Yeah, Mystic Seaport day!
The day didn’t start off so well.
Though the hotel had been advertised online as coming with a continental breakfast, it had none. We had to go out for breakfast. Fortunately, there was a Friendly’s across the street. The breakfast wasn’t bad.
Soon, we walked across the street to the Mystic Village… only to discover that it wasn’t the place we wanted to go to. On the plus side, we were able to purchase discount tickets to the correct location at this location, so our mishap wound up saving us $12.
Parking was a breeze (and free!) and soon, we were in the Mystic Seaport. It was not crowded, but it was hot and humid. We spent the day sweaty and dehydrated.
There was a Whaling Ship that was being restored in dry dock. Apparently, it is the last Whaling Ship in the US. I found it fascinating; an actual wooden sailing vessel that is still functional today (except that they no longer go out whaling for 3-5 years at a time; only returning when the ship is full of whale oil). The workshops nearby were recreating all the oak members of the ship.
Beyond that area was the more permanent collection of exhibits. There were ships of various kinds, rope making exhibits, candle making, barrel making – anything you would find at a colonial seaport.
The kid’s favorite room was the “toy room,” where there were maritime toys to play with and ropes to tie together. I taught Jeffrey how to make a noose. He then started tying his sister up. And just like last year, the kids started sitting on every bench: so begins “bench tour 2011.” Basically, the kids have little interest in anything educational, so they sit on benches until the parents are done, commenting instead on the relative comfort of the various benches.
Lunch was going to be “downtown” except that we couldn’t find any parking. We eventually parked at the CVS and walked into town. Good thing we did, the bridge was up and all traffic was backed up. The bridge dropped down just as we got to it. We then went across the bridge and across the very small downtown then walked right into Mystic Pizza (again). The food was good (again) except this time, they forgot my meal, so I got free pizza while I waited. I’ll take that deal every time!
We did go to the Aquarium briefly, but when we saw the prices, we decided not to go in. We went back to our hotel room instead… which was hot! The A/C wasn’t working. The kids went swimming. I tried the Jacuzzi thing we had in our bathroom (a free upgrade with my online purchase!) It was refreshing. When the kids got back, they also took a turn in the jacuzzi, and then mom.
I don’t know why, but when I turned off the A/C and then turned it back on again, we had “cool” air again. Yeah! By the time we left for dinner, the place was frosty.
Dinner was at a lobster place in New London. The kids had their own lobster (for only $15!). Barb and I had fried stuff. I think the only thing Courtney didn’t eat on that whole lobster was the exoskeleton and the eyeballs. Jeffrey, on the other hand, lost his appetite while dismembering his lobster. He decided that eating lobster was really gross and that he would only eat lobster tails from now on. Hey, at least they both had fun with their food!
We asked for new pillows, and got pillows that were even lumpier than our original pillows. The room also got hot in the middle of the night again. This time though, Courtney had nothing to do with it. The A/C was just really inconsistent.