Philadelphia

Columbus Day weekend provided a quick family getaway to Philadelphia, PA.  We considered visiting New York but decided that the Big Apple deserved more than a few days.  By comparison, Philadelphia was closer and a little more manageable.  We departed Friday night in a torrential rainstorm and didn’t arrive until close to midnight.  Fortunately, the kids are good car sleepers.  The next day we hit the Please Touch Museum.  We had heard good things about this children’s museum, and it did not disappoint.  Located in the spectacular Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park (site of the 1876 Centennial Exposition), the museum is HUGE.  We started downstairs at the Alice in Wonderland exhibit and then made our way through the construction zone, shoe store, supermarket and, in a strange bit of foreshadowing, children’s hospital.  After lunch, we rode the antique carousel and sampled the waterworks and space exhibits.  After a full day of exploring, we were preparing to head home when Henry’s eye suddenly collided with his sister’s hand.  After much drama, we decided to visit the emergency room, just to be safe.  Fortunately, the real CHOP was nearby.  It turns out Henry had scratched his cornea.  He was fine but in considerable discomfort.  It didn’t help that we had to wait several hours before being seen.  After an extended odyssey to find an after hours pharmacy and secure some dinner, we finally arrived back at the hotel, exhausted from our evening detour.  With the help of some children’s Motrin, Henry was back on his feet and ready to visit the Philadelphia Zoo the next day.  We have a nice (free) zoo in Washington, DC, but we all agreed that the Philly zoo was far superior.  Not only were the exhibits nicer (we actually managed to see some animals), but there were lots of other activities along the way, like paddle boats, camel rides, and several playgrounds.  Henry had a particularly memorable encounter with a king cobra in the reptile house—the snake slithered over and arched its back right in front of Henry.  For her part, Vivian was content with a pony ride.  After another full day, we headed back to the hotel thoroughly satisfied with our back-to-back adventures in Philadelphia—so much so that we could almost overlook (if not forget) the minor unpleasantness in between.  Below are pictures from the weekend.