Happy Independence Day , America!

We at OWTK wish you and your kids a Happy July 4th weekend. Enjoy the weather, the water, the fireworks, and the BBQ.


Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Project Bird Feeder - Update

The OWTK Bird Feeder has been, if I am not being too premature in saying, a rousing success. We are not sure if our backyard has been rated by Zagat - Bird Edition just yet, but business is brisk. As advertised, our Droll Yankee feeder has seen not a single squirell on it, they are however loitering below (it would seem that some of our customers are messy eaters).

During the busy lunch and dinner hours, it is not uncommon to see a queue forming atop the wrought iron hook from which the feeder hangs. We have seen so far: both male and female cardinals, and many other birds the Mrs. has yet to identify. Most are smallish black birds, some with red heads. We saw one bright yellow bird with some black spots the first day, but he (or she) has yet to return while we were home.

When we arrive home each evening, the first thing our daughter will do is run to the back window to check for birdies. That alone makes this project worthwhile.

More updates (and pictures) to come...



Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Cooperstown, New York - Baseball Hall of Fame

Sticking with the Baseball theme...

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York is a great family destination. The Hall itself is a wonderful walk through the history of the game but the surrounding shops, restaurants, and townspeople are what makes this such a great place to take the kids. We visited for one night en route to our first Newport Folk Festival when our daughter was a mere 5 months old. She was already a fan of the game of baseball (well, she liked looking up at the brilliant green outfield grass on the television). We had a great time just wandering the streets of the quaint village. There are a couple of baseball bat companies that do custom engraving on real full size (or mini) bats while you wait: The Cooperstown Bat Company and the Where it all Began Bat Company. We purchased mini bats for $11.95 each, which includes one line of engraving, from "Where is all began" for each of our nieces and nephews as holiday stocking stuffers. If you cannot make it all the way to Cooperstown, but think these bats would make a great gift for the little one(s) in your life, have no fear - you can order online from their Yahoo store.


While passing through the Cooperstown area, we stayed in a KOA Campground Kabin a few miles north of town, for $50, as all the Bed & Breakfasts and hotels in and around Cooperstown were sold out (the Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson tour, which we were also in town to attend, was kicking off at the Hall's Doubleday Field that weekend making accommodations scarce). This was a fun experience, in a cute little wooden cabin with parking right outside the door, which could have slept up to two adults (in the double bed) and two kids in the bunk beds. However, we did not enjoy the greatest nights sleep. Having never stayed in such a place, we were woefully unprepared for two major facts: 1) there were no sheets on the bed and 2) it gets REALLY cold at night in upstate New York, even in August. We had blankets for our daughter and her pack-n-play, so she was set, but me and the Mrs. were quite uncomfortable and teeth-chatteringly chilly the whole night through. Allow our one night in the outdoors to be a lesson to those venturing into a KOA Kabin: pack, at the very least, a fitted sheet and some warm blankets - regardless of the season!


Admission into the Hall of Fame is reasonable $14.50 for adults, only $5 for kids 7-12, and those under 7 are free. If you are someone with any military experience, active or retired, you will also be admitted for free.

Even having spent a mere single night in the lovely village of Cooperstown, we would whole-heartedly recommend this as a weekend destination for any family with at least a mild interest in the game of baseball. There certainly is much more to see and do in that part of the state aside from baseball, such as boating, antique shopping, the National Soccer Hall of Fame, wine tasting, fine dining, among others. Visit the wonderful official site of the town for more info on activities and all various lodging options. Currently there is a coupon giveaway for a free pin and discount booklet.

Other baseball related museums around the country:
National Constitution Center - Philadelphia PA
The brand new, beautiful Center presents the SPORTS - Breaking Records, Breaking Boundaries exhibit until August 20th.


Negro League Baseball Museum - Kansas City MO
This shrine to The Negro League shares it space with the American Jazz Museum. While in K.C. check out the huge bust of Charlie "Bird" Parker. It looks terrific at night.

Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum - Baltimore, MD
Located a stones throw from the Orioles' Camden Yards (still an amazing park after a decade in use), this museum makes for an easy stop before or after an O's game.

A large list of Other Baseball Museums across the United States, from USAToday.com



Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

The Boys of Summer - Take your kids out to the ballpark

It is officially summer, and what better way to spend a summertime afternoon or evening then at a baseball game with your kids. As American as apple pie and country music, a baseball game offers families an affordable experience that harkens back to a simpler time when kids and their parents huddled around the family radio to catch the broadcast of their hometown heroes.

These days, each Major League Baseball club offer specials, promotions, and giveaways to attract young fans and their families to the ballpark. From bobble-heads, player t-shirts, hats, lunchboxes and more, teams are eagerly handing out fun and free stuff at the gate (usually to kid's 14 and under). Most clubs with open-air parks also offer Fireworks (some just around the 4th of July holiday while others, like the Detroit Tigers, offer these shows more frequently through the season) after select games and some allow kid's on to the field to run the bases after certain games.

Tickets to MLB games were once very cheap, but with the number of new ballparks that have been built in the last decade, prices have risen. It is still the most affordable professional sport to see live, but seats close to the field in most cities will cost $40 or more. Don't let the high price tag for premium seats keep you from the game though. Every ballpark has ticket offers and discounted ticket areas, bleachers, standing room (and in many of these new parks you are going to want to spend a lot of time walking around and watching the game from the open-air concourses anyway). You could always try to win an eBay auction for a group of premium tickets to save some money if being close to the action is a priority.

Another great option is Minor League Baseball which is readily available in many small towns and cities across the country and provides an inexpensive way for a family to enjoy our national pastime. Minor League games typically offer a smaller, more intimate fan experience with smaller ballparks and more access to the players. Tickets and concession stand prices are often far less than their Major League counterparts, which will allow a family to enjoy a day or night of baseball without breaking the bank.

Here are some current MLB promotions to consider:

MasterCard MLB Grand Slam Ticket Pack
Good value with these ticket deals available for selected games when you pay with your Mastercard. Some examples include:

• Lower deck Reserve seat and a Boog Pit Beef sandwich (these are excellent!) for $15 @ The Baltimore Orioles ballpark Camden Yards, near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.
• Four (4) Upper deck tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas, and 4 bags of chips for $50 @ The World Series Champion Chicago White Sox ballpark U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago's South Side. (I have personally sat in the upper deck here and can assure you that these are quality seats with a great view of Chicago)

More examples of family ticket plans include:
Like the White Sox, the Washington Nationals also offer 4 for $50 (their version is $49) promotion called the Pepsi Family Four Pack, which is available every Sunday. The San Diego Padres offer a 4 for $50 package for any Saturday or Sunday game which will get you four tickets, dogs, and sodas (Coke, not Pepsi at their brand new Petco Park). The L.A. Dodgers offer a several ticket promotions on their official website.
Also, be aware that AAA members may be eligible for discounts on tickets throughout the league. Be sure to inquire about such discounts if you are an AAA member.

Check with the local Major and/or Minor league ball club in your area and discover what discounts are available and head out with your kids to witness our Nation's pastime this Summer.



Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Seussical Jr. - Theater for Toddlers and Kids

Our daughter will be attending her first play this coming weekend, at the Bristol Riverside Theater in Bristol, PA. Her Mom-mom is taking her to see Seussical Jr., a new stage production of the Broadway hit Dr. Seuss musical Seussical. Tickets are a mere $7 and that presents, at least financially, a fairly low-risk endeavor, which is why we greenlighted the event even though she is only 2 1/4 years old. The roughly 1 hour story of Seussical Jr. follows Horton and his friends in the speck of dust (aka Who-ville) he discovers. The musical play also features Dr. Suess favorites The Cat in the Hat and the Grinch, among others.

