Mini TR for another Boston Road Trip - updated Nov 22

[pkondz]

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.

Okay

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'll try to remember to plot time and distance next time I go for a walk.

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!!

Thanks for the info.

 

[Steppesister]

Looked like a LOVELY first dinner out of celebration. And appropriately celebrated with a steak. It's been AGES since I've had a steak anywhere. I need to fix that but with the price of beef these days... I think I"m stuck with other less $$ options.

Great you could find a place for a haircut too. As you say, not easy on a Sunday in Utah!

 

[KathyM2]

Looked like a LOVELY first dinner out of celebration. And appropriately celebrated with a steak. It's been AGES since I've had a steak anywhere. I need to fix that but with the price of beef these days... I think I"m stuck with other less $$ options.

Great you could find a place for a haircut too. As you say, not easy on a Sunday in Utah!

It was indeed a lovely dinner of celebration and the steak was delish!! I don't eat it that often either as it doesn't always agree with me or my wallet, but it was a good dinner!! And yes, we were lucky to find an open barber shop!!

 

[KathyM2]

Time to wrap this up... although...the trip home is a bit of a process under the circumstances...

Sunday May 16 continued...

After our lovely steak dinner, we were stuffed and strolled back to our hotel which was not too far away. We knew we had an early morning the next day so we had to get as packed up as we could. Once packed and organized...I decided to make a trip to the Target down the street. As I may have mentioned (maybe more than once) I do love me some Tarjay....AND since I knew I would be in lockdown when I got home...and also probably not back in the US for a while...I decided to go for a little Target run since it was still early enough and it was either that or watch trashy TV in the room...which with my son around would probably mean the Simpsons. I do like the Simpsons most of the time, but just wasn't in the mood!!

I headed out to Target which was only a short drive away from the hotel. Let me tell you, a Sunday evening in Utah is the PERFECT time to go shopping as there were very few people there. Which was good because even though by this point I was almost a full two weeks post dose 2 of vaccine, I still was trying to be careful because I did not want to risk a positive test and not being able to get home!! Anyway...headed to Target and picked up a few last minute items including some more Altoids and gum, and other odds and ends including some pj pants. Headed back to the hotel and still had time for a little HGTV before hitting the sack.

Monday May 17 - we got up super early (for us) around 6:30am to aim to get out of the hotel room by 7am. Because of our little mishap with the rental car...I wanted to make sure to allow extra time for the drop off of the car. We got out of the room just after 7am and set out on the short ish - about 20 mins, drive from the center of SLC to the airport.

We arrived at Enterprise and pulled up and started taking all our stuff out of the car. My son thought we should just walk away and leave the car and hope that maybe they would not notice the damage but....that would not be a good example to set for my impressionable 18 year old ...and also..I have no balls and couldn't do it. So. We waited until someone from Enterprise came over to check us in, and of course...they noticed the dent immediately, and said that it was too noticeable for someone to not have noticed it if it had been there before we took the car...so. I did have to tell a little white lie in that I didn't know how it happened and someone must have backed into us in a parking lot (not that my half licensed child was driving the rental car....ahem...) But anyway...it didn't matter. They said they would be in touch to file a claim for the expense. Ugh. The good news though...I did get an email a day later saying they would be in contact with me with the costs associated with the claim...but it has now been more than two weeks since I returned the car...and nothing....??? I don't really know what to do...part of me wants to leave it alone and just...never rent from Enterprise again?? But then...I really like them so....a dilemma...

Anyway...we headed into the terminal building, wearing our double masks and ready for a long day of mask wearing and hand washing. My son had two giant bags and I had one, which was actually not as bad as I imagined it would be. We managed to get checked in for our flight, and had a bit of time to explore the newly built terminal at the SLC airport. It is really spacious and airy which I liked under the circumstances. The line for security was ridiculously long...and we no longer have Nexus which expired so...no precheck...so ugh...long line. Glad we were early. Once through, we had just a bit of time to wander the new terminal and get a snack or two. I was still wary of removing my mask and eating or drinking at all on the plane so I preferred to eat something in the airport ahead of the flight. They had a new Shake Shack in the airport which I really would have loved to have...but it was just too darn early in the day for my favourite cheese fries and purple cow that I always get when there for lunch...so I settled for a pack of combos and some sparkling water...not quite the same.

We boarded our flight pretty soon after and were on our way....to Detroit. There seem to be no direct flights anywhere during these covid times...so stop in Detroit it was. We had just enough time to grab a snack and make our next flight from Detroit to.....Buffalo. Currently we still are required to quarantine in a government quarantine hotel for at least three days (possibly more) when flying to Toronto...but when driving....you still have to quarantine...but your 14 day quarantine can be done in the comfort of your own home...so this is why we went that route....But it was not a simple process.

