No, I paid another $140 for delivery with a third party piano moving company. The store wanted over $200 to deliver. Typically it is advised to let a piano acclimate to its new environment before tuning, so that is what we did.

We bought our Baldwin about 4 years ago used from a music store for $800 and it has been a wonderful piano. Before purchasing, I learned everything I could about pianos like you are. We looked at many and walked away. I decided I felt more comfortable with a reputable source and some sort of warranty. The Baldwin had the best sound and feel of any we had looked at in our range. Even though the music store had already inspected and tuned it, I still looked at everything I could on the inside, the soundboard, etc. I negotiated the price as well. The piano has great sound and holds its tune amazingly well. My oldest is a very talented pianist and is now wanting a digital for composition, but I would have a hard time ever parting with our Baldwin.

For us, allowing them was a huge mistake. They can become highly addictive for certain people as we found out the hard way. We allowed only a few hours a week and then hid the games when our teen ds wasn't playing. We recently found out that he had found our hiding spots and was sneaking the games when we were gone. We also ran into the issue where he was frequently asking to go to friend's homes that had fewer (or no) restrictions in order to play. He no longer has the games and is no longer allowed at friends homes that have no restrictions. When he does go to a friend's house, we let the parents know we do not allow these types of games. I think we will always struggle with media/technology addiction with this particular child so video games will not be coming into our home again.

Unless you enjoy printing out your own photos, I can't imagine why you would need color. We purchased a very inexpensive Brother B&W Laser that prints only last summer because I am an avid couponer and felt it was unnecessary to have color. It was one of the best decisions I've made. I did hold onto our color printer for making copies only, but we do this very infrequently and use only B&W on that printer also. With all my couponing and printing we are still on our first purchased toner cartridge and it's been about 10 months. It is SO much cheaper!

We sold our house last year and a similar thing happened to us. We already had the contract written up for building our new house and a week before we listed our old house our neighbor 2 doors down with almost the exact same house listed theirs. I panicked. They had a slightly better layout and an extra bathroom. But ours was updated and theirs wasn't. Theirs was a short sale and ours wasn't. After 12 days on market our house sold (theirs did sell month or two later and they moved out the month after we did). The people who bought our house looked at both houses and chose ours because it was updated. What I'm trying to say is I wouldn't worry about the things you have no control over. We kept our eye on their price and priced ours similarly, but we kept our house clean and decluttered and we had already updated what was really old and outdated. Do everything you can do to make your house appealing (de-clutter, clean, paint if you need to, fix anything broken or extremely old, etc) and price it as best you can. Anything else is out of your control. Housing market and buyer's desires will decide the rest for you. Good luck!

Uh, uh, gulp... :svengo: . I was just feeling ever so weary of our unending winter and grumbling about living where it is the second half of March and we still have several billion feet of snow on the ground (and another snowstorm on the way), but um, yeah. I think I'm good, thanks! The only thing I ever want blowing out of my vents is air, thank you very much! And thanks so much also for the photo; I'm all itchy now (which I know makes no sense :confused1: ).

Does anyone have suggestions about good places to stay for a family of 5? We are planning to go this summer. Hotel rooms get tight with the five of us, but condos seem really pricy. I'd like to do this as inexpensively as possible. Also, what area is convenient to the majority of main sites within the city?

I go about once a month. I honestly don't buy a ton there, because most things I can get cheaper elsewhere. Sometimes they have good deals with their coupon booklets. Here is my list of items I commonly buy at Costco: gas, cheese (big bags of shredded), eggs (sometimes depending on pricing there and elsewhere), batteries, Speedo swimsuit, spices, vitamins, soy sauce, soy milk (if I don't have a coupon for cheaper elsewhere and we are out), flax seed, Scott's toilet paper (if I don't find a better deal elsewhere and we are low), lunchmeat, Christmas cards, photos, their big bag of generic tortilla chips, Halloween candy, frozen fruit.