Mom-mom is continuing a long-standing tradition of hers. A couple times a year she schedules a "Day Out with Mom-mom". During this time with her grandsons and granddaughters she will often take them to a small local theater and to lunch. Those are special moments that both she, and her grandkids, look back on with fond memories. As a result the kids have seen, combined, dozens of plays and musicals.

Live theater can be a magical experience for kids, especially for those whose primary source of visual entertainment is through movies and TV. To see actors performing live on stage and to be allowed to become a part of that process, is an amazing gift. The fact that there are theaters in towns all over the country that offer this kind of experience for kids of all ages, including the toddler set, and are often performing time tested theatrical favorites like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Jungle Book, for such a fair price (cheaper than a movie) is a tremendous thing.

Seussical Jr. is also being performed this summer at the Sellersville Theater, in PA, in New York City at Theater 315, and in Tarrytown, NY at the Tarrytown Music Hall. If you think your child (or children) would enjoy seeing live theater check with your hometown theater company about a kids show they may be staging this summer. If they have nothing planned for that age group, ask them to consider it for next season. Keep in mind that prices will vary from theater to theater, city to city, as can age requirements for certain shows.



Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Campout Postponed / Project Bird Feeder

The OWTK 3 unfortunately did not participate in last nights Great American Backyard Campout thanks to flooding at our campsite (backyard). Southeastern PA, like much of the East Coast, was treated to an afternoon and evening full of rain, thunderstorms, and lightening. An OWTK Campout make-up date is to be scheduled shortly.

Sticking with the backyard theme...

The first OWTK bird feeder was purchased today, from The Wild Bird Center. We decided on the brand Droll Yankees, which is advertised as "The World's Best Bird Feeders", and their "Yankee Dipper" model . This was a bit more than we wanted to spend at $80 but we figured we would be in the feeding-of-birds business for a while, so why not buy one of the high quality squirrel-proof varieties. And while we have no prior personal experience with birds or the feeding of them, our daughter absolutely loves our little winged friends. She can spot the smallest one from what seems like miles away and gets quite excited when she does. Couple our girl's fondess for the animals and Mrs. OWTK's recent purchase of a North American Bird book/ journal to identify and log the visitors we receive and it seems like a natural progression, this feeder.

This OWTK Family project, entitled uniquely enough, Project Bird Feeder, will be chronicled periodically on OutWithTheKids.com. Stay tuned for reviews of the feeder and seed we use (We purchased a 20lb. bag of black oil sunflower seed to start with) and descriptions and pictures of the lucky birds who drop by our backyard.


Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

OWTK Bumper Stickers at World's Fair Cafe Press store

We have Out With The Kids bumper stickers available for sale at our CafePress.com store called World's Fair. We also offer a variety of clever (we think) designs on tee shirts, bags, mugs, etc. such as our Wanna Hugga Tree With Me, Lil' Beach Bum, Free Range Chick, and Independence (4th of July) designs. Most all the designs were created with our daughter (and kids in general) in mind.









Feel free to slide on over to that site and take a look around - Cafe Press is always having a sale, so you can pick up some stlyish and unique clothing at a decent price.




Thanks,


Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

OWTK Bi-Monthly Book Suggestions - June/July 2006

The OWTK June/July kid's literature picks include talking radishes, a tall tale of our beloved States, and a classic song put to paper.

I Heard It From Alice Zucchini by Juanita Havill with illustrations by Christine Davenier. $15.95 from Powells.com

Alice Zucchini is our daughter's first book of poetry. The poems arc artfully along with the lifecycle of a garden from early Spring's last frost to Winter's first blanket of white snow. Author Juanita Havill injects personality into packs of seeds eagerly awaiting the soft soil of springtime and their turn to become full-grown adult vegetables, the mixed bag of ingredients used to make stew, and the schoolyard gossip queen - our title character Alice Zucchini. The twenty poems in this collection are terrific veggie tales that a child of any age will enjoy. Christine Davenier's illustrations are out of this world, some of the best work we have seen in any children's book. Our daughter cannot get enough of the poem Seedlings which describes the comings and goings of ordinary garden weeds. This one resonates with her the most as she often enjoys assisting Mom in the garden, especially with yanking out those pesky weeds. The Monster is another of her favorites. In it, we are so cleverly allowed to eavesdrop on the "interaction" between the scarecrow and the vegetables which surround him. I Heard It From Alice Zucchini is a wonderful collection of children's poetry written in an imaginative, unique, and playful manner. We have no doubt that your children will fall in love with these poems of real veggie tales, just as ours did.

The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller. $6.95 from Powells.com

Ever wonder if Oklahoma dreams of dipping it's panhandle into the Pacific Ocean or if the rest of the States ever get bored of their surroundings and long to see a new part of the country? Well, Laurie Keller has and the result is a geography book that is just flat-out hilarious and (sshhh...educational). Within 3-4 reads, our daughter could identify on a map; our home state of Pennsylvania, as well as California, Florida, New York, and Kansas (which may seem random until you read the book). The Scrambled States of America is a fun, easy and subtle way to teach your children about the United States, geography, and some of the more famous state exports (Corn from Iowa, Peaches from Georgia, etc). The Scrambled States of America is also available as a board game for ages 8+.

This Land is Your Land by Woody Guthrie with illustrations by Kathy Jakobsen. $7.98 (w/ 8 song audio CD) from Powells.com - On Sale

This classic song of freedom, love for one's country and the potential of it's places and people by one of this nation's greatest songwriters, American icon Woody Guthrie, is paired with vivid illustrations depicting numerous scenes from our country's past and present. On each page you and your children will discover America, from California to the New York Island, through the eyes of Woody. This hardback book is currently on sale at Powell's for a low $7.98 and it is accompanied by an 8 song CD featuring the famous title track as well as other original and fun Guthrie-penned kid songs performed by himself and son Arlo. This Land is Your Land is a must read and listen for any family - truly inspiring words by a musical and cultural legend.

Jeff

http://www.outwiththekids.com

EVENT REMINDER - Great American Backyard Campout is this Saturday June 24th

original article posted on may 30th, 2006

This Saturday, June 24th, is the National Wildlife Federation's GREAT AMERICAN BACKYARD CAMPOUT. Spend a night outdoors with your family and friends enjoying the sights and sounds of your own backyard. For our friends in big cities, why not visit a local park or campground that allows such activity or go ahead and pitch a tent in your living room and bring the outside-in with a nature sounds cd, flashlights, and popcorn.

The point is, spend some time together with friends and family and enjoy your surroundings - whatever they may be.

Don't forget to register your "campsite" on the official website by clicking the picture below.

See you under the stars!



Have Fun!

Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

OWTK Destination Guide - Sarasota, Florida (Gulf Coast) - PART ONE

OWTK Destination Guide - Sarasota, Florida (Gulf Coast) - PART ONE
(Part Two coming soon. Both sections will be combined in the archive)

*Compiled through two long weekend stays in the Sarasota area (Fall 2005 and early-Summer 2006)

Sarasota is a city located 50 miles to the South of Tampa and is served by both the Tampa and Sarasota-Bradenton Airports. There are many world renowned beaches within minutes of Sarasota, including Seista, Lido, and Longboat Key as well as Anna Marie Island, among others. The city features many excellent dining spots, both upscale and seaside casual, and some great shopping. Traffic in and around the city or to and from the beaches was never heavy at any time of day, weekday or weekend. As anyone familar with typical beach traffic could tell you, that fact alone makes this an attractive destination.

