Disclaimer: The New England tour is a private tour. It is not a part of the core activities sponsored by the 40th Class Reunion. This page is set up here for communications purpose only.
I am very sorry that the registration for the New England tour is now closed. I now have maximum 56 people on the bus. Please do not mail your form or check to me any more. Sorry that this turnout was unexpected, and with the first-come-first-served arrangement, I had no choice but closed the registration.
New England tour 由孫立文(忠班) 安排帶領, Total 56 位校友已報名。
忠班 徐 昌 敏(2), 葉 琳, 王 美 雲, 王 玲 玲
孝班 巴 滿 慶(2)
仁班 李 義 珍
愛班 謝 珮 芬, 李 念 洛
和班 周 新 圻, 張 麗 莉
公班 周 石 生, 黃 偉 忻, 楊 文 儀, 姚 小 正, 許 瓊 枝, 周 雅 容(2), 沈 淑 婉(2), 黃 仰 仰
勤班 莊 純 華, 黃 惠 卿, 蔣 小 萊, 張 寶 華
毅班 陸 惟 善, 韓 綺 葉, 熊 元 莉(2)
溫班 宋 美 蓮(2), 陳 雅 琴(2), 辥 台 芳, 張 迎 桂, 曹 之 文
良班 趙 祖 蓉, 溫 桂 珠(2), 黃 嬿 媚
儉班 施 益 欣, 魏 明 珠, 紀 美 玲
讓班 江 小 筠(2), 凃 宗 珩
樂班 石 錦 莉(2), 謝 美 鳳
射班 舒 晚 麟
御班 馬 宜 莊, 陳 湘, 王 詩 欣, 傅 家 瑛
書班 嚴 彩 琇
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The following people are on the waiting list -
顏 貴 綉(孝), alice11551@hotmail.com, from Temple City, CA
林 南 青(平), j.lin55@gmail.com, from Cerritos CA
蘇 先 熙(勤), syao@qualcomm.com, from San Diego, CA
于 灣 華(公), jerryliao@sbcglobal.net, from SF, CA
荊 宜 雯(射), sunnyching7@yahoo.com, from Arcadia, CA
范 道 韻(儉), margaret10@yahoo.com, from Katy, TX
賴 雅 薰(忠) pinkaunt@hotmail.com, from Taipei, Taiwan
何 蓉 蓉(公) tangho@Seed.net.tw, from Taipei, Taiwan
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I started the planning of this New England trip by “googling” what is offered by travel agencies. There were not a lot of such trips available, especially when I want to exclude Boston out of my attraction list. I tried to model my trip according to one tour package I liked. The so called “foliage tours” are typical 6 to 8 days including a couple of days in Boston. It is very difficult to fit a similar tour into 3 days when we travel over 700 miles.
I also have a friend whose mother-in-law, Mrs. Jackson, is a retired tour guide. She provided me with two big binders of information on all tour attractions in New England six states. Together with the AAA tour books, I have come out with the current tour plan. The current length of the tour is only minimally adequate to do justice in appreciating the beauty of mountains in Vermont, or New Hampshire, the coastal boutique towns in Maine, uniqueness of Newport mansions, maple syrup or Ben and Jerry ice cream factory tours, Maine lighthouse or a lobster cruise. None of these experiences can be obtained in any other part of the United States.
In addition, there are four goals that I want to achieve:
(1) The pace of the tour needs to be relaxing, yet, fruitful. We want to see enough places. Not just sitting in the hotels drinking teas.
(2) The hotel should be booked with double occupancy and with a minimum comfort rating of three stars out of four stars according to the AAA tour books. A good sleep is mighty important at our age. Most of the tour packages provide lodging by cramping three or four people in one room in order to come up with an attractive low price. I don’t want to do that.
(3) The cost should be all inclusive, except the luncheons and dinners. This will save time when we settle the bills. The cost includes hotel lodging for four nights, bus expenses, admission tickets to attractions, tips for the bus driver or hotel maids, hot breakfasts at the hotels, snacks, medicine/first aids, or water on the bus.
(4) We will start each day with food in our tummies, eat a lunch at the convenient drop, and always a good dinner in more relaxing atmosphere. I choose to arrange all longer travel between the states in the early evenings. We won’t be on the bus during the day for long commute between two attractions. And we can nap on the bus after a full dinner.
