Mini TR for another Boston Road Trip - updated Nov 22

[KathyM2]

May 14, 2021

Had a leisurely morning at the lovely Horseshoe Lodge...had a breakfast of leftover road trip snacks and toasty cheez-its, and got ready for the day.

My son was busy doing some senior stuff - they went to Provo to go Go Carting among other things! But I wanted to catch up with some of the amazing staff and teachers at his school since this is probably the last time I would see them. I sauntered around the cute little town of Mt. Pleasant. I love this town. I find it amusing though that there is such a mixture of types of dwellings. There are some really lovely homes, and some average homes and then some trailers and all types of abodes...all mixed and matched. I also went by the school's coffee house where my son spent a good chunk of money on frappuccinos and paninis...you would think they didn't feed him at school...

I walked around and said hello to all my fave staff members and enjoyed hearing them say nice things about my kid (who knows if true lol but always nice to hear!!) I decided to go hit up Fiiz drinks - a fave spot when I'm in UT. I am always perpetually thirsty there...probably because it's very dry and also the elevation I think gets me. Anyway...they have this adorable shack where they serve up really creative sodas that I love. My fave is the mojito (non alcoholic in this case lol) So I went over there and picked up a beverage for my wanderings!! Later that day, my son ended up wanting to go there as well, so I ended up having it twice in one day..not that I minded at all!!

That night, the school hosted a dinner for the seniors and their families. The school was still being very covid careful - which I was grateful for. The dinner was outdoors and nicely spaced out. That said, the students had gotten used to semi normal living and were mingling quite a bit, but the majority of the students and all of the staff and teachers, are fully vaccinated, so it felt reasonably safe. We had a nice dinner and hung around a bit. Then after dinner I found out that my son had one an award for some of his photography work and the award was being presented that night at a nearby college!! So off we went to watch him receive that award!! We just made it in time!!

After the awards, my son wanted to hang with his friends for his last night, so I dropped him back at his dorm and then headed back to the Schitts Creek er Horseshoe Lodge and called it a night.

This is an adorable truck I saw and just had to photograph:



This is the Coffee House at my son's school, I think it's adorable too!



My son getting an award for his work shown!



This is my son and his dorm:

 

[missjackiemcg]

What a charming little town his school is in! I love the cute dorm building and everything else looks and sounds so quaint.

Also, LOVE toasty cheez-its and am now craving some, LOL.

Congratulations to your son on his photography award!!

My son is only in 6th grade, but I must agree it's so nice to hear his teachers or other parents say nice things about him (true or not!)

 

[KathyM2]

What a charming little town his school is in! I love the cute dorm building and everything else looks and sounds so quaint.

Also, LOVE toasty cheez-its and am now craving some, LOL.

Congratulations to your son on his photography award!!

My son is only in 6th grade, but I must agree it's so nice to hear his teachers or other parents say nice things about him (true or not!)

The town really is adorable. I'm sure there are loads like it all over the states but it's super cute and worth a visit. Toasty cheez-its are the best!! We just got regular cheez-its in Canada lol..but no toasty ones here...so I always get them in the US.

 

[pkondz]

Had a leisurely morning at the lovely Horseshoe Lodge...

"lovely"...

had a breakfast of leftover road trip snacks and toasty cheez-its, and got ready for the day.

Breakfast of champions! Who needs eggs benedict and mimosas!


(hint. I do.)

they went to Provo to go Go Carting among other things!

I also went by the school's coffee house where my son spent a good chunk of money on frappuccinos and paninis...you would think they didn't feed him at school...

You can never feed a young man enough.


I know this from experience.

That said, the students had gotten used to semi normal living and were mingling quite a bit, but the majority of the students and all of the staff and teachers, are fully vaccinated, so it felt reasonably safe.

I would think so.

Then after dinner I found out that my son had one an award for some of his photography work and the award was being presented that night at a nearby college!!

Good for him!

My son getting an award for his work shown!

Wish the artwork was a bit bigger. I'd like to see it more clearly.

 

[KathyM2]

Wish the artwork was a bit bigger. I'd like to see it more clearly.

Let's try this...



Hope that helps a bit!! He did this cool mashup in Photoshop of a couple different images...

