anyone watching the new york rangers vs and Philadelphia flyers? this game is crazy and as a hardcore rangers fan, i’m very happy 
We are visiting schools! Renting a car and driving our way up north!
We are going to be in Middlebury CT on Saturday before Easter, and Troy, NY Monday morning after Easter. That gives us 24 hours of school-free-family-fun. (“fun”)
Anyone have any suggestions on what we might be able to go for Easter to enjoy our day off from car-rental-highway overload?
ps. one of my twins just asked me if we were going to be just sleeping in the car at night, and driving through the night from one school to the next. (for a week? I know I’m a thrifty mom, but, really?) So in case any of YOU were wondering the same…nope…we will stop in hotels to sleep at night. So if you have any favorites along our route, I’m happy to hear them.
DM is fine so we don’t clog the board with my super specific requests. :).
4 Likes
Are the schools allowing visits this year? Or are you just driving through campuses?
How far off your way is New Paltz, NY?
@groel most are allowing some modified outdoor visits — some just a drive by or a walking tour and some will have a modified program with a short discussion panel. But we were so lost with our decision that we decided to do the road trip.
@TonyGrace about 30 minutes out of the way. Is that a worthwhile spot to visit?
A lot would be weather dependent. Early April can still be a tad nippy. Or not. It’s the Northeast, after all.
You could pit stop at Mohonk Mountain House. There is some nice hiking in the area.
3 Likes
Ooh, I second @TonyGrace 's suggestion of staying at Mohonk! It is a special place, if not exactly cheap.
3 Likes
If you feel like sightseeing, FDR’s home in Hyde Park.
4 Likes
It’s gorgeous! Thanks for the suggestion. (Although at 2k a night I’m going to have to wait until all four of my kiddos have cycled through boarding school and college.)
Or — maybe we DO sleep in the car for the rest of the trip?
3 Likes
Is it really 2k a night??? That’s nuts. We haven’t been in a handful of years but, although pricey, it was not prohibitive.
They use to have some sort of day pass too. Where you could come, eat lunch, enjoy the day on the property…
Another alternative is to spend the day in Great Barrington. There are a ton of cute shops and restaurants as well as good hiking and bicycling in the area. One of our favorite hikes is at Monument Mountain (Monument Mountain, Great Barrington, MA - The Trustees of Reservations).
There are lots of Airbnbs in the area, as well as relatively inexpensive motels. We stayed at the Monument Motel a few years ago, it was clean and reasonably priced.
3 Likes
Agree with @HMom16 @ Monument Mountain hike.
There are some good hikes also just a tad south near New Marlborough- the trails are great.
We did Easter dinner one year at The Inn on The Green in New Marlborough. The owner-chef is really nice. We stayed overnight in the inn from the 1700s. Really charming & historic place.
There is a great hike near there to some waterfalls.
In Troy, we have stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn - it’s @ 5 minute drive to Emma Willard. Near Hotchkiss, we stayed at The White Hart Inn - great rooms - beautifully renovated - great walking town of Salisbury - best burgers there!
@Calliemomofgirls …In Stockbridge, we have stayed at The Red Lion Inn. It can be a bit pricey - but there are some good deals now. Great location and nice dining. You should see if the Norman Rockwell Museum is open. The grounds and views are lovely also. We spend a couple of weeks each summer in the Lenox-Stockbridge area. Feel free to DM me if you want more information.
2 Likes
The difference between preparation for BS between boys and girls is unbelievable. DD spent almost 2 hours searching for the perfect pillowcases last night. DS wasn’t even sure if he remembered to pack any. 
9 Likes
Your kid is already searching for pillowcases?!! She must be so excited to go to BS. It’s going to be a fun spring and summer making all the plans with her.
My kid is trying to hibernate and is completely overwhelmed with the amount of information coming her way. Despite every school sending the Ten Schools Agreement rules on not contacting students in their swag packets, that doesn’t seem to be the case in reality. I think that she’d like to wake up on April 10th and have us tell her where she’s going to school next year. Then hopefully she might be able to be excited.
1 Like
DD wants to bring the water bottle with BS name she will attend to her current public school. It’s a school that 1-2% of the students go to private school every year. She has only told her teachers that wrote rec letters and a few close friends so far. I told her it is not a good idea to show off. Wondering what other parents think about this.
And btw what did you receive from the schools? Curious about which school is the most creative.
Same in my house. The information seems endless and the decision feels farther away than ever. My daughter looks slightly nauseous when she hears the word Zoom. I wish a few of these schools would realize that a drive through campus would be worth a thousand zooms!
2 Likes
My kid also got a water bottle (PEA) and I see no problem with him taking it to school. Plenty of his friends play on elite/selective sports teams and no one bats an eye at them sporting their gear. BS attendance is extremely rare where we live and his friends and teachers are all excited for him.
3 Likes
DD has worn the hoodies she’s received from BS’s schwag packages to her school for athletics practices- and the schools she chose didn’t even send her one. The BS front is such an anomaly here, that no one even realizes what she is wearing/doing.
I think if a kid wants to bring their schwas (bottle, shirt, etc) to their current school, it is more about how they carry themselves than it is what they are bringing. They can be humble and modest with their accepted school’s merch with them.
I will tell you that DD felt similar to @MacJackAttack and @knope21 kids before she made her decision. She loved both of her top two schools so much, it made her sick to think she had to pick one and not the other. What it came down to for her was every time she pictured herself moving in, setting up her room, meeting new friends, etc - it was always on one campus. She realized then that that school had always felt more like home to her. I hope it is that easy for y’all’s kids. It was not fun watching her go through the angst and dread of having to “pick” - It is MUCH better now that she has a clear vision. Even the Zooms are more tolerable because we have a different mindset going in to them. Good luck!!
4 Likes
My kid applied to 3 and was accepted by one. We are so glad to not have this agonizing decision and have realized that even though initially she thought her first choice was one of the ones that rejected her, the one that did accept her is by far the best fit. Do these schools send swag each week until April 10? We were expecting no more than an email, but got a package on May 11, and another one this Friday. Her excited grandma already ordered here a sweatshirt which she would not wear at first because she didn’t want anyone asking about it. She has only mentioned it to a few people. But wanted to go shopping yesterday for new bedding to bring next fall.