here's a video of Hartford, CT
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Mission Accomplished
The trip that was started by a picture has come to a close. We arrived back in our hometown around noon.
Mom wanted to see the lighthouse in the picture. She didn't get to see it up close, but thanks to my 55-200mm lens she got a nice picture.
Videos coming soon to my Youtube channel...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hotel Review: Comfort Inn-Airport (PVD) Warwick, RI
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| Comfort Inn (PVD) |
I stayed in Comfort Inn at the airport for 3 nights. It was rated on cheaptickets.com as a 3 star hotel. I got it as part of a package deal so I'm not sure about normal prices. I went to the website to see how much it would be to stay from next Wednesday to Saturday and the price was $88 a night so the price must be around that range.
Check In: 3pm
Check Out: Noon
Location: Its in a great location. It is literally walking distance from the airport. It takes less than 5 minutes to walk to the baggage claim area from the hotel. The only drawback is being close to the runway so you constantly hear planes.
Customer Service: The customer service was good when I checked in. The woman at the desk was friendly and allowed me to check in 30 minutes early. Check in was fast and efficient.
Cleanliness: My room was clean everyday. The hotel and grounds look neat and well maintained.
Breakfast: Free breakfast every morning from 4:30am-10:00am. The wide time slot is very convenient. There is a good selection of things such as bagels, self serve waffles (that you make on a waffle machine), cereal (not a wide variety), fruit (apples and oranges), muffins, and pastries. They also have water, coffee, apple juice, and orange juice to drink.
Supplies in room: paper cups, bags for the ice, 1 set of bath products which included a small size shampoo, bar of soap, and lotion, coffee packets.
They were experiencing some kind of washcloth shortage while we were there. We had 2 people in the room, but only one washcloth. One night we called and they brought us an extra one. The next night they said they didn't have any extra washcloths. We had the correct number of towels and hand towels.
Amenities: full size ironing board, iron, small hair dryer, coffee machine, Nintendo (you have to pay to play), fitness room(I didn't try it out), free wifi, breakfast, free local newspaper
Airport shuttle: The airport shuttle can be confusing. There isn't a shuttle that says "Comfort Inn". The shuttle actually says "Sheraton Providence". You don't know that its for comfort inn unless you walk up to it and see that there is a yellow A4 piece of paper that says "Comfort Inn". We asked about the times and they told us just to let them know 15 minutes ahead of time if we needed to ride the shuttle to the airport. The driver provided good service.
Restaurant: Small menu and in a very small room.Its more geared toward alcoholic drinks like a bar. I ordered a chicken sandwich. It was $8.50 and came with chips and 2 pickles. It was a chicken breast with lettuce and tomato in a bun. It tasted good to me. The girl at the bar was nice and provided great service.
Comfort: The pillows and bed were comfortable.
Overall rating: I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad.
What they need to do to get a better rating: Get a proper shuttle with the hotel name and don't run out of washcloths
Day 3: Martha's Vineyard
Pictures:
Finally, we had a good day. The weather was great. It was nice and sunny. I got a sunburn! It's going to really start hurting soon! All of my pictures turned out great. I got to see the whole island by bus so I didn't have to walk around and get lost!
Today we ventured out to Martha's Vineyard. We met a airport shuttle that is ran by the company who offers the ferry ($30 for round trip transportation to the dock where the ferry leaves and back to the airport(we left from PVD airport). We were taking the Vineyard Fast ferry from Quonset, RI. A round trip ticket costs $69. The ferry ride is approximately 90 minutes long. The ferry pulled away from the site at 10:00am. We arrived around noon.
Vineyard Fast Ferry: http://www.vineyardfastferry.com/
When we got there we looked for the tour office. We had a ticket for a sightseeing tour (you can order the sightseeing tour through Vineyard Fast Ferry). We missed the noon tour so we had to come back at 1:30 for the 1:45 tour.