 

[KathyM2]

Saturday May 15, 2021

Finally the graduation day had arrived!! I was 11 days post dose 2 of vaccine and finally starting to relax a bit around people. That said I still would not want to be anywhere crowded (even now...PTSD for sure) But at least outside I felt ok about taking off the mask when there was enough space to do so safely! I had another breakfast of leftover road trip food plus a granola bar that the motel had provided!! I had to pack up my room and load everything in the car before the graduation because check out time would pass while I was out. I wasn't thrilled about having to leave my laptop in a hot car for hours, but there was no way around it. Luckily I managed to find a shady spot under a tree to park in while at the grad, and hoped that it wouldn't roast too much! I headed over to the coffee house again and picked up an iced coffee. I headed over to the building where the grad was taking place. It was indoors, but in what they call the "field house" I guess it is kind of a multi use building for sports mostly but much nicer than a gym. They had huge doors open and the air was flowing nicely. Also, they greeted everyone and had assigned seating for all the parents, nicely spaced apart from other families. It seemed very well organized. Everyone had to keep their masks on too which I was happy about. The seniors had to wear their masks on the way in and when at their seats, but they were allowed to remove them when receiving their diplomas so we could get some mask free photos. They also had great school branded masks that they all wore, so it actually looked kind of cool. Definitely a moment to remember.

Everyone stood as the graduates walked in and went to their seats with the requisite march playing. They encouraged parents to get up and try to get their pictures when their student came up. I did get up, but I was flustered by the school's photographer on a ladder and also trying to watch and work my phone without my glasses (because mask plus glasses equals fog...) so I did not manage to get very good pictures of my son getting his diploma. I did my best, and was assured by the school that they would be sending us photos...unfortunately..theirs weren't the greatest either...my son had his eyes closed in one of them...but I did get some decent screen shots from the video that they recorded of the event as well.

They did a good job with the graduation, because it is a boarding school, they normally have actually a lot of international students. They are known for basketball and have normally have a lot of students trying to get into American colleges for sports. They also have a great ESL program so a lot of kids come to improve their English. But...thanks to Covid...a lot of these students couldn't make it back to do their senior year in person. That was kind of sad. But the school did a good job of incorporating them into the diploma presentation and had them live on zoom when possible. I felt really lucky that my son got to be there in person AND that I did too for the grad.

Afterwards we all went outside and milled around and the kids fist bumped each other and did the requisite throwing of caps into the air. They followed that up with an outdoor reception with some snacks. They did a good job again trying to keep it safe, but I passed on the snacks as there were just too many people indoors for my liking! We milled around a bit, and then we still had the task of loading two years worth of my sons belongings into the car for the drive back to Salt Lake. Luckily a couple of his friends offered to help. As we were loading stuff one winter boot fell out of a bag. My son said he didn't know where the other boot was so there was no point in keeping that boot, so we tossed it into a pile that people had left for things that could be donated. Not sure what anyone will do with one boot, but we didn't know what else to do with it!! Anyway...after that...it was time to say our goodbyes. I have to say I was sad to leave Mt. Pleasant UT and even though at first my son wasn't thrilled to be there for school, by the end I think he truly values the experience he had there and was happy to have done it. He seems to have made some good friends that he will keep in touch with, and he gained a lot of maturity being away from home.

We headed to Fiiz drinks for one more...and we also picked up some sandwiches for the road, and off we went back to Salt Lake.

 

[pkondz]

Let's try this...

View attachment 577889

Hope that helps a bit!! He did this cool mashup in Photoshop of a couple different images...

Thanks. That's better. Cool image!

 

[pkondz]

That said I still would not want to be anywhere crowded (even now...PTSD for sure)

Very understandable.

plus a granola bar that the motel had provided!!

ooooh! Fancy!

I wasn't thrilled about having to leave my laptop in a hot car for hours

No, I would think not. I wonder if these things have a temperature range that they can't be over/under?

Also, they greeted everyone and had assigned seating for all the parents, nicely spaced apart from other families

That must have helped quite a bit to alleviate people's concerns.

was assured by the school that they would be sending us photos...unfortunately..theirs weren't the greatest either

Well... poop.

Afterwards we all went outside and milled around and the kids fist bumped each other and did the requisite throwing of caps into the air.

