We were walking down Market Street during the afternoon and took notice of Pizzicato during it's busy lunch hour. The restaurant is a block or so from Ben Franklin's house, which was an interesting 10 minute stop on our travels. I checked out the menu and a waiter saw us with the two kids. He was very polite, asked how our day was, if we were visiting from out of town (it was a work day and we were obviously not the work lunch crowd). I said, we'll be back for dinner. We returned a few hours later and took a table inside. It was a warm sunny day and my wife wanted a cooler area to sit, after a long day of exploring the city.
The restaurant waiter asked if we would like something not on the menu for the kids, such as chicken fingers and fries or plain pasta. My son had the pizza Margherita and my daughter had penne with marinara sauce. My wife had there lasagna and I had a pizza with grilled chicken, spinach, fresh mozzarella, red onion and proscuitto. We were very happy with the meal and would go there again. The prices were fair ($10 for a personal pizza) and the service (I think our waiters name was Ross) was fantastic.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Things we didn't get to do in Philadelphia that we wanted to do!
Mutter Museum, Ghost Tour, and Eastern State Penitentiary.
Any thoughts on these??
Any thoughts on these??
Franklin Institute and the Academy of Natural Sciences - Philadelphia
I hadn't been to the Franklin Institute since I was in elementary school and went there on a class trip. I had never been to the Academy of Natural Sciences before.
Let's start with the Franklin Institute:
You can get a great idea about the place by checking out it's website... but it's basically a bigger, better version of the New York Hall of Science. The Franklin Institute has MORE stuff to do, MORE demonstrations, MORE supervision, a MUCH BETTER DINING AREA (larger, cleaner, and better food) but lacks the really cool outdoor playground the NY Hall of Science has. If you have kids and are in the area, this is a MUST DO!
Unfortunately, we had a small problem while we were there. An alarm began to ring as we started eating our lunch. No one moved at first, and then we noticed staff members emptying out the register. There were NO announcements made, but a couple of visitors started to exit the dinning area and leave their belongings. A woman sitting next to use walked up to a staff member that was counting money and asked, "Is that a fire alarm?" He responded, "Yes." My wife asked, "Is this a drill? Should we be leaving?" He responded, "They don't tell us if it's a drill." She responded, "Should we be leaving?" He said, "Yes." So we all began to walk out, leaving our food. Other people began to follow us. My kids were nervous and scared, but we told them it was a drill. Just as we got to the door the alarm stopped and we saw people walking back in. No one said it was safe to enter, or made mention of the alarm. Seems that the FI needs to work on their emergency plans! If anyone from the FI would care to leave a comment about this, it would be appreciated.
Now the Academy of Natural Sciences:
It's basically a smaller version of the Museum of Natural History. A few dinosaur fossils, a butterfly area (pales in comparison to the garden at the Bronx Zoo), and some really DATED dioramas of Africa, Asia, and North America. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see the "outside in" exhibit, which the kids probably would have liked. Not my favorite of Natural History Museums, but even if the kids learned 1 thing, and had some fun, it was worth it. The highlight of the museum was the dinosaur digging area. Usually museums give goggles and a brush to move sand covering "fossils", but at the ANS they give a chisel. My son thought it was cool. My daughter, strangely, liked the 1 mummy the museum has on display.
Let's start with the Franklin Institute:
You can get a great idea about the place by checking out it's website... but it's basically a bigger, better version of the New York Hall of Science. The Franklin Institute has MORE stuff to do, MORE demonstrations, MORE supervision, a MUCH BETTER DINING AREA (larger, cleaner, and better food) but lacks the really cool outdoor playground the NY Hall of Science has. If you have kids and are in the area, this is a MUST DO!
Unfortunately, we had a small problem while we were there. An alarm began to ring as we started eating our lunch. No one moved at first, and then we noticed staff members emptying out the register. There were NO announcements made, but a couple of visitors started to exit the dinning area and leave their belongings. A woman sitting next to use walked up to a staff member that was counting money and asked, "Is that a fire alarm?" He responded, "Yes." My wife asked, "Is this a drill? Should we be leaving?" He responded, "They don't tell us if it's a drill." She responded, "Should we be leaving?" He said, "Yes." So we all began to walk out, leaving our food. Other people began to follow us. My kids were nervous and scared, but we told them it was a drill. Just as we got to the door the alarm stopped and we saw people walking back in. No one said it was safe to enter, or made mention of the alarm. Seems that the FI needs to work on their emergency plans! If anyone from the FI would care to leave a comment about this, it would be appreciated.
