<p>There are a couple hotels in Jersey City right at the PATH station that takes you into the city. I think there’s a ferry that goes across as well. The views of NYC from Jersey City are fabulous. </p>
<p>@Quagmiro - best hoagie in Philly is at Salumeria in the Reading Terminal Market. Just sayin… </p>
<p>@CT1417
Our itinerary is still a work in progress so nothing is booked yet. Thanks for the tip about the rental car. I have this California mentality that we need a CAR and can’t imagine traveling w/o a CAR.</p>
<p>I just checked some hotels in Manhattan and I think I’ve found some that’s in our price range. So that might be easier than staying outside the city. We are planning to hit NYC, Boston then maybe another city. But I think that’s too ambitious. We have 10 days but 3 of those will be dedicated for the move-in/orientation.</p>
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Details please! I am sure its surprising but also it can be unsettling as all of your plans are suddently up in the air and subjet to change if the offer is accepted.</p>
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Thanks for the info. I will definately check that out during one of our future trips to pickup or deliver D to school in Philly. I also have to hit south Philly and give both Pat’s and Geno’s a try for cheesesteaks. </p>
<p>Thanks for the congrats, everyone. No decision tonight so I’m mixing my own drinks on a deserted ship.</p>
<p>D is so torn. It really has to be her decision. I’m trying to remain relatively neutral. </p>
<p>Also not empty nesters with a '21er at home - but not young parents either. ;)</p>
<p>My son had t shirt day but forgot and wore an old soccer camp shirt. He had to field teasing about going to camp next year. That 'll teach him. </p>
<p>Graduation parties.</p>
<p>I offered to give a small party for my son’s fellow runners who are underclassmen, but he is not interested. Just wanted to come home from graduation and hang with immediate family. Well, at least I tried. Son '14 is not overly social so I am not going to push. My older son wanted to party, and we had teachers and friends over. Oh well. It means I do not spend all week cleaning the house!</p>
<p>No t-shirt day at our school. A good portion of the grads will not be attending college. Many prefer to work. Some join the military. College came up in Son '14’s AP econ class. The teacher said it’s all well and good to go, but try to keep it affordable. I’m sure that he will go around the class at some point and ask each student’s plans. Son '14 will tell of his full tuition scholarship and chance to run in college for an outstanding D2 program. He’s sure to have some people question his decision, but he’s happy with it. The chance to run in college really excites him. </p>
<p>@2018dad – you really won’t need a car in Boston either so you may want to look at Amtrak schedules to see how much it will cost your family to travel from Penn Station, NY to South Station, Boston (or Back Bay station, if your hotel is closer). Amtrak fares tend to increase the longer you wait to purchase tickets, so you may want to take a look at pricing and schedule and see how that works out. Factor in hotel garage rates to your calculation, as they add up.</p>
<p>Boston is significantly smaller than NYC, so I would allot more time to NY. There is plenty to see in Boston, but it is all very close to each other so you won’t spend as much time in transit. Boston is quite compact, compared to New York.</p>
<p>Driving in Boston can be a bit frustrating, and you will not take your car out of the garage during your stay, unless you decide that you want to leave the city to visit the beach or something. I have owned cars while living in both cities and while both are drivable, there is absolutely no need for a car in either.</p>
<p>And for move-in and orientation, I think we are expected to be on our way home by noon Saturday. I think I still need to cancel my Sat night hotel reservation.</p>
<p>@CT1417
We are leaving Saturday afternoon as well. First day is shopping day, second is move-in, then attend the convocation. etc. on Saturday.</p>
<p>@AvonHSDad, unsettling is certainly the right word for D’s waitlist acceptance. The two schools are so different, but she would be very happy at both. She says her heart is going one way, but her head is going the other. I think she’s leaning towards her original choice, the heart.</p>
<p>While I’m freaking out about the empty nest thing, I’m still glad I’m not my cousin who had a surprise at 41. She posted this on facebook: I bet there aren’t many people that have children whose high school and PreK commencements conflict…</p>
<p>Yes, she has a 2014, a 2016 and a 2027. </p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom --</p>
<p>We have a daughter who is exactly eighteen years older than our Class of 2014 son. When our son was born, we pointed out to our daughter that when he reached her current age of 18 y.o., she would be 36 y.o. She absolutely could not wrap her mind around that. Well, her 36th birthday was yesterday, and she still vividly remembers that conversation. She and her husband have three kids, and my wife and I are of the opinion that their parenting skills are better than ours (?maybe we’re just a tad burnt out). . This daughter went to Univ of Maine as an in-state student. My memory is that tuition was just a tad over $2,000/semester.</p>
<p>BTW, we also have a Class of 2016 son. So we have a 1996, 1998, 2014, and 2016. Yep, a twenty-year span between the youngest and oldest. It’s been a long wild ride, but of course we wouldn’t have it any other way.</p>
<p>My grandparents had a 25 year gap between youngest and oldest, so we’ve got age inversions between my generation and my parents generation. Grandparents were married for almost seventy years and raising kids for more than half that time.</p>
<p>My oldest son (bio) graduated from high school in 1988. My youngest (adopted) will graduate in 2022. I have 4 grandchildren older (and 2 younger) than my youngest daughter. My adult daughter, who married someone much older, and my brother, who married late, both have children, so we have some really unusual relationships in our extended family.</p>
<p>Congratulations to every one!!! Doesn’t it feel nice to be done? Thanks to all of you, you have helped me get through this maze. I am working on writing thank you notes and gift cards for all the people. D will write thank you notes (we gave the giftcards and a simple thank you card already) to every one that includes where she is going. </p>
<p>Last night, when D14 looked like she had reached the breaking point, I commented “I’m sorry that May is so crazy for seniors.” She said, “Yeah, but it’s almost over.” I looked at her and said “It’s May 1…” </p>
<p>@Barnardmom, My Mom missed my sister’s HS Graduation ceremony due to giving birth to me 
My sister still hasn’t completely forgiven me.</p>
<p>@2018dad - I have found Amtrak many times to be more expensive than flying to Boston. Go Bus (and other bus companies) is usually very reasonable to go from NY to Boston.</p>
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<p>The last time I stayed in NYC I used airbnb.com to rent an apt on the upper east side of Manhattan. $100 a night and it was great! Right by the bus and subway.</p>