Inn at Bay Pointe, Quincy, MA

Last weekend my mother came down to visit us on Saturday.  We had plans to take our girls to see the latest presentation at the Randall T. Boyd Jr. Planetarium in Weymouth that afternoon, and since it was such a nice day, decided to ad in a late lunch/early dinner as well.  We had wanted to try something new, so we decided on a restaurant in Quincy that we had been hearing about for a while and had been wanting to try -- Inn at Bay Pointe.

I had first read about this restaurant from Hidden Boston, and if ever there was a hidden restaurant it would be this one!  It is buried at the end of a dead end residential street Quincy, in a parking lot of a marina.  Luckily, mu husband drives past this street on his way to work every day and had driven down it before, otherwise I may not have found the restaurant!  The owners have, however, placed a large sign on the corner of the street indicating that they are there, so if you do go, keep a lookout for that sign.

We walked and and immediately my husband and I commented that we both liked the look and feel of the restaurant.  It isn't super modern looking or fancy, but it just gave off a comfortable vibe, with nice large windows overlooking the water, and a nice large bar that would be great to check out at some other point (when we were without kids!).  There is also an outdoor seating area on the water that would be a nice place  to have lunch or dinner in the warmer weather.

The menu has a nice mix of seafood, burgers and sandwiches, as well as other classic American dishes.  I ordered the Vegetarian Melt.  It was very good, made with sliced Portabello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, Bermuda onion, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, grilled, almost panini style.  It came with fries, which I normally try to avoid, but these were good as well.  Crispy and not greasy at all.  My mother ordered the Sheppard's Pie, which came in a very large portion.  She proclaimed it "delicious;"  one of the better Sheppard's pies she has eaten.  Paul got a Reuben Burger, which he said was perfectly fine.  Not outstanding  but a good burger nonetheless.  Ellie ordered the Shrimp Scampi special, which to my eye wasn't really scampi, as it came with more of a tomato based sauce instead of the garlic sauce a traditional scampi has.  She ate all of the shrimp, but left the pasta.  My youngest ordered pasta from the kid's menu, and ate the entire plate, which was a good sized child's portion.

All and all, we were pleased with Inn at Bay Point.  I would love to go back soon to try more of the seafood offerings there, and I am told the weekend brunch is excellent.  Give this place a try, if you can find it!

The girls pose on the anchor outside of Inn at Bay Pointe.

Why Am I Paying to Watch Ads?

Last night my family went to the movies to see "Dolphin Tale."  In 3-D no less.  It was a very sweet movie and a nice night, but there was one part of the evening that really got to me.

We got to the theater early (as I am very anal and am always way to early for everything).  We were sitting in the theater waiting for the 5:00pm start time for the movie.  5:00 came, the lights dimmed, and we were treated to 25 minutes of previews, reminders to buy popcorn and turn off our phones and, the worst of all, advertisements. Lots of ads.  Ads as far as the eye can see.  Can you tell me what is up with that?

I understand needed to make money.  That is what a business does; why they exist really.  To make money.  But, if you tell me that a movie starts a 5:00pm and I take my tow children to that movie, they should not have to sit and wait an additional 35 minutes for the movie to start.  A preview or two and maybe one Coke or Ford ad is all I am willing to stand.

So, I am going to try to stick to my local independent theater,  the Cameo Theater in Weymouth, MA.  They have it right!  One or two previews that the main feature.  Plus, it is only $5!  Can't beat that with your fancy 3-D glasses.

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 6 -- Hollywood Studios

So, here we are on the last full day at Disney.  So far it has been a great trip.  Despite the crazy, jam packed schedule and being with each other non-stop in a small hotel room, we have had a wonderful time and have had really no big fights or meltdowns at all!  Paul and I are very pleased with the girls so far on this trip and only hope it continues at our last park of the trip.  Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Thanks to a great tip we received from the family who was sitting with us for dinner at Tepan Edo in Epcot, we arrived at Hollywood Studios before it opened.  We were told to do this so one member of our party could do the "Disney Dash" to secure Fastpasses to the Toy Story Mania ride. They informed us that if you do not get them first thing, you may not be able to get a Fastpass for this attraction, as they tend to run out very quickly.  This is by far the most popular ride in the park.  So when the park opened, off Paul ran with the rest of the throngs while the girls and I headed over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground to wait for his return.