Such a fun and happy tradition.

Great shot!

 

[suse66]

The drive from Moab to Mt. Pleasant was again, absolutely stunning and ever changing. It went from the desert-like red rock to mountains and big trees and lakes and even some snow!! The road went winding up and over the mountains! It was also about three hours, but again, it went by super quickly...but boy you really have to keep your eyes on the road!! There were a lot of signs about conditions in winter and I got the feeling that the road I was on often had to close in winter because of conditions and possibly avalanches.

The scenery sounds so amazing!

Made the rest of the amazing drive to Mt. Pleasant and got there around 4:30pm and checked in to the lovely Horseshoe Lodge Motel. This place is more affectionately known by a lot of the staff at my son's school as Schitts Creek (hopefully anyone reading has seen or at least heard of this show) The hotel is let's just say...a value resort to be generous. I'm really not a hotel snob but every time I stay here there's something. One time I think I may or may not have actually seen a bedbug. This time, they had some kind of water main break outside and the water was shut off from 7pm until 7am the next morning...of course, the night before my son's graduation!! Luckily enough it came back on in time for me to shower in the morning...but they had this big tank of water outside and buckets that we had to use to fill up (our own!!) toilet tanks if we wanted to flush during the night!!!

Oh no! Glad the water was back on in time for you to get ready!

My son was busy doing some senior stuff - they went to Provo to go Go Carting among other things! But I wanted to catch up with some of the amazing staff and teachers at his school since this is probably the last time I would see them. I sauntered around the cute little town of Mt. Pleasant. I love this town. I find it amusing though that there is such a mixture of types of dwellings. There are some really lovely homes, and some average homes and then some trailers and all types of abodes...all mixed and matched. I also went by the school's coffee house where my son spent a good chunk of money on frappuccinos and paninis...you would think they didn't feed him at school...

So nice that C got the full grad experience!

I walked around and said hello to all my fave staff members and enjoyed hearing them say nice things about my kid (who knows if true lol but always nice to hear!!) I decided to go hit up Fiiz drinks - a fave spot when I'm in UT. I am always perpetually thirsty there...probably because it's very dry and also the elevation I think gets me. Anyway...they have this adorable shack where they serve up really creative sodas that I love. My fave is the mojito (non alcoholic in this case lol) So I went over there and picked up a beverage for my wanderings!! Later that day, my son ended up wanting to go there as well, so I ended up having it twice in one day..not that I minded at all!!

It's always great to hear nice things about your kids!

That night, the school hosted a dinner for the seniors and their families. The school was still being very covid careful - which I was grateful for. The dinner was outdoors and nicely spaced out. That said, the students had gotten used to semi normal living and were mingling quite a bit, but the majority of the students and all of the staff and teachers, are fully vaccinated, so it felt reasonably safe. We had a nice dinner and hung around a bit. Then after dinner I found out that my son had one an award for some of his photography work and the award was being presented that night at a nearby college!! So off we went to watch him receive that award!! We just made it in time!!

That's amazing, so many special moments to be present for!

Finally the graduation day had arrived!! I was 11 days post dose 2 of vaccine and finally starting to relax a bit around people. That said I still would not want to be anywhere crowded (even now...PTSD for sure) But at least outside I felt ok about taking off the mask when there was enough space to do so safely! I had another breakfast of leftover road trip food plus a granola bar that the motel had provided!! I had to pack up my room and load everything in the car before the graduation because check out time would pass while I was out. I wasn't thrilled about having to leave my laptop in a hot car for hours, but there was no way around it. Luckily I managed to find a shady spot under a tree to park in while at the grad, and hoped that it wouldn't roast too much! I headed over to the coffee house again and picked up an iced coffee. I headed over to the building where the grad was taking place. It was indoors, but in what they call the "field house" I guess it is kind of a multi use building for sports mostly but much nicer than a gym. They had huge doors open and the air was flowing nicely. Also, they greeted everyone and had assigned seating for all the parents, nicely spaced apart from other families. It seemed very well organized. Everyone had to keep their masks on too which I was happy about. The seniors had to wear their masks on the way in and when at their seats, but they were allowed to remove them when receiving their diplomas so we could get some mask free photos. They also had great school branded masks that they all wore, so it actually looked kind of cool. Definitely a moment to remember.

