The themes of our wedding are childhood memories, winter, and ADVENTURE! We want to carry this over to our honeymoon. We'll be saying goodbye to winter with a trip to the east coast, where both of us lived at one point in our childhood. Our honeymoon will be a wonderful 9-day road trip! Talk about adventure!
Details to feed your curiosity:
Via a plane from Sea-Tac, we'll start by arriving in Newark, New Jersey, which is just a stone's throw away from New York City. We'll rent our Adventure Mobile (a.k.a. our car for the entire road trip) and head off for our first night of fun. At <a href="http://www.theater-square-grill.com/index.htm">Theater Square Grill </a>, we'll catch one of the best views of NYC while enjoying a yummy dinner before settling down for the night at the local Marriott hotel.
Next stop, the honeymoon capital of the U.S.: <a href="http://www.800poconos.com/static/index.cfm?action=group&contentID=48"> The Pocono Mountains </a>! In an area that exudes romantic ambience, we want to soak it all in by living two days in absolute luxury. Our stay in Marshalls Creek, PA will be at the lush Caesars Pocono Palace. We'll check into our <a href="http://www.caesarspoconoresorts.com/suites/champagnetowersbycleopatra.aspx"> Champagne Towers by Cleopatra room </a>. Check out the 7-foot champagne-glass-shaped hot tub and fireplace! The first day in Marshalls Creek we'll take our Adventure Mobile to historic Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. From there we'll use our legs to stroll through town and grab some lunch at a local eatery along the way. After we've had our fill of sightseeing, we'll hop back into the Adventure Mobile and enjoy everything that Pocono Palace has to offer, including a dinner that comes free with the room! The evening will end with a nice soak in the hot tub and some much needed sleep for...
Day two in Marshalls Creek: Hiking the Appalachian Trail. We'll visit <a href="http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/index.htm"> The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area </a> and enjoy some <a href="http://www.worldfromtheweb.com/Parks/Delaware/Delaware.html"> breathtaking views </a>. An opportunity for a romantic picnic in nature will definitely be there! What a great way to spend Easter! Afterwards we'll take another soothing dip in the hot tub and sleep away our second night of the royal treatment before becoming regular folk again.
Day four of the honeymoon (Monday, March 24th): GEM FINALLY GETS TO SEE HER DREAM SCHOOL, PENN STATE! After years of pining away and drooling over just one nanosecond of Nitanny Lion life, Gem finally has this dream come true. We'll check into the Days Inn hotel right next to campus and go exploring. We'll get a glimpse of Penn State student life by watching the MFA Thesis Exhibit at the Zoller Gallery. Somewhere along the line, we will inevitably ravage the bookstore, where Gem will probably load up on every cheesy souvenir that she can afford. Finally, the tour wouldn't be complete without a few meals on campus. We will dream glorious dairy dreams by having ice cream and cheese at <a href="http://www.creamery.psu.edu/"> The Penn State Creamery </a>.
Day five: After saying our farewells to State College, our trusty Adventure Mobile (which we'll probably be extremely attached to by now) will make the drive to Chambersburg, PA, Gem's childhood hometown. We'll still be in our "normal folk" personas as we check into the EconoLodge. The day will be spent walking down Memory Lane: the old neighborhood, past stomping grounds, and the old elementary school. Many childhood stories are just waiting to be revealed! Sascha will learn more about Gem's early years than he thought he could! Behold, bonding at its finest! :)
Day six: You didn't think this entire trip would all be for Gem, did you? Day six starts Sascha's turn to play! Adventure Mobile heads to the nation's capital for a day of culture in the other Washington (D.C.)! Finally, the Adventure Mobile gets to take a breather at the Days Inn and we'll try to blend into D.C. by taking the subway. Believe it or not, there is no walk down Pennsylvania Avenue planned (in other words, no White House). Instead, we'll stroll leisurely along nearby
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Lincoln Memorial to United States Capitol Washington D.C.&sll=38.891584,-77.012572&sspn=0.008518,0.019956&ie=UTF8&ll=38.8915,-77.033129&spn=0.017035,0.039911&z=15&om=1"> Constitution Avenue</a>, starting at the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/linc"> Lincoln Memorial</a>. It's only about a two-mile stretch, but there is so much to see along the way! We'll soak up some knowledge and visual enjoyment as we make stops at the National Academy of Sciences, the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/wamo"> Washington Monument </a>, National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History, National Gallery of Art, and of course, the National Air and Space Museum (no way is Sascha going to pass up a chance to learn more about planes, spaceships, and, if he's lucky, ALIENS!). It'll definitely be a jam-packed day. One day may not be enough to cram in all the activities, but we're always up for a challenge. If we don't make it, we'll have fun trying.
Day seven: Our "flexible" day. If we weren't done in D.C., we'll finish it up. If not, we'll be heading to our next stop early, which is...
Day eight: Philadelphia! During the inevitable traffic between the two busy cities, we will play license plate poker and possibly stop to get some food along the way at the flashiest restaurant our attention can grab. What's a road trip without a roadside diner? Points if we actually meet someone named Bubba! Where to stay? Hotel? No. Motel? No...you guessed it...Holiday Inn! Our tootsies will get another workout as we take a historic walk around Philadelphia. The highlight will be
<a href="http://philadelphia.about.com/od/travel/ss/independence.htm"> Independence National Historical Park </a>. It'll be the best of both worlds: Sascha gets to see historical structures, Gem gets to see the vision of one of her favorite authors (Ben Franklin). If there is any time left over, we'll make a quick stop at Edgar Allen Poe's house.
Day nine: Some beauty sleep and we're off bright and early back to Newark, where we'll catch the plane back home after an exciting honeymoon that you helped to give us!