Adventures along the East Coast

The hotel was surrounded by many eating establishments and the attractions of the city, and later in the evening, I took a walk down one of the main thoroughfares and enjoyed the nightlife which it offered.

The outside grounds were dirty and unkempt, and that was my first impression. My second impression was given to me by my wife, and it was concerning her check in. She essentially had to wait for someone in the lobby to help her, and when the person saw her waiting, she casually asked my wife what she wanted and what her business was. When my wife said we wanted to check in, then the young lady had to get some help from the bartender on how to check somebody in.

Then there was the issue of asking about discounts for Six Flags, because we were just about ready to travel there. The sign on the desk said they had discount tickets, and when my wife asked the receptionist and the desk about it, she stated she didn't know anything about it, and she couldn't do anything to help us out.

The following morning, just as we checked out, we asked where the breakfast buffet was, and another young lady waited on my wife, and she was so distracted that she couldn't focus on the task at hand, and instead of paying attention to my wife's checkout, she asked the guy behind him if she could help him. Then my wife had to ask her for the paperwork back, which she apparently didn't have any knowledge about.

When we went into the buffet, and this was just before 10:00 AM, we were told it was over, and then I asked my wife if she was told about that when she checked us in. She said she was never told when the breakfast buffet was, or was she told when we had to check out in the morning.

By in large, this had to be the worst stop, and maybe they had "extra help" on this July 3rd morning or previous evening, but it didn't sit well with us at all. I don't think I'll ever go back!!

The hotel room seemed okay, and the accommodations were acceptable, but there was just too much about this particular Best Western that didn't add up.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

The unit wasn't bad. There were some areas which were dirty, such as some of the dishes, and the area where the sink was, and in particular the sink disposal, really had a stench to it. Then we had to watch out for sugar ants, because if you made the mistake of leaving "anything" on the counters, you woke up in the morning with these little ants everywhere on the counter.

It was a nice place, regardless of some of these other things, and as we looked out of our unit, we had the sight of the boat wharf, and the deck faced it squarely. We had the opportunity to sit on the deck and enjoy the less humid weather, probably around 84 degrees now, and the beautiful sunsets and serene settings. I only found one mosquito as well.

The pool was nice, and we spent a couple of times in it. However, the vending machines which allegedly had soda were usually sold out and the arcade games in the Recreation Building weren't working after the second day we arrived.

This place seemed to be "way out there," but about 20 minutes away, you encountered the Interstate highway and the local traffic. The place is growing as well, and there's wildlife all around.

There was one important moment, when one of our girls locked herself in the bedroom, and there wasn't any way to get her out, other than my getting a knife and turning the lock from the outside of the door. We recommended they get some sort of easier access to the rooms, especially with families who have children. And I'll admit that the service arrived at our door in a few minutes to help us out, which we appreciated.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Good

At a later time during the day, the buffet turns into a lunchtime buffet, and what was interesting about this restaurant was that it was all home cooking, and the service was fine, as were the owners who greeted us.

Lisa seemed okay, like I said, and she was friendly towards the girls, until she had to wait for our order and the girls didn't respond to her in a friendly way. Then she became gruff and at the end of the meal, she literally threw our bill on the table and walked away without a word. I don't think I'll ever eat there again, but maybe it was the time of day, or maybe...Lisa actually didn't like kids.

They specialize in the finest cheesecakes and pies; ice cream; soups and sandwiches; baked bread; pastries; and flavored coffee and tea. And it was a very nice relaxing stop. Following our order, we relaxed on the outside deck and watched the turtles in the pond below, and when our food was ready, they delivered to us on the deck.

A fine dining experience, and it was right for the price, as well as being delicious. We all ordered sandwiches and drinks, and our twin girls had some of the Hebrew National franks which I ordered, and all, in all (including the great pastry), this was a place I'd come back to again if I was in the area.

What was interesting at the park was the fact that you were given a little card entitled "How was your day?" in which you could register your feedback about your experience, and possibly win prizes. My prize, unfortunately, as I later learned, was that the box office never returned my credit card to me, and I didn't learn of this for a couple of days while we were in Williamsburg. That was the most disappointing part of the entire park experience, and I got to share it in my feedback. But we'd go again in the future.

There was also an arcade for those who were like minded in that area, as well as a circular figure eight track, which provided a real good ride for Go-Karts. It didn't end after a couple of laps, but it was a good 10 minute ride. A nice change from some other areas. We stayed for a couple of hours, and thought that if we were in the area again, we might return.

Our last ride before we left at 4PM was the Carousel, and it was a fair estimation that a few hours at the park for our toddler twins was just right, and not too overstimulating for them. A great time!!!

Then we walked over to the "Lego Land" and saw all the projects which were made from legos. Our girls are a little too young for that right now, but it was interesting. The Lego Land Sea Serpent is quite the sight to see. Following this, we strolled around the marketplace and the girls tasted their first "Italian Ice," a cherry flavor, and it hit the spot and refreshed us all.