The woman at the tour stand told us about some things we should see while we were waiting. She told us about the 'gingerbread houses' and 'flying horses'. We went souvenier shopping first. Then we ate lunch at Sharky's Cantina. Great food. It was a little pricey but so was everything else on the island!
Then we had some time to look at the gingerbread cottages. They are very small and decorated in many colors. People actually live in some of them.
More than 300 easter egg-colored houses complete with dainty trimmings and names such as "Angel Cottage," "Wooden Valentine," and "The Pink House," make up the cottage colony. The colony - a major tourist draw - is a sweet treat for the eyes.
Here's a pic of one of them:
Then we headed out to meet the tour bus. We went with Martha's Vineyard Sightseeing tours. The tour costed $29 and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. We drove through all 6 towns. We had a full bus today. We only stopped and got out at one place. We stopped at Aquinnah at the Gayhead cliffs and lighthouse. As we were driving around he told us stories and showed us where a lot of celebrities live on the island. The tour was over around 4:30pm. We got some ice cream and then went to watch the 'flying horses'. The flying horses is the oldest carousel in the world. The horses do not move up and down like regular carousels.
Gayhead Lighthouse:
Then we headed back home on the Vineyard Fast Ferry and took the airport shuttle back to T.F. Green.
Tomorrow I am headed home. I have a 6am flight! Thats way too early! I have to wake up around 3:45am. The only time I'm up that early is when I just haven't went to bed yet!
Everything we did today can all be booked through the Vineyard Fast Ferry link.
$69 RT ferry ride
$30 RT airport shuttle
$29 Sightseeing tour
My opinion: Great tourist place. It's a nice place, but I'd never be able to afford to live there!
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| Martha's Vineyard |
Finally, we had a good day. The weather was great. It was nice and sunny. I got a sunburn! It's going to really start hurting soon! All of my pictures turned out great. I got to see the whole island by bus so I didn't have to walk around and get lost!
Today we ventured out to Martha's Vineyard. We met a airport shuttle that is ran by the company who offers the ferry ($30 for round trip transportation to the dock where the ferry leaves and back to the airport(we left from PVD airport). We were taking the Vineyard Fast ferry from Quonset, RI. A round trip ticket costs $69. The ferry ride is approximately 90 minutes long. The ferry pulled away from the site at 10:00am. We arrived around noon.
Vineyard Fast Ferry: http://www.vineyardfastferry.com/
When we got there we looked for the tour office. We had a ticket for a sightseeing tour (you can order the sightseeing tour through Vineyard Fast Ferry). We missed the noon tour so we had to come back at 1:30 for the 1:45 tour.
The woman at the tour stand told us about some things we should see while we were waiting. She told us about the 'gingerbread houses' and 'flying horses'. We went souvenier shopping first. Then we ate lunch at Sharky's Cantina. Great food. It was a little pricey but so was everything else on the island!
Then we had some time to look at the gingerbread cottages. They are very small and decorated in many colors. People actually live in some of them.
More than 300 easter egg-colored houses complete with dainty trimmings and names such as "Angel Cottage," "Wooden Valentine," and "The Pink House," make up the cottage colony. The colony - a major tourist draw - is a sweet treat for the eyes.
Here's a pic of one of them:
Then we headed out to meet the tour bus. We went with Martha's Vineyard Sightseeing tours. The tour costed $29 and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. We drove through all 6 towns. We had a full bus today. We only stopped and got out at one place. We stopped at Aquinnah at the Gayhead cliffs and lighthouse. As we were driving around he told us stories and showed us where a lot of celebrities live on the island. The tour was over around 4:30pm. We got some ice cream and then went to watch the 'flying horses'. The flying horses is the oldest carousel in the world. The horses do not move up and down like regular carousels.
Gayhead Lighthouse:
Then we headed back home on the Vineyard Fast Ferry and took the airport shuttle back to T.F. Green.
Tomorrow I am headed home. I have a 6am flight! Thats way too early! I have to wake up around 3:45am. The only time I'm up that early is when I just haven't went to bed yet!
