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.