Here is the outline of the tour visits.
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Day 1 - Massachusetts
Sunday, October 11, 2009
We leave Harvard Club to Plimoth Plantation, Mayflower II, and the Plimoth Rock. These sites represent the earliest history of America when Mayflower brought colonists from England to settle on the new land. We will visit Wampanoag (American Indian) Homesite, the 1627 English Village, the Crafts Center, and the Nye Barn in the Plantation. We go to Boston Chinatown for dinner.
Day2 - Rhode Island and Connecticut
Monday, October 12, 2009 (Columbus Day)
We visit the Newport Mansions in Rhode Island, the smallest of the 50 states where your sightseeing includes: The Breakers built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, commissioned Richard Morris Hunt to design a grand house for his family; Marble House built by his brother William Vanderbilt to his wife at the cost of 11 millions in 1892. (They later got divorced; she immediately married someone who was even richer. What a girl!). We go to Mohegan’s Sun casino in Connecticut to gamble (Do not bring your retirement money!), watch a show (extra cost for the ticket), all-you-can-eat buffet, or play slot machines until you won big.
Day 3 - Tastes of Vermont Excursion
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
On this day, we enjoy beautiful rural scenery ablaze with fall colors and views of Vermont's tallest peak, Mount Mansfield. We visit Cold Hollow Apple Cider Mill and taste fresh cider in the making, then sample flavors of a different kind on a guided tour of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. Learn all about cheese-making at the Cabot Creamery and nibble on the "World's Best Cheddar." It was the breathtaking alpine setting that attracted the Von Trapp family, of “The Sound of Music” fame, when they arrived from Austria in the late 40's and built their wonderful hideaway. Oh, I forgot to mention the factory tour at Morse Farm Sugarworks on making the famous maple syrup and taste a Vermont tradition: "sugar on snow" - maple syrup served with a donut and pickle!
Day 4- White Mountains Area in New Hampshire
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
After we take a Loom Mountain Gondola Sky Ride after breakfast, we head to the Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves for physical fitness test. This 0.75 mile self-guide tour through the caves will easily decide who among us need to lose more weight and who will live to 100. We enter Franconia Notch in New Hampshire's White Mountains area, enjoy scenic landscapes as we wind our way through the White Mountains. We visit Cannon Mountain’s Tramway for a panoramic view of the Presidential Range. On a clear day, we enjoy views of the mountains of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Canada, and New York. Then we go to Crawford Notch, more mountain views during the foliage season. We have dinner at North Convey, an excellent ski town full of hot spots.
Day 5 - Maine–Ogunquit–Kennebunkport
Thursday, October 15, 2009
This morning, we have to get up early. We have so much to see, so little time left. We see the Portland lighthouse, then we travel to Kennebunkport on the Maine shore, with time to explore the galleries of Dock Square. We take a peek on George Bush’s summer mansion before we continue on Maine’s coastline to charming Ogunquit, where we may have to dream of time to stroll the beach or browse the unique shops and boutiques. We hop onto a lobster boat for a one-hour lobster cruise. We should eat some lobster roll for lunch before the cruise, or else we won’t be able to eat any once lobsters become our friend. We return to Boston, drop off all tourists in designated spots. I hope that I won’t have to take any home with me.
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Here attached is the itinerary for this New England trip in tabular format. This provides you with more details than you want to know. The trip is first-come-first-served with a minimum of 40 people in order to get this done at the price of $525. I have budgeted a little extra in anticipating any increase in admission tickets, gasoline increase, or other incidental expenses. Compared to the price of $1,719 of the trip I modeled from, this is a bargain. Of course, I did not make any money as your tour director, and I will work as your slave tour guide free of charge instead of $300 a day made by a “professional tour guide” like Mrs. Jackson.
The last point I want to make here is that there are always unexpected events such as bus equipment failure, inclement weather, incidents of injury or loss of valuable items due to carelessness. I am sure you can think of more such misfortunes. The most important thing I am looking for is a good attitude that can turn any lemon in our life into lemon juice. A little curiosity and a desire to learn new things are also nice. If you are with me on this point, then come on board.
Let’s pray for good weather on this trip from now on.
Faithfully yours,
Alice
孫立文(忠班)
