Philadelphia

So here are the never-before-seen shots of my first train ride.

The ride from New York City to Philadelphia is a straight shot through The Garden State, New Jersey.  I'm sure it was lovely  (or at least that's what we're all supposed to say since The Boss lives there.)

To be honest I was still worn out from the crazy night with The Rothmans so I just slept.  Besides, all the excitement came in the last minute of the ride.  The train lunged as it entered the station in Philadelphia and a man standing beside me started to topple over.  

Right on top of me! 

I don't know if you've ever had 175 lbs of antsy-man-who-desperately-needed-to-get-off-the-train-at-the-first-possible-second coming crashing down on you but let's just say it's enough to moisten your diaper.  

But as he was going timber, flailing for something to break his fall, Mom, Dad, and a few other passengers grabbed him to keep this New Guy from becoming a Brand New Pancake.

Here's Dad and me just outside the train station.

Uncle Hobart (again with the uncles...) came and picked us up in his big body Benzo.  So yeah, I was rolling in style.  He lent us his car so we could drive to Far & Colleen's wedding an hour north of town in Bucks County, PA.

Here's me & Hobes in Rittenhouse Square.

   
We drove Hobart's pimpmobile (am I spelling that right?) up into the beautiful Pennsylvania countryside.  The wedding was so fun.  A lot of people held me.  

This imam later shattered convention by wailing on some bagpipes during the reception.

If you have time, here's a link to their stunning wedding pics.  

Far & Colleen's Wedding Photos 

Good luck making it through the slideshow without tearing up.  

I've said it before and this was no exception....I always cry at weddings.

Then it was back to the Hampton Inn in Warrenton, PA.

The Hampton Inn in Warrenton, PA also happens to be the trivia answer when someone asks me where I was when I found out Osama Bin Laden was a goner.  Evidently that dude hated me for my freedoms.  He'd probably be disappointed to learn I sleep in a cage and can't even consistently roll over, much less move about freely.

Before you know it we were back on the road again.  We picked up Uncle Hobart in his own car, had a glorious lunch at a sidewalk cafe where the waiter was strangely enamored with my socks, and then Hobes dropped us off at the airport.

I was sad to leave.

But also excited to see my Auntie Claire again in Chicago, along with Uncle Derek & Penelope this time!

To be continued....

Miss Me?

Guess who has been on an airplane.....THIS GUY!

With three flights under my belt I can no longer be labelled an infrequent flyer.  To my knowledge none of the planes was piloted by my hero Sully Sullenberger.  But I can't be 100% sure about that so you never know.

I apologize for my extended hiatus.  I downloaded an app on Dad's phone so I could keep blogging from the road.  It was going to be so perfect but you know how grownups get when you start fondling their electronic devices with your slobbery fingers.  So frustrating!  Seriously, Dad, just let me break it.

Anyway, first stop on my victory lap was NYC.  It's a long flight but fortunately they let you sleep on your parents.  I also had a travel buddy, a little puppy named Gatsby who spent the whole flight on the lady's lap next to me.

Taking off over the Pacific Ocean kinda messed with my ears.  Gotta say that wasn't a sensation I was counting on, but all it took was a little crying and violent squirming to restore some welcome homeostasis to the drums in my ears.  

After that I was a pro.  Didn't even wake up as we curled around the Atlantic and into JFK.

Once we got to NYC....look out!  

Mom couldn't get enough of the NFL Draft

Times Square blew my mind.

We also went to see my Uncle Rajiv's Broadway play "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo".  (At least I guess he's my uncle.  Ever notice how every one of your parents' friends becomes Aunt or Uncle So & So?  I can't honestly be related to all these people can I?  Gets hard to keep track sometimes.)

Gotta say the play wasn't really my cup of tea, mainly because it starts after my bedtime and I haven't reached the developmental milestone in where you start wrestling with existential quandaries.  Maybe in a few months.

I did, however, get to go backstage after the show.  In fact I was onstage.

There I am, center stage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway.  The exact place where seminal shows such as "Guys & Dolls" and "Damn Yankees" premiered!  

I took the opportunity to have a little meltdown to demonstrate my range in case any casting directors happened to be lingering about.  It was also about 10:30pm.  Mom & Dad kept reassuring themselves that the different time zones were somehow helping matters but every once in awhile I had to be like: 

"Yo! Little boys need sleep sometimes!"

But the best part had to be meeting my first worldwide celebrity: Robin Williams.  Daddy's friend Brad took us up to Robin's dressing room to say hello.  Robin seemed like a great guy.  Kind of a spaz.

Of course Daddy didn't bother to pull out his camera phone so this sad recreation will have to suffice:

My friend, Broadway star Brad Fleischer

 

 

We also went through Central Park.

The anonymity of the big city afforded me some welcome solitude.

Central Park was so much fun.  I pooped there. 

It was a whirlwind two days in the Big Apple.  These nice people, the Rothmans, even babysat for me and took me to see "Shrek: The Musical."  (Oops!  I wasn't supposed to tell Mom & Dad about that last part.  Nor the hang-gliding.  Man, I'm bad at this...)   

Anyway, it wasn't long before we were off to Penn Station for the train ride to Philadelphia.  Mom & Dad must've been out of their minds because they voluntarily sat on the Quiet Car.  The Quiet Car.  With me.  A 24/7 ticking time bomb of sound.  

But I decided to cut 'em some slack.  I spent most of my Amtrak ride fast asleep just in case Vice President Biden happened by and wanted to chat.  Don't pretend you wouldn't have done the same thing.

Pennsylvania is where I'll pick up the story tomorrow.  Stay tuned!  

I leave you with a picture I hereby proclaim to be silly.

Broadway stalwarts Brad Fleischer and Glenn Davis.

Love,

Will