Vacation 2

Vacation part 2.

So here is the rest of our vacation. As I said in my last post, we went to the Philadelphia zoo. It’s a good place to go because it’s big enough to be a real zoo, and small enough that you can do the whole zoo without being exhausted at the end. I also like zoos that have lions, tigers and bears. I always feel that the Prospect Park, Queens, and Staten Island zoos are a let down because there’s such a lack of animals. Also, we went early. This is always a great idea because by the time the zoo gets packed, and the heat of the day hits, you can be on your way home and still feel you got what you were overcharged for. A note about the hippos. My kids have an “Uncle” who comes over to our house a lot. One time we were all out for pizza, and my kids were playing with a claw machine, and won this stuffed hippopotamus. They started showing my friend the hippo and just saying “hippo-o-o-po-o-otomuuuus”. This eventually led to my friend (my kid’s “Uncle”) starting and ending conversations by saying –Hippo! Good morning-Hippo! Did you get my e-mail-Hippo! Good Shabbos-Hippo! Of course, it gets a little annoying to the kids, that’s really the point, but it’s a part of my kids’ fun. Of course, we now email and photo anything having to do with a hippo.

We went to the Franklin Institute for the second day, and there was a hippo’s heart in one of the displays. (Of course, we sent a picture to him!). On the subject of the Franklin Institute, we did the whole museum. They had a really nice exhibit of a pirate ship, the Wydah . The display was really cool and informative but not for kids. I was really happy to ride on the steam engine. It moves for about 10 feet. My son got to “drive” it by working some of the controls with “help” form the conductor at the museum. It’s actually been there since 1933! Truthfully, they could use an update to make more interactive stuff, and there is plenty of technology that could be used to enhance older exhibits, but all in all, it was a great air conditioned place to be on a 90 degree + day!

Next, we were off to http://www.clementonpark.com/ . We all like it better than Sesame Place. It was like someone took Sesame and squeezed it all
together so you didn’t get exhausted going from one end to the other. The price was better too!

The last place we went was http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com . The place was immaculately clean, and the kids had a great time. I really liked that the Strasburg railroad rumbles right through the middle every 20 minutes or so. It gives such a “country” ambiance to the place.

This week, it’s back to school. What did you do on your vacation?