It's interesting that in the small area where the resorts are located, the average price for a gallon of gasoline on 6-22-04 was $2.19 a gallon for regular, but when you went up the road to B.J.'s about 5 miles, the price was down to about $1.83 a gallon, so we tanked up there, due to the fact that we have a membership, and this time it paid off. We didn't have to get gas again until we left the Orlando area. And the prices of groceries were far more reasonable than the stores which surrounded the resorts.

The programs before the show were sold for $5, and when you got inside, you were hustled over to have a picture taken with your group, which ultimately came to $20 for the first picture and $10 for any subsequent picture. The suggested adult tip after the meal was $15/children-$10. Then there was the cash bar. The most interesting part of this whole program was the Maritime Museum, which gave a history of pirates. Unfortunately, they didn't sell any books at the gift shop.

The show was top-notch, though. Good performances, to include acrobatics, singing, dancing, and special effects. It was a little violent, though, with many scenes of pirate fights, brutality, and gratuitous violence and violence towards women. One scene had "Captain Black" strike the princess in the mouth and knock her to the floor, and then he spat upon her. It begged the question whether the children should've been allowed in, but this is mass market produced tourism business. And in any event, I believe the images in the show were a little too violent for the money.

Following the show, there was a "Disco Party" with 60's and 70's music played by a DJ.

It was a pleasant experience overall, and I was impressed that there was no smoking in this production or even on the premises. Apparently, the state of Florida passed an ordinance back in 7-1-2003, which doesn't allow for smoking in this kind of venue.

After lunch, we went to the Character Landing, where our girls saw Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger, and this had to be the highlight of their day. And it wasn't a crowded situation, either. We had the characters mostly to ourselves at this time.

Just before we left, we saw the "Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade," and this was a rollicking, fun, musical-drumbeat festival. The parade lasted about 30 minutes, and again, we saw all the Disney characters, from Goofy to Pluto to Mickey to the others from the Lion King and other films. A really nice time.

I took the liberty of singing "You are my Sunshine," and it was a lot of fun, and my first time doing it.

Right next door to the Outlet is the Long's Christian Book and Music store, which is more of a contemporary, up to speed products which are current, and the prices are a little different. They're more in line with the average retail price, and I had the opportunity to buy a book I'd been waiting to purchase since we left Williamsburg, VA, and where I discovered that I'd lost my credit card earlier.

What was really interesting about this Long's Christian Book and Music was the fact that it had a reading area, a coffee shop, and vending machines for soda inside, however, the vending machines weren't working the day we visited.

All in all, this was a nice venture, and we'd go back if we had a chance. Nice family friendly atmosphere.

The store is run very well, and it is very attractive. The proprietress, Susan Gore, was very personable and helpful, and the patrons were also very nice. If you're looking for a little spot off the beaten path, I'd recommend this little place. And not only that - Front Street is home to quite a few other little shops, including one right across the street, which is both something of a malt shop and a small store specializing in Elvis and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia.

Then there's the Old Burying Ground Tour, the Vintage English Double-Decker Bus Tour and the Mattie King Davis Art Gallery, with all of these activities designed to give you a "flavor" of life previous to the era we currently live in. This is specifically the depiction of the 18th and 19th century coastal Carolina.

There are BHA Annual Events as well, such as Publick Day, Beaufort Old Homes and Gardens Tour, the Antiques Show & Sale, the Community Thanksgiving Feast, and the Coastal Carolina Christmas Walk.

It probably wouldn't hurt to put their e-mail for those who want more specifics - www.historicbeaufort.com

We were hoping to see the wild ponies of Carrot Island while we were there, and we walked the dock hoping to catch a glimpse, and among other things, you can actually get a tour of Carrot Island and get even closer than just looking from the dock. My wife, who is an avid lover of horses, would've been greatly thrilled just to see one.

I've already made mention of the great bookstore we saw there. And in addition, there are chocolate shops, Michelangelo’s Pizza shop, clothing, arts and crafts, and all the special places you're apt to look for on vacation.

The service was wonderful, though, and Gladys spent some time getting to know our family when we first stepped in, and we took advantage of some sales while we were there.

On the second floor, there were the plaques and other types of collectibles (the breakable kind), and in a small little room on the second floor was a treasure trove of discounted items, including books and videos and rock bottom prices. I just wish we could have stayed a little while longer, but we happened to be on our way to visit my son in Swansboro, NC, and we didn't want to be late. But for the 30 minutes or so we were there, I walked out with a few items, and made a mental note to visit again if we were ever in the area.

Great service and pleasant demeanor from Doris Hollowell, who owned the store, along with her husband, Gene.