Now the Academy of Natural Sciences:
It's basically a smaller version of the Museum of Natural History. A few dinosaur fossils, a butterfly area (pales in comparison to the garden at the Bronx Zoo), and some really DATED dioramas of Africa, Asia, and North America. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see the "outside in" exhibit, which the kids probably would have liked. Not my favorite of Natural History Museums, but even if the kids learned 1 thing, and had some fun, it was worth it. The highlight of the museum was the dinosaur digging area. Usually museums give goggles and a brush to move sand covering "fossils", but at the ANS they give a chisel. My son thought it was cool. My daughter, strangely, liked the 1 mummy the museum has on display.
Penn's Landing and the Independence Seaport Museum
After grabbing some icecream at Franklin's Fountain, we strolled down Market Street and across to Penn's Landing ( a waterfront area on the banks of the Delaware River) in the afternoon. This is an off time for Penn's Landing, as apparently there are concerts and such in the evening. If you are looking for a lively atmosphere you can check out the gophilla.com website for dates and times of activities. There is a ferry there that will take you across to New Jersey and the Independence Seaport Museum. We got to the Museum at 3:30 and I asked the desk clerk what the museum had to offer (I had never heard of it before). She said there are 2 floors are exhibits and a boat and submarine you can explore docked out back. I noted that the place was empty and she offered to have my son go free (my daughter was already in the under three= free category) since the Museum was closing at 5. I paid for me and my wife and we headed out to the boats. Turns out the kids loved it.
Here's a run down of the two ships from the ISM website:
The Olympia (C-6) is the oldest steel warship afloat in the world. Launched in San Francisco, CA, in 1892, she is similar to many early steel warships built in Philadelphia for the US Navy.
On May 1, 1898, Olympia devastated a Spanish fleet at Manila Bay in the Philippines,beginning the Spanish-American War. Olympia helped catapult the United States into the role of superpower and won fame for her most famous officer, Commodore George Dewey. It was from Olympia's bridge that Dewey delivered his famous order, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." Olympia also served her country during World War I.
and
Dive into history aboard Independence Seaport Museum's battle-tested World War II Submarine Becuna! Launched in 1944, the Becuna (SS-319) completed five wartime patrols in the Pacific Ocean. Becuna is similar to many submarines built in Philadelphia for the U.S. Navy.
Becuna is a BALAO-class submarine built in New London, CT. During World War II, "Becky" prowled the Pacific Ocean for Japanese ships, and is credited with sinking 3.5 Japanese merchant ships.
Becuna's Cold War missions often found her in the Atlantic, trailing Soviet submarines with eavesdropping equipment aboard. She served in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and ended her long and distinguished career as a training submarine in Connecticut. Becuna was decommissioned in 1969 and has been part of Independence Seaport Museum's Historic Ship Zone since 1996.
The regular exhibits include predominantly models of ships. There were a couple of fun, interactive exhibits, but we breezed through the interior museum in about 20 minutes. That was more than enough for the age of our kids. The ships (Olympia and Becuna) were the highlight of the stop! My son loved it. He still talks about the size of the sub and the small passageways, and the big guns today (a week after our trip).
Here's a run down of the two ships from the ISM website:
The Olympia (C-6) is the oldest steel warship afloat in the world. Launched in San Francisco, CA, in 1892, she is similar to many early steel warships built in Philadelphia for the US Navy.
On May 1, 1898, Olympia devastated a Spanish fleet at Manila Bay in the Philippines,beginning the Spanish-American War. Olympia helped catapult the United States into the role of superpower and won fame for her most famous officer, Commodore George Dewey. It was from Olympia's bridge that Dewey delivered his famous order, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." Olympia also served her country during World War I.
and
Dive into history aboard Independence Seaport Museum's battle-tested World War II Submarine Becuna! Launched in 1944, the Becuna (SS-319) completed five wartime patrols in the Pacific Ocean. Becuna is similar to many submarines built in Philadelphia for the U.S. Navy.