Sarasota is an interesting little town. It can be considered quite progressive when you consider that it is the home of a major Film Festival (the town loves it's movies, and is helping to produce/finance an upcoming William H. Macy film) and a homegrown organization called Sarasota Originals dedicated to promoting local independent restaurants, and features a Whole Foods market along with several other natural food stores.

Arrival Info

Flying into Tampa: The Tampa airport (TPA) is a low-fare destination from many cities and is served by all the major airlines including Southwest it has been, in our experience, a very comfortable place to fly into and drive away from (the highways are clearly marked and the entrances are just off the airport grounds). The terminals are connected via an elevated train (about a 1 minute journey) to the main airport area, where the baggage claim, ticketing, and ground transportation areas are located. The unexpected suprise of riding a modern, air conditioned train should delight the young train enthusiast in your family. Also interesting, and a useful divsersion for any wait you might face on the way home, is the Manatees Menagerie throught the terminal. Young kids should love running around looking for all the colorful sea cows - including a Bob Marley Manatee complete with guitar and dreadlocks.
The baggage claim wait was never long (no more than a few minutes) and the rental car booths are in the same space so you should not have to lug your bags around too much. There is no traditional Hertz #1 Club Gold service at the Tampa Airport so all those with Hertz reservations must proceed to the counter for assistance and keys (although there is a separate, faster moving, line for #1 Club Gold members).
The drive from Tampa Airport is an easy one, a virtual straight shot due South which takes just about 1 hour. There is a $1 toll to cross over the visually impressive Sunshine Skyway Bridge on the way through St. Petersburg towards Sarasota.



Flying into Sarasota: The Sarasota-Bradenton Airport (SRQ) is smaller than Tampa, served by fewer airlines and offer fewer flights. However, it does offer non-stop flights to and from many major cities including New York, Charlotte, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Toronto. Eight of the major car rental companies are on site, including Hertz, Avis, and Enterprise. The Airport is located a mere 10 minutes from the downtown area and is easy to drive away from as you are essentially two turns (a right and then a left) from downtown and if you add one more right hand turn you will be on the beach in under 15 minutes from the time you obtain your rental car.

Hotels
There are many lodging options in and around the Sarasota area and the Gulf Island Beaches. All of the major chains (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Sheraton) are represented plus there are many low cost motels scattered both on the mainland and the islands. For longer stays, there are vacation rental units along the beaches.

Homewood Suites by Hilton - Fruitville Rd. Sarasota (OWTK - 4 night stay in September 2005)

This is a handsome square-shaped hotel, painted a festive yellow. The lobby is at the front of the building facing the street, while the outdoor swimming pool and some parking spots on the inside of the square. There are several entry points to various locations of the hotel, which means you most likely will be coming and going without passing through the lobby. All Homewoods offer a free breakfast daily and a manager's reception with an evening dinner/hot snack on weekday evenings. There is a comfortable, semi-private free business center across from the front desk which offers one computer with high speed internet access and other basic business equipment needs such as a printer, copier, etc. Also in the lobby is the Homewood Suite Shop selling newspapers, maps, magazines, personal items, and beverages along with some snack foods.

Rooms - The rooms, as with most all Homewood Suites (and OWTK have stayed at many), were spacious and very clean, with a separate bedroom (our suite had one King Bed) behind double doors from the living room. The room features two televisions and ceiling fans, with one of each in the bedroom and the living room. There is a pull out sofa available for younger kids and cribs can be had from the hotel for smaller children (we would recommend requesting at the time of reservation and again upon check-in). There is a small table with two chairs placed between living room and kitchen. Highchairs are available from the lobby dining area (we kept one in the room for the length of the stay). The kitchen area is very large with full size refridgerator, dishwasher, microwave, stove top, ample cabinet/storage space for dry goods. There is enough space and equipment to go food shopping and prepare some meals back in the room. The bathroom, while enormous with standard tub/shower and toilet, was the primary source of pain during our stay. The toilet has a very thin plastic seat which shifted frequently in use and was quite bothersome. The tub/shower water never got hot and only rarely could have been considered warm. This was a problem not only for us adults, but attempting to bathe our then 18-month-old baby in temparate water was frustrating to say the least. The other slightly agrivating ocurrence during our stay was our neighboor's difficulty using an acceptable TV volume level. Yes, the walls are paper thin - a potential issue if your child is having trouble sleeping or maintaning a good "inside voice" or if you are trying to put your kids to sleep and Wheel of Fortune is on so loud in the next room that Pat Sajak could be reading the bedtime stories for you one letter at a time.
The king bed was very comfortable and the crib provided in room upon check-in was superb. It was a wooden crib in very good, clean condition and had wheels, which could be locked, making it easy to position in the living room during the evening and the bedroom for mid-day naps. It showed signs of wear, for sure, but had the appearance of a peice of furniture that has been handled gently and cared for. Our daughter's eyes lit up when she saw that there were Sesame Street/Elmo sheets on her bed and a soft Elmo blanket hanging over the edge. This was a very nice touch, and the sheets and blanket were also in great condition.

Location - On average a 15 minute drive to St. Armand's Circle and Lido Beach area. There are a large number of traffic lights (on Fruitville) along the way to the Gulf Island Beaches which, as you will soon learn, can seem to stay red forever. It is 10 Minutes or less to downtown Sarasota/Main St. It is worth noting that left hand turns out of the hotel parking lot are difficult to make and lefts are what you will be making your entire stay, as the beaches and downtown are in that direction.

Parking - Spaces are at a premium, and may be an issue when returning to the room after sunset. Parking near your closest entry point may not be possible which could present you with a decent walk with kids, beach gear, etc. in tow.

Free Breakfast - An extended continental with a hot item or two each day is provided free from (generally) 6:30am to 10am. You can expect eggs, french toast, etc. and a different breakfast meat each day in addition to the standards of cereal, yogurt, breads, juices, coffee, tea, and fruit. The hotel will offer one free hot entree item per weekday from, usually, 5-7pm. The food at the evening Manager's reception will range from Enchiladas to Hot Dogs to Stuffed Shells. A schedule of evening cuisine will be posted on your Suite refridgerator.

Staff/Service - The staff of the Homewood was generally friendly and accomodating. There were no issues to report.

Spring Hill Suites by Marriott - University Parkway Sarasota (OWTK - 3 night stay in June 2006)

A standard Spring Hill Suite building which was within 500 yards of both a Residence Inn and a Courtyard, all Marriott properties, continuing the odd trend of Marriott employing a cluster theory of hotel placement. There is one main entrance to the hotel which will take you into the lobby. There is a free business center, in an open area to the left of the front desk, with two PCs with high speed internet connections and two printers. The business center shares a space with the modest snack shop, offerring cold beverages and some microwavable foods and ice cream in a freezer to satisfy those late night cravings.