We arrived in Buffalo around 5:30pm. We headed to baggage claim where thankfully all our bags arrived safely. Next step....Covid test!!!

 

[suse66]

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.

I always start to panic in situations like that! Even though I know my boys (men now, really) are smart and more than capable, I still worry about something happening to them.

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...

So nice that you enjoyed a beautiful meal out together.♥

I headed out to Target which was only a short drive away from the hotel. Let me tell you, a Sunday evening in Utah is the PERFECT time to go shopping as there were very few people there. Which was good because even though by this point I was almost a full two weeks post dose 2 of vaccine, I still was trying to be careful because I did not want to risk a positive test and not being able to get home!! Anyway...headed to Target and picked up a few last minute items including some more Altoids and gum, and other odds and ends including some pj pants. Headed back to the hotel and still had time for a little HGTV before hitting the sack.

Sigh...even going to a Target sounds exciting these days!

Anyway...we headed into the terminal building, wearing our double masks and ready for a long day of mask wearing and hand washing. My son had two giant bags and I had one, which was actually not as bad as I imagined it would be. We managed to get checked in for our flight, and had a bit of time to explore the newly built terminal at the SLC airport. It is really spacious and airy which I liked under the circumstances. The line for security was ridiculously long...and we no longer have Nexus which expired so...no precheck...so ugh...long line. Glad we were early. Once through, we had just a bit of time to wander the new terminal and get a snack or two. I was still wary of removing my mask and eating or drinking at all on the plane so I preferred to eat something in the airport ahead of the flight. They had a new Shake Shack in the airport which I really would have loved to have...but it was just too darn early in the day for my favourite cheese fries and purple cow that I always get when there for lunch...so I settled for a pack of combos and some sparkling water...not quite the same.

No, not the same. But I don't know if I would be ready to take my mask off on a plane either.

We boarded our flight pretty soon after and were on our way....to Detroit. There seem to be no direct flights anywhere during these covid times...so stop in Detroit it was. We had just enough time to grab a snack and make our next flight from Detroit to.....Buffalo. Currently we still are required to quarantine in a government quarantine hotel for at least three days (possibly more) when flying to Toronto...but when driving....you still have to quarantine...but your 14 day quarantine can be done in the comfort of your own home...so this is why we went that route....But it was not a simple process.

So how did you get home from Buffalo? Limo service?

We arrived in Buffalo around 5:30pm. We headed to baggage claim where thankfully all our bags arrived safely. Next step....Covid test!!!

Hopefully the quarantine and testing will soon be a thing of the past for fully vaccinated travellers.

 

[pkondz]

we were stuffed and strolled back to our hotel

I read the first five words and stopped.

What does "We were stuffed and strolled" mean? Did you eat a lot of rolls? Did they have to roll you out?

Okay, then I read on, but... for a while, there... I kinda really liked this new expression.

I might use it.

"I'm stuffed and strolled!"

As I may have mentioned (maybe more than once) I do love me some Tarjay....

And thank you for calling it that. Every time we drive by (or to) one on the way back to Canada we always say "Super Tarjay" in this weird singsongy/worshippy tone.

AND since I knew I would be in lockdown when I got home...and also probably not back in the US for a while...I decided to go for a little Target run

Makes sense.

I did not want to risk a positive test and not being able to get home!!

My son thought we should just walk away and leave the car and hope that maybe they would not notice the damage but....that would not be a good example to set for my impressionable 18 year old ...and also..I have no balls and couldn't do it.

The good news though...I did get an email a day later saying they would be in contact with me with the costs associated with the claim...but it has now been more than two weeks since I returned the car...and nothing....??? I don't really know what to do...part of me wants to leave it alone and just...never rent from Enterprise again?? But then...I really like them so....a dilemma...

Tough call! If it was me... and I didn't get a bill? I'd probably switch rental company.

We arrived in Buffalo around 5:30pm. We headed to baggage claim where thankfully all our bags arrived safely. Next step....Covid test!!!

Figured you'd go to Buffalo. Curious if you had a friend pick you up or what.

 

[KathyM2]

I always start to panic in situations like that! Even though I know my boys (men now, really) are smart and more than capable, I still worry about something happening to them.

Yeah I keep wondering at what point you stop worrying about your kids....and...probably never...sigh...I guess until I start losing my mind and then my kids can worry about me lol

Sigh...even going to a Target sounds exciting these days!

Oh man, it's so true. I didn't even know what to look at lol

So how did you get home from Buffalo? Limo service?

Read on my friend lol next instalment coming shortly...

Hopefully the quarantine and testing will soon be a thing of the past for fully vaccinated travellers.

