Stories From Candyland (14 page)

I’ll let Aaron help me narrate our trip.

June 27 journal entry:

Arrived at Union Station to the biggest surprise of our lives . . . photographers, friends and fantastic party. It was a miniature trip of New York, Paris and London with food, dress extras and music to match. It was by far the most spectacular sendoff one could imagine.

The emotional moment happened as we stood on the observation deck of our private car and waved goodbye. Candy and I were crying, but they were tears of happiness.

June 28:

Short stop at Flagstaff, Arizona. We got off for three minutes. Why? Because it was there and someone had to do it.

He also reported that we got off the train in Albuquerque to buy a few loaves of white bread because we wanted white bread and the train didn’t stock it.

So far, I haven’t read one script or called the studio. Now we have a ninth wonder of the world.

June 29:

Stopped in Chicago for three hour layover. We piled into a limousine and headed for Marshall Fields.

When we got back to the station, the train was late. We spent over an hour in an arcade at the station, watching the kids play Pac-Man. It’s as if we never left home!

June 30:

Arrived in New York and went to the Pierre Hotel, only to find one of our bags had vanished. All of Randy’s underwear was gone. Oh, well, the hazards of traveling.

Thank God they had a maid waiting to unpack for Candy. So far, it’s the best thing that’s happened to her on the trip.

He was right. White bread in Albuquerque and a rushed trip to a department store weren’t highlights. Now, if they had let me play Pac-Man with them, that could have been good family fun. By the way, I have two Pac-Man games in my house, Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man, and I do frequently play them.

July 1:

We all went to Bloomingdale’s to buy the things Randy lost. We thought it would take about an hour. Two-and-a-half hours later, the store had closed—and we were still there.

Long story short: It took a long time to get someone to approve our check, and we went through all our secret hiding places to find enough cash. It then took more than an hour to write up our purchases.

Aaron continued:

It was the pits. Candy and I may never speak to Betsy

Bloomingdale again.

We do. Sorry, Betsy.

The next day, we visited with executives at ABC. Then Aaron had a press conference for about forty magazine and newspaper reporters, who normally didn’t get to see him. That night, we surprised
La Cage Aux Folles
star Gene Barry backstage after the show on Broadway (Gene had starred in Aaron’s
Burke’s Law
series), went to the Plaza, ate at 21, and had what Aaron called “a very exciting hectic day.”

July 3:

A day of sight-seeing starting at FAO Schwarz for the kids. It took three hours to get out of there.

Yes, we shopped across country (and the continent). We ended that shopping day when Tori wanted a T-shirt that read,
I LOVE N
.
Y
. Randy, who wasn’t a big fan of shopping—especially now that he had underwear again—said he wanted one that said,
I HATE N
.
Y
. We never found one.

We spent July 4 on a yacht going to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Aaron continued in his journal:

There were surprises galore. First, they [ABC] had the Goodyear Blimp fly so close to our boat that it was scary. ABC had it flown in from Washington. Then Mayor Koch came by on a police boat to wave hello. Then a helicopter flew around us for ten minutes as its light spelled out, “Welcome Candy, Aaron, Tori and Randy from your friends at ABC. Bon Voyage!”

July 5:

Left for Washington on our train car. Trip was marvelous. We went to the Smithsonian Institute to see the airplane exhibit. Breathtaking. Later piled in the limo to see all the monuments lit up at night. We passed the White House. Just think, tomorrow we’ll be inside of it. I feel like a real American tourist—and I like the feeling.

We didn’t feel “regular” for long. Here’s Aaron’s account for July 6:

Arrive at the White House at 11 a.m., through security at 11:30. We went to the upstairs (just Candy and me) where we were met by the First Lady. Nancy took us to her private sitting room for coffee.

We were told that Nancy was rushed because it was her birthday, so she could only see us for half an hour. Well, she kept us for over an hour and then surprised us by sending for the kids and a photographer. Tori was a little princess. She did a lovely curtsy and said, “Hello, Mrs. Reagan.” Randy made a lovely bow and said, “Hello, Mrs. President.” Nancy broke up. She took us to the Oval Office, Ronnie’s study and Lincoln Bedroom. What a lady! No wonder she’s first!

Later, we all had lunch in the White House mess and toured the lower part of the mansion. We were then whisked off for a special guided tour of the Capitol building. My biggest thrill was the House of Representatives.

What a day. I’ve never felt prouder to be an American. What the hell is a little Jewish kid from Texas doing in the White House????

That was my Aaron. I felt the same way. Our kids? Well, it wasn’t easy keeping them humble.

I feel the need to reveal a secret I’ve kept for twenty-five years. We let Randy jump on the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom. I’m sorry, Nancy.

We had known the Reagans before they moved to Washington, and they were lovely people. We really felt at home in the White House, but we were very nervous.

Randy wanted cinnamon toast, and Nancy was happy to oblige. Aaron and I knew better than to take any because we didn’t want to leave crumbs. Our son didn’t worry about mundane things like dropping crumbs in the White House. The sight I will never forget was of Aaron trailing his handsome son in his little suit and, literally, picking up crumbs from the hallways and the Lincoln Bedroom. I was laughing at Aaron when we heard our son say, “Mrs. President, you serve the best cinnamon toast I’ve ever tasted.”

We later ate club sandwiches with Nancy, and neither of us left any crumbs behind.