Rooms - Much smaller than expected. There was not a separate bedroom, rather, a half-wall dividing the living and sleeping areas. There was very little storage for clothing with no proper bureau in site. There were two small drawers in each nightstand and two under the TV plus a small closet. That was it. Even for a 3 night stay we were living half out of the suitcase, which we kept under the bathroom sink. We felt very squeezed, even for a family of three, in the Suite and would have preferred to be in the Residence Inn across the parking lot. The bathoom was large enough with a tub/shower that produced hot water (unlike the Homewood). The bed was very comfortable and the air conditioner worked well (although the unit is 2 feet from the bed at the same height - so be prepared to bundle up if you want the air on at night as it will be blowing right on you). The crib requested was not in the room when we checked in, however it was brought up to the room immediately. It was a basic Pack-n-Play, not a typical crib, but It was was clean and a white sheet was provided. Due to the size of the room, there was almost no place for the pack-and play to go. We decided to wedge it behind the desk and the wall in the kitchen area since our daughter can now climb out of those types of beds.
The "kitchen" featured a small sink, microwave, and fridge. Everything in the room was designed for a short stay or for folks that did not want to prepare food or store much of anything. Overall, it was a bit of a miniature world.

Location - on average an easy 10 minute drive to downtown, St. Armand's Circle and Lido Beach area. Situated directly across from the Sarasota Airport on University Pkwy in a shared location with a Marriott Residence Inn, and a stones' throw from Route 41(Tamiami Trail) which is the main North/South business route to and from Sarasota. A much quicker trip to the beach/downtown area via 41, compared to Fruitville Rd (from the Homewood), as there were half the traffic lights. This strech of 41 is a sort of motel row - some standard in appearance and some a bit on the seedy side (The Mel-o-dee and their posted advertisement of a $8.95 "fish" special comes to mind)

Parking - Plenty of parking. We never had a problem getting a spot right in front of the hotel entrance at any time of day or night.

Free Breakfast - An extended continental with a hot item is provided free from, generally, 6:30am to 10am. I do not believe there is any rotation of the hot item as we had pre-cooked eggs (not scramlbed) and sausage patties each day (this got very old) in addition to the standards of cereal, yogurt, breads, juices, coffee, tea, and fruit. We ate in the breakfast area just once, opting to carry food up to the room on the other two days. The dining area can get very crowded depending on the time of morning you visit. There was a serious issue with replenishment on two of the days we were there as the eggs and sausage trays sat empty for 10 minutes or more as guests waited anxiously. The wait for more items was not reserved only for those wanted a hot meal. The cereal was constantly under supplied as was the bread, muffins, and fruit. Needless to say, we were quite dissappointed with the breakfast at the Spring Hill. Highchairs were available.

Staff/Service - General manager Alastair Jones was almost always on duty, the only time we did not see him is when the breakfast area was struggling, which led us to believe that he is the glue holding the service aspect of this hotel together. On the day we eat in the breakfast area, he was there refilling the food, cleaning up the counters, etc. Later we spotting him working alongside a housekeeper - checking inventory, supplies, etc. In years of personal and business travel I have never witnessed that in a hotel. He was excellent, friendly, and was referring to us by name (Mr. and Mrs...) the entire stay - a true professional.

PART TWO featuring Restaurants, Attractions, Beaches, additional resources/links and more coming soon...

Jeff

Out With The Kids

http://www.outwiththekids.com

What happened to Playtime?

A disturbing trend in our modern society is the way we, as parents, turn our children’s’ days into regimented routines of organized, adult-led extracurricular activities like volleyball practice, gymnastics class, tee-ball games, and dance recitals along with other time consuming functions and commitments. We do all of this at the expense of free play, discovery and exploration, relaxing downtime, and far too-often, family meals. Long gone, it would seem, are the days of homework followed by ample free time (to be silly kids!), all before a sit down family dinner. It doesn't really have to be that way.

National Public Radio recently broadcast an expose on this topic - interviewing several children who discuss their "workloads" and several experts on the subject of child rearing and playtime. The report is available online and is accompanied by an excerpt from "The Power of Play", the forthcoming book by David Elkind, which examines how the absence of imaginative free play can impact our kids' ability to grow up healthy and happy.

Another possible outcome of allowing, even encouraging, our children to participate in almost every activity available to them is our collective inability, as parents, to teach our kids to make choices. How can we ever discuss the need to make choices in life, some of which can be quite difficult, if we as adults push our children farther and faster into the same world of over-abundance, anxiety, and excess that our culture makes out to be the norm?

So what can you and your family do to curb this trend? The first step should be to schedule a sit down family meal, even if it begins as just a once a week occurrence (if you do not already make this a part of your daily lives). Recapture the tradition of sharing this important time together and learning more about each other, by actually speaking to one another (a simple concept now classified as "nostalgia" in many households). At dinner you can talk to your kids about their day. Slow down, unwind, and revel in what they can come up with on their own. I personally have had to learn to stop finishing my daughter's sentences and let her speak her mind, however long that make take. As she was learning to speak in sentences, I would often try to guess what she was trying to say in an effort to "speed things up". I soon realized that the more I did this, the more she would expect others to assist her in speaking and in other aspects of her life, feeling as though she needs someone else - a learned co-dependence if you will. Today, I no longer jump in to act as her mouthpiece. As a result, her ability to talk, create stories, and play by herself has grown exponentially.

Next, (and this may be more difficult for your family to do than it is for me to type) scale back on the activities next season. Allow your kids the opportunity to make tough choices when it comes to scheduling their time. This will be hard if your young ones have not had to pick one event, sport, or activity over another in the past, but it will be worth it as they slowly learn the value of their own time, and yours!

The OWTK 3 make it a point to not over schedule ourselves or our daughter. We leave weeknights open for free play and dinners. Weekends are generally free as well, aside from visiting the market (a trip we have turned into a chance for her to play as well - since there is a playground near-by). This gives us the freedom to be spontaneous and take a little road trip, go to a fair, or something else fun, unscheduled, and together. We have a sit down dinner every night. It is not always a full meal - it can be the always fun breakfast-for-dinner, or what we like to call "hodgepodge" where we will all grab something; leftovers, soup, tuna fish, or whatever is around. The key is - we are always doing so together. Studies show that this simple act will result in a child that is 50% less likely to smoke, drink, or try drugs.

Seems worth the little bit of effort required, no?

Plus, it is refreshing and rewarding to prepare dinners with and for them and to move at a bit slower pace, providing them the chance to absorb more of their surroundings and emotions.

Remember that being bored is not a horrible thing. Despite the temptation to do so, we should not attempt to cram so much in to their lives that they will have no time to be bored. Boredom should not be seen as an enemy which will produce nothing but mischief, but rather, as a time when a child will learn, on their own, what he or she can do to pass the time and entertain themselves. More often than not this time will open up doors to creativity and healthy independence, and you will see their true interests and passions flourish.

Our kids will most likely spend the majority of their adult lives working in some fashion, why don't we let them have their childhoods back.


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

OWTK Monthly Music Suggestions - June 2006

*This music also featured in June's Mix CD article*

Here are some suggestions for "adult" music that can be downloaded from iTunes and shared with your kids of any age, organized as "Louder" and "Softer" selections. Don't worry, the loud is not ear shattering and the soft will not put you to sleep.

Louder

Bright Eyes "True Blue" from "Motion Sickness - Live Recordings" (a studio version of "True Blue" is available on their "Lua" EP. "Motion Sickness", a more recent release, was only made available through independent record stores. Both versions are quite good, but our daughter prefers the more raucous live version)

Josh Ritter "Snow is Gone" from "Hello Starling" (a terrific song about the magical period between end of Winter and the dawn of Springtime)

Wilco/Billy Bragg " Hoodoo Voodoo" from "Mermaid Avenue" (a Woody Guthrie song written for his kids. A ton of fun to listen to as Woody uses several hilarious made-up words and phrases in his lyrics. Wilco and Bragg's performance is a blast)

Dr. Dog "The World May Never Know" from "Easy Beat" (our daughter's favorite song at one point. it has a beat so infectious that it is almost impossible not to start dancing, or a the very least swaying back and forth, with the first note)

The Band "Ain't Got No Home" from "Moondog Matinee" (The Band covered Clarence "Frogman" Henry's classic 1956 song and made it their own. Your kids will love Levon Helm singing like a Frog on one of the early verses. Check out Clarence Henry's original version as well)

The Beach Boys "Surfin' USA" (a summertime classic. what kid or parent can resist singing along with this super-catchy tune. if your child is like mine he or she will soon be turning the knees-bent and arms-out surfing motion into their own new dance, creating an instant classic moment. have your video-camera charged and ready!)