I really really really hope so!!

Okay, then I read on, but... for a while, there... I kinda really liked this new expression.

I might use it.

"I'm stuffed and strolled!"

Ha I might use it to...since I do that often...ie: get very stuffed at a meal and need a walk after lol

Every time we drive by (or to) one on the way back to Canada we always say "Super Tarjay" in this weird singsongy/worshippy tone.

Sigh...yup...I love me some Tarjay....I loved it when we had in in Canada for about a minute too...though it was never quite the same...

Tough call! If it was me... and I didn't get a bill? I'd probably switch rental company.

Yes, tempting. who knows when the next time I will be renting a car will be anyway....

 

[KathyM2]

Monday May 17 continued....

Yes I know this is a cliffhanger and I left all (2) of you on the edge of your seats...how DID i get across the border and home??? Well...the story ain't quite over yet folks! This might be really boring to anyone reading and feel free to skip. I'm actually also recording this for my own purposes because hopefully one day this will all seem completely ridiculous. Or maybe we will not remember it being any other way...ugh. Who knows.

Last I left you, we had just grabbed our bags at the Buffalo airport and headed to the onside covid test clinic. I am SO lucky I found out about this place. You see..as you may be aware...there are some serious logistics involved with travel these days...especially if you are a Canadian leaving the great white North...so. I had done A TON of research about how to make this work.

The complicated thing, is that, when entering Canada by air, you are required to do a mandatory government run hotel quarantine for at least 3 days, upon which time, if you get a negative test result, you can go home and finish your 14 day quarantine at home. However, I had heard many horror stories about these hotels - people not getting food, not being told when they could leave...and...covid outbreaks IN the quarantine hotels. So. After my son's graduation and travel and 2 years worth of his dorm room belongings...I DID NOT want to attempt this. So call me what you will...but the loophole is that if you arrive in Canada by land, you do NOT have to do a hotel quarantine, but instead can proceed straight home to do your 14 day quarantine in your own home. Much better. Not at all easy to pull off...but much better if you are successful. So. Politics aside...that is what we decided to do. Ahem.

So....when you arrive at the Canadian border by land, you are required to present a negative covid test result from a test that had been conducted within 72 hours - 72 hours to the time you arrive at the border. We were travelling to Buffalo from Salt Lake City. There are no direct flights from Salt Lake City to Buffalo and we would be leaving Salt Lake City either on a Sunday or a Monday. I searched online for a place in Salt Lake to do a covid test, but all the places I could find would only guarantee results after 48 hours, and on a Sunday or Monday...couldn't even promise that!! So even if we did it that way, I couldn't find a way to get the covid test and get to the border for sure within the 72 hour window with our flights and be able to plan the timing for our border crossing with any degree of certainty. So. Very frustrating. FINALLY I lucked out and got put in touch with a limo company who would not only be able to take us across the border, but informed me that they indeed have a covid testing center right IN the Buffalo airport where you can get quick results that are guaranteed and also guaranteed to be accepted at the Canadian border!! Woo hoooo!!

However.....another complication...even though the Buffalo airport covid test place was fast...they could only guarantee 2-4 hour service...even when you pay the premium for fast service. My son (and let's face it me also) did not relish the thought of a full day of travel and then a potential 2-4 hours of sitting in the airport waiting for a test result and THEN the thought of an additional 2 hour drive home with an uncertain border crossing enroute...SO.....instead...I booked a one night stay at the lovely Fairfield Inn across the street from the Buffalo airport. So after our quick covid tests, we headed over there using their free shuttle. We enjoyed yet another uber eats dinner and relaxing evening of bad TV in a hotel room, and called it a night!

Turned out, our covid test results arrived via email about an hour after we checked in to the hotel! So knowing that now, we actually COULD have gone home that night without it being too awful...but there is no way we could have planned what time the limo would meet us or known how long we would be in airport hallway purgatory, so...I think we still made the right choice to stay overnight in Buffalo.

Tuesday May 18th

We had booked the limo for 11 am to take us across the border. We were told that because we are both Canadian, and had a valid reason to be travelling (at least what we thought was valid - graduation and bringing son home) we were told that we should not have any issues at the border. Because the limo company is a commercial service, they are allowed to drive across the border and into Canada.

Our ride showed up about 10 mins after 11 and we were outside the hotel, masked up and ready to go. We loaded up my son's bags and away we went. Enroute, the driver had been through this before, and he told us about exactly what would happen. He checked to make sure we had already downloaded the ArriveCan app and set it up for our arrival at the border (yes) He also told us that things would go more quickly if we created an account online with Switch Health, the company that was doing the border crossing covid testing. Yes, we would have to do another one even though we had a negative result from one taken in Buffalo 15 hours prior. So we did that during the 20 min drive from the hotel to the border crossing.