As it was still early in the morning, we were the only people in this playground for a while.  It was pretty fun for both the kids and this adult, too. With monumental movie props and play structures inspired by the Disney movie, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, you get the sense of what it feels like to be shrunk to bug size by Professor Szalinkski's Electromagnetic Shrinking Machine.

We waited there for about 15 minutes before Paul arrived with our treasured Fastpasses.  Apparently it was great advice to get these first, as our passes weren't good until 2:10 pm, and the stand-by line was already a 90 minute wait for the ride!

Our next stop was Muppet*Vision 3-D, a film featuring the Muppets.  This was high on our list of things to see, as all four members of our family are great fans of the Muppets!  Again, being there so early, with most of the crowd either waiting for Toy Story Mania, or at the other side of the park where the Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Roller Coaster with Aerosmith were, there was only a small group waiting to see the film.  It was very cute, with some rather funny parts, but I would still recommend  It's a Bug's Life at Animal Kingdom over Muppet*Vision 3-D.


We then hopped onto the Studio Backlot Tour, a behind-the-scenes guided walk and tram ride showcasing the art of special effects in movies.  This was interesting, but the girls didn't really like this; they found it boring and the portion of the tour where they recreate a movie disaster was scary for Maggie.


Next up on our itinerary was The Great Movie Ride. This attraction takes you on a tram ride through many classic movies, including Casablanca, Indiana Jones, The Wizard of Oz, and Alien.  We all enjoyed this ride, and the girls especially liked The Wizard of Oz portion.  The attraction is housed in a replica of Mann's Chinese Theater, complete with various foot and hand prints of famous actors in front.  It was fun to look at those when entering the building!

 

At this time we were close to our lunch reservations, so we headed over to 50's Prime Time Cafe. This place is a hoot!  It is decorated to look like a kitchen from the 1950s, complete with a waiting room that looks like an old living room!  We were seated at our table and told that the kids had to set the table for us, using the plate, silverware, and napkins left in the center of the table. The menu is classic fare, and perfectly fine, but the vanilla milk shake I ordered was great, super thick and creamy, just the way it should be.  The servers play up the part by reminding you to keep your elbows off the table and to eat all your veggies or no dessert (speaking of dessert, that menu is given to you on a view finder!).  This was a fun lunch.

The waiting area at 50's Prime Time Cafe.

When we were done with lunch we still had some time before our Fasspass time to Toy Story Mania, so we needed to decide what to do next.  For weeks leading up to this trip Maggie was most excited about going on the Tower of Terror.  She had ridden a smaller drop ride many times at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America and insisted she could not wait to tackle the Tower of Terror.  Every day, she would tell us that she could not wait to get to Hollywood Studios to ride the Tower of Terror.  So, of course we thought what a better way to fill the gap until our Fastpass time than to head on over to the Tower of Terror.  Um....not so much.  At that point, Maggie declared she had changed her mind and was not interested in the ride anymore.  So much for that.

We headed in the opposite direction and ended up at the Star Tours ride, which just got an over hall and had just re-opened in May.  This is a 3-D ride where you board a Starspeeder 1000 for a thrilling journey through George Lucas' Star Wars universe.  We were all very happy with this ride.  The cue was very fun (especially for this Star Wars geek)storylines" for the ride, so you can get a different experience during different rides.  We only rode it once though, as it was time for our Fastpass to Toy Story Mania.

Paul meets an Army Man outside the Toy Story Mania ride.

