We left on a Sunday and took 95 up. We generally avoid 95 like the plague but it turned out to be the right move. We had no issues and made great time getting to our first stop of the trip, the Please Touch Museum.
The museum is housed in a beautiful, historic building. I had read about the Please Touch Museum in the past but didn't get a full grasp of what it was about until it was featured on Abbott Elementary this past tv season. I was blown away by not only the amount of activities on offer but also the creativity and presentation. Really something special.
First we had lunch in the cafe. My chicken sandwich was decent but the rest of the gang got pizza which was depressingly subpar considering we were in a part of the country where great pizza is made.
Afterward we rode the Dentzel carousel a couple of times. We learned that the maker, Gustav Dentzel, was a German immigrant who founded his carousel company in Philadelphia. This was particularly interesting to us because due to the kids' love of carousels, we've become connoisseurs. We've ridden several Dentzel carousels including the one at Glen Echo Park which is local(ish).
Then we explored my favorite part of the museum, the Alice in Wonderland exhibit. The kids also went grocery shopping, made and served food, played with an extended water table, and more. We would've stayed even longer but Iris was losing steam.
Then we continued on our way toward our Airbnb. It's probably one of the cleanest places we've ever stayed. And our host was extremely kind and responsive when we needed some assistance. He recommended Villaggio Iccara, an Italian restaurant within walking distance. We got the kids pizza, the real deal this time, and Evan and I got pasta dishes. It was all delicious!
The biggest issue with the Airbnb wasn't really the Airbnb but the fact that Iris has a phobia of smoke detectors. Our first night there she noticed that the detector in her and Aura's bedroom was blinking red. There was no noise but she was freaking out so we asked for new batteries to change them out. It was already late so we wouldn't get the batteries from the host's dad until the morning. In the meantime, the kids ended up in bed with me which meant I got terrible sleep.
The next morning while I loaded the kids in the car, Evan changed out the batteries in the two blinking detectors and we went on our way. My intention was to be at Sesame Place when they opened but instead we took a quick detour to Eet Gud, a slice of Americana. We got some donuts and pastries and made a plan to return the next morning. The nonnas behind the counter were exactly like you'd expect - warm and so Jersey.
We got to Sesame Place at about 10:50. Later than I had hoped but not too long after opening time. I also got us premium parking so that made entering simpler.
The first thing we did was get in line for the carousel. The line was long and we had to wait for four or five rotations before we could get on. It made the argument for paying a premium to skip lines. Maybe next time (if there's a next time). After that we all realized without even consulting each other that none of us were interested in waiting in more lines. We went right over to the nearest splash park and the kids, with Evan, played in the water for a good while. We came prepared with their swim suits on underneath their clothes. About an hour later we mutually agreed it was lunch time. Lunch was probably the most infuriating part of the day. The fare was fine considering the source but the cost was atrocious! $90 for a family of four to have one hot dog and a few orders of mac & cheese??? Absolutely ridiculous and a huge slap in the face. How can they expect regular people to afford that on top of the cost of day passes and parking? Gross.
Then we continued our progress through the park and stumbled upon a little playground area. The kids played for a bit and then we spotted Big Bird across the way! We wanted to take a picture with him but the bouncer-like staff person monitoring the line said there wasn't any more space for new people to join. Womp womp. That was really disappointing. I think we all (Evan and I included because Big Bird was a big character from our time) were looking forward to that. Luckily we saw Rosita a couple minutes later so the kids got to pose with her. We took a family picture with her as well but since I was instructed to keep the kids' popsicles away from Rosita I looked like an idiot with them awkwardly held out and away from me. We won't be including that picture in our holiday card...
Characters were popping up all over the place at that point - Tango (Elmo's pup), Cookie Monster, and Zoe and Julia. We got in line for Zoe and Julia so lost the opportunity to pose with anyone else. I know Aura would've loved to see Abby and both kids wanted to pose with Tango, too.