Sounds like they thought out all the safety precautions perfectly.

They did a good job with the graduation, because it is a boarding school, they normally have actually a lot of international students. They are known for basketball and have normally have a lot of students trying to get into American colleges for sports. They also have a great ESL program so a lot of kids come to improve their English. But...thanks to Covid...a lot of these students couldn't make it back to do their senior year in person. That was kind of sad. But the school did a good job of incorporating them into the diploma presentation and had them live on zoom when possible. I felt really lucky that my son got to be there in person AND that I did too for the grad.

I am so glad that you were there. Memories for a lifetime!

 

[KathyM2]

No, I would think not. I wonder if these things have a temperature range that they can't be over/under?

Yes I bet they do have recommendations for not melting your computer!! I guess I could have brought it with me but really would have been a pain. Anyway...shady spot under tree seems to have worked well enough..my computer survived!!

The scenery sounds so amazing!

It really was! The more I see of national parks...the more I want to see. I hope to get to do some more touring of them one day...sigh...when travel is easier again!!

That's amazing, so many special moments to be present for!

Yes...and I'm so thankful that even a pandemic did not keep me away lol!! Though it was close!

 

[KathyM2]

May 15 continued....

After the grad festivities wrapped up, and we managed to load all my son's belongings into the car, we hit the road. It's about an hour and a half drive to Salt Lake from Mt. Pleasant, and stunning again. We made it in decent time and my son wanted to go visit a friend in Salt Lake whom he probably wouldn't see again anytime soon. I insisted that this be an outdoor visit...even though all were fully vaccinated. Still kind of unclear on what the rules are at this point!! Anyway...we had a brief visit and some gatorade, and then headed to our hotel in Salt Lake - the Holiday Inn Express Downtown.

While I do prefer the Little American for it's charm and ground floor courtyard rooms, when my son was with me I chose the Holiday Inn because of its more central location with lots of food places around and walkable to most things. That night we decided to go with takeout in the room, and because as usual my son wanted something deep fried and I was trying to avoid that...we went our separate ways in search of sustenance. He ended up with Chik Fil-a - which I have to admit, I actually really enjoy their food but have a bit of an ethical dilemma with eating, so I try to avoid it. I ended up picking up some mexican food from the Blue Iguana. I had to wait a while for the food but it was nice out so I didn't mind. I went with a taco/enchilada combo. Not exactly healthy, but delish. After that we watched some trashy TV and called it a day.

Sunday May 16

This would be our last day in Salt Lake and UT. Because everything was still locked down at home, there were a few things we wanted to get done this day before heading home. We got up relatively early and got some hotel breakfast. The "buffet" here was also not quite a normal buffet. They again had some prepackaged stuff and some other stuff you could point to if you wanted and the staff would get it for you. The food wasn't much to write home about but I will say, they had some mini warm cinnamon rolls that were quite tasty and if had been a serve yourself situation I may have gone back for a second one, just saying.

After eating, we hit the road for just over an hour's drive to somewhere that we had wanted to check out during all of our travels in UT but had never had the chance, the Bonneville Salt Flats. Since my son is into photography, he wanted to check this out because you can get some cool effects there. Also, it's known for being cool to drive on! I was a little hesitant on this because - rental car - but they say as long as it's a dry day you should be ok. If it's wet, they say don't do it because you can get stuck. Apparently, some land speed records have been set there, but we didn't test that theory! We got some photos and hung out for a bit. Kind of felt like another planet out there. It was a pretty cool experience and I'm glad we made the trip.





After that, we drove on a little further to see the town of West Wendover that is on the border of UT and Nevada. No wonder there are like 6 casinos in a block!! And we got the requisite photo of Wendover Will.



We were hungry by that point, so we went in search of food. There wasn't much in the town of West Wendover that looked appealing so we went with Burger King drive thru, but then pulled over in a shady spot to eat. Apparently Burger King in the US is now carrying cheesy tater tots!! We only found this out because my son ordered chicken nuggets...and he bit into what he thought was a chicken nugget and got a bit of a surprise. Luckily they fixed his order when he went back with it, and we got to keep the cheesy tots anyway...but...yeah I don't think I'd be ordering those on purpose.