Softer

M. Ward "Here Comes the Sun Again" from "Transistor Radio" (a lovely homage to that big ball of heat in the sky from this terrific "old-soul" singer/songwriter)

Red House Painters "Wop-A-Din-Din" from "Old Ramon" (a touching song about a cat. if you and your family have a cat in the house, this song will undoubtably became a favorite and if you don't you may want to rush out and get one!)

Archer Prewitt "I'll Be Waiting" from "White Sky" (lyrically could easily be a love song from parent to child. Archer has one of the finest singing voices of the past decade)

The Gilroys "Martin Candy" from their self-titled CD (kid's should love the instrumentation and parents with a love of older comedy films should get the funny movie reference in the refrain's lyrics and song title. full disclosure: my old record label released this song. )

Nick Drake "Northern Sky" from "Bryter Layter" (simply one of the prettiest love songs ever written)

Other suggestions: Maurice Sendak penned Carole King songs "One was Johnny" and "Chicken Soup with Rice", which remain household favorites. Those songs and more can be found on King's "Really Rosie" album.

We have compiled this playlist into an iMix on iTunes for quick and easy downloading. Please click the button below to launch iTunes, click iMix on the left hand side of the Music Store, then search "OWTK Volume 1". Enjoy the music!

Jeff
Out With The Kids
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Air Shows - Summertime Outdoor Family Fun

Looking for something to do on an upcoming Summer weekend? Have a child that loves planes? If the answer is yes to either of those questions, why not check out an Air Show. There are currently air shows scheduled all over the the country this summer (as well as in Canada, Latin America, Singapore, and the U.A.E). Many are free, or at least very inexpensive (often cheaper than a movie!)

Please check with your local show to see what they allow on to the grounds. Many prohibit coolers, large bags, etc. for security reasons.

From Bi-Planes to Blue Angels there are aviation expositions for everyone from Los Angeles, California to Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and Ottawa, Canada to Santiago, Chile.



Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

WXPN All About the Music Festival - July 21-23 in Philadelphia

The WXPN All About the Music Festival schedule has been announced and tickets are now on sale. This event is being held on three stages in Wiggins Park, Camden NJ (on the waterfront - opposite Penn's Landing in Philadelphia) and features dozens of national and local artists and bands. This is a wonderful opportunity to take your kids to an outdoor music festival as daily tickets are a mere $13 for adults and $5 for kids 2-12 (under 2 are free). Since WXPN, a commercial free radio station from The University of Pennsylvania, features a nightly (Sun-Thurs) childrens radio call-in program called “Kid’s Corner”, it is only natural that they have a Festival stage dedicated soley to presenting music for our little ones. The Kids Corner stage will feature continious original kids music for children of all ages on both weekend days (no kids stage on Friday night).

The OWTK trio will be enjoying the WXPN All About the Music festivities on Saturday, July 22nd.

Some musical highlights of the weekend are sure to include:

on Saturday
Jim James of My Morning Jacket
Josh Ritter
Willy Mason
Hoots and Hellmouth
The Cats Pajamas

on Sunday
Amos Lee
BC Camplight
The Hiders
Alejandro Escovedo
Brandi Carlile

You are permitted to bring blankets, low-back chairs, coolers, strollers, and cameras into the Festival so make plans to pack up the kids, PB&J sandwiches, juice boxes, a couple rolls of film and spend a July weekend outdoors listening to music.

Never dared to take your kids to such an event? This one is perfect for you as the inexpensive ticket price allows for a low cost, low risk introduction to the summer music festival experience. The WXPN festival grounds are expansive so you and your family will have space to move about. Also, the WXPN crowds tend to be a fairly docile bunch so you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself.

For an extra fun time, park along the Philly waterfront and hop on the Riverlink Ferry for the trip over to New Jersey. Wiggins Park is an easy walk from the dock. Visit the official Festival site for more transportation options.



Jeff
http://www.outwithkids.com

Adventure Travel with Kids - Educational or Egocentric?

Very interesting article in the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, titled "Can we go home now?", on the subject of traveling to far-away locales with young children. The article examines both the educational justification of bringing kids along to climb a mountain or safari in Kenya and the selfish reasons parents will often make such travel decisions. A bigger question is whether children who have been to several continents before their teenage years will become jaded, bored, and generally uninterested in exotic travel by the time they are adults with their own families or will the experiences of their youth further enhance their passion for discovery and adventure through travel as an adult?

Related articles and Links:
Hiking in Morocco with Kids
Adventure Center - Family Trips
Gordon's Guide


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Home Sweet Home

We have returned home - safe, cool, and most importantly dry. Looks as if Alberto may make landfall as a Hurricane. With evacuation orders going out today, we are sure glad we booked a Monday night flight as opposed to a Tuesday morning one. It was a generally bumpy ride from start to finish but the pilots did a great job staying in constant communication with us passengers - they let us know what was going on, what to expect, and apologized for any disruption of sleep the bad weather was causing. A great job by the pilots and crew at Southwest Airlines.

The full recap/destination guide for the Sarasota area will be posted within the next day or two. Thanks to all who followed our journey over the past few days, we were glad to have you along for the ride.

Thanks and goodnight,

Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Florida's (wet) Gulf Coast - the final day

The OWTK 3 ate a little breakfast in the room again before heading over to the G. Wiz Science Center. While most of the exhibits were probably a bit over our 2 year old daughter's head (both literally and figuratively) she had a great time running around and playing indoors while it poured rain outside. She loved the echo tube which she talked and screamed into and the magnet "farm" where hundreds of bolts, washers, and other metal objects await a young architect's hands to mold them into a tower or silly shape. The G. Wiz had a modest animal habitat with turtles, fish, a tarantula, and a snake to go along with the dozens of science experiments/exhibits spanning two floors. Admission was the cheapest of all the "tourist" destinations we visited and it was a decent value for our dollar (full report coming Tuesday). We stopped and picked up lunch at a wonderful little cafe called Citrus on (appropriately enough) Orange Ave. in downtown Sarasota. We took with us back to the hotel, their soup special, Cream of Chicken and Mushroom (excellent), and the Garden Combo Platter of mixed greens, vegetables, roma tomatoes, & balsalmic dressing with a trio of chicken, tuna, and shrimp salads. This was a perfect lite lunch. The plan for the remainder of the afternoon is the 20 minutes drive down to Venice Beach, and hopefully a nice nap in the car for the smallest passenger before an early bird dinner (when in Rome!) at the Hillview Grill, one of The Sarasota Originals (a group of independently owned and operated restaurants striving to use local ingredients and provide and preserve a passionate take on Gulf Coast cuisine). Saturday evening's dining destination Mattison's City Grille is also a member of this fine organization. After dinner we drive up to Tampa for our evening flight home (which hopefully is allowed to depart in this weather).

This will most likely be the final post on destination in Sarasota.

