Fall Day 7 - Goodnight Philly

Today was our last day in Philadelphia, but we made it count. We had some trouble driving around the city though. A popular police man was killed recently, and today was the funeral (or some event). There were hundreds of cops near the church (which was near the museums were were going to). It was so sad and so touching to see them all. We somehow found parking at a hotel, and walked most of the day.

We went to the Children's "Please Touch" Museum in the morning, with Lori and Alec. E "built" a tree house, had a tea party with Alec, rode the many modes of public transportation, and did some grocery shopping.



We then went to Reading Terminal Market, where there is just about every type of food one can imagine under on roof (both raw and prepared). This is the only place we've been to where E could get everything he requested (rice with soy sauce, corn, fries, and chicken taco). Han and I had cheesecakes, then I found a crepe place (nutella banana, yum), and got some Chow Chow from the Lancaster people (since I somehow didn't remember to buy when we were actually in Lancaster). Yes, food is a big part of our trips. We obviously couldn't hit all of our favorite places, but I think we did a good job. Sadly, the Belgian Chocolate House was closed, and we didn't have time to get food from our favorite street vendors (although I saw both my morning fruit truck and my evening Chinese truck near Penn).


After lunch, we tried to take a cab to the Franklin Institute, but after 10 minutes and only going 2 blocks (many roads were blocked off still), we just walked. It was so nice to just see different parts of the city, watch the kids get out of school, and enjoy the cool air (the feet didn't enjoy this quiet as much as the heart, soul, and mind, but it can't all be perfect). We finally made it to the Franklin Institute, where we learned all about the heart (even took a walk through one), electricity, trains, space, etc. We tried an IMax movie, but it was too much for E.



E and I waited on the steps of the Franklin while Han wen to get the car. We said goodnight to Philly as the sun went down and the lights went up. E says Philly is his favorite city too, and we'll all miss being here. But, we didn't get to do and see nearly all that we wanted to, so we'll just have to come back soon :-)



We had a great dinner with Ashesh and Lori, and E and Alec got to play with puzzles and trains again. It was fun to reminisce about old times and how the city has changed since they were all undergraduates here. I hope it won't be quite as long before we see them again. Did I mention we want to come back soon???

Fall Day 6 - "What's his name? Elijah?"

Today we saw Alex and Chip and Maura and Caitlin! We hadn't seen them in over 3 years (well, we'd never meet the kids at all). But first, we spent the morning at the Aquarium in Camden. It was very nice, and one of the unique things I liked the most about it was the "naturalistic" environments they had for some of the displays. Like, a beach scene for the crab, a bayou seen for some of the fish, etc. We also got to see the divers in with the sharks, which was very cool!

The view of Philly from across the river is nice :-)

We drove to Alex's after lunch (btw, "crab fries" in Philly are fries with Old Bay seasoning...not actual crab). E and Maura played all afternoon and Maura kept saying "what's his name, Elijah?". She's very cute :-) Caitlin is a little love too, so cuddly. We all had nice dinner together, but the visit wasn't nearly long enough. I hope they make it to Florida soon :-)

Fall Day 5 - The Soul of Belgium in the Heart of Philadelphia

Today was very busy! We drove into Philly early in the morning...



We drove by all the places we used to hang out. We showed E where Han went to school and where we both worked. I pointed out the food truck where I used to get my morning banana for 25 cents. I showed him where I lived (my room was on the top floor, to the left) and my favorite tree (the nice orange one in front).

Then we headed to the Italian market. There E wanted to buy a banana for 25 cents (hm, wonder where he got that idea) and seemed disappointed when the lady gave him 5 for a dollar instead. We did have some great coffee though!

We found parking near Independence Mall and headed to Bonte, a cafe with supposed Belgian waffles. Believe me, they aren't close (it's a chain, I should have known better than to expect too much). We then saw the Liberty Bell (wow, was there a lot more security this time around!) , Independence Hall, and the Constitution Center, where E signed the constitution :-)

Next it was time for lunch, so we went to China town, where we found a wonderful Malaysian restaurant. We hand a broad noodle dish that we have been searching for for years, as well as mango chicken and roti. E even tried to eat with chopsticks (that didn't last long, rice is pretty hard to grab).

After lunch we hopped on our double decker bus and took a tour of the town on our way to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day to walk around outside, and it was pretty empty so we didn't have any crowed to fight. E really enjoyed the elephants and the reptile and amphibian section, and I loved the mosaic mural in the children's section.

After the zoo, we got back on the bus and headed to Monks Belgian Restaurant. The food and beer were excellent! We had trout and chicken and terrine and fries :-)

And finally, after 5 days of non-stop activities, E was tired out! He fell asleep at dinner, on the bench. Pretty funny that my son fell asleep in a Belgian bar (considering how many times I did the same thing back in the day). We took extra dessert to Ashesh and Lori's, ate and chatted, and now Han is just waiting for me to finish so he can stop trying to stay awake on the couch.

Fall Day 4 - Fast Friends

Early morning in Cherry Hill, NJ! With the time change and E's excitement, we were up before 5 this morning. We relaxed in the morning and headed to downtown Haddenfield. Unfortunately, all of the shops were closed, but we did have a good breakfast at Starbucks (perfect Chai weather here).

We then drove to Chris and Jim's house, where E and Ian got reacquainted. We packed a lunch and headed to Longwood Gardens, which was absolutely beautiful! We were there for over 3 hours and didn't get close to seeing it all. E and Ian quickly became friends and were inseparable.

