Philadelphia (Day 2 in More Detail)

One of the most glorious things about our trip to Philadelphia was this:

An enormous walk-in closet. We knew we were getting a kitchen, but the walk-in was a lovely surprise. When I opened the door to the closet and was pleasantly surprised by its enormity I said, "Felix! It's your bedroom." And he slept very well in the closet. It also contained the safe, which provided many minutes of entertainment for both boys.

On our second day in Philadelphia we wanted to go to the Barnes Foundation, but we had failed to get our tickets three weeks in advance. Albert Barnes was an early twentieth-century collector of avant-garde art. He bought post-impressionist, cubist, and fauvist art when it was brand new. I've wanted to see his collection for a long time. It used to be in his house but was recently (and controversially) moved to a new museum. I guess we'll just have to take another trip.

We saw the Rodin Museum, and Beckett and Nate sat down to think with The Thinker.

Then we went to the Please Touch Museum. This children's museum is housed in one of the buildings built for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876:

It looks like it could be another art museum, and Beckett was surprised and delighted when we walked in the door. He shouted, " There are toys in here! There are toys in here!"

The Please Touch Museum is the best children's museum I have ever been to. It's huge and spacious. They had all kinds of cool exhibits, like the Alice in Wonderland exhibit below.

This was a construction site exhibit where the kids could load up pulleys and chutes with bricks from this truck.

The water exhibit was not just one table, it was a gigantic display of rivers, waterfall, and lakes. Beckett loved it.

The transportation exhibit had a bus, a train, and several cars. Beckett pumped some gas. Felix slept through most of the museum and missed all the fun, but there were several three and under zones that he would have enjoyed.

A tired kid finished his fun on the carousel.

And with that we headed home. It's fun that Philadelphia is only two hours away.

Philadelphia (Day 1 in more Detail)

Here's more on our trip to Philadelphia. 

 

Ready to take on the city.

We started our day at Independence Hall.

Here's the room where the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution were signed. Philadelphia was the nicest city in America in the 1700s, and the Pennsylvania State House was the biggest building in the colonies.

Felix slept through most of the Independence Hall tour. (Go Felix!) Afterward we ate our packed lunch outside.

 

In 1784 Charles Willson Peale opened the country's first museum in the upper room of Independence Hall. You can see a reconstruction of his museum a couple doors down from Independence Hall. Charles Willson Peale painted many portraits of famous contemporaries, and many of these are housed at the Museum Branch, as well.

We also saw the Liberty Bell. It's pretty impressive in person.

Next we took a taxi to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Beckett loved the taxi. He kept telling us: "This is not a car. This is a taxi."

Admiring Benjamin Franklin.

Nate and I were completely enchanted with all the reconstructed rooms and doors. Below are images of a Medieval Cloister, a Hindu Temple, and a Chinese study.

The room below is a reconstruction of a Japanese Tea Room. It is inside the museum, but the lighting and landscaping is such that it looks like it is outdoors. Beckett, took a break from iPading to ask, "Is this the backyard?" He asked a couple of times, and we went back into the room just to hear him say, "backyard" one last time. 

 

 Felix liked the sculpture best.

After hitting the top floor of the museum we were all hungry and the kids were bored, so we left and went for an early dinner. Afterwards, we felt refueled, so we walked back to the museum. On the way back Felix fell asleep in the stroller. Beckett quietly played the iPad while being pushed from room to room. It was almost like a date.

Nate and I were really glad we went back to see the first floor. Look at what we would have missed:

Left to Right: Winslow Homer's The Life Line, Henry Ossawa Tanner's The Annunciation, Charles Willson Peale's The Staircase Group, Cezanne's Mont Sainte Victoire, Degas's The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, Picasso's Man with a Violin, Thomas Eakins's The Agnew Clinic. 

Definitely some gems from American and European art history.

We also enjoyed this Sol LeWitt room.

One of the highlights, was seeing Duchamp's The Large Glass (or Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even) in person.

We also love Brancusi's The Kiss.

 

With that it was time to head back to the hotel. Beckett was thrilled to be leaving. (Although I must sing praises to our double stroller. A trip to a museum like this would not have been possible without the double.) On our way to pick up our coats Beckett stopped two museum guards and told them, "We are going home. We are going back to the hotel!." He also informed the girl at the coat check of our plans. Felix charmed all the museum guards. Good thing, it's a little nerve wracking taking a baby to a museum.

One year and still counting

Happy first birthday, Felix!

A Space Shuttle

Last year we went to the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Space Shuttle Discovery now calls the museum home, so we had to take another trip to see it.

This shuttle has been to space! And it shows. On the left is the Discovery. On the right is the Enterprise. The Enterprise, which was used for tests on the ground and in the atmosphere looks like a glorified model next to the Discovery.

The tiles on the space shuttle got a lot of love from the tour guides. We heard bits of three separate tours, and they were all discussing these glorious tiles. They provided protection against the extreme temperatures encountered when reentering the atmosphere. Tiles would have to be replaced after they were worn out. The black tiles are the ones that have never been through reentry.

Pictures with a baby to give some perspective on scale.

The Space Shuttle Discovery flew 39 missions, covering 149 million miles in its 5,830 orbits and spent 365 days in space. It flew more missions than any other space shuttle.

Seeing the space shuttle in person was pretty impressive. For me and Nate, it was a chance to see one of the symbols of the era of our childhood.

Day 2 in Philadelphia

We didn't make it to the Barnes Museum, so we saw the Gates of Hell at the Rodin and then the Please Touch Museum. Beckett was thrilled to find a museum dedicated to him.

Be Mine

I decided to put in some effort for Valentine's Day this year. I am not much of a decorator or party planner, but I just knew that Beckett would really love Valentine's Day, so we did it right. On Wednesday he had a party at preschool and came home really fired up about V-Day. We made cupcakes together, and I let him decorate all of them. Then we made a little Valentine craft that became our centerpiece. After the kids went to bed I hung the hearts and put out the Valentine plates and presents. You can be sure that Beckett noticed every single thing.

(Notice the V-Day snow.)

Opening a present.

Eating a present.

Beckett picked out some cupcakes and crafts to take to him babysitter's house. He kept saying "Happy Valentine's Day" all day long. The hearts are still hanging. They were a big hit.

Day 1 in Philadelphia

We hit the city hard today. First we toured Independence Hall, followed by a short stop at the Liberty Bell. Then we took a taxi across town to the Philadelphia Art Museum. Thanks to Felix's nap and Beckett's love of the iPad, we were able to see the entire museum. It was great. One highlight was Duchamp's "The Large Glass". The museum is packed full of surprises.

Flying

Time for our nightly flight. First, the boys build a runway out of puzzle pieces. Next, they build an airport with a control tower out of legos. Finally, we switch on the theme music. The planes fly to "Test Drive" from How to Train Your Dragon  and the Theme from Superman.