After our lunch, we headed back towards Salt Lake City. There was one more stop that we (well I) wanted to make. Way back a few years ago during my first trip to SLC, my mom and I had taken one of those cheesy trolley tours around the city. One of the stops on the tour had been the "This is the place, Heritage site" in SLC. It's a great little park, with some statues and history...and a great gift shop lol. Sadly this is the reason that I wanted to go back there! Years ago I had purchased some little jars of Utah Salt as gifts for people because I thought they made a cute kitchy gift. Turns out, I just love the salt in these, and especially love the little containers and they seem to sprinkle just the right amount of salt when cooking!! So...I thought...we didn't have much else to do that day and we had time, so we swung by that gift shop and I picked up a good supply of Utah Salt. Seemed fitting for our last day in Salt Lake City.

Unfortunately...that salt ended up being an expensive endeavour. Not the salt itself but...yeah. My son asked if he could drive the car back from the gift shop to the hotel, all city streets and nothing he hadn't handled before. So I caved and said ok. I guess he wasn't that familiar with the car and...did not really get the perspective of the rear view camera and...bam...we backed into a parked car when trying to get out of the parking lot...ooops...!

Thankfully the other car was not damaged...all the damage was to our rental car. I have insurance of course...but I'm still waiting to hear how much the damage incurred will cost and whether or not it's worth reporting because of my large deductible. Ugh. So yeah, that will be some expensive salt. Oops. I hope that is my son's one and only fender bender and he will be all the more careful going forward. He's actually a pretty good driver on roads...but I guess those backup cameras can be deceiving...ugh.

 

[pkondz]

Yes I bet they do have recommendations for not melting your computer!!

Most likely!

I insisted that this be an outdoor visit...even though all were fully vaccinated. Still kind of unclear on what the rules are at this point!!

Since every place has their own rules... might as well err on the side of caution.

He ended up with Chik Fil-a - which I have to admit, I actually really enjoy their food

I've had it at least once. Must admit... it's pretty good. Especially for a chain.

I went with a taco/enchilada combo. Not exactly healthy, but delish.

Calories don't count on vacation.

The "buffet" here was also not quite a normal buffet. They again had some prepackaged stuff and some other stuff you could point to if you wanted and the staff would get it for you.

Did you say "Fetch"?

The food wasn't much to write home about but I will say, they had some mini warm cinnamon rolls that were quite tasty

mmmm... warm cinnamon rolls...

After eating, we hit the road for just over an hour's drive to somewhere that we had wanted to check out during all of our travels in UT but had never had the chance, the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Oh, cool!!!

Apparently, some land speed records have been set there

but we didn't test that theory!

Shame. I mean... you were going to bang up the car anyway...

Cool shot!

There wasn't much in the town of West Wendover that looked appealing so we went with Burger King drive thru

Oh my. You know it's bad when you have to resort to Burger King.

Turns out, I just love the salt in these, and especially love the little containers and they seem to sprinkle just the right amount of salt when cooking!!

Happy little discovery there.

Unfortunately...that salt ended up being an expensive endeavour. Not the salt itself but...yeah. My son asked if he could drive the car back from the gift shop to the hotel, all city streets and nothing he hadn't handled before. So I caved and said ok. I guess he wasn't that familiar with the car and...did not really get the perspective of the rear view camera and...bam...we backed into a parked car when trying to get out of the parking lot...ooops...!

Oh no!
These things happen, but... you never want them too. Hopefully it won't be too bad (as in expensive.)

 

[Steppesister]

Kathy, I was so far behind but have loved catching up on your vacation/visit to the US Southwest. It's a stunningly beautiful area for sure and I have spent a lot of time there exploring. I would LOVE to go back again as I've forgotten a lot of the places' names and whatnot. I LOVE that you got to see your son graduate after all. I know you were so worried about getting to go. You took a lot of fantastic photos that I really enjoyed browsing through!!

 

[suse66]

After eating, we hit the road for just over an hour's drive to somewhere that we had wanted to check out during all of our travels in UT but had never had the chance, the Bonneville Salt Flats. Since my son is into photography, he wanted to check this out because you can get some cool effects there. Also, it's known for being cool to drive on! I was a little hesitant on this because - rental car - but they say as long as it's a dry day you should be ok. If it's wet, they say don't do it because you can get stuck. Apparently, some land speed records have been set there, but we didn't test that theory! We got some photos and hung out for a bit. Kind of felt like another planet out there. It was a pretty cool experience and I'm glad we made the trip.