We arrived at the border and of course customs was first stop. We showed our passports and our negative covid test results. We were asked why were were travelling and what were our plans for quarantine. They had to make sure no one else would be in our house with us, and that we had made arrangements for getting food and everything we would need for two weeks without leaving our property. When they were satisfied with our answers they waved us on to the next stop - the Switch Health station. It looked like some kind of relief effort seen on TV for some kind of natural disaster movie. There were health care workers in head to toe PPE and masks and shields waiting for our car to pull up. When we arrived the limo driver had us open the back windows. They handed my son and I each two boxes - each one contained a covid test. They explained that we would have to take one test now, and one test we would take home, and have to do online over zoom with a nurse on day 8 and send in the sample to be tested. From outside the car, the health care workers walked us through self administering one of the tests and then they collected them from us, and off we went!!!

NOW were were FINALLY IN Canada!! We had to attest that we would be going straight home and not leaving again for 14 days, and off we went.....BUT...the journey wasn't quite over yet lol. The limo that we took....while experts in taking people across the border during a pandemic...did not have the resources to drive us all the way home to Toronto (about an hour and a half) SO...we had to arrange to have ANOTHER limo meet us in a parking lot and transfer our stuff over...and THEN...that limo..would drive us all the way home.

So...that is what we did. We had to wait a few mins for the second limo to figure out where we were, and so we did make a (possibly illegal) Tim Hortons pit stop because you know...when arriving back into Canada during a pandemic...that is just what you have to do as a good Canadian...so..there you have it. We waited in the parking lot with our Timmies....until limo #2 arrived and took us straight home...where we stayed for the next 14 days. Yesterday was our last day of quarantine!! Now were are back to "just" a stay at home order lol

 

[pkondz]

I loved it when we had in in Canada for about a minute too...though it was never quite the same...

No kidding. I went to one. Half empty shelves and everything far more expensive than I was expecting. It didn't take me long to leave and not look back. Just a colossal fail on their part.

hopefully one day this will all seem completely ridiculous

I sure hope so.

and...covid outbreaks IN the quarantine hotels

I had not heard about that!!

I booked a one night stay at the lovely Fairfield Inn across the street from the Buffalo airport.

That's exactly what I was thinking and would have done.

Turned out, our covid test results arrived via email about an hour after we checked in to the hotel! So knowing that now, we actually COULD have gone home that night without it being too awful...but there is no way we could have planned what time the limo would meet us or known how long we would be in airport hallway purgatory, so...I think we still made the right choice to stay overnight in Buffalo.

I still would've done the hotel, even knowing that.

He checked to make sure we had already downloaded the ArriveCan app

What is that?

He also told us that things would go more quickly if we created an account online with Switch Health, the company that was doing the border crossing covid testing. Yes, we would have to do another one even though we had a negative result from one taken in Buffalo 15 hours prior.

Oh really! Didn't know about that either.

We showed our passports and our negative covid test results. We were asked why were were travelling and what were our plans for quarantine.

Must've been a bit more stressful than usual for the border crossing.

They handed my son and I each two boxes - each one contained a covid test. They explained that we would have to take one test now, and one test we would take home, and have to do online over zoom with a nurse on day 8 and send in the sample to be tested.

Huh! Had no idea.

.we had to arrange to have ANOTHER limo meet us in a parking lot and transfer our stuff over...and THEN...that limo..would drive us all the way home.

That's what I figured. Either that or a friend was picking you up.

Welcome home!

 

[KathyM2]

What is that?

ArriveCan is a govt of Canada app that you have to download if you will be arriving in Canada (either via air or land) It makes you put in your expected arrival date and what border crossing you will come in at. The border agent checks that you have it and they can see in their system too that you do. Then each day of your quarantine you have to "check in" using that app to report that you have no covid symptoms (or if you do...) It reminds you constantly to check in, and if you don't you get extra menacing phone calls. I should also add, for anyone still reading...I thought this all was pretty hard core, and anyone kvetching (like our premier) about how porous our borders are etc...has clearly not done this process. We did everything by the book AND we still had a quarantine officer come to our door and make us show him our ID and confirm how we were getting our food etc and how we were safely in quarantine. I mean, I guess if you were deliberately trying to bring covid into Canada you might be able to...but anyone just trying to travel safely I don't think would be able to have a covid case get in undetected.

Must've been a bit more stressful than usual for the border crossing.

It certainly was...and much more time consuming....sigh. Made me reminisce fondly about the days of day tripping to Buffalo to shop at Victoria's Secret before we had it in Canada...sigh.