There were reproductions of wild habitats for animals, as well as terrariums, aquariums, underground caves and its terrain, not to mention reproductions of the Virginia landscape. Plus, there was a really nice walk along a wooden path which stretched around the facility, and we had the opportunity to see many animals, including wolves, coyotes, possums, deer, turkey, geese, beaver, among others. There were also bobcat and alligator, and at each station, there were facts about the animals posted, as well as other knowledge to keep the visitors aware of the kinds of creatures they were observing in their reproduced environs.

There were outdoor exhibits, naturally, and indoor exhibits, and following our two hour stay, we stopped into the "Wild Things Museum Store" for a couple of mementos.

We didn't get to experience some of the other features, but then, if you lived nearby, you might want to return and visit the Planetarium Theater of some of the other summer exhibits which are feature for a couple of months and then change. This was a very educational experience for our whole family.

The evening brought even more excitement, as just before the park closed at 10:00 PM, they issued their fireworks display, and our girls saw their first fireworks display of their life, and they really did well with it, if only for about 10 minutes. As we were walking back to the parking lot, the fireworks continued, and I have to figure that from start to finish, it was close to 20-25 minutes of the spectacle.

A nice end to a good vacation!!!

There wasn't any real "tour" to speak of, because at the end of the 90 minute presentation, we were shown a short film of some "testimonies" of owners who spoke highly of Fairfield properties, and then we were subjected to a video presentation of areas in the world where Fairfield had their resorts. Again, it was bad timing, even 90 minutes later, because our girls had short attention spans and were really getting cranky. Given this fact, Zachary still pushed forward, and I had to remind him that if he had twin girl toddlers at age 2 years old, he might understand our position.

All in all, it was a fair presentation, but I would have preferred going outside and actually seeing a physical presentation of the Fairfield resort. Then when we had to be "closed out" by another representative before we were given the "free gifts" and we were asked if Zachary had spoken about the money aspect, and we said no, and he seemed to be a little miffed about it, and then tried to sell us some property. That wasn't our intent, we told him, and we left shortly afterwards.

This was not something I'd want to repeat, given the circumstances, and the push to get us to translate our own timeshares into "points" was a bit over the edge. We were happy with our own timeshare weeks, and we were already booked into a Fairfield resort in North Carolina later during our East Coast adventure.

This was a nice touch in Orlando, in that many of the patients are on vacation, and the Centra Care is actually operated by the Seventh Day Adventists, and it is a highly acclaimed unit recognized nationwide. We were very happy with the service, as was our Johanna, who started to get better a few days later.

As it turned out, we were told that Samala had a "viral infection," and that other than that, she was really a very healthy girl. They treated us really good, and I was impressed at these two instances of instant care for our girls while we were so many hundreds of miles away. And we kept our Samala on Tylenol and she eventually got better.

It had everything for the traveller, including a traffic tie-up, as many travellers found the inexpensive gas for their long journeys very appealing. The inside of the travel plaza had slot machines for gamblers, video games, restrooms, a restaurant, and harried service people who were tallying up the orders of the travellers.

After I picked up some iced tea, Mountain Dew, and some snacks, we were headed up the road on Interstate 95 to North Carolina.

This was a very interesting scenario - travelling with a teenager and two twin toddler girls. I'll have to say that the driving down the coast was very intense. We came across lots of different weather, much of it intense, as we encountered severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours. We also encountered the humidity and heat of the South, to which we all accounted for from the very start.

The most difficult part of the journey, I suppose, would have been the travelling on the Interstate Highways, and in particular I-95. We were involved in two (2) jams on the highway, both of which lasted for close to an hour, and both of which were during the day in some record heat. Then when you added the masses of vehicles and exhausts and occasional road rage, it made for some very difficult moments inside our Windstar. Fortunately, my wife is a saint and our girls did really well, considering they never travelled this far with us before. But I know that I'm not really interested in driving this way again for some time to come - not this "over 3,000 mile" kind of deal.

In the end, I'm glad we had plenty of water and snacks available on the inside, and that we had a VCR in our Windstar. It made the trip a little less hectic. I think I've heard enough of a couple Barney videos for a lifetime, though, and some Sing-Along Songs from Disney.

Our last really "hairy" moment on the Highway happened just outside of Springfield, Mass, on Interstate 91. As we were moving along smoothly, we suddenly saw a pickup truck ahead of us "dead in the road" - just sitting there - and we thank God that an accident didn't occur. I don't know what possessed this driver to stop in a four lane highway, with the speed close to 65 MPH all around him, but I know the only thing we heard when we just missed an accident, was the honking of the car behind us as he thought we were at fault. A few minutes later, after our hearts stopped beating wildly, we again were grateful for an uneventful trip, in that we hadn't come this close to any kind of tragedy in the two and half weeks on the road.

It was a pleasant journey, and I guess if I was asked to do it again, and I had enough vacation time on the books, I just...might...be...tempted. After all, when I got back to work, it seemed like I'd never left. And it was nice to finally sleep in our own beds.