I can't get over the varied landscapes in Utah! What an unique experience.

Unfortunately...that salt ended up being an expensive endeavour. Not the salt itself but...yeah. My son asked if he could drive the car back from the gift shop to the hotel, all city streets and nothing he hadn't handled before. So I caved and said ok. I guess he wasn't that familiar with the car and...did not really get the perspective of the rear view camera and...bam...we backed into a parked car when trying to get out of the parking lot...ooops...!

Oh no! Hopefully it is not going to be too pricy. Will it affect your son's driving record? Does he have his G1 or G2?

 

[KathyM2]

Oh no!
These things happen, but... you never want them too. Hopefully it won't be too bad (as in expensive.)

I hope not!! Actually I find it strange that it has now been two weeks since the day we returned the rental car and I've heard no news about this other than that a damage report was filed....maybe they will let it go? Though I find this pretty unlikely...

Kathy, I was so far behind but have loved catching up on your vacation/visit to the US Southwest. It's a stunningly beautiful area for sure and I have spent a lot of time there exploring. I would LOVE to go back again as I've forgotten a lot of the places' names and whatnot. I LOVE that you got to see your son graduate after all. I know you were so worried about getting to go. You took a lot of fantastic photos that I really enjoyed browsing through!!

Thanks!! Yes, it is indeed such a beautiful area!! I know you have/will be spending more time in AZ which isn't far away lol...I would have loved to drive further South in UT and get into that area too!! One day!!

I can't get over the varied landscapes in Utah! What an unique experience.

It really is. While we do have a lot of beautiful scenery here in Canada too...I don't think we have anything at all like that!!

Oh no! Hopefully it is not going to be too pricy. Will it affect your son's driving record? Does he have his G1 or G2?

It shouldn't affect him...because I didn't tell them he was driving lol. He has his G1 so probably should not have been driving a rental car at all sigh...but luckily the accident wasn't while on roads lol!

 

[pkondz]

I hope not!! Actually I find it strange that it has now been two weeks since the day we returned the rental car and I've heard no news about this other than that a damage report was filed....maybe they will let it go? Though I find this pretty unlikely...

Maybe you'll get lucky and it will slip through the cracks and that's the last you'll hear about it.

 

[KathyM2]

Time to wrap up this little TR....

May 16 continued....

Last I left you I think was the case of the very expensive salt. We managed to make it back to the hotel without further incident, phew!! We had a couple more things we hoped to accomplish before heading back to the land of lockdown. My son wanted (and desperately needed) a haircut, and who knows when that would happen back home, so we decided to try to find a place in SLC that could do it. Finding an open barber on a Sunday in UT is not as easy as one might think. But we lucked out with City Barbers, a hip little place not too far from the hotel where you could book online and pay up front. We got an appoint for a couple of hours later and relaxed in the hotel room until it was time to go. At the appointed time, we headed over to City Barber - I drove this time!! Just as we pulled up, the skies opened up and we got soaked running from the car to the barber shop! My son checked in and we established that he didn't need his mom to hang out during said haircut. We also established that according to Google it was a 13 minute walk back to the hotel. I said my goodbyes and told my son he could make his own way back to the room when he was done. I headed back to the hotel and watched some more HGTV before showering and getting dressed for dinner. My son had been gone a while and I started to wonder if he was lost. I texted him and he was on his way.

Side note: is it just me, or has anyone else noticed on Google when you use the directions for walking somewhere...the actual time the walk takes is usually longer than what Google says? Maybe I just walk super slowly but I always find this. On the other hand with the driving directions...I can usually do better than what Google says...maybe I have a lead foot...hmmm. Deep thoughts.