Everything we did today can all be booked through the Vineyard Fast Ferry link.
$69 RT ferry ride
$30 RT airport shuttle
$29 Sightseeing tour
My opinion: Great tourist place. It's a nice place, but I'd never be able to afford to live there!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Day 2: Hartford, CT
18. Connecticut
Today we got out and went to Hartford, CT. We decided to take the city bus today to the Kennedy Plaza where we were taking the charter bus. We got a day pass for $5.
I told the bus driver at Kennedy Plaza that I was catching the 10:30am bus to Worcester. I pronounced it wrong. He told me the correct way to say it. Its wor ster. Leave out the ce. The "ce" confuses everyone!He asked me what nationality I was..haha..
I also got asked today if I was Canadian..(no, I'm not)
We left the Peter Pan station at 10:30am headed to Worcester. Today I took my laptop on the trip so I could keep myself occupied. They have free wifi on the bus. sweet. I just wish they had power outlets!
We got to Worcester about 11:25am. My mom was meeting one of her penpals who lives in Worcester. We met her and talked for a while. She took us out to eat and then we went back to the bus station.
We caught the 12:50pm bus to Hartford, Connecticut. We arrived in CT around 2pm. Today on the agenda we only had 5 things that I planned. Our first stop was the Mark Twain house. We made a few detours before making it there. I like to stop and take pictures of churches and other buildings. Our 2nd stop was the Harriet Beecher Stowe house. It started drizzling around that time. We went to a store and bought an umbrella. We also stood in Taco Bell for a few mins and stood under a covering at the police station. When the rain let up just a little we started walking to our next destination.
Our next destination would have been the old state house, but we kept walking and walking and walking and still weren't there. Mom wanted to turn around because she was afraid we wouldn't make it back on time. So that was cut off my list. I was also going to see an ancient burial ground around that same area. That was also cut off the list.
Our last destination was the state capital. Its a lovely building!
Afterwards we went back to the bus stop. We made it there in time.
I was worried that we might not make it back tonight. We were going to leave at 6:15 and catch a connecting bus in Boston. Our bus was delayed because they were waiting for some people to arrive from another bus. Our bus ride was delayed by 20 mins. I went out and asked the bus driver if the bus at Boston would wait on us (since they were waiting on the albany bus to arrive making us late). He said it wouldn't wait. I thought we'd be stranded in Boston. Thankfully we did make it on time!!
We caught the 9pm bus from Boston to Providence, RI. After we arrived in Providence we took the city bus back to the airport. The bus driver let us off at the hotel.
Overall today was better. I made a few videos. The only bad part was not being able to see all that I wanted because of limited time and heavy rain. Other than that everything else went great.
Today: Martha's Vineyard
 |
| Hartford, CT |
Today we got out and went to Hartford, CT. We decided to take the city bus today to the Kennedy Plaza where we were taking the charter bus. We got a day pass for $5.
I told the bus driver at Kennedy Plaza that I was catching the 10:30am bus to Worcester. I pronounced it wrong. He told me the correct way to say it. Its wor ster. Leave out the ce. The "ce" confuses everyone!He asked me what nationality I was..haha..
I also got asked today if I was Canadian..(no, I'm not)
We left the Peter Pan station at 10:30am headed to Worcester. Today I took my laptop on the trip so I could keep myself occupied. They have free wifi on the bus. sweet. I just wish they had power outlets!
We got to Worcester about 11:25am. My mom was meeting one of her penpals who lives in Worcester. We met her and talked for a while. She took us out to eat and then we went back to the bus station.
We caught the 12:50pm bus to Hartford, Connecticut. We arrived in CT around 2pm. Today on the agenda we only had 5 things that I planned. Our first stop was the Mark Twain house. We made a few detours before making it there. I like to stop and take pictures of churches and other buildings. Our 2nd stop was the Harriet Beecher Stowe house. It started drizzling around that time. We went to a store and bought an umbrella. We also stood in Taco Bell for a few mins and stood under a covering at the police station. When the rain let up just a little we started walking to our next destination.