That's what I figured. Either that or a friend was picking you up.

Welcome home!

Yeah we thought about asking a friend or family member to come get us, but then, I have not been in anyone else's car for so long I didn't think that was the time to try it. At least with a limo driver there was no awkward discussion about masking or no masking (we double masked all the way home, and there was plexiglass and lots of air) all the way home. Even though both my son and I were fully vaccinated at that point!

 

[pkondz]

ArriveCan is a govt of Canada app that you have to download if you will be arriving in Canada (either via air or land) It makes you put in your expected arrival date and what border crossing you will come in at. The border agent checks that you have it and they can see in their system too that you do. Then each day of your quarantine you have to "check in" using that app to report that you have no covid symptoms (or if you do...) It reminds you constantly to check in, and if you don't you get extra menacing phone calls. I should also add, for anyone still reading...I thought this all was pretty hard core, and anyone kvetching (like our premier) about how porous our borders are etc...has clearly not done this process. We did everything by the book AND we still had a quarantine officer come to our door and make us show him our ID and confirm how we were getting our food etc and how we were safely in quarantine. I mean, I guess if you were deliberately trying to bring covid into Canada you might be able to...but anyone just trying to travel safely I don't think would be able to have a covid case get in undetected.

I had no idea! Huh!

It certainly was...and much more time consuming....sigh. Made me reminisce fondly about the days of day tripping to Buffalo to shop at Victoria's Secret before we had it in Canada...sigh.

Oh, me too.


Wait...

Yeah we thought about asking a friend or family member to come get us, but then, I have not been in anyone else's car for so long I didn't think that was the time to try it. At least with a limo driver there was no awkward discussion about masking or no masking (we double masked all the way home, and there was plexiglass and lots of air) all the way home. Even though both my son and I were fully vaccinated at that point!

That had occurred to me. (The plexi and masking)
And having a friend pick you up, would necessitate them going into quarantine too if caught. Or possibly penalties to yourselves.

I don't know, but that's what I'm guessing.

 

[Steppesister]

What a nightmare. Truly. I have no words.

I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that!! Geez!!

 

[KathyM2]

What a nightmare. Truly. I have no words.

I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that!! Geez!!

It was a bit of an ordeal indeed. It wasn't that bad though, I do kind of think our government is being good to be cautious about letting cases in, but I just think that covid is a worldwide problem and the only way to solve it is for countries to work together...it's not gonna go away otherwise! They were starting to hint today about loosing some border restrictions in the not too distant future...but I will believe it when I see it!!

 

[suse66]

NOW were were FINALLY IN Canada!! We had to attest that we would be going straight home and not leaving again for 14 days, and off we went.....BUT...the journey wasn't quite over yet lol. The limo that we took....while experts in taking people across the border during a pandemic...did not have the resources to drive us all the way home to Toronto (about an hour and a half) SO...we had to arrange to have ANOTHER limo meet us in a parking lot and transfer our stuff over...and THEN...that limo..would drive us all the way home.

Sounds like a lot but anything to avoid those awful quarantine hotels.

ArriveCan is a govt of Canada app that you have to download if you will be arriving in Canada (either via air or land) It makes you put in your expected arrival date and what border crossing you will come in at. The border agent checks that you have it and they can see in their system too that you do. Then each day of your quarantine you have to "check in" using that app to report that you have no covid symptoms (or if you do...) It reminds you constantly to check in, and if you don't you get extra menacing phone calls. I should also add, for anyone still reading...I thought this all was pretty hard core, and anyone kvetching (like our premier) about how porous our borders are etc...has clearly not done this process. We did everything by the book AND we still had a quarantine officer come to our door and make us show him our ID and confirm how we were getting our food etc and how we were safely in quarantine. I mean, I guess if you were deliberately trying to bring covid into Canada you might be able to...but anyone just trying to travel safely I don't think would be able to have a covid case get in undetected.

The measures are stringent to be sure. I have to quarantine to go to my cottage in PEI even though I will be fully vaccinated. Thankfully they just shortened the quarantine period from 14 to 8 days. The penalty for breaking quarantine there is a $2,000 fine!

It was a bit of an ordeal indeed. It wasn't that bad though, I do kind of think our government is being good to be cautious about letting cases in, but I just think that covid is a worldwide problem and the only way to solve it is for countries to work together...it's not gonna go away otherwise! They were starting to hint today about loosing some border restrictions in the not too distant future...but I will believe it when I see it!!

I am feeling quite optimistic about the border/quarantine requirements loosening for fully vaccinated travellers. So optimistic in fact that I have booked my plane tickets for Disney this August! Jack and I are going August 7-15 to celebrate his 21st!

