<p>splashmom, Blues City is our place, too!!! Great choice. Has been since her sophomore year spring break visit. Half rack and 3 tamales with chili. Just about Heaven.</p>
<p>Aside: D is doing very well. How about your D? Is Hendrix doing right by her?</p>
<p>Curmudgeon - no BBQ????? That's a true shame. Hhhmm, you could just go go get it without seeing her (just kidding). Just how far is it on the bike? Will CurmudgeWife even consider riding - I wouldn't.</p>
<p>cangel, abput 550-600 mi if you make it attractive at all. (I hate Interstates, especially on a bike.) W will ride occasionally but not in a while. I have a huge BMW Touring Bike with a lighted make-up mirror in the tail trunk to go with my huge enduro bike I took on this last trip. I'm thinking of getting another sidecar rig. I'm sure she'll go then. ;) </p>
<p>D loves to ride. We just frittered away our years doing stupid stuff instead. (Like school, basketball, and work). ;) But I'm taking the big bike to see her now that it's under a 100. I'll take her on some twisties in Kentucky we had driven through on a college trip. She took her Ducati leather jacket with her to school so she'd have it ready.</p>
<p>Great minds think alike on the food, curmudgeon. I am happy to hear your DD is doing well and, likewise, our DD is absolutely thrilled at Hendrix. I can't imagine her being any happier than she is. She'll be home for fall break tomorrow :D .</p>
<p>DH and I have started riding bikes, too, but we're not as fancy as you. Our bikes have no motors, and a long trip for us is to the town square and back ... at which point I could benefit from an oxygen mask. Could I interest you in a trade? :)</p>
<p>Trade? Uhhhh....no. We did see some of "your kind" riding the very steep and treacherous roads where we were. 2 of every 3 looked to be having a good time. That 3rd one was trying to grab onto our bikes and catch a tow up the hill.</p>
<p>That third one in the pack? It could have been me. I get exhausted at the thought of riding up a hill. DH and I just recently started riding again. Before this, the last time I rode a bicycle was ... well, let's just say it was many moons and pounds ago. We have big aspirations, and if we can accomplish half of what we dream, I'll be ecstatic.</p>
<p>Back from the trip to see The Boy!! It was so nice seeing him and his new surroundings and all his new friends. Ate with him in his dining hall, showed me his favorite haunts, met his profs, his new friends and hallmates. Went to all the activities (including Football game and it was COLD), learned a lot about the school and had a ton of fun. Took him and his buddies out for dinner, went to Hooters!, typical The Boy haunt, wanted wings and football coverage. </p>
<p>Now I remember why I missed his silly face so much!!! He will be home for fall break in 2 weeks so its not so bad. My sis is taking him with her on her family's Thanksgiving trek to CT so he won't be here for Turkey day but he will be here for Christmas. DD isn't going to be home for T-day either she will be with old family friends. But she will be bringing all those family friends back with her at Christmas so the house will be full. Had to make sure I had enough stockings for everyone!!</p>
<p>Have started working on the meals for the holidays....
