maybe Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. Jen and I alone would also like to come back by ourselves too. I feel much more comfortable working the subway system now so next time will be even smoother. 

By the time we grabbed the subway back to Grand Central to catch our train we were all  exhausted. It was a fun day!