Becuna is a BALAO-class submarine built in New London, CT. During World War II, "Becky" prowled the Pacific Ocean for Japanese ships, and is credited with sinking 3.5 Japanese merchant ships.
Becuna's Cold War missions often found her in the Atlantic, trailing Soviet submarines with eavesdropping equipment aboard. She served in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and ended her long and distinguished career as a training submarine in Connecticut. Becuna was decommissioned in 1969 and has been part of Independence Seaport Museum's Historic Ship Zone since 1996.
The regular exhibits include predominantly models of ships. There were a couple of fun, interactive exhibits, but we breezed through the interior museum in about 20 minutes. That was more than enough for the age of our kids. The ships (Olympia and Becuna) were the highlight of the stop! My son loved it. He still talks about the size of the sub and the small passageways, and the big guns today (a week after our trip).
Sonny's Famous Steaks - Philadelphia
Let me start by saying in the past I've been to Geno's Steaks, Pat's King of Steaks, and Jim's Steaks cheese steak joints. I rank (least favorite to best) them in the order I wrote them. Where does Sonny's Famous Steaks stack up? Probably right in front of Pat's, but not as good as Jim's. All in all, another cheese steak place... Jim's still stands above the other's!
Philadelphia- Franklin's Fountain
I heard about Franklin's Fountain, an ice cream shop on Market Street, from a family member that lived in South Jersey and went to college in Philadelphia. I looked it up on Yelp and saw the great reviews. As we were in the area, and it was a HOT day, we thought it would be nice to grab some ice cream. We could have stopped at a couple of other places on our walk down Market, but i wanted to try this place! I'm happy to say we all loved our ice creams. The place is pricey... 8 or 9 bucks (forget) for a sundae! But the ice cream and hot fudge were delicious.
Unfortunately, the service left something to be desired. A young woman served us and not once cracked a smile or offered a pleasant word. Even my 6 year old noticed this- he asked me why she looked upset. I said maybe she had a bad day. After ordering 3 ice creams... ~$25, I asked for a glass of ice water. I saw someone else get one three people ahead of me from the other server and being that it was so hot out, I asked for the same. My server said "there is a fountain outside with cups near it." I said ok, because i couldn't hold the glass anyway and would have needed to take another trip. I got to the fountain outside and filled a cup. It was hot out and the water was warm. I went back in and asked my same server for a glass of ice water. Her response was, "didn't you see the fountain?" I told her the water was warm, to which she responded, "you didn't let it run enough." I said, "I'll take a glass of ice water please, to go with my $25 in ice cream." With the same sour look on her face she made me the water. Unfortunate that some employees leave a bad taste in your mouth!
Over all Franklin's Fountain is a 4 out of 5 for taste and value (yeh, it's expensive, but it's delicious).... BUT a 1 out of 5 for service! When I go back to Philly I may stop back again... maybe I can talk about how great the service was??
Unfortunately, the service left something to be desired. A young woman served us and not once cracked a smile or offered a pleasant word. Even my 6 year old noticed this- he asked me why she looked upset. I said maybe she had a bad day. After ordering 3 ice creams... ~$25, I asked for a glass of ice water. I saw someone else get one three people ahead of me from the other server and being that it was so hot out, I asked for the same. My server said "there is a fountain outside with cups near it." I said ok, because i couldn't hold the glass anyway and would have needed to take another trip. I got to the fountain outside and filled a cup. It was hot out and the water was warm. I went back in and asked my same server for a glass of ice water. Her response was, "didn't you see the fountain?" I told her the water was warm, to which she responded, "you didn't let it run enough." I said, "I'll take a glass of ice water please, to go with my $25 in ice cream." With the same sour look on her face she made me the water. Unfortunate that some employees leave a bad taste in your mouth!
Over all Franklin's Fountain is a 4 out of 5 for taste and value (yeh, it's expensive, but it's delicious).... BUT a 1 out of 5 for service! When I go back to Philly I may stop back again... maybe I can talk about how great the service was??