On July 8 we got on the
QEII
to begin our journey to Europe. Aaron and I had a suite unlike any stateroom on
The Love Boat.
It was the Queen Elizabeth Suite, which Aaron termed “gorgeous,” even though that wasn’t an Aaron word. The fixtures and furniture were beautifully classic, but not the opulence we later saw in the film
Titanic.
In fact, the
Orient Express
, which we boarded after we landed, was far more elegant. Our stateroom was large and very comfortable and had a big round beige sofa outside our bedroom, where we would relax after a day of walking around the ship.

After all those years of Aaron producing
Love Boat
, you’d think we’d know our way around a cruise ship. No. We knew our way around the set in Hollywood, but the
QEII
was something else.

Actually, let me correct that. Aaron wrote,

The ship is so big that I am totally lost. The only one who seems to know where everything is—you’ve got it—is Tori.

As the ship left New York, we passed the Statue of Liberty. Aaron got emotional, remembering that his last time doing so was on a troop ship during World War II.

On July 9, Aaron wrote that Nelia, one of the nannies, was seasick and the doctor was giving her a shot.

We toured the ship and all the shops, but Candy didn’t buy anything. I hope she’s not sick, too.

I wasn’t.

It was an amazing cruise. We dressed for dinner: Tori in a long gown, and Randy in a tux. “They’re adorable,” Aaron wrote. “Candy and I are very proud.”

By July 11, Aaron was writing on Post-it notes instead of in his journal. Was the thrill gone?

Heard about dock strike.

Lost at Bingo.

Tori won prize for doing movie.

Randy learned about sinking of Titanic.

And, on the same Post-it, on July 12:

Costumes all—Tori as showgirl; Randy as wizard.

Both won prizes.

Hectic day—lots of worrying about strike.

We docked on July 13, but in Cherbourne, not London, because of the strike. Aaron summed up his Post-it note with: “Champagne, flowers, etc., everywhere.”

ABC had arranged for an airplane to take us the short distance to our destination in London. But nope, Aaron didn’t even take short flights when dock strikes disrupted plans. We ended up on a hovercraft, which turned out to be a fun adventure. The kids loved it because none of their friends had ever ridden in a hovercraft, as least as far as any of us knew. They couldn’t wait to go home to tell everyone. But we told them we’d only just begun.

Day after day, we did one incredible thing after another. Watching the kids enjoy the experiences, sights, and sounds was the best. They weren’t as impressed as we were with the fine restaurants, but they certainly loved hearing the stories and seeing the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the changing of the guard, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square (where they fed the pigeons), and the statues of war heroes—and yes, going shopping.

On our last day in London, Aaron noted: “Went to Jacobs and bought two automobiles.”

It’s not what it sounds like. Yes, we bought a London checker cab and a red Ferrari, but they weren’t for us. The Jacobs showroom with the miniature motorized cars in the window was near our hotel, the Dorchester, and no matter where we were walking, the kids steered us toward the showroom. Tori begged for one, then two, cars. Randy joined in. No matter where we were, the kids wanted to go back and look at the cars. Tori agonized over whether she wanted the Ferrari or the Mercedes more. Randy wanted the yellow checkered cab with black writing.

Aaron’s journal revealed the bottom line: We weren’t good at saying “no” to Randy and Tori. We bought them the cars and arranged for them to be shipped home. They took months to get to California, as Tori and Randy reminded us almost every day when one of them would say something like, “I feel like taking a drive today.” They did enjoy them, and we did enjoy watching them driving around our property in their European imports.

Aaron’s Post-it notes ended, and the rest of his parchment pages remained empty, except for one last one:

Bought great crystal cabinet at Goode’s.

Bought piece of luggage to add to our other 49
pieces.

Tori and Randy went to Windsor Castle to see the
Queen’s Doll Castle.

Candy packed the rest of the day.

Then, we took the
Orient Express
back to France.

As I write this, it’s still hard to believe. We visited the Louvre; toured Versailles as a guest of the Duc d’Orleans; went to Chanel, where Aaron picked out beautiful outfits for me; bought clothes for Randy and Tori at La Foyette; splurged on matching Vacheron Constantin watches (and now I wear his, which has a bigger face), and I hoped we could return there one day. We also bought a Cartier mystery clock, which we decided would always remind us of the wonderful vacation our family enjoyed.

The trip continued for two more weeks as we reversed our elegant trip across the Atlantic and boarded our train car and returned home. We had almost forgotten about the wood smell, but the first night on our
Cannonball
, it returned.

In a life of biggers and betters, excesses and too muches, our family trip to Europe stands out as one of the highlights of any life. It wasn’t about just the best hotels, limos, and yachts, the finest food and VIP tours. It was about sharing that month together, as a family; and in our kids’ frame of reference, the trip was like the rest of their lives: with only the biggest and the best. It was difficult to make them understand that big-city mayors don’t wave to everyone from
police boats, and that most families are not welcomed with helicopters trailing banners or greeted by the First Lady in the private White House quarters. They knew their father worked in television and was important, but none of us could have conceived of how many people tried so hard to “VIP” us.

Aaron was wrong, by the way. As good a correspondent as he was, it was the fifty-third piece of luggage that we bought in England. Think about it. When you’re dressing your kids as wizards and showgirls for dinners at sea, you really have to pack a lot.

I still have that luggage in my attic, and I never walk by it without smiling as I think of the happy memories of our family vacation in Europe. We never did take another family train trip. How could we top the first?