Our Christmas trip was busy and stressful, but we were grateful we had the chance to see so many people.
The day before Christmas Eve, we took the Amtrak Coast Starlight from San Jose to LA's Union Station. Steve's wonderful work friend Jack drove over to the station with us on a cold and blustery morning, dropped us off and returned our car to Santa Cruz. Jack and his wife Lucy have been a real blessing to have in our lives; we even spent Thanksgiving with them this year as we were too worn out to travel.
Me with Henry in his special "On My Way to Grandma's House" traveling outfit on the train:
Even though we weren't traveling overnight, we reserved a small bedroom on the train, which worked fairly well. We had a private bathroom and our own sink for washing bottles and hands. We even had enough room to spread the boys' playmat out on the floor.
Jack and Henry hangin' out on the train:
I think the train worked well for Jack. He didn't have to be confined to his carseat for the whole trip and we could feed and comfort him at will. The train was running 2 hours late by the time we arrived in LA, which was unfortunate, but since there'd been intense rainstorms that day, driving definitely would not have been a better option.
Jack looks out the window while Henry looks ready for a nap:
We had the opportunity to visit with some fantastic friends: Scott, Kristi, Melissa, Eric and Gail. We got a try a fabulous new German restaurant in Long Beach and talk about politics and movies with Scott, enjoy Thai food and chat about raising kids with Kristi, get coffee and vent with Melissa, and have delicious Indian food and great conversation with Eric and Gail. We managed to fail to take pictures with most of them, but Steve did capture Gail reading to Jack during our stopover at their house north of LA on our drive home.
Yay, books!
Stopping at Eric and Gail's allowed us to get out of town ahead of rush hour(s) but wait to do the bulk of our driving at night, which lets the boys sleep more easily. The boys did a great job and slept the approximately 5 hours it took to get home. Steve and I were completely wiped out, though.
We are so lucky to have so many wonderful people in our lives, even though we moved far away. It's a real joy... if only traveling was...
2 comments:
What is the name of the new German restaurant?
It's called Rasselbock. I can vouch for the deviled eggs, appetizer pretzel, chicken curry sausage, potato salad, sauerkraut and, most of all, their unholy marriage of pretzel and churro dessert. Lots of great beer options for interested parties, but definitely a friendly atmosphere for non-drinkers. Inside was really noisy, but their heated outdoor seating area was quite nice. Definitely going back next time we're in town.
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