 

[Steppesister]

It was a bit of an ordeal indeed. It wasn't that bad though, I do kind of think our government is being good to be cautious about letting cases in, but I just think that covid is a worldwide problem and the only way to solve it is for countries to work together...it's not gonna go away otherwise! They were starting to hint today about loosing some border restrictions in the not too distant future...but I will believe it when I see it!!

I would LOVE to see that happen.

 

[KathyM2]

The measures are stringent to be sure. I have to quarantine to go to my cottage in PEI even though I will be fully vaccinated. Thankfully they just shortened the quarantine period from 14 to 8 days. The penalty for breaking quarantine there is a $2,000 fine!

Wow, that's hard core!! But the maritimes have done pretty well with Covid so...have to give them that! But if you are fully vaccinated that's a different story...I do hope they start taking that into account soon everywhere!

I am feeling quite optimistic about the border/quarantine requirements loosening for fully vaccinated travellers. So optimistic in fact that I have booked my plane tickets for Disney this August! Jack and I are going August 7-15 to celebrate his 21st!

I so hope you are right!! I did hear some hints about this on the news yesterday...so hope you get to go in August!! I also hope I get to go to Boston to take my son to University...

I would LOVE to see that happen.

ME TOO!!! My new AP is now burning a whole in my pocket and can't wait to go!

 

[schumigirl]

I loved reading through your whole TR! So many things to quote....so I won`t try as I`d be here all day...lol

But it was a fun read and I did enjoy reading you made the trip last year before the world went crazy.

But your son`s Graduation was so lovely to read about. I enjoyed your pictures and seeing some of the places I`ve heard of from a friend at the hotel who comes from there, it was so nice.

How proud you must have been and it was wonderful you made the trip as I remember your uncertainty as to whether you`d make it or not initially. Congratulations to your son once again.

But, what a carry on to get home, yes, I think you might just look back and wonder if this all actually happened, and glad you avoided the dreaded quarantine hotels!! Never heard anyone report they were fun!

Thank you Kathy.....I truly enjoyed reading along your whole report....and hopefully more in the future......

 

[KathyM2]

I loved reading through your whole TR! So many things to quote....so I won`t try as I`d be here all day...lol

But it was a fun read and I did enjoy reading you made the trip last year before the world went crazy.

But your son`s Graduation was so lovely to read about. I enjoyed your pictures and seeing some of the places I`ve heard of from a friend at the hotel who comes from there, it was so nice.

How proud you must have been and it was wonderful you made the trip as I remember your uncertainty as to whether you`d make it or not initially. Congratulations to your son once again.

But, what a carry on to get home, yes, I think you might just look back and wonder if this all actually happened, and glad you avoided the dreaded quarantine hotels!! Never heard anyone report they were fun!

Thank you Kathy.....I truly enjoyed reading along your whole report....and hopefully more in the future......

Hey nice to see you around here!! Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed!! That whole trip to Orlando last year seems soooo long ago.....sigh. Can't wait to get back there as I'm sure you can't either!!

My son's graduation was wonderful and I'm glad I went...even though a lot of people here at home probably would not have travelled. It's still pretty frowned upon right now...but I was super careful. It's pretty weird being back in lockdown...though things are slowly opening up but the dang Delta variant is continuing to make things uncertain...ugh.

It was indeed an ordeal to get home. I have heard about possible loosening of restrictions for fully vaccinated people coming soon..but they still haven't figured out what kind of proof will be required or how it all will work...I hope they do that soon!

Now that I have a new AP...looking forward to planning more Orlando trips in future...but hard to say when...I hope to be able to have a better idea in Sept once my son is safely at university and then we'll know more about where things stand with covid etc....ugh...I hate that this is STILL going on!!

Hope things are ok over there with you..my family in London were excited about the reopening...that has now been delayed...sigh...

 

[KathyM2]

Hellloooooo....

Loving seeing everyone getting back to the parks and having fun....wishing I had a Disney trip in the works...but...someday!!! In the meantime...I DO have a trip coming up...to take my son to Boston and to help him move into his dorm room!!

I'm excited about this trip ...because...travel....anywhere!!! But...I can't say that there isn't also a lot of anxiety about this!! I know that all the Americans here have been doing all sorts of travelling and may not seem like a big deal anymore...but....in my neck of the woods....people still aren't doing much in the way of travel. Went to Niagara Falls a few weeks ago for the day...and even that felt like venturing wayyy far from home (even though it's only just over an hour's drive!)

Anyway...for anyone interested...here is the plan...

