The Cadillac El Dorado turned onto Broadway carrying the white haired veterans who waved to the locals. The young families squatted on the curb, while the older folks rested on fold out chairs along the parade route. Next came the troops of boy scouts and girl scouts. Then the little T-ball kids. Jonah marched by slightly ahead of the other kids. Ian sat with us on the curb pulling down his ears because the civil war reenacters were blasting off their muskets. It was not quite the end of a busy weekend.
We had taken off for a few days to New Hope, PA and Lambertsville, NJ, two towns that border on the Delaware River. The main block of New Hope is thick with B&Bs and outdoor cafes. Ibiza for the argula eaters. We stayed at a Ramada in the next town over and mixed up visiting trains with shopping for a pretentious dining room table.
First up, a visit to Northlandz, the world's largest model railway. With eight miles of tracks and gallons of cement molded into a topographical fantasy land, it is a frightening display of one man's obsession. Something uniquely American. After paying an obscenely steep admission fee, you are taken into this old warehouse withwinding passageways that give you different vantage points of this monstrosity.
We shopped around for pretentious hand planed table looking for something that would work well as a place for homework and as a piece of art. Found some good candidates, but didn't buy anything yet.
Ate some okay meals, but couldn't go near the fancy places with the kids.
The streets were packed with upper middle class couples shopping for antique garden ornaments and being fabulous. Lots of gay couples and bikers roaring down the center streets on their Harleys. We were the oddballs carting around a sleeping three year old in a stroller and a five year old with a new coloring book.
It was a pleasant trip. The kids loved the communal sleeping in the hotel and we loved just getting away. I read nothing while I away. No news or wonky magazines. A political post will follow after I have a chance to catch up.
Glad you had a good time in New Hope. We used to drive there on weekends during high school -- between the head shop by the bridge and the fabulous ice cream place, we couldn't resist it. Thinking back, we must've stuck out like sore thumbs amidst the bikers, gay couples and upper middles... we somehow thought it was subversive, though.
Posted by: mc | May 31, 2005 at 08:39 PM