and enough places to sleep....</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>We had a really great time. He got to introduce us to his friends, his campus, his world. I think it was really a happy experience for him to be the host for the weekend. We took him out to eat (why do they always dislike the dorm food?) and took off to find nature. </p>
<p>It's a very odd situation, you don't have the privacy of your own home in which to hang out. Families clustered in the parking lot having their discussions. </p>
<p>We took off for the hills (literally) and took a long hike. I think we ALL enjoyed it. My son thought it was surprising that FALL was here ("where have I been" he said). </p>
<p>I have to say it's really a wonderful feeling to see such a fine person emerge from the frustrations of the last seveal years. The college environment obviously is empowering for these kids and they all seemed to project a sense of being both hard-working and nice kids.</p>
<p>Kat and apple:
Thanks for your updates. Sounds so nice!!!</p>
<p>We spent most of parent's weekend shopping & eating and didn't do any of the planned activities. Next year, perhaps we'll come a different weekend to avoid the $100/night surcharge (yes, you read that right, but they did include buffet breakfast and Godiva chocolates on the pillows) at the campus hotel. We got in late Thursday night. Met daughter after her morning class on Friday and went to Chinatown for a great Dim Sum brunch. We then went back to campus to pick up her close friend (an international whose parents couldn't make it) and went to the ultra mega mall about 45 minutes away to buy her a winter wardrobe. For some reason, they didn't seem to appreciate my story of owning one down jacket that I wore all winter from college until we moved to Florida ten years later. We stayed until the mall closed (I spent much of the time listening to my Ipod and reading at Borders) and hit one of those great northeast diners on the way back. </p>
<p>Met some more of daughter's friends on Saturday and did some more shopping, but on campus this time. I had made reservations at one of the "Iron Chef" owned restaurants in town for dinner and our typical family dynamic kicked into high gear: much laughter with little sis mocking the affectations of the wait staff and wife and D1 commenting on the phallic electric candle stick holders protruding from the center of the table. The hilarity continued when the one inch by one inch Tuna Tartare appetizer arrived in a 24 inch bowl. Actually, the meal was fantastic and worth the splurge. It was definitely like old times with the family all together. </p>
<p>All in all, we had a great weekend visiting daughter in her new home.</p>
<p>Kat, Apple and Audio ... so glad to hear you had wonderful weekends with your children. Gosh, Audio, for a $100 surcharge per night, I hope they covered your bed in Godiva chocolates :) . It is fun visiting the place that are children currently call home, isn't it? I loved meeting DD's friends and having her be in control ... showing us around, telling us what we should do and where we should go. They're growing up, folks, and though I miss the four-year-old, I am so proud of the young adult DD has become.</p>
<p>Just back from Family Weekend with D. We have never seen her so happy and comfortable. What a joy that is. Other than one shopping stop at Target and great Indian food with D and a friend on Friday pm, we spent very little. The school provided continental breakfast on Saturday morning and D swiped her card for us (she'll never use all the required meals) at lunch on Saturday. We attended a wonderful (free) choral concert on Friday night. D had a solo that she had not told us about. There were mini-classes on Saturday morning in several disciplines and we attended one in the Psychology Dept. that was excellent. H and I are both academic psychologists so our rating bar is pretty high! On Saturday pm there was an extaordinary concert at the performing arts center -- 16 conservatory ensembles performing throughout the hall (stage, pit, balconies, aisles) one after the other with no breaks. We've seen many concerts and peformances over the years and paid substantial amounts for tickets. After the performance, we decided that we had never seen so much talent in one place at any price.</p>
<p>We met D's many new friends and liked them all. The weekend confirmed for us that D made exactly the right choice. As we were walking to a "mini-class" on Saturday morning while D was at her yoga class, her father noted that it was great that things were going so well -- far less dissonance to reduce when writing those checks!</p>
<p>Like SplashMom, I miss the little D but am in awe of the young adult that she has become. I still worry (years of practice) but am confident that she is in a wonderful place where she will continue to grow emotionally, musically, and intellectually. </p>
<p>For those preparing for their first weekends, hope they are as wonderful for you as was ours.</p>
<p>musicmomic, I was going to write a post about our weekend, but you've written it for me (except that our D doesn't sing. :)) It was wonderful to see her so at home, with lovely new friends, taking advantage of the numerous activities on offer, and so obviously happy. We had suspected the school was the right choice all along, and are now firmly convinced of it.
We also really enjoyed the wonderful food, not only at some of the famous student hangouts in town, but also in the dining hall. College food didn't include organic corn-meal crusted catfish in my day!</p>
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I miss the little D but am in awe of the young adult that she has become.