Day 1 (sometime in the next three weeks) - Depart Toronto am by car from home...hopefully bearing all of my son's worldly possessions that will hopefully fit in the back of my dad's car which he is so kindly loaning us for this journey since it's bigger than mine!! With any luck...by mid morning we will be at the moment of truth...the Queenston-Lewiston bridge to the USA. I have done no less than a ton of research on this and still don't have a definitive answer on whether or not I will 100% be allowed to drive into the USA with my son to take him to school. Supposedly something in terms of land border restrictions may or may not change on August 21st, but as of right now, on the USBS website, it says that you will be permitted to cross for the purpose of work or study. My son has a student visa and all the requisite paperwork that he will be attending full time school in the USA. There really is little doubt that HE will be allowed to cross. However, the issue is whether or not "I" as his mom will be allowed to go with him. He is 18 and technically could go by himself...except for the little detail that he only has a learner's permit for a drivers licence so can't drive alone, plus the car is not his, nor does he have anywhere to keep it in Boston even if all that were possible. So, I do "need" to go with him..."if" we are allowed to travel by land. I know people who have done this to take their kids to school in the US throughout the pandemic and been allowed to cross. I also know people who have tried various things and "not" been allowed to cross. It really seems like you are at the mercy of luck and which customs agent you get and what kind of mood they are in that day. So...almost normal lol. I kid...but I really do hope they let us cross.

If they do not let us cross, despite our fully vaccinated status and will have (hopefully) negative covid tests and all the requisite paperwork...plan B is that we turn around and drive back home (about an hour and a bit) and then regroup, and get plane tickets, and figure out how to ship the crap ton of stuff to him. This possibility is why we are leaving on or around August 31 when he technically does not have to move in until Sept 4, but this gives us time to switch gears if needed. But I really hope we do not have to go with this plan.

So back to Plan A - crossing fingers that things go this way because it would be SO much better. IF they do let us into the land of the free without incident, we will then drive to the nearest Target and celebrate!! Well maybe not immediately, but there will certainly be one in our future!! I suspect I will need a break after the border ordeal and possibly some lunch, so hoping to stop somewhere in the Buffalo area for sustenance and to calm my nerves!! At this point, I'm hoping that the highways towards Boston are more of the smaller highway type that my son can participate in the driving - he hasn't done major highways but is ok on the smaller two lane country roads in cottage country...so I'm hoping there are some of those because I don't want to drive the whole way myself!

Because I am a lightweight when it comes to long distance driving, and also because I really loathe driving at night, especially in places I don't know well, and because I hear Boston is a nightmare to drive in on a good day, we are planning to break the drive up with a hotel stay somewhere around Albany. This will also allow us to hit up some big box stores, and hopefully procure a dorm fridge for my son, assuming there is room in the car for one - otherwise we will have to venture out for it once we unload some gear in our Boston hotel, but hoping to not have to do that and be able to pick it up on the way. I've also heard that because of the sheer number of colleges in the Boston area that any stores nearby are devoid of anything dorm room related during the month before schools go back, so I'm hoping to get what we need well outside of Boston. ANYWAY.....if all goes as planned, Albany is about a total 5-6 hour drive from Toronto, but allowing for border crossing and lunch, it will still be a longish day of driving before we arrive at our Albany area hotel for the night.

I have heard that thieves have gotten wise to the fact that kids all over are driving to school with carloads full of stuff and that you should not leave things in cars overnight...ugh!! But I also don't relish the thought of unloading a Tetris style packed car for a short night in a hotel. Maybe if we can get a ground floor room in a motel type situation...and then just unload computer and other valuables but leave the bulk of it in the car? Anyone have thoughts on this?

Day 2 - Hopefully after a restful night's sleep we will reload the car and depart for some big box store shopping before completing the drive to Boston. I've researched the area and found that all the good candidates for dorm fridge and other dorm essentials are nearby so hopefully will not take too long to find what we need. After that, the drive to Boston is hopefully somewhere around 3-4 hours at most, unless of course we get lost...which definitely has potential to happen. Sometime in the afternoon - hopefully before dark - we will arrive at our Boston hotel which thankfully we were able to secure on points because Boston is crazy pricey. Also, it was near impossible to find a hotel that had parking. Ours has a valet, which I am ok to pay for since we got the room for free. In future stays I will have to seek out alternatives that won't be as costly, but I think this will be one of the few times I would actually drive because under normal circumstances it's a quick flight to Boston. Again we'll have the dilemma of how much of my son's belongings do we leave in the car, and how much to schlep up to our room. I think I will await making this decision until we are there and ask the valet how safe the parking is etc.