Philadelphia's Franklin Square Attractions Review
After checking out the Independence Visitor Center, National Constitution Center, and the Liberty Bell, we moved up to Franklin Square. My kids loved the park. We played a round of miniature golf with a Philadelphia tourist trap theme (Liberty Bell, Art Museum-Rocky's steps, Love sculpture, Franklin Bridge...) and took a ride on the carousel. There is also a playground the kids had fun in for about 20 minutes. They wanted to stay longer, but there was MUCH to be done, after all there are playgrounds like this near us! We sat down near a large fountain and had a little snack. This is a great place to have a family picnic- you have to go here if you have young kids. There is also a bench area were they have someone telling stories at various times.
Independence Visitor Center, National Constitution Center, and the Liberty Bell
We began by walking down Market Street and checking out the Independence Visitor Center. We were able to learn about some of the local sites, the kids enjoyed seeing the workers in 1700s garb knitting, drawing, playing, and strolling about! We then made our way over to the Liberty Bell across the street. My soon to be 6 year old wanted to see every document there. He had learned about the bell this past year in kindergarten and was very excited! He even stood through what was probably a 10 to 15 minute short film on the history of the bell from it's creation through "today". I know he was paying attention because he later asked me about slavery, women's suffrage, and the Vietnam war! Heavy topics for a 6 year old! My wife and I did our best. My 2 1/2 year old was also in good spirits as we strolled her through. When we finally saw the bell, my son was a little disappointed in its size- I think he was expecting something HUGE! :)
We then walked through the park area near the Visitor Center to the National Constitution Center. Not the best place for such young kids. Perhaps we'll go again when they are a bit older. I'd stay away until they are about 8-10?
We then walked through the park area near the Visitor Center to the National Constitution Center. Not the best place for such young kids. Perhaps we'll go again when they are a bit older. I'd stay away until they are about 8-10?
Philadelphia Hotel: Alexander Inn
We just returned from spending 2 days/1 night in nearby (we live on Long Island, NY) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We were originally planning of staying at the Embassy Suites, since the suite setup is great for families, but after checking out www.tripadvisor.com my wife and I decided to try out the Alexander Inn located in the Antique Row area of Philadelphia (this also happens to be a "Gay Area?" (unsure how to write that in a politically correct manner- Think the Village in NYC??). It's a small hotel and we were nervous about the "cramped" setup. Our nervousness was assuaged the moment we walked in and were greeted by 2 of the friendliest front desk attendants! We got in VERY early (9 AM?) and seeing we had 2 children, they quickly got us our room. We went up to our nicely decorated room, left our bags, picked up some fruit for the road (they provide fruit and danish through out the day), parked our car in their indoor lot 3 blocks away, and were off for the day. The hotel is in a pretty good location, as there are attractions in all directions.
We returned that night and were greeted again. They asked our children about the day and seemed genuinely interested! The next morning we woke up, had our continental breakfast (included)- fruit, danish, bagels, waffles, cereal, milk, coffee, juice, tea, hot chocolate... and were out the door for more site seeing.
Over all I was very happy. The only negative (according to my son) was they had no pool (they do have a small gym and computers/wifi) but we were in Philly to explore a little, not sit in a hotel pool!
We returned that night and were greeted again. They asked our children about the day and seemed genuinely interested! The next morning we woke up, had our continental breakfast (included)- fruit, danish, bagels, waffles, cereal, milk, coffee, juice, tea, hot chocolate... and were out the door for more site seeing.
Over all I was very happy. The only negative (according to my son) was they had no pool (they do have a small gym and computers/wifi) but we were in Philly to explore a little, not sit in a hotel pool!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
NY Hall of Science, again
So we went to the NY Hall of Science today, with the goal of checking out the new mini-golf setup. W arrived moments after it opened in order to avoid the afternoon heat and had the kids out in the playground. Let me reiterate how much they love that playground. It's great. We then went to the miniature golf course. My 2 year old was allowed to play for no charge and was given a small plastic golf club- nice touch. My son more or less enjoyed the course which is 9 short holes with a space theme. I should say it was actually 8 holes because the second hole was being fixed. Less than a month old and things are broken- I'm not surprise (more on why later). The holes are not very challenging and are not very unique. It's just a simple space themed mini golf course- I think they could have done a lot better, but it was fun nonetheless.