Again, look for a full destination report with in depth coverage of the restaurants, hotels, and places we visited as well as some tips on traveling down to this great little spot.


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Good Morning Alberto

Sarasota and the entire Gulf Coast is getting drenched this morning by Mr. Alberto. OWTK certainly did not anticipate becoming a weather report blog but the season's first named storm had other ideas. What to do in Sarasota in the pouring rain...

Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Florida's Gulf Coast - Day 3

Day three is coming to an uneventful close. The entire Gulf Coast is under heavy cloud cover as the area awaits Tropical Storm Alberto, the first of the season, to make its way to land. As a result, we did not even see the Gulf of Mexico today. We did however spend the morning at the Mote Aquarium (subpar), enjoyed a good lunch at a little diner-like casual place called First Watch (there are several around Sarasota), and spent the afternoon at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (excellent). More detailed reviews coming in the post-trip wrap up. Dinner tonight will be take-out as we unwind, camped out on the floor in the hotel room. Hopefully we get some sun tomorrow and can hit the beach one more time before the flight home.

Have a great night.

Until Monday...


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

A Sleepy Evening

Our night did not go as planned, but flexibility is a needed trait when traveling with a small child. Our daughter never did get take that nap mentioned previously. She did however fall asleep shortly after our stroll around St. Armand's Circle. We missed the Arts Festival as the vendors were closing up shop for the day as we arrived at 5pm. Instead we casually walked the rotary, buying a kid's orange (her new favorite color) bucket hat and a small stuffed surfer shark in the interesting Crazy Shirts store. There were 4 young men on a bench singing cover songs and playing guitar and bongos in front of the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream shop. We stopped to take in a song and let our girl drop a dollar into their tip container (appropriately enough, an old bucket hat). After completing the circle we hopped into the car for a drive up the coast, past Longboat Key to the northern tip of the Gulf Islands - Anna Maria Island. Our daughter promptly fell asleep and missed the entire journey. We did notice however that every beach above Longboat Key (which has no public beach) children's play equipment - jungle gym, tunnels, slides - all new in appearance, right on the sand. This is a great feature for those kid's less interested in the salt water. Mom and Dad enjoyed a delicious homemade chocolate dipped waffle cone of Mint Chip ice cream from Mama Lo's on Anna Maria Island. A nice little spot serving breakfast and lunch along with their award winning ice creams. Prices are on par with many ice cream shoppes - expect to pay $3 for a single and $4 for a double scoop. They feature dozens of flavors, with varities ranging from the traditional to the unexpected (dirt and worms, for example, which involves gummy worms). They also sell baggies of broken up chocolate dipped waffle cones for $1. Yum!
We drove back to downtowm Sarasota for dinner, opting this time to take route 41 through Bradenton. Nothing worthwhile to report on this drive. We decided to have a lite dinner as it was already nearing 7:30pm and our little one had just woken up in a strange mood (7:30pm would normally be the start of her bedtime process, so we knew this night was going to be a bit odd). We found ourselves at Mattison's City Grille, an outdoor only place in downtown Sarasota owned by local celebrity chef Paul Mattison. The restaurant itself is quite beautiful with black iron fencing surrounding the seating area and metal torches illuminating the night sky along every 6 feet of fence. Most of the tables, and the bar, are underneath a thick, tall canopy but a few seats are under nothing but the stars and this is where we sat, at the kind of big wooden table you might see in the Napa Style catalog - made from real tree trunks. Very cool. Their saturday night house band The Jazz Factor was playing motown and r&b favorites and our daughter was diggin' it. She was swaying in her seat throughout dinner. As far as food, we ordered a chicken ceasar salad and a Caprese brick oven pizza (some of the best pizza we have ever had). There was no children's menu, but highchairs were available and the one provided to us was clean. We shared both entree's as a family and left the restaurant at 9pm. Fortunately, OWTK Mom was able to get the crazy child into bed without some sort of normalcy and we all enjoyed a well deserved rest after the first full day.

Sunday morning saw the OWTK trio rise at 9am, have a lite breakfast in the room (carried up from the lobby), and now it is off to the Mote Aquarium!

Until later...


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Florida's Gulf Coast - Day 2

Quick note: The official OWTK digital camera (phone) is in disrepair. After speaking with several Cingular 800# reps it was determined that the now 72 hour old phone cannot be saved and despite the presence of a Cingular store in every strip mall and shopping center in America, a replacement phone must be mailed because I bought my device online and not in a store. That is helpful. So the pictures I snapped while in the airport are lost and no other pics will be taken digitally for the remainder of the trip (the picture to the left is a stock photo from The Columbia Restaurant). We do have a traditional APS camera, so trip photos will appear but not "Live".

Day 2 is going swimmingly. This morning we ate a complimentary breakfast at our hotel then prepared for our first trip to the beach (ok, that is not true. The OWTK family walked the beach last night after dinner, an event that had my young daughter in her birthday suit relaxing in the warm Gulf water within 10 minutes). But, this being the first proper trip to the beach, we had to apply the sunscreen, pack a change of dry clothes, sandcastle building equipment, etc. We made the easy 10 minute journey from the hotel (much more on this in the trip wrap-up on Tuesday) past St. Armand's Circle (busily preparing for the Arts Festival weekend with vendors lined up inside the rotary) and parked at Lido Key, right in front of the outdoor showers. It was now a little after 9 a.m. and the beach was quite empty. The water was pristine and warm. The great thing about this section of the Gulf is the flatness of the Gulf floor. You can walk straight out 40-50 yards and still be standing, those 6 feet tall and over, and able to see your toes. Nothing better than calm, clear, and clean water. This morning there was an abudance of small fish swimming within 2 feet of the sand - in 6 inches of water - which had all the young kids on the beach with their heads down, pointing, and laughing. When leaving the beach a bit past 12 Noon for lunch there was still plenty of open sand with room to spread out and let your children roam...not bad for mid-day on a Summer (close enough) weekend.
We proceeded into St. Armand's Circle for lunch at Columbia restaurant, one of a mini-chain of 7 in south Florida. The restaurant is very good. It is a Spanish place with a kid's menu that is, unfortunately, quite ordinary save for the cuban sandwich. They have an opportunity to include something a bit more challenging than chicken fingers, maybe something more in line with the style of cuisine the serve (shrimp and rice, etc). We decided, as we often do, to share everything we would order with our daughter instead of getting her just one standard item. As a result, we are shared:
a Ceasar and "1905" salad, which is the house specialty with ham, swiss cheese, and garlic dressing
blue crab cakes with a passion fruit aoili (amazing)
mahi-mahi stuffed with shrimp, artichoke hearts, and crab then baked in parchment paper served with yellow rice
marinaded pork with black beans and white rice.
Everything was exceptionally good. The restaurant is casual and welcomes kids. There is a lot to see inside as the decor is classic spanish with ceiling fans, stucco and ornate ceramic tiles throughout. The floor-to-ceiling window/doors open up and the restaurant spills out on to the pavement with plenty of outdoor seating. The highchair provided was clean and lined with a linen napkin (very nice touch). They provided two crayons and a large paper placement with pictures of boats and a plane carrying a sign behind it (a recognizable sight at any beach) to color. (During the month of September The Columbia inserts a slip into the check folio containing information about their long-standing program of donating 5% of every guest's check total to charity. They provide a sizable and diverse selection of local charities for you to choice from making this one great program indeed).

It is naptime right now (for both OWTK Mother and Daughter). Look for a posting tonight on the Arts Festival, St. Armand's Circle shopping, and another restaurant.