Day 3 - This day we hope to do a little exploring around Boston, and also try out the public transit, and go meet some cousins for lunch who live/work in Cambridge. This is also going to take some real bravery for me, because I've just re-aquainted myself with public transit in Toronto after being pretty covid-afraid of it for so long, and I'm not sure how it will be in Boston. We will have our masks of course, and I will avoid touching anything at all costs...but I hope it isn't too people-ey for my liking. Everyone in Toronto is still being fairly cautious and I am somewhat comfortable going places...though crowds still give me hives and I have yet to try indoor dining here since it's been allowed again. Will have to get over that I think, but it's seriously PTSD for me. We hope to do some exploring around Harvard and Cambridge area, and get the lay of the land on public transit, and get my son a Charlie card which is their reloadable pass for the subway. Also, if luck is with us, my mom is planning to fly to Boston on this day to meet up with us and some other family in Boston. Nothing like a family reunion during a pandemic!! I have mixed feelings about this...but...it is what it is. My mom isn't getting any younger and she is really excited to see where my son will be living, and also wants to see her family there that she hasn't seen in forever!

Day 4 - this day we hope to do any last min shopping, and I purchased timed entry tickets for the New England Aquarium. I remember really liking this during my one other trip to Boston about ten years ago. I hope it lives up to the memory!! I also hope that with the timed entry tickets being required that it won't be too people-y!!

Day 5 - dorm move in day!! My son has a 2 hour window from 2-4pm for move in. We have to pull the car up outside and they have helpers with giant rolling carts that you can load all your stuff into. With any luck, if my mom is safely with us in Boston by this time, the plan is that she will drive my son and I and all his stuff, so that I can stay with my son and help unload in his room, while she takes the car back to our hotel and parks and then she can come back and meet us and help unpack in the dorm room.

Because this is sooo exciting...I will leave you hanging and finish this exciting plan later!

 

[KathyM2]

Day 6 - There is an orientation for students and family members on this day, so I'm looking forward to that, though I'm sure there will be tons of eye rolling by my son lol. I really wonder how this is going to be with covid precautions etc, but I'm hoping it will be done as safely as possible. All students have to be vaccinated but there is no mention of all the family members that are participating...let's hope weather is good and it's outdoors!! After the orientation....it will be time for me to say goodbye to my son...which will no doubt turn me into a blubbering mess because I have no idea when I might see him next. There is supposed to be a family weekend in late October, which I really hope to be able to attend...but with covid the way it is...it may or may not be possible for a short jaunt for just a weekend...I really hope it will be though, even with some covid hoops to jump through.

After the goodbyes, my mom and I will be going to a dinner hosted by the cousins in Cambridge. Again, I'm a little leary of this reunion during a pandemic...but everyone is vaccinated so hopefully it will be ok. I'm not sure worried about catching the virus anymore because I'm vaxxed, but now my real worry for this trip anyway, is that if we test positive we may have issues getting back across the border into Canada and home. I don't relish the thought of an extended stay in a Buffalo area hotel. But just in case, we do have extensive travel medical insurance. We will most likely take an Uber from our hotel in downtown to Cambridge because driving there gives me anxiety and my mom will probably want to enjoy some beverages, so Uber it is! Hope it isn't too far or too expensive!

Day 7 - Depending on how the reunion went the night before, we are thinking we may or may not meet up with family again for a casual brunch or something before we hit the road. Looking for a casual restaurant in the Cambridge area for that, bonus points for parking...that may be a problem! After brunch, lunch or whatever happens, we plan to hit the road early afternoon to begin the journey home. Because we are lightweights when it comes to long drives, we are planning to break the trip up again with an overnight stop in Syracuse. Under normal circumstances I may actually have tried to make it home in one go - but....because we will have to stop and get a covid test and make sure results are in before arriving at the border...we will have to stop, because we don't really want to do all this in the middle of the night. I'm still investigating the covid testing options - it seems some CVS and Walgreens offer the PCR testing, but none of the ones that do appear to be anywhere in downtown Boston or on our trip home, and also even if we were willing to go out of our way, the appointments don't seem very available. I will keep looking on that...BUT...if all else fails, I do know of a great place at the Buffalo airport where we can get covid tests that are approved for sure for the border crossing and get results in a few hours. So we will probably end up doing that and then going for some food and last chance Target shopping while we wait for the results.

Day 8 - Border crossing and home! We will probably have a quick hotel breakfast and drive from Syracuse to Buffalo and then get covid tested if we haven't already.......and then either eat or shop while we await the results. Then, hopefully negative covid test in hand, we will head for the border. Hopefully that crossing will happen without incident - they seem to be doing random additional covid tests at the border even for fully vaccinated people...so we may or may not get selected for that. Hopefully not because I'm sure we will really want to get home by this point!! In any case, it's about an hour and a half from the border to home if we go to the Peace bridge. I'm told that the best one these days so I think we'll go with that!!