Photo courtesy of greenwichmeantime.com

Now that the year is coming to an end… or should I say, the year is just beginning? Either way, David and I sat at the dining table this morning with laptop and iPad and tried to get an idea of what our travel arrangements would look like for this upcoming summer.

There is a reason why we spent the last three summers vacationing in our car: 3 kids! Have you seen how much airfares are for 5 people? Wow! Never mind the logistics of actually packing for 10 days away, figuring out what to do with 2 dogs, getting to the airport, renting a car, dealing with a too-small hotel room for 5 people (if the hotel even allows 5 in a room) and having to bring “fancy” clothes in the middle of July to attend a wedding. Oy vey!

Do we leave in the morning, do we leave in the afternoon, do we take the red-eye? Do we drive our own car to the airport, do we have someone take us, do we take a shuttle? Do we bring our own food, do we pay for baggage, do we bring everybody’s laptops and iPods and iPads and cell phones? Okay, yes… the electronics are non-negotiable.

And then there is the fact that my kids have never been to New York City and want to see it all. They want to see where I grew up, they want to see where I went to college, they want to see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square and FAO Schwartz. Temera wants to have breakfast at Tiffany’s… never mind that she still isn’t grasping the concept that it was JUST A MOVIE!!!! I know I’ve been away from NYC for a while, but I’m pretty sure Tiffany’s has NOT added a coffee shop.

And while a trip to NYC would not be complete for me without a trip to Zabars… the fact that H&H Bagels is no longer in existence means that I’ll have to find an alternative for my lox and cream cheese.

This trip is going to be crazy. Too much to do in too little time. And did I mention I have to turn around 2 1/2 weeks later and fly BACK to NYC for BlogHer? AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Did I also mention that I’m not too fond of NYC? It wouldn’t be my first (or second or third) choice of a vacation spot. I hear Hawaii is lovely in July????

So no reservations have been booked. We’re going to have the “wait and see” approach and pray and beg that airfares will go down in the next few months. With my luck, they’ll only go up. I’m still trying to get a grip on the fact that we are going to have to pay extra for our luggage. What a crock that is!