We were told that this was, by far, the best attraction at Hollywood Studios.  We were very curious to find out if this was true.  When we got to the ride, we were very happy that we ended up getting our Fastpasses first thing that morning, as the stand-by line wait was at 120 minutes, and the Fastpasses were gone for the day.  We only had to wait about 15 - 20 minutes with our passes.  Thank goodness!

Toy Story Mania is an interactive, 4D attraction featuring the lovable cast of characters from the Disney·Pixar Toy Story films. You climb aboard a ride vehicle and play through a gallery of midway-style games.  Well, lets just say the ride lived up to its billing.  It was a blast!  Very fun, and for this competitive family, it was fun to play against each other to see who could get the best score for each game (I lost to Paul, unfortunately).  Ellie and Maggie absolutely loved it!  Paul and I could hear them laughing the entire ride.  I don't know if I would wait 2 hours for this (or any) ride, but I am certainly glad we had the chance to ride!

By this point in the day, we were exhausted!  After 5 whirlwind days, the heat and humidity that whole week, and not getting necessarily the best sleep every night, our family was pretty much done with the theme parks.  There was noting in particular left at Hollywood Studios we really wanted to see, so we decided to pack it in and head back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the day hanging by the pool, relaxing before our 5 am departure the next morning.

All in all, we really enjoyed our trip to Walt Disney World.  We are so thankful we were able to go, and know the memories will last for a very long time.  Thank you to Dream Come True Vacations, and especially our travel agent, Kim O., for helping us plan our wonderful, exciting, fun, memorable Disney vacation!

When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!

Nine Years Ago....

This past week we celebrated my oldest daughter's 9th birthday.  I can't believe that my beautiful baby girl is one year away from "double digits!"

Happy birthday Eleanor Jane.  I love you very much.

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 5 -- Magic Kingdom!

So this is it.  The day we have all been waiting for.  The reason to even come to Walt Disney World.  What everyone thinks about when they think of Disney.  What the week has been leading up to.  Today we conquer the Magic Kingdom.

We decided to get to the park before opening.  We took the boat there from our resort, which really was a quick and easy trip.  Totally recommend it if you stay at a resort that offers boat service.

We then took our place in the crowd and waited for the park to open.  We were able to catch the little show they have before the park opens, and the girls were thrilled to see the main Disney characters arrive on the train, along with some other characters like Pinocchio, Mary Poppins, and Alice in Wonderland.  Then came the countdown...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...and off we went!

 

Since we were there during the magic park hours, before the park opened to the general public, the only two "lands" that were open were Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.  So, after a quick first ride on Peter Pan, Paul strode off to get Fastpasses to Space Mountain, while Ellie, Maggie, and I stayed in Fantasyland and rode many of the ride there, like Snow White's Scary Adventure and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Paul got the Fastpasses and rejoined us in Fantasyland.  We had some time before our window to ride Space Mountain, so we decided to check out a Disney classic, the Mad Hatter Teacups!

After than we headed over to Fantasyland and right onto Astro Orbiter.

Then it was off to Space Mountain!  Again, Paul and I weren't sure how the girls would react to that ride, it being in the dark and all, but we shouldn't have worried.  Another big hit for Ellie and Maggie; so much so, they wanted to do it again!  So Paul and the girls got back in line for Space Mountain while I headed over to Frontierland to get our next batch of Fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain. 

After their second round on Space Mountain the troops met me in front of The Haunted Mansion.  This ride caused a lot of trepidation with the girls.  They were very afraid that this would be a super scary ride.  We kept on assuring them that it is really more "funny" than scary, so they half-heartedly agreed to go on, especially since Paul and I really wanted to do it.  They got through it, although neither of them enjoyed it too much.

Then it was time for Big Thunder Mountain.  Another big hit with the girls.  I am getting the feeling that they are roller coaster lovers!

We had a little time before our lunch reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table, so we were able to get in another attraction that Paul and I (especially Paul!) wanted to see, The Hall of Presidents.  This is really cool, and the girls also got a kick out of it, as they are usually interested in the Presidents and American history.

