Philadelphia

We went to Philly this weekend. As usual, we learned many things, number one of which was how to spell Philadelphia. All my life, I've been using two 'L's together. Also, as with most trips, I post a couple photos, promise more and never deliver. This is it, just 4 pictures out of the approximately only 250 or so we took. They represent the trip the best, or have good stories, I will of course endeavor to post more at some point...this first picture (taken today) sums up the trip. J running off to make life interesting and Eddie jumping up to lend a hand (sometimes the roles were reversed). It was a fun trip, but not as relaxing as we had hoped.

It was a quick trip, we left Saturday afternoon right at naptime. We didn't get in until after 5, but were lucky with traffic in both directions (it took just about 3 hours each way). We saw two different childhood friends of mine, both that I've known since when we first moved from Florida to Ohio, but they don't know each other. It was of course too short a visit with each, but fun nonetheless.
So while I didn't do a whole lot of planning and wasn't really worried as it was both a short trip and we would be spending a good deal of time visiting with friends, I had intended to buy a guidebook. I always buy a guidebook, which I usually read through as we are trying to decide what to do, but at least I have it with all the phone numbers/urls for attractions, resturants, etc. Boy, do I wish I'd bought a book, especially as we had less than 48 hours there.

If I had, I might have known that the zoo (the proported first in the Country--it seems everything in Philly is in terms of superlatives according to our tour guide--the highest, the biggest, the first, the best--clearly the guy loved his hometown). I digress. The zoo has a hot air balloon, seen to the left of the Art Museum (think Rocky running up its steps) in the distance. It's 2.1 miles from where I took the picture. I know this, because we waited for a bus for 45 minutes at the zoo and Den and I contemplated several times using another method to get back to the hotel and I had to look up how far we would have walked had we pursued this option. It is Ed's desire to someday ride in a hot air balloon (and he tells us this all the time). When we learned the zoo has a balloon, we hopped off to see if we couldn't get a ride. Bought tickets, came to find that not only was the balloon not running due to high winds (clearly at the 400 feet level and not ground level), but you don't have to actually go into the zoo to ride the balloon. We never got on the balloon, as there were high winds at ground level today ('this day', in Ed speak).

We could see the balloon from our room and on Sunday morning, we excitedly called Eddie to the window to look at the balloon. By the time he got there, it had gone back down and you couldn't tell it was a balloon, just some ball, almost like a water tower peaking out of the trees. Then later, it went up and just as soon, down again. We couldn't figure it out until we asked the drive of the $2 Phlash bus (the 45 minute wait one). The zoo looks like a nice zoo with some nice features. We just wish we'd gotten in that balloon!

We were able to visit the 'Please Touch' museum, which I am at a loss of superlatives to describe. It is simply the biggest, best kid's museum I've ever heard of, been to, etc. (and there are some great ones we've seen)Knowing how much we are spending on the Soft Playroom and how much our original rendering was going to cost, I know that the price tag for this gem is well into the millions and I would not be surprised if double digit millions weren't spent on the museum. If I lived in Philly, this museum would be my second home. They had entertainers in the lobby to keep the kids amused while you buy your tickets and it gets better from there. I would venture to say Disney could learn a thing or two from these folks. Eddie and Josie are playing in the supermarket. They have shopping baskets and kid carts to push down the aisles with all the food labels and then samples behind plexiglass so you can reshelve the food you buy. Kids take turns playing cashier and as Eddie said, being 'the payer'.

We missed the Smith Playhouse, an outdoor playground that is supposed to be spectacular, but which is closed on Mondays and so because of the zoo debacle we couldn't have gotten there in time, but we know for next time.

We went out to dinner at a local joint and then on to eat some great gelato when we learned Josie had pooped her diaper. On the way back to the hotel for a change (and to call it a night), we passed the Comcast HQ and as I'd read about the lobby being open 24 hours/day, thought we could get a diaper change and check out the LED screens (pictured above--the screens are the wood grain looking panels in the photo. The bottom two rows are actual panels and all the other panels in the photo become screen)--the building is LEED certified. It was easy to fool yourself into thinking the people and objects on the screen were really there. Alas, I realized mid-diaper change (I thought) that we had no more diapers for J. She wasn't into the MacGuyver diaper I fashioned, so we hurried back to the hotel with Josie going commando. Oh the excitement on weekend night for us. Good thing she'd been potty training herself.

Today we made time for the double decker (open top) bus tour around town that Eddie had wanted to take. I think he was alternatively bored and intrigued. Our guide wasn't the greatest and the driver took off from the curb just as Eddie started to board, but otherwise, it was like riding around in a convertible whilst someone told you a canned speech with some childhood memories woven through. We were dropped at Independence Hall and that whole area, so ran in quickly to snap some photos of the bell (Den had never been to Philly and it had been a while for me). Just in time too, as they cleared everyone out thanks to a bomb threat.

Then it was time to head down Market Street for a Philly cheesesteak before heading home. We tried out Campos, bot a couple sandwhichs and then wanted to hit it's rival, but their line didn't move but 2 people through in the 10 minutes we stood there, so we had a light lunch and headed out of town, getting home in time to have the nighttime routine...we learned also that travel for the next couple years will still consist of doing one, and if we are lucky 2 things in a day before it is time for a break--even if the kids love it and are engaged. Ed says he had a good time, but I think we spent more time than usual disciplining/reprimanding (we think because the kids were tired and out of the usual routine). Great place to visit--look forward to going back, but would like to have not been so rushed, limited in what we could see.