Our next destination would have been the old state house, but we kept walking and walking and walking and still weren't there. Mom wanted to turn around because she was afraid we wouldn't make it back on time. So that was cut off my list. I was also going to see an ancient burial ground around that same area. That was also cut off the list.
Our last destination was the state capital. Its a lovely building!
Afterwards we went back to the bus stop. We made it there in time.
I was worried that we might not make it back tonight. We were going to leave at 6:15 and catch a connecting bus in Boston. Our bus was delayed because they were waiting for some people to arrive from another bus. Our bus ride was delayed by 20 mins. I went out and asked the bus driver if the bus at Boston would wait on us (since they were waiting on the albany bus to arrive making us late). He said it wouldn't wait. I thought we'd be stranded in Boston. Thankfully we did make it on time!!
We caught the 9pm bus from Boston to Providence, RI. After we arrived in Providence we took the city bus back to the airport. The bus driver let us off at the hotel.
Overall today was better. I made a few videos. The only bad part was not being able to see all that I wanted because of limited time and heavy rain. Other than that everything else went great.
Today: Martha's Vineyard
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 1: 2 states in one day..and disasters
16. Rhode Island (My hotel is in Rhode Island. I'm not actually seeing any sites but it still counts..just like having a hotel in NJ counted.
17. Massachusetts
I'm typing this in the early morn while listening to my mom snore.
Yesterday I started my next Northeastern tour with my mom. On this trip I will be covering Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Things were going good at first. All the flights were good, on time, and short.
After we claimed our bags we were standing outside waiting for the shuttle. My mom was tired of waiting so she called the hotel to see when the shuttle was coming. They told us the shuttle was already there. We didn't notice it because it didn't say "Comfort Inn" on the shuttle itself. The actual shuttle said "Sheraton Providence" so we see it sitting out there and think that it is "Sheraton". Actually they had an A4 sheet of yellow paper that said "Comfort Inn". You wouldn't know that it was for comfort inn unless you got right up close to see. It had been sitting in front of us the whole time. They need to actually get their own shuttle.I was surprised by how close the hotel was to the airport. It's literally a 5 minute walk.
He took us to the hotel and we were able to check in 30 minutes early. We checked into our room. Then we were going to meet the Peter Pan Bus to go to Boston. We walked to the airport. We were suppose to meet the bus at 3:30.
We are standing there waiting and it starts to rain. The bus is 15 minutes late. Then the bus driver comes and we talk to him. We were actually at the wrong station. I went to their website and typed in "Providence, RI". 3 stations came up. I assumed that you could catch the Providence bus from any of those stations. I chose the airport one since it was the closest. That wasn't the case. Each one of those stations has its own schedule and fare. I think it needs to be clearer on the webpage! So he tells us that he will be back at 5:15pm and that we can ride the bus from the airport even though our tickets are for the providence station. I contemplate it and sit around thinking. I decided to come back to the hotel and check schedules on the website. We could take that bus at 5:15 and arrive in Boston around 7pm. We'd have to leave and get on the 10pm bus coming back and find our own way back to the airport from Providence.
We got to Boston around 7pm. We were going to walk as much of the Freedom Trail as we could. First we had to find our way to the beginning of the trail. We missed a turn somewhere so we turned around and walked again. Finally someone helped us. We were actually right near what we wanted to see.
First we went to the Boston Common. I took some pictures of monuments there. Then we saw the State House. Then we saw Park Street Church. Then walked a little while longer and ended up at the old city hall. The freedom trail wasn't as easy to follow as I thought it would be. It probably would have been easier if we went during the day and not when it was raining. I thought there'd be a lot of signs showing you where to go. The only sign I saw was for Park Street Church.
