Thanksgiving 2006 trip, part 1

yes, we’re back in the Pacific Northwest, after a week in the Northeast for Thanksgiving, 2006.

it was a good trip, although it started out on a sad note. read on for details about driving, hotels, nostalgia, and mundane details that only i’m really interested in. part 1 of 2, or 3, depending on how chatty i get.

plans for our trip were originally for both of us to fly to boston, rent a car, drive to manchester to visit carrie’s folks. after a few days, drive to buffalo, visit my folks, then return the car and fly out of buffalo. if you need to do something similar, search for a “multi-city” round trip ticket — i hadn’t known about multi-city tickets before that.

the week we were set to leave, i learned that my uncle had passed away. when i found out about the services, i changed my tickets to go buffalo first. i rented a Ford Five Hundred from buffalo and carrie got a Taurus in boston. i made the first day of the wake on saturday, then set out for boston, stopping in albany for the night.

in albany, i stayed at the hampton inn near the airport. the hotel was undergoing renovations, but the room was very nice. it felt like it should have cost more than it did. that’s good in a hotel — usually it’s the other way around. i was very pleasantly surprised. unfortunately, it was about 8.5 hours from when i checked in, to when i left.

sunday morning, i woke up and immediately realized that every minute i spent dawdling, was a minute i wasn’t on the road, and a minute i wasn’t in boston. i got some cash, i stopped at starbucks (forgive me, DD, but sometimes i need the high octane fuel), then gassed up the rental, too, and i was on the mass pike in no time.

that’s it for part 1, next installment will include my nostalgic visit to the city i haven’t prowled in 6 years.