Yes, I agree with this. Korean cuisine is light on meat and big on seafood, vegetables and rice so I do hesitate about the steakhouse idea. My experience is that most Koreans like to stick to Korean food; my dh is still like this after almost 20 years here in the US (though he does love meat and enjoys steakhouses). I would also personally stay away from Japanese food. There is a very strong rivalry still between Korea and Japan due to the way Koreans were treated during Japanese occupation that many Koreans are still sensitive to, so I would just shy away from that association altogether (oops I just read through all comments and saw you found a place. That is serves both Korean and Japanese food will be fine). I asked dh about gifts and he replied that it is a very good gesture, but you have to be careful. Giving gifts and taking business partners out to drink is an integral part of Korean business culture, but if the gift is perceived as inexpensive it can be considered offensive. It depends in part on how much business is done, the nature of the business as well as how much money the business brings in. The nature of the gift is very important so I can't offer suggestions beyond that word of caution. .

Dh is from South Korea and we lived there several years, so I'm very familiar with Korean customs. I don't know much about fondue, but sharing a pot is not going to be an issue because this is how traditional Korean meals are served (each person gets their own bowl of rice and soup and the other dishes are communal) and the intimate style of dining would be good (very Korean). If fondue is dairy based (like a pp mentioned) stay clear because many Koreans are lactose intolerant. A Korean or American restaurant would be a good choice. You should stay home on a business dinner unless all spouses are attending. If ordering drinks that need to be poured (from a pitcher or bottle to a glass), your Dh needs to offer to pour drinks for each of the Korean businessmen first according to age (offer to oldest first) and he should pour their drinks for them with TWO hands. Then he should allow another businessman to pour his drink for him. When being introduced, a small bow (even a head nod with eyes lowered) will go a lot further than a handshake.

We used http://www.sleepinitaly.com/ and had a great experience. We booked an apartment in Campo de Fiori which is very centrally located in Rome. It was perfect.

The Rick Steves Rome guidebooks will give you tips on how to avoid the long lines and they really do work!

I second the recommendation to get a Rick Steves guide book. My Rome one was invaluable for planning our trip. I also agree that in Rome you must visit the Colosseum, the Roman Forum (they are next to each other), the Pantheon and all the sites nearby (Trevi Fountain, etc), and spend a day in the Vatican. St. Peter's Basilica is breathtaking. No picture can match the feeling of being inside that massive piece of art. It moved me to tears. I highly recommend taking a day trip to Pompeii. It can be easily reached by train. Also, be aware that not many Italians speak English so learn some basic words and phrases before you go; I really did have to use my Italian. We rented an apartment in Campo de Fiori through a place called Sleep in Italy, and I really recommend it. The location was absolutely perfect, and, in fact, we could walk to most places in Rome including the Vatican City. Rome is best seen on foot anyway and I feel like we experienced so much more this way. We shopped at the Roman food markets and cooked our own food at our apartment, which saved a ton of money and made us feel more like a local. It was really a neat experience. Also, do the walking tours in Rick Steves Rome guidebook. My favorite one was the Jewish ghetto walk, but we did 3 or 4 of them and they were all incredible. Oh, yes, and the CityPass is very handy. I believe there is also a package that gets you into some of the main sites as well if I remember correctly. If you do eat at restaurants be aware that most don't open until afternoon or early evening and that if they put bread on the table it is not free. You will make wonderful memories - Rome is an amazing city!

We took the train from Rome to Naples and it was great, but be aware that not so many Italians speak English very well. I taught myself basic Italian phrases before we went and it really made for a much smoother trip. I don't know anything about the Eurail passes though. For Rome, I would allow AT LEAST 4-5 days minimum if you can. We were there 8 days (including our day trip to Pompeii) and that was perfect. Oh, and I forgot to mention when you are at the Colosseum you have to see the Roman Forum (they are next to each other). Very neat. You'll have a great time!

In Rome, the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica are not to be missed. Get Rick Steve's guidebook and do some of the walking tours - the Jewish Ghetto one was my favorite. Rome is an absolutely amazing city. Take a day trip to see Pompeii. It is haunting, absolutely incredible. We did the day trip to Ostia as well, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as Pompeii, which can be done in a day as well.