Later in the afternoon we arrived at Lori and Ashesh's, where E managed to find another train lover and train set. He finally fell asleep, but only checking to make sure we had a fun day planned tomorrow!

Meanwhile, Han and Ashesh went to the Eagles game. Han loved the field, and was very happy not to be too cold. Apparently, Eagles fans are more fanatical than Gator fans!

Fall Day 3 - A Day on the Farm

Today was our last day in Lancaster Country. We woke up early, packed, and said goodbye to the little Cottage. We drove around, looking for places to have breakfast and looking at the sights. We then went to the Strasbourg Toy Train Museum, which was awesome! Huge train displays, some interactive. E loved making the trains go and probably would have stayed there all day if not for the actual train ride coming up.

We then rode the Strasbourg Railroad line, which was a nice 45 minute ride through farm lands. E enjoyed Kettle Corn and pointed out any Amish so I could make sure not to take their pictures or capture them on video.
We got off near Cherry Crest Farm, where we spent most of the afternoon. Today was their last day, and it was a chilly one! There was a huge corn maze, which we didn't attempt, because it really was HUGE and E wasn't sure he'd make it all the way through. We did take a little wagon ride through part of the maze though. The farm had tons of activities, from their "Make-A-Friend" workshop, where E made his new friend, Leon. Leon is a little Amish boy whose name means "Brave". E slung pumpkins, jumped in the hay stacks, went through a hay obstacle course and tunnel, saw some farm animals, nearly crushed a chick (the boy has huge hands), rode a horse, had a duck race, and nearly twisted his ankle on a huge open bounce platform. We headed out as E started stumbling around, yet proclaiming not to be sleepy the whole time. On our way out of the area, we stopped at the Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, which is a very large shopping center full of fun crafts and gifts. I finally found my Amish Christmas ornament (we try to get one from every place we visit) and headed to Cherry Hill, NJ.

We drove into Philly, saw the skyline and felt happy :-) Oh, another note about Mr. Darcy (our GPS - he has a British accent): it only works well when one enters the correct address. Turns out that Cuthbert Rd. is different than Old Cuthbert Rd...one takes us into Camden, the other to Cherry Hill. Camden is scary, but we finally made it to the hotel and got some Thai food. E fell asleep during the trip and didn't wake up until early the next morning. For those wondering how a 4 year old is handing such a busy schedule: at 5:30 a.m., he was already asking when we'd get to go do the fun stuff and wanted to go over a day to day itinerary to make sure there was going to be enough to do. The adults haven't run out of steam yet either :-)

Fall Day 2 - Cottage Living

Our little cottage is so cute! It's really tiny, but has plenty of room for just a couple days. It's absolutely beautiful out here! The leaves are turning, the grass is green, and there is a creek right by the cottage.

We started the morning just running around outside, then we drove around in search of covered bridges. Here are a couple we found.

Then we went to Lancaster's Children's Museum, where E played all sorts of Lancater-esk games, including fishing, farming, and building. After lunch, we went to the Amish Village, where we got a tour of an Amish home and farm. It clearly wasn't "real", but it was very interesting. Driving around we have seen so many beautiful farms, families working and playing, and travelers racing down the street in their buggies. Since they don't like their picture taken, you won't see any here...

Then we headed to Strasburg, a train lover's Paradise (btw, we also went to Paradise, the little town). We went to the National Train Museum first, where there were dozens of actual trains on display, from all eras. E was able to (pretend) conduct one of the trains.

We then went to the Choo Choo Barn, which is one of the best train displays I've ever seen! It was designed to be a miniature version of Lancaster Country, complete with an Amish barn raising, local attractions, and even a burning house (the little fire truck goes right over, and the firemen climb up ladders to put the fire out. We bought the DVD in case anyone wants to see it :-) Right next door was the Thomas Depot, were E got a new friend, Whiff. We spent our last night at the Cottage watching the Choo Choo DVD and preparing for out next adventure.

Fall - Day 1 "We Love You All"

Ah, fall, how I love thee! Today started early. Our flight took off at 6:00-ish, so we were up at 4:30, getting some last minute things packed. The flights were uneventful and fairly short. We got into Philly around noon, picked up our car, and headed out to Amish Country. First item of note: our new GPS is indispensable! Seriously, on trips like these, I believe they can save marriages. Second: I can’t believe how excited I was when we saw our first Wawa! I used to walk past one every day on my way to work, sometimes dropping in for a treat when I could afford it. Third: the leaves haven’t turned as much as we expected. Reports suggest that fall is a bit late this year. We drove around farm country for a while, enjoying the sights and the occasional horse-drawn buggy on the road. We stopped for dinner at Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant, which was served “family style”. We didn’t know what that meant at first, but basically there is a set menu for that night and we get it all brought to the table. Started with apple sauce, apple butter, cabbage, chowchow (pickled veggie salad), and fresh baked bread for appetizers. Then ham loaf, fresh sausage (as in, made today at the meat house right next to the restaurant), and chicken, with corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, and mashed potato stuffing . The cook made butter-free versions of stuff so E would have more to eat. For dessert there were at least 7 pies and cakes and ice cream (the shoofly pie was yummy…like pecan pie without the pecans). We then headed to Bird-In-Hand for a buggy ride. By then the sun was getting lower and the farms looked so bright and warm (although we were a little chilly…and loving it). Jacob, our “driver”, told us about his family history and that of the area, while he took us past some of the most scenic views of the area and a private Amish farm. He told us about their traditions, compared them to ours, and kept saying “but you love you all”. I believe he meant it. We finally found our little cottage just as the sun was going down, so we settled in for the night.