We met Becky at the Marriott Hotel and walked around the City Center drive on Saturday afternoon.
Look, sister cities.
At the pavilion at the City Center pond. Photo by Andrea.
Photo by Becky.
We ate an early dinner at the Cove Tavern across the pond from the hotel.
Posed version.
Another view of Hilton Village, built after the first world war as former soldier housing.
Back at Malia's house we played a game called Neanderthal Poetry. Photo by Becky.
Andrea, Becky, and I went for lunch to Red Robbin. I played Plants vs. Zombies. Photo by Andrea.
In the afternoon Andrea and I went to the Mariner's Museum where the salvaged Monitor is being restored. This is a reproduction gun turret.
We saw the America's Cup catamaran. Photo by Andrea.
At the Bonefish restaurant for dinner.
I sat next to Trystan who is 15 now. Photo by Becky.
Lilly and Malia. Photo by Andrea.
The whole table for eight. Photo by Becky.
Malia treated us to a professional soccer (football) game. The Lionsbridge team won.
In the bleachers. Photo by Becky.
Goofy faces. Photo by Becky.
Video of the fireworks by Andrea.
After returning to the hotel, Andrea and Becky had a drink at the bar while I went straight to bed.
Our waitress offered to take our picture.
Monday morning Andrea and I went to the neighborhood pool where Malia is a swim coach and Trystan is a lifeguard.
Trystan showed my his Scrap Mechanic project he's working on. Photo by Andrea.
Under the dome in the conference center at the Marriott. It has a vertical resonance thing going. Photo by Andrea.
At the fountain. Photo by Andrea.
Andrea at the Mariott with the dome on the right.
We went back to the pool in the afternoon for a swim with Lilly.
Back at City Center. Photo by Andrea.
We stopped for ice cream. I had a black cherry cone. Photo by Andrea.
She's a lovely hula performer.
With the bees. Photo by Andrea.
Lilly delighted with the puffer fish. Photo by Andrea.
A brass frog. Photo by Andrea.
On the nature boardwalk.
At a kiddie playground.
Lilly loved the little fairy village. Photo by Andrea.
Indoor play area.
We went to Moe's for lunch. Photo by Andrea.
Malia and the kids met us for dinner at Cove Tavern at 6:00 PM.
Lilly brought her toy flying unicorn and I played with it. Photo by Andrea.
After dinner we walked around the fountain, walked through the conference center dome, and had ice cream at the ice cream shop.
We walked out on the fishing pier on the James River.
We bought a wind chime for Malia at the Designery Company in the village shop row.
Resting on a bench on the shop row. Photo by Andrea.
At Indulge restaurant for lunch. The three boys (Roman, Grayson, and Clark) ordered grilled cheese sandwiches.
Back at the hotel, Andrea and I went down to the lobby to read while our room was being made up. Portrait of Hemingway is a classic
by Lillian Ross. Photo by Andrea.
Looking toward the hotel main entrance.
Later we walked to Cove Tavern for dinner. This Love Newport News decoration had just been put up.
Andrea had the Violette Martini. I had the Painkiller tropical drink.
Pointing to one of the coastal defense guns. Photo by Andrea.
We saw the very old Point Comfort lighthouse.
A stack of cannon balls outside the casemate museum. Photo by Andrea.
Near an old rendering of the place. Photo by Andrea.
The fort has a very tall flag pole.
With the model of the CSS Virginia. Photo by Andrea.
Then we ate lunch at the Deadrise Restaurant at the marina. A deadrise is a type of fishing boat.
We stopped at Malia's house to say hi to her and the kids on the way home and then we saw the farmer's market at City Center.
We went out for a walk after washing clothes in the hotel laundromat and chose Hayashi sushi bar and grill for dinner.
Diane, our waitress, took our photo for us with the sushi boat for two. Yes, I know, I appear to be putting on weight.
Looking toward the library.
An artwork depicting flowers.
A large textile mural in the main hall.
An octopus and what look like paramecia in the distance.
Pointing to things made with dyed zip ties. Photo by Andrea.
Back at the hotel we read our books in the afternoon and went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner at around six. Andrea had a
Bombay Saphire and tonic while I had a signature cocktail called a Last Words (gin and chartreuse).
We walked around the fountain to the Cove Tavern where a three piece rock band was playing "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison. We
still can't get more than two bars of cell service around this place. Sometimes I've had to send photos several times. The send fails
without error messages. Just off to neverland. Very poor cell phone software. You'd think that after 30 years of development they would
have this kind of basic stuff working. If I got a "send failed" message I would know to find more bars and resend. But no, I have to check
my gmail to see if the photos arrived and then send again if not, by which time I'm back in the hotel room with one bar.
Looking at a one-man German submarine from the second world war. Photo by Andrea.