On Tuesday, OWTK will wrap up this trip with a full Sarasota area report including traveler tips and insider information available nowhere else!

till tonight...

Jeff

http://www.outwiththekids.com

The Departure (or tips on how to spend 4 hrs awaiting takeoff)

The OWTK Trio arrived at Philadelphia International Airport a healthy 2 hrs and 20 minutes early for our flight to Tampa only to discover a delay, the lone one on the Southwest Airlines departure board. The delay pushed the flight back 1 hr and 30 minutes. We now were faced with the challenge of keeping our young daughter (who awoke at 5:30 a.m. with much excitement) entertained and relatively happy for nearly 4 hrs before takeoff. We packed a nice array of toys, books, and activities for the 2+ hr flight, but found ourselves quite unprepared for the wait that lay ahead of us now. We found some useful ways to make the time drip away and not spoil any of the fun we had in store for her onboard the plane (more on that in the future).

We are now proud to provide you with the following ideas on killing time in the airport without anyone being dis-owned:

1) If the clock is in agreement - have a family meal at an airport restaurant or food court.

2) Seek out an open seating area where there is another family with a child roughly the same age as your own. Chances are they are in the same perdictament and would not only enjoy the idea of their kid(s) having a new playmate to pass the time away, but maybe engage in some adult conversation as well.

3) Locate the airport's kids play area. Many airports have them but the fun zone may not be located in or near your terminal. You can google "Airport play areas" or visit the site of the airport or will be flying from or through. Philly, Dallas, Seattle (pictured above), Colorado Springs, Chicago O'Hare, Boston's Logan, Vancouver, and Baltimore are among the many airports featuring such an area. Now getting the kids to leave in time to catch your flight...That is a topic for another day!

4) Take a walk. The airport is filled with many interesting vendors, people, and sights. Many have museums or historical placards scattered throughout. As an example, Dayton's airport has some interesting Wright Brother's artifacts that may interest your little plane-fanatics long enough to make the downtime more bearable.

5) Find some rocking chairs. Charlotte features a great area between all the terminals with rows of white wooden chairs to people watch. There is occasional live music in this area as well. What child, especially the small variety, doesn't love a rocking chair?

6) Watch planes land and takeoff. You are at an airport after all! Many airports have designated "prime" viewing areas to witness the spectacle that is modern air travel.

...now back to the trip. We have arrived safe and sound. The weather is incredibly warm, 91 degrees Fahrenheit when we landed, but not humid at all. The Gulf water is perfect, around 85 I would estimate. No Red Tide to report (unlike last Autumn). This sets up for a lovely weekend.

Stay Tuned for reports on hotels, restaurants, beaches, and more throughout the weekend. One minor issue - the official OWTK digital camera (a mere 2 days young) is not operational (worked in airport, not on plane and not since). No pictures will appear until the issue has been resolved (with any luck, Saturday morning).

Until tomorrow!

Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

OWTK - "Live" from Florida's Gulf Coast

We are taking this show on the road!
Coming this Friday June 9th, OWTK will be updating LIVE on location during our family vacation along Florida's Gulf Coast. We will be reporting on the beach scene, restaurants, shopping, attractions, hotels, and more in the Sarasota area and on Lido, Longboat, and Siesta Keys all weekend long.
Stay Tuned!


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

*EVENT REMINDER* Target Children's Day - This Saturday in NYC!

Mentioned previously in this space - The free TARGET Children's Day at New York's South Street Seaport is happening this Saturday, June 10th! The weather forecast reads 79 and partly sunny - which sets up a beautiful day for you and your kids along the water at the Seaport. The full schedule of events is posted on the event's website (linked above) and posted below for easy reference. The area west of the Seaport stage has cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants, all of which are an easy 2-3 minute walk. Feel free to pack lunches, snacks, and beverages - the seaport has a boardwalk style surface which is not exactly suitable for laying out a blanket...but you can still picnic "city-style" on a nearby park bench. Again, this is New York City and FREE - a great combination!

CenterStage Schedule runs from 1PM to 8PM
1:00: Introduction
1:10: Our host, "Gordon" from Sesame Street ®
1:20: The Ambassadors of American Girl Theater ®
1:45: Driver Daniel from Thomas the Tank Engine™
2:10: Huckapoo
2:35: Barney™
3:00: Hi-5
3:30: Rebecca Frezza and Big Truck
4:00: Noggin™ presents Moose & Zee and Jack from Jack's Big Music Show
4:10: Driver Daniel from Thomas the Tank Engine™
4:35: Barney™
5:00: Hi-5
5:35: Jamie Broza
6:00: Crazy James
7:30: Teddy Geiger
9:30 FIREWORKS!

Other festival activities include:
CELEBRITY CORNERS 12PM to 5PM
Kids can meet and greet their favorite"walk-around" characters live at these three locations!
Sesame Street ® Celebrity Corner w/
Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie

Target Celebrity Corner
Dora the Explorer™
Madeline ®
Curious George ®
Bullseye Dog ®

OTHER ATTRACTIONS 12PM to 5PM
Thomas the Tank Engine™
Cyberchase Central ®
WLIW Create™
ZoneStorytime at Kids Thirteen
GlobalArts to Go and Putumayo Kids Pavilion
Seaport Express Train Ride
Target Nascar Simulator
"Picture Yourself on NOGGIN ®"
Seaport Museum Pirate

Fun Arts & Crafts Pavilion featuring:
Brooklyn Children's Museum
New York Hall of Science
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
Sony WonderlabT
he Children's Museum of the Arts
Art Works Foundation

All schedules subject to change - please visit the event's website or call ahead if you are coming in for a specific character/performance/activity to make sure it is still happening.


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

An Evening (or afternoon) of Theater in Philly

Two terrific shows are wrapping up in Philadelphia, PA over the next couple weeks. Live theater is a thrill for children of all ages. More on that topic in the coming weeks...

The Arden Theater in Old City (2nd and Market St) is concluding their season with the hilarious STINKY CHEESE MAN and OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES. This play is based on the best selling book by Lane Smith. We would not recommend bringing children under the age of 6 or 7 as some of the humor may be lost on them. OWTK took two eight year olds and they had a wonderful time. They each spent the remainder of the day acting out their favorite scenes and quoting the funniest lines. HURRY! The show has already been extended once and officially ends this Sunday, June 11th.

The Mum Puppet Theatre on Arch St. is currently performing THE WIZARD OF OZ to rave reviews. The play features live actors and amazing puppetry to create an astonishing theatrical experience. Since this review in the Inquirer last weekend, tickets have been selling fast. If your plans have you and your kids in Philly between now and June 17th we would recommend that you visit Mum and take in this show. For tickets please contact the box office directly at 215-925-7686 as their web ticketing is not in real-time and may not accurately reflect current availability.

Both shows are performed in intimate spaces which will have your children very close to the action regardless of where your seats are located. Tickets will run you roughly $30 each, with kid's prices at the Arden being about half that. A great value compared to big ticket, big theater shows that pack a punch but do not offer the up close theater experience. Stick around after the show at The Arden for a Q&A with the actors and set designers. The actors also make themselves available after the performance in the lobby to shake hands and greet your kids.


Enjoy the theater!


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Mix CDs - a unique birthday party favor

Here is a simple, fun, and long lasting kid's birthday party favor idea: A CD mix of your child's favorite songs from the past 12 months. Most dollar-store quality toys, balloons, stickers and regular party favor material is forgotten about shortly after it is received. A mix CD is long lasting, enjoyable, interactive, and a perfect document of your child's previous year, through music. When compiled yearly it becomes a chronicle of your child's interest in music and as far as memories go a collection of mix CDs, one for each year of his or her life, will become as treasured as any crayola masterpiece or notches on a growth chart.