Then we were off to our special lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.  This was really quite a great experience!  In this lunch, you are able to meet Cinderella before you are seated at your table and have your professional photo taken with her, which you get to keep as part of the meal package.  Then, during lunch, four other princesses make appearances in the restaurant and go around from table to table signing autographs and posing for photos.  It was a wonderful way to meet so many of the famous princesses (Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty were there during our lunch) as well as have a pretty good meal.  We were glad we did it and recommend it to any princess fan!

After lunch, we hit many of the other attractions at the Magic Kingdom, did some shopping on Main Street, saw the Flag lowering ceremony, and surprisingly, ended up riding the It's a Small World ride twice, because the girls loved it so much.

Then it was time for dinner at The Crystal Palace.  This is what I had been waiting for all day, as here we have another character meal, this one including the characters from The Hundred Acre Woods!  It worked just like the lunch at Cinderella's Table, where the Winnie-the-Pooh characters move from table to table while you enjoy the buffet.  I LOVE the Winnie-the-Pooh characters, but Eeyore is my all time favorite!

 After dinner, we were pretty much spent, after 4 whirlwind days at the Disney parks, so we decided to head back to Wilderness Lodge and spend the rest of the evening at the pool.  Especially since we had another park to see the next day, which would be our last full day there.  To be continued....

Remembering

From Bishop T.D. Jakes:

Thou who has been our help in ages past, thou who dispenses your comfort to all those who mourn. We seek your grace to strengthen us as we commemorate the lives of loved ones who have been lost on this day of anguish for our country and our world.

Wipe away the blinding tears that plummet down our cheeks like gushing streams of an overflowing riverbank. Our heavy hearts still search for the solace of your guidance through the maze of pain and the myriad of complex issues such tragedy releases.

Though hurt, we are compelled to commemorate those who are fallen on this day. Remember those who may not have lost a life but instead they lost a limb, those who gave their health for our wholeness, those who lost their emotional stability to help us regain our national security.

From first responders to heroic citizens we ask for your grace for these hurting heroes who often suffer in total silence. Fill the arms of mothers left empty and heal the hearts of fathers whose ears strain to remember the sound of fading laughter and frolic of children now gone. Wrap your arms around those who lost wives and husbands, parents, friends and confidantes on this day of terroristic espionage. Let that day which exhibited the worst in man be the catalyst of also revealing the best in our human hearts to love each other.

In spite of such pain we honor you as the God and guide who has enabled us to endure what we thought was impossible. Thank you for your sovereign grace that guides us beyond one moment of terror to a collective and individual destiny beyond that moment. Thank you for the occasional smile, the splendor of sunsets and the brilliance of sunrise. Since then you have granted us new friends and a renewed sense of purpose. Like stars in our night you have given us light in the midst of dark places for which we are so grateful.

Watch over us with your omniscient eye grating us your continued protection. Our enemies remain unrelenting. In the true spirit of our faith, we also pray for our enemies. Let the message of your love and light extend not only to those who mourn but to those who hate, that they might realize that hate will not replace the better choice of debate nor will destruction reconstruct the common chord of our shared brotherhood as human beings. Have mercy on the pain and misguidance that would make them seek the horrific option of destruction. Guide them to the light of your love.

Teach us collectively, the power of that love, the simple riches of your peace. Show us that the indomitable spirit of self-preservation need not lead us to the selfish indulgence of blind devastation and the malicious disregard for each other.

You are the God of all people, the father of every soul. Lord, teach your children to love each other as much as they profess to love you. 

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 4 -- Epcot

After a successful day at Blizzard Beach, we hit our next Disney theme park, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or Epcot for the rest of you!

When we first arrived at Epcot, Ellie and Maggie were very excited to see Spaceship Earth, or as they call it, "the giant golf ball."  They were excited by it's size and were jumping up and down as we entered the park.

The one ride that we were very excited to try was Soarin', however we knew that the line for it would be rather long, so we decided to first get Fast Passes for that ride and then try something else.  So off we went to secure our Fast Passes.  When we got those, we moved on to The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride.