We then went inside to have some lunch. And here is where the problems began. THE HALL NEEDS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CAMPS ALLOWED ON A GIVEN DAY. If they do limit it, they need to reduce the number. The cafeteria was FILLED, with a small section blocked off for other guests. This blocked off area had about 10 small tables pushed as close together as possible! We couldn't get in with our stroller so we decided to find a table outdoors. There were picnic tables with umbrellas set up by the golf course, so we sat there. It turned out to be a good thing we moved out, because there was a nice breeze and we enjoyed ourselves. Then we moved into the regular exhibit areas and ALL HELL was breaking out. Kids pushing, shoving, and treating exhibits in such a manner that I felt the need to speak to a couple of workers. I think it's great that they have such marvelous hands on exhibits, but there has to be some supervision or things will be destroyed and someone will get hurt. I understand that camps and schools need to supervise there own students, but when there is such chaos, someone needs to step in! Case in point, a young girls (7 years old?) was pulling on a moving chain and causing the gears to grind. The sign posted in HUGE WORDS warns that one should only TAP the chain, not yank or hold onto it. Needless to say the girl hurt her finger and cried to her camp counselor who told her, "Be careful." He was NOWHERE near her. Hall volunteers were standing nearby watching kids push and shove, treat exhibits like garbage, and cut into lines of waiting patrons. If group leaders will not do their job, staff members of the Hall NEED to step in. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen! I went to voice my concerns to a staff member as I was exiting and she simply gave me a slip of paper to write down my feedback. Hey Tara Keblish (her name was on the feedback form)- This is my feedback.
We then went inside to have some lunch. And here is where the problems began. THE HALL NEEDS TO LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CAMPS ALLOWED ON A GIVEN DAY. If they do limit it, they need to reduce the number. The cafeteria was FILLED, with a small section blocked off for other guests. This blocked off area had about 10 small tables pushed as close together as possible! We couldn't get in with our stroller so we decided to find a table outdoors. There were picnic tables with umbrellas set up by the golf course, so we sat there. It turned out to be a good thing we moved out, because there was a nice breeze and we enjoyed ourselves. Then we moved into the regular exhibit areas and ALL HELL was breaking out. Kids pushing, shoving, and treating exhibits in such a manner that I felt the need to speak to a couple of workers. I think it's great that they have such marvelous hands on exhibits, but there has to be some supervision or things will be destroyed and someone will get hurt. I understand that camps and schools need to supervise there own students, but when there is such chaos, someone needs to step in! Case in point, a young girls (7 years old?) was pulling on a moving chain and causing the gears to grind. The sign posted in HUGE WORDS warns that one should only TAP the chain, not yank or hold onto it. Needless to say the girl hurt her finger and cried to her camp counselor who told her, "Be careful." He was NOWHERE near her. Hall volunteers were standing nearby watching kids push and shove, treat exhibits like garbage, and cut into lines of waiting patrons. If group leaders will not do their job, staff members of the Hall NEED to step in. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen! I went to voice my concerns to a staff member as I was exiting and she simply gave me a slip of paper to write down my feedback. Hey Tara Keblish (her name was on the feedback form)- This is my feedback.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Orlando Science Center PART 2
Ok. Since I posted my review of Orlando Science Center and commented about the air conditioning I have gotten a comment and heard from a family member that visited the museum. Seems that the center still has not fixed it's air conditioning. I was told from a recent guest that he complained to a few people and finally spoke to a guest relations rep that said the A/C is 12 years old and has repeatedly tried to be fixed and they are a non profit and don't have the funds for a new system. Seems to me whom ever is in charge needs to step up! I'm not a big fan of the "nonprofit" response... The employees (not volunteers) take a salary! Get working on a grant! Do some fundraising! Get it fixed.
To make matters worse, there is no mention of the broken air conditioner on the website and calls to the museum apparently go unanswered. One patron left a message to please call him back and let him know if the a/c was fixed before he drove an hour and a half the next day to get there. No such luck. He went and the a/c was out!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the OSC, but no A/C in Central Florida in AUGUST is a recipe for disaster!
Hmmm. Any comment from OSC? What's the deal?
To make matters worse, there is no mention of the broken air conditioner on the website and calls to the museum apparently go unanswered. One patron left a message to please call him back and let him know if the a/c was fixed before he drove an hour and a half the next day to get there. No such luck. He went and the a/c was out!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the OSC, but no A/C in Central Florida in AUGUST is a recipe for disaster!
Hmmm. Any comment from OSC? What's the deal?
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