In the International Small Craft Center; some fascinating boat displays. This sailing canoe is from the Marshall Islands.
On the deck of the full scale model of the Monitor. It was raining cats and dogs the first time we were there.
I went under the Monitor replica to take a look at the propeller and rudder.
This looks real but it's a reproduction of the upside down Monitor's turret recovered from the sea bottom. The real one is in the tanks
in an adjoining room being restored electrolytically.
We split a veggie sandwich at Taste in the City Center. Photo by Andrea.
Saturday night was a White Dinner (Le Diner en Blanc) event. Rain put a bit of a damper on things.
We walked around the fountain in the rain. Photo by Andrea.
We went to Hayashi's again for dinner.
Andrea had the Gal-bi beef and I had the teriyaki filet mignon. The drink is a "lovely geisha."
Later that morning we went for a walk around the fountain when the drizzle let up a bit. The city had replaced the flowers on the sign
with all white ones for the white dinner. Looking through the O. Photo by Andrea.
Looking through the V. Photo by Andrea.
We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, called Kitchen 740 (the address of the Marriott on the City Center Drive). We both had the Caesar
salad with salmon and water. No booze, as we had to get up at 4:00 AM local time Monday to make our flights back to Hawaii. Photo by Andrea.
This is the book cover design that was waiting for me when I got home. I approved it on Tuesday the twelfth.
And so we wait. Returned from our trip to Virginia Monday, July 11, at 2:30 p.m. Bags did not make it (four other waiting travelers also had missing bags). Hawaiian baggage service agent informed us bags would arrive on next day's flight from JFK scheduled to arrive at 2:30 p.m. and we could pick up or have bags delivered. Knowing that we would probably be jetlagged, therefore not particularly safe to drive to airport the next day, we asked for bags to be delivered. We were told that we would receive a call the next day when bags arrived to confirm pickup or delivery. The next morning, I received a call confirming bags were on incoming flight and would be delivered at a time to be confirmed later. 6:00 p.m. I received a call confirming our address (and zip code) and advising that our bags would be delivered in 5 to 6 hours. 6:33 p.m. an e-mail was received confirming that our baggage was "on its way to our distribution center awaiting driver assignment", promising email updates, and providing a link to track progress.Periodic checks indicated no movement but did reveal information that delivery was scheduled to happen by 12:30 a.m. with the exception that residential deliveries after 11:00 a.m. would go out the next morning. 10:50 p.m. I received an email informing me that our bags were out for delivery. At that point, I realized the zip code for our address was incorrect but could not correct it on the site as the bags were assigned to a driver. However, check of tracking link showed driver in Waikiki area and I assumed driver would be using GPS to plan deliveries, which would inform him/her of correct location for our address, so I expected delivery within the half hour. No delivery by midnight and a check of tracking indicated there was a problem with our delivery.
I sent a message through link provided asking for delivery and confirming correct zip code. At 12:30 a.m. I received a call from delivery service agent explaining bags were erroneously assigned to Waikiki delivery due to wrong zip code and could not be delivered to our location as delivery person only served Waikiki. He went on to say that bags would be returned to Hawaiian and we could contact them in the morning to arrange pickup or delivery. He subsequently said that the next "truck" would go out for delivery at 10:00 a.m. and our bags could be delivered between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. It is now 8:05 a.m. on Wednesday, July 13, we have received no e-mail updates regarding delivery of our bags, and I have been holding for Hawaiian baggage service for 35 minutes (nice jazz music as I hold). Message on Hawaiian line says baggage service is open 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Does not guarantee anyone will answer our call (I have tried hanging up and dialing twice now).
The on-hold music was in my opinion highly repititious and annoying. Needless to say, as the bags were missed at the connection with Delta Airlines also on the way to Virginia, we are disappointed with Hawaiian, which used to be our favorite airline. It was however, a landing we could walk away from. So it could have been worse.
Andrea also wrote the following as a comment on a post by Hawaiian Airlines on their own Facebook page:
Based on our recent experience, the recognition is not deserved. Food was lousy. Outbound flight left two hours late, forcing us to run through JFK to reach our connecting flight. Inbound flight was on time, but our bags were not on it. We are still waiting for bags to be delivered after they were not loaded on to our flight, despite a two hour connection window from previous flight with only 62 passengers. Was up past midnight last night trying to locate bags, only to discover delivery service was given incorrect zip code (baggage report receipt shows correct information provided to Hawaiian). Delivery agent said bags would be returned to Hawaiian and I should contact Hawaiian to arrange pickup or delivery this morning. I have been on hold 45 minutes so far with no connection to Hawaiian and check of tracking link for bags provides no updates--except for correction of zip code. This has been extremely stressful and inconvenient. We are deeply disappointed in Hawaiian. This is not the service we expect from what was our favorite airline.
Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com