These CDs can be put together with relative ease assuming you have access to a PC w/ CD-RW drive, the internet/iTunes, and a printer. Here is what you will need and how much it will cost (for a larger sized party of 25 kids):

1) Music, of course! See below for some suggestions. Assuming you do not own any of the music for this CD (which would be odd, since presumably your child has already been enjoying his or her favorite songs) expect to pay .99 cents each on iTunes (but you only have to buy each song once!)

2) CD-Rs.

3) Jewel Cases. We would recommend the slim cases for this project. You could be even more creative by making paper sleeves and stamp and/or stencil the album details on the cover.

4) Labels. Most packs include easy to use software for designing and printing your own labels for the CD, Jewel Case front, back, and spine.

Costs

1) The Music - 12 songs (a decent length for a mix CD): $12

2) CD-Rs: $15 (for a 50 pack - so you will have enough for next year's party!)

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=678120

3) Slim Jewel Cases: $18 (for a pack of 25)

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=272000

4) Labels and Software: $15 (for 40 complete sets of CD labels)

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=611201&Ntt=cd+labels&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

Total: $60, or a little more than $2 each for a party of 25 kids.

Here are some suggestions for "adult" music that can be downloaded from iTunes and shared with your kids of any age, organized as "Louder" and "Softer" selections. Don't worry, the loud is not ear shattering and the soft will not put you to sleep.

Louder

Bright Eyes "True Blue" from "Motion Sickness - Live Recordings" (a studio version of "True Blue" is available on their "Lua" EP. "Motion Sickness", a more recent release, was only made available through independent record stores. Both versions are quite good, but our daughter prefers the more raucous live version)

Josh Ritter "Snow is Gone" from "Hello Starling" (a terrific song about the magical period between end of Winter and the dawn of Springtime)

Wilco/Billy Bragg " Hoodoo Voodoo" from "Mermaid Avenue" (a Woody Guthrie song written for his kids. A ton of fun to listen to as Woody uses several hilarious made-up words and phrases in his lyrics. Wilco and Bragg's performance is a blast)

Dr. Dog "The World May Never Know" from "Easy Beat" (our daughter's favorite song at one point. it has a beat so infectious that it is almost impossible not to start dancing, or a the very least swaying back and forth, with the first note)

The Band "Ain't Got No Home" from "Moondog Matinee" (The Band covered Clarence "Frogman" Henry's classic 1956 song and made it their own. Your kids will love Levon Helm singing like a Frog on one of the early verses. Check out Clarence Henry's original version as well)

The Beach Boys "Surfin' USA" (a summertime classic. what kid or parent can resist singing along with this super-catchy tune. if your child is like mine he or she will soon be turning the knees-bent and arms-out surfing motion into their own new dance, creating an instant classic moment. have your video-camera charged and ready!)

Softer

M. Ward "Here Comes the Sun Again" from "Transistor Radio" (a lovely homage to that big ball of heat in the sky from this terrific "old-soul" singer/songwriter)

Red House Painters "Wop-A-Din-Din" from "Old Ramon" (a touching song about a cat. if you and your family have a cat in the house, this song will undoubtably became a favorite and if you don't you may want to rush out and get one!)

Archer Prewitt "I'll Be Waiting" from "White Sky" (lyrically could easily be a love song from parent to child. Archer has one of the finest singing voices of the past decade)

The Gilroys "Martin Candy" from their self-titled CD (kid's should love the instrumentation and parents with a love of older comedy films should get the funny movie reference in the refrain's lyrics and song title. full disclosure: my old record label released this song. )

Nick Drake "Northern Sky" from "Bryter Layter" (simply one of the prettiest love songs ever written)

In compiling our daughter's mix CDs, we were sure to include a nice blend of the "adult" songs she enjoys as well as her favorite kid's tunes such as the Maurice Sendak penned Carole King songs "One was Johnny" and "Chicken Soup with Rice", which remain household favorites. Those songs and more can be found on King's "Really Rosie" album.

We have compiled this playlist into an iMix on iTunes for quick and easy downloading. Please click the button below to launch iTunes, click iMix on the left hand side of the Music Store, then search "OWTK Volume 1". Enjoy the music!

Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com

Family Hotel Packages @ Hilton

Summer travel season is rapidly approaching and the Hilton Family of hotels offer a few great packages for your whole family.

Available at Hilton Hotels nationwide is the Discovery Kids Package (available for stays June 30 - Sept 4). The promotion includes a great room at a nice internet rate, free breakfast for four, and for each child under 12 a Backpack loaded with an activity book, vocabulary game, and Discovery Channel Kids DVD.

Hilton Discovery Kids Promotion – Official site for more info and reservations:
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/promotions/hi_discoverykids/index.jhtml

The Hilton Family of hotels in New York City offer two great packages from now through the end of the year. The first offer is in conjunction with American Girl Place and the second with the new flagship Build-a-Bear Workshop store on 5th Ave.

The American Girl Place New York package (currently not available for the American Girl Place in Chicago or L.A.) includes a room for two and sets up as a perfect retreat for Dad and daughter this Father’s Day. Visit the link below for a great rate of $239 (available as of 6pm ET on June 1) which will get you a great room with one King or two double beds ($219 for one Queen bed) for a Friday, June 16 to Saturday, June 17 stay at the beautiful Doubletree Metropolitan on Lexington Ave. This hotel is situated perfectly for your adventure in midtown Manhattan and features soft comfortable "Sweet Dreams" beds and a flat screen TV in each room. For the young lady and her doll Hilton will provide an American Girl Place Hairdo Helper Kit for Dolls (a vinyl case which includes nine hair bands, four rollers, twelve mini clips, and six butterfly clips.

The Hilton American Girl package reservations:
http://www.hiltonfamilynewyork.com/nyc-specials.php#4

American Girl Place New York – The official site
http://www.americangirlplace.com/agp_ny_splash.php


The Build-A-Bear Workshop Package provides your family’s stuffed animal fan with a Bear Bunk Trunk filled with lots of fun items for your bear. The case includes a Blanket and Pillow, Dental Kit (which includes plush toothpaste, toothbrush and floss), one bear-sized tee, and one $5 gift card to Build-A-Bear Workshop store. The Bear Bunk Trunk also folds out and serves as a bed for your bear. In speaking with a Build-a-Bear representative we learned that this trunk is only available as part of this package, not in stores or online. This package would also make a great Father's Day weekend getaway with your kids. Rates are a low $229 for a room with one king bed or two doubles or $209 for one queen bed at the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel from 6/16/-6/17. This is an extremely good value for a NYC summer weekend.

Both the American Girl Place and the Bear Workshop feature cafes (the restaurant in AG Place is something to behold – a casual upscale experience your child will revel in, complete with booster seats and a place setting for their dolls, nice linens on the tables and often live music. It truly is something to experience. Your kids will be talking about it forever. We would recommend making reservations well in advance for both restaurants as tables fill up quickly.

The Hilton Build-a-Bear Workshop package website with direct link to make a reservation:
http://www.hiltonfamilynewyork.com/nyc-specials.php#24

Build-a-Bear Workshop New York - The official site
http://www.buildabear.com/NYC/

To call for more information, contact Hilton directly at:
1-877-NYC-HILT.


Jeff
http://www.outwiththekids.com