I was frustrated that we were short on time because of the bus confusion. I'm also trying to take pictures while holding an umbrella. Plus my flimsy umbrella was being blown by the wind and is no longer in a usable state. I guess you get what you pay for. I bought it at walmart for $2. I brought a tiny one on the trip because I wasn't planning on rain and I didn't want to bring a big umbrella that wouldn't fit in the suitcase.
So due to unforeseeable circumstances day one was a disaster. I didn't get to see much. I didn't get many good pictures. I don't have any opinions on whether or not I like Boston. I didn't have adequate time to assess the situation.
We took the 10pm bus back to Providence. We decided to take a cab home since we didn't know of any other options. That cab was very expensive! A 10 mile ride was $34!
Here are the pictures (There aren't many and they aren't that great!):
Today we will be using the bus!!
Thursday's agenda: Hartford, CT
17. Massachusetts
I'm typing this in the early morn while listening to my mom snore.
Yesterday I started my next Northeastern tour with my mom. On this trip I will be covering Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Things were going good at first. All the flights were good, on time, and short.
After we claimed our bags we were standing outside waiting for the shuttle. My mom was tired of waiting so she called the hotel to see when the shuttle was coming. They told us the shuttle was already there. We didn't notice it because it didn't say "Comfort Inn" on the shuttle itself. The actual shuttle said "Sheraton Providence" so we see it sitting out there and think that it is "Sheraton". Actually they had an A4 sheet of yellow paper that said "Comfort Inn". You wouldn't know that it was for comfort inn unless you got right up close to see. It had been sitting in front of us the whole time. They need to actually get their own shuttle.I was surprised by how close the hotel was to the airport. It's literally a 5 minute walk.
He took us to the hotel and we were able to check in 30 minutes early. We checked into our room. Then we were going to meet the Peter Pan Bus to go to Boston. We walked to the airport. We were suppose to meet the bus at 3:30.
We are standing there waiting and it starts to rain. The bus is 15 minutes late. Then the bus driver comes and we talk to him. We were actually at the wrong station. I went to their website and typed in "Providence, RI". 3 stations came up. I assumed that you could catch the Providence bus from any of those stations. I chose the airport one since it was the closest. That wasn't the case. Each one of those stations has its own schedule and fare. I think it needs to be clearer on the webpage! So he tells us that he will be back at 5:15pm and that we can ride the bus from the airport even though our tickets are for the providence station. I contemplate it and sit around thinking. I decided to come back to the hotel and check schedules on the website. We could take that bus at 5:15 and arrive in Boston around 7pm. We'd have to leave and get on the 10pm bus coming back and find our own way back to the airport from Providence.
We got to Boston around 7pm. We were going to walk as much of the Freedom Trail as we could. First we had to find our way to the beginning of the trail. We missed a turn somewhere so we turned around and walked again. Finally someone helped us. We were actually right near what we wanted to see.
First we went to the Boston Common. I took some pictures of monuments there. Then we saw the State House. Then we saw Park Street Church. Then walked a little while longer and ended up at the old city hall. The freedom trail wasn't as easy to follow as I thought it would be. It probably would have been easier if we went during the day and not when it was raining. I thought there'd be a lot of signs showing you where to go. The only sign I saw was for Park Street Church.
I was frustrated that we were short on time because of the bus confusion. I'm also trying to take pictures while holding an umbrella. Plus my flimsy umbrella was being blown by the wind and is no longer in a usable state. I guess you get what you pay for. I bought it at walmart for $2. I brought a tiny one on the trip because I wasn't planning on rain and I didn't want to bring a big umbrella that wouldn't fit in the suitcase.
So due to unforeseeable circumstances day one was a disaster. I didn't get to see much. I didn't get many good pictures. I don't have any opinions on whether or not I like Boston. I didn't have adequate time to assess the situation.
We took the 10pm bus back to Providence. We decided to take a cab home since we didn't know of any other options. That cab was very expensive! A 10 mile ride was $34!
Here are the pictures (There aren't many and they aren't that great!):
 |
| Boston |
Today we will be using the bus!!
Thursday's agenda: Hartford, CT
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