Then we spent about 30 minutes in the gift shop (both kids were promised one souvenir each). Aura got another Abby doll, even though she already has one, and Iris got a Tango stuffy. Then we lined up on the parade route. The songs and dances were cheesy of course, but it was fun to see all the characters, especially the ones from our day like Oscar the Grouch, the Count, Bert and Ernie, etc.
When we got back from Sesame Place at close to 5/5:30pm, one of the smoke detectors with replaced batteries was chirping. Long story short, after a lot of trial and error and 45 minutes to an hour of taking the batteries out, putting them back in, resetting the detector, and sending multiple messages back and forth with our Airbnb host as to how to proceed, it finally and very suddenly stopped chirping. Phew! But unfortunately for Iris, the damage had been done. She officially hated the Airbnb after that. She ended up in bed with Evan that night and Aura was in bed with me. At least I got some sleep because I didn't have two people on top of me!
Once the smoke detector debacle was behind us, we headed into Philly for the Chinese Lantern Festival. I'll speak for myself, but this was absolutely the highlight of the trip for me. It was something I had on my to-do list as a "maybe" in case we had the time and everyone was interested. Luckily, we were all game. It made for a late night but we had so much fun!
For the past few winters a lantern festival has been plunked down in an abandoned parking lot in Tysons Corner, local to us. It's just not the same! The lanterns are still a spectacular sight to behold but you're not getting the whole package. In the case of Philly's Chinese Lantern Festival, you're getting a fully integrated experience. The festival is taking place in an established city park, Franklin Square, that has a carousel, fountain, putt-putt place, and multiple food sites. The lanterns are cleverly set up to enhance what's already there and placed in a way that they belong rather than intruding upon the space.
There were a lot of interactive aspects to the lanterns and performances (we mostly observed acrobatics) throughout the evening. After exploring most of the lantern display we ordered chicken fingers, burgers, fries, and shakes from SquareBurger. Even though it was a simple meal, it was one of the best of the trip. The kids and I found a table while Evan stood in line for the food and got to watch the musical fountain show. I really didn't want to leave. The whole evening was emblematic of a collective experience that is so much easier to find in an urban environment.
Since the festival seems to run every summer from June through August I don't see why we wouldn't return next summer and spend a weekend in Downtown Philly. The kids seemed interested in the Liberty Bell and I'd like to take them to Reading Terminal Market. I also think that Iris having another year under her belt might mean we could all play putt-putt in the glow of the lanterns.
Our last morning in town (we decided that it made the most sense for our family to head home after our planned activity vs. spending another night in an Airbnb that Iris "hated") we returned to Eet Gud for some tasty treats and then completed our trip with another highlight for me - Grounds for Sculpture.
I don't think we ever would've been able to cover everything with the kids in tow, but I'd say we covered a good 50% from the walking around that we did. There were a lot of fun, random statues, some creepy, some comical, and a lot of neat sculptures and scenes that looked like paintings come to life. I'd really like to go back one day and spend the whole day exploring every inch of the place and maybe try out the nice restaurant on-site.
This is called Confrontational Vulnerability. Just sit with that for a minute. Kind of amazing and badass.
A heart-shaped rock Aura found:
To Aura's delight, we finally spotted one of the resident peacocks toward the end of our walkabout.
Some cool art in the gift shop made from kitchen utensils:
We noticed this sign while driving out of NJ both mornings:
All in all, it was a busy but fun couple of days. I think we function best with shorter travel times/minimal time cooped up in the car and kid-centric and outdoor activities. We accomplished all that here. The challenges were the same as we've already been facing when traveling - adjusting to a different living space with unfamiliar bathrooms and smoke detectors. Also, misbehavior happens out of town just as it does at home and that presents difficulties in that it can be public and embarrassing and you can't just "go home". Iris is also going through some very individualized, potty-related issues that make travel more complicated than it needs to be. All that said, I think it's important and valuable to keep at it. Perhaps we need to focus on some shorter trips in the coming months so that next spring and summer we can take longer trips with more confidence and ease.
We didn't have a road trip soundtrack this time but the closest we got to it was "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men. Iris is borderline obsessed and likes to sing the chorus with the lowest register she can muster. It's pretty cute and funny.