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<p>Amen.</p>
<p>Just got back from Parents Weekend. Beautiful weather. Spent $$ taking D and friend to dinner. Friend is from foreign country - no way her parents could make it for Parents Weekend. Took D and friend shopping. Luckily, I only had to pay for D's new clothes. Friend had lots of her own money. Big trip to the grocery store, out to dinner again ($$) and then to an acapella concert. Great concert - except for the three drunk guys who sat right behind us. They drank a case of beer during a 2 hour concert. (I know it was a case because they dropped the empties on the floor right behind me.) About every five minutes, one of them would scream the name of one of the singers in the acapella group. I tried to give them my best "you should behave" glare. It didn't work. I left the concert a little deafer and more beer soaked than I was when I arrived. Of course, the weather was still beautiful, D looked great in her new outfit(s), and at the end of the evening, her friend invited us all to visit her family this summer.</p>
<p>Those acapella concerts can get a bit rowdy. Did you check out the mosh pit?</p>
<p>JK. Funny story. Thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>Wow, I thought we were the only parents who took our older D to the mall instead of the activities for parents weekend. Now I feel better!</p>
<p>Heading to parents weekend Friday. DD wants to go to Kittery outlets. Could be costly. I thought she brought more than everything she needed to school in Aug. Guess not. I'll be taking a small duffle of my clothes, and large suitcase of things she's requested. Am looking forward to seeing her and getting a take on things.</p>
<p>Parents weekend coming right up and I'm delighted to have another chance to meet faculty & other friends. I'm going alone, and have been invited to crash in D's dorm room (she claims the "management" will supply a cot, but she has a Thermarest in the closet so I'll be fine regardless). D is a picky vegan, so eating out is no big treat for her -- commons food is okay. She'll swipe her card for me. D's campus is surrounded by hip urban spending opportunities, so there's no need to cram it into parents weekend (she has my credit card and has been ultra responsible so far). I'm looking forward to seeing her dance and sing and hold forth brilliantly. Don't know yet whether I'll attend classes with her or go my own way (I'll let her decide). Altogether, sounds like a great opportunity for an elderly mom to play college student one more time. Plane fare will be the only cost.</p>
<p>mmom, that's the one thing my D would have wanted me to do had I visited on Parents Weekend: take her shopping. But I didn't go to Parents weekend, D instead was visited by her two best friends form high school. And they went shopping.</p>
<p>I just came across this NYT article on parent's weekend. To keep parents on campus (and not at the mall), some colleges go all out. Talk about cramming urban spending opportunities:</p>
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For the colleges, elaborate parent weekends are a marketing tool, officials said. Parents are potential donors, and siblings are potential students. Often there are programs discussing whether the institution would be right for the sibling.</p>
<p>And with high tuition, the weekends are also a way to make the paying customers happy, said Craig Mack, director of the office that runs parents weekend at Boston University. Parents want to spend time with their children, but they also want to see what they are getting for their money, he said.</p>
<p>Mr. Mack added that competition fuels his planning. We do look at other folks and see what theyre offering, he said.</p>
<p>Universities in cities rich with cultural institutions also sometimes feel pressured to offer exciting alternatives to keep parents on campus, he said.</p>
<p>That is one reason George Washington started having well-known entertainers appear, said Rodney Johnson, head of the office that plans its event.</p>
<p>There are a lot of places to go in Washington, but this type of event brings people together, he said...</p>
<p>Mr. Johnson said celebrity acts were chosen particularly to appeal to parents. Not many students will pay to see Whoopi Goldberg or the Boston Pops, but parents will, he said.</p>
<p>He added that while parents weekends typically attract more freshman parents than those of older students, parents of juniors and seniors have been attending George Washingtons event in large numbers recently. The free massages, introduced to help relax those who had driven long distances, have been a particular hit, Mr. Johnson said. ..</p>
<p>Still, even at the most elaborate weekends, parents visit dorms, meet their childrens friends, get a taste of day-to-day life on campus, and spend time with their sons and daughters.
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