This was a very cute attraction, but the big highlight is the show after the ride called Turtle Talk with Crush.
This is a live show where kids of all ages can have a conversation with the totally tubular turtle from Disney·Pixar's Finding Nemo. After taking your seat, you watch Crush swim to the window from his ocean home and begin taking questions and chatting with audience members.  Ellie was thrilled to have Crush talk to her and answer her question about how long turtles live.

Then it was time to head back to Sorin'.  Soarin' is a multi-sensory attraction that simulates a peaceful hang-gliding flight over the Golden State of California.  An IMAX projection dome wraps 180 degrees around you, so you're engulfed by the impressive scenery.  Wow!  This was quite an incredible ride.  You really do feel as if you are gliding through the air.  The entire family enjoyed the experience.

Next we tackled a character meet and greet where the girls got to meet all the main Disney characters in one nice, air-conditioned building.  So out came the autograph books for Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, and Goofy!

After that it was getting close to our lunch reservations, so we decided to head over to the World Pavilion and check out some of the countries on our way to Germany for our lunch in the Biergarten.  We were also able to meet a couple of princesses in the World Showcase; Mulan in China, and Snow White in Germany.

After our delicious lunch, we headed back to the main center of Epcot to grab Fast Passes for the Test Track. Once we got those we decided to check out Captain EO in 3-D, the classic film starring Michael Jackson.  That was quite a disappointment.  It was so dated and even boring.  The girls didn't really seem to like it either.

When we emerged from Captain EO, it was pouring!!!!  We ended up waiting it out under the canopy there for about 15 minutes before we decided to chance it as our Fast Pass time for Test Track was expiring soon.  However, we ended up getting wet for no good reason, as Test Track was shut down and would not be reopening anytime soon. So we decided to bag it and, after much debate, decided to try out Mission: Space.

Mission: SPACE Attraction is a 5.5-minute motion simulator ride that realistically mimics what an astronaut might experience during a space flight to Mars. I personally, as a space nerd, was kind of excited about trying out this ride, but nervous as well, as I had heard it can be pretty intense, even on the easier, green side of the ride.  After going through the cue and getting to the point where we were just about to enter our seats to start the ride, the non-stop warnings blasted at us all throughout the cue and pre-show about the ride got to Maggie and she declared she was not getting on it. We kind of figured she may do that, so I took Maggie out of the ride and we waited in the pavilion for Ellie and Paul to finish.

When Ellie and Paul emerged from the ride the excitement on Ellie's face told me everything.  "IT WAS AWESOME!" she stated and wanted to go on again right away.  Since the cue was not long at all, I got to go on the ride with Ellie while Paul stayed with Maggie in the pavilion.

When Ellie and I finished the ride I got a text from Paul saying that he and Maggie were across the way in the Innoventions building. This was a pretty cool place, with lots of hands on exhibits for kids to try -- almost like a science museum.  While there, we tried out The Sum of All Thrills. Here you test your imagination by designing a thrill ride using an interactive touch screen that lets you determine height and speed while adding features such as dips and corkscrew turns. Once "built," you climb aboard your very own design in the 4-D robotic simulator that uses sight, sound and movement to give you a realistic experience. Pretty cool!

After that it was time to head back to the World Showcase for our dinner reservations at Tepan Edo in Japan.  We got there a little early and had time to kill, so we wandered around the gift shop in Japan.  While there both Ellie and Maggie were able to try on authentic kimonos with the help of a lovely Japanese girl!

Dinner at Tepan Edo, a teppanyaki restaurant, was delicious, and the family we sat with was able to give us some good advice regarding our upcoming visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios in a couple of days. 

Spaceship Earth. This was another big hit with the girls, especially at the interactive end of the ride, where you are able to see yourself in the future.

That concluded our trip to Epcot.  Despite not being able to ride Test Track, we had a very happy day!