Anyway...my son made it back to the room and then he had a quick shower. We had a special dinner planned. Not only would this be a celebration of my son's hard work and graduation from high school, but it would also be my first indoor restaurant meal in over a year. I was still pretty hesitant about this, but we figured, if we booked a nice steak house, hopefully they were still being very covid careful. My son fell in love with Ruth's Chris a few years ago when we went for some other celebration and wanted to go back. He loves steaks....but also the shoestring fries there he had been talking about for so long!! The restaurant was not far from our hotel so we headed over a few mins prior to our reservation. When we got there, they tried to show us to a table in the centre of the room, but I asked if we could have a booth instead. The booth seemed to be more spacious and they also had plexiglass separating them. My son rolled his eyes at me but I insisted on waiting for a booth. We waited maybe 10 extra minutes and I was totally ok with that!! We enjoyed a nice dinner and my son even allowed the waiter to take our picture (and then I sanitized my phone). Because I had said that we were celebrating something they gave us a free dessert. We were too full to really take much advantage of that but we had some ice cream. We both had perfect steaks and my son of course had the fries he had been dreaming about. I may have stolen a few, and I got the asparagus too for some greens. All was delicious and appropriate for first restaurant meal in ages. Can't wait to go to another one...but that will have to wait here in Canada...

 

[KathyM2]

Maybe you'll get lucky and it will slip through the cracks and that's the last you'll hear about it.

I really hope so!! My mom actually said she has heard about that happening? I think it's unlikely in the case of owing a rental car company money but...hey you never know...I'm hesitant about whether or not I should book with Enterprise next time or not...I guess I will wait and see if they charge me lol

 

[pkondz]

Last I left you I think was the case of the very expensive salt.

But we lucked out with City Barbers, a hip little place not too far from the hotel where you could book online and pay up front.

No way in h*ll I'm paying up front for a cut!
Dude (or dudette) has to earn it.

I tip very well, however. Provided the cut isn't a disaster.

At the appointed time, we headed over to City Barber - I drove this time!!

We also established that according to Google it was a 13 minute walk back to the hotel. I said my goodbyes and told my son he could make his own way back to the room when he was done.

In the rain?!?!?

Side note: is it just me, or has anyone else noticed on Google when you use the directions for walking somewhere...the actual time the walk takes is usually longer than what Google says?

Hmmm... good question.

I almost exclusively use the walking directions to plot out where I'm going to run, so the time is always shorter for me.
I have used it a few times to see how far I've walked, but never noted the time on those occasions.
Going to have to check on that.

it would also be my first indoor restaurant meal in over a year.

I've done indoors once, maybe twice, that I can recall. But... very few and far between for sure!

My son fell in love with Ruth's Chris

I've heard of this place many times. Is it like the Keg?

He loves steaks....but also the shoestring fries there he had been talking about for so long!!

Really! Fries must be really good.

When we got there, they tried to show us to a table in the centre of the room, but I asked if we could have a booth instead. The booth seemed to be more spacious and they also had plexiglass separating them.

I'd wait for the booth too, given the choice. And even if there was no Covid.

Because I had said that we were celebrating something they gave us a free dessert.

Free is always good.

I really hope so!! My mom actually said she has heard about that happening? I think it's unlikely in the case of owing a rental car company money but...hey you never know...I'm hesitant about whether or not I should book with Enterprise next time or not...I guess I will wait and see if they charge me lol

I'm just thinking that they may decide trying to go after a foreigner is more trouble than it's worth?

 

[KathyM2]

In the rain?!?!?

Ha luckily the rain had stopped by the time his haircut was done. Otherwise I may have considered being less lazy and gone over to pick him up with the car lol.

I almost exclusively use the walking directions to plot out where I'm going to run, so the time is always shorter for me.
I have used it a few times to see how far I've walked, but never noted the time on those occasions.
Going to have to check on that.

I would be interested to hear what you think. It is entirely possible that I just walk really slowly, but I have noticed this more than once.

I've heard of this place many times. Is it like the Keg?

It is like the Keg in that it's a chain and they have them in a lot of cities, and often as part of hotels. The food is a little pricier though, in that "order each item separately" kind of way that steakhouses often do. Honestly I find the Keg just as good and probably much better value when you order their "dinner" that comes with sides and salad etc, instead of having to order those separately...but I digress. Ruth's Chris does a really good steak for sure. Only for special occasions at least in this house!!

I'm just thinking that they may decide trying to go after a foreigner is more trouble than it's worth?

I really hope this is the case!