Year 2, Day 173: Second Day of Vacation

Aside from the problems of vacation in general for my family, for which interested parties can review my earlier vacation in July, there is always the "well, what are we going to do today?" aspect. The truth is, this is the first time since before we became parents that Emily and I ever went somewhere without having relatives to visit, or some event (like a wedding) to attend. In fact, this is a vacation for absolutely no purpose except to be somewhere else. In that way it was very new, and very different, and after this first day, we realized, very difficult. Emily had a realization while we were away. She said "Our life is a vacation. Being away from it is work." This may sound odd to those who look forward to getting away from it all twice a year, but I guess that's not us. We're funny like that.

Breakfast
1/3 of a Cheese/Egg Omelet
1 Slice of Balthazar Multi-Grain Bread
Coffee

Lunch:
Chicken with Fried Onions
Salad with Onions (Caesar dressing)

Snack:
2 handfuls of almonds/cashews
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
5 spoonfuls of coconut shaved ice

Dinner:
Bar Popcorn
Chips with Salsa
Steak
Baby Carrots
Salad Bar (Salad was romaine, bean salad, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, pepperocini)
3 french fries

After Kids
1/2 bottle of Merlot
4 oz. Pistachios

Today what we did do is get up and go to the so-called "Outlet Stores" of North Conway NH in the morning, and then Storyland for a quick hour in the afternoon. I must say that the whole "Outlet" situation IS A SCAM. Though I have not been to the outlets in Wrentham, I know for a fact that that goods at most outlet stores are not any cheaper than those found in that store's other or 'premium' locations. In Brighton, MA there used to exist a real outlet store, which was called the New Balance factory outlet. Factory Outlets tend to be meaningful because the revenue in a company's ability to move its unwanted inventory without shipping it somewhere (like North Conway, NH) to be sold and without having to hire a staff with managers and equipment and such is a significant savings. So the New Balance store was close to the corporate offices. All the returns had to come there anyway, so they just sold them. It was a pretty motley and unsustainable collection of stuff, but you could always find amazing bargains, though there was a lot of 'no laces' or 'irregular cuffs' or 'stained' merchandise, which was perfectly serviceable. The building was sort of ratty, had an abandoned warehouse feeling and was populated by people who probably worked in the office but picked up extra dough working shifts at the store. On the other hand, the FAKE outlet stores in NH are in Class A retail space (Settler's Green was recently rebuilt) populated by a staff wearing company clothing. How is the Nike Factory Outlet any different than the Nike Store in downtown Boston from a price perspective? Answer: It's not. To add insult to injury, these 'fakelets' are opening everywhere across the country. Keep an eye out for that. There is much to say about Storyland and the Red Parka Pub, but that will have to be in tomorrow's entry.