City Traveller

All Smiles Before the Butterfly House

One week ago the Pattishall family took a big vacation to celebrate the end of an era--life before Steven starts residency. We wanted something different enough not to be boring, inexpensive enough that if Edmund decided to lose it wherever we were we wouldn't feel as if we'd wasted our money, and a relatively short travel distance so that if Edmund decided to lose it in the car we wouldn't be deaf before the end of the vacation. It took us months to decide on the locale, but a week before our vacation we finally settled on our destinations. First stop Harrisonburg, VA to see KayKay and Granddad. Edmund would get a quick KayKay fix and we would be able to break up the drive. Next stop, and main destination, Washington D.C. Why you may ask did we choose D.C. if both mom and dad had been before? Simple: tons of museums for mom, historic landmarks for dad, and the Metro (subway) for son. The museums and zoo are free so we would be able to walk in and out as we pleased. Final destination before the return trip--Hershey, PA. Again you may question the reasoning. It isn't as if we don't make the trip every winter. However, every winter mom is disappointed she can't partake in all the touristy offerings of Chocolate Town, USA. Hershey would be another child-friendly spot with free lodging and babysitting, thanks to Grammie Pattishall. With itinerary set, the Pattishalls were off.

After a quick stop at KayKay and Granddad's house we headed to Washington D.C. We settled in our hotel and decided to head into the city via Metro. We knew the noise of the train might be a little much for Edmund, but he had been greatly prepared for the ride by Aunt Becca. She had given Edmund several subway trains for his train table, a book about the subway, and a subway shirt. The noise of the Metro couldn't compete with Edmund's excitement about the ride. On our first trip into the city you could tell Edmund was slightly concerned. He held onto Mama and Dada's shoulders for dear life when the train pulled into the station. However, after he braved his first Metro ride, he couldn't get enough. Edmund's current favorite imaginative play scheme involves the subway and the phrase "doors closing." Obviously the subway experience made quite a lasting impression.

Our first stop in D.C. was the Air and Space Museum. Edmund was most impressed with the rocket ships, especially since there are rocket ships on his pajamas of choice. We toured the Orville and Wilbur Wright exhibit. Edmund's favorite thing to do in this exhibit was to climb the stairs up to the model cut-outs of houses. When there are steps to be explored everything else takes a backseat. We looked at a few more exhibits at the museum before it closed. As you might imagine there is only so much a 2 year old can handle before he gets antsy, so we called it a night.

The next day we got up bright and early to head to the National Zoo. Edmund had been to the NC Zoo a few weeks prior so he was prepared for this trip. We made sure to stop by the panda exhibit. The baby pandas are now back in China, but it was still fun to see the big pandas. If I do say so myself Edmund is brilliant, for if you now ask him what pandas eat he says "bamboo." So kids do learn from these excursions we take them on. Edmund also loved viewing elephants and gorillas. He especially liked the baby gorilla, which I'm sure reminded Edmund a little bit of himself. Baby gorillas sure are funny. We also made a breakthrough in Edmund's fear of cows. He developed a fear of cows after an incident involving a loudly mooing cow at a local farm. However, at the National Zoo's petting area Edmund asked if he could pet the cow. I was praying hard the cow wouldn't moo. My prayers were answered and Edmund was able to pet a cow without any loud sounds startling him. After facing his fears, Edmund was worn out. His head slumped over in the stroller before we left the zoo grounds. It's tiring seeing all those animals.

After Edmund's nap we decided to see a few D.C. landmarks. We first walked to the Washington Monument. Edmund can now tell you the monument is an obelisk. We then walked along the length of the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. To get to the top of the Lincoln Memorial we took the elevator. We weren't sure Edmund could be trusted to handle all those steps. After taking in the sights from the top, Edmund "1,2,3 boomed" his way down all the steps. I must tell you this was a much longer process than taking the elevator, but worth every second to Edmund. Before heading out on our next leg of the journey we toured the American History Museum and the National Gallery. These were more for mommy and daddy than for Edmund, but he seemed to enjoy them nonetheless. All in all D.C. proved to be everything we wanted in a vacation with a toddler.

The next afternoon we braved the rain to arrive in Hershey. Edmund was thrilled to see Grammie and her box of toys. Grammie treated us to a wonderful dinner at the Chocolate Avenue Grill. If any of you travel to Hershey with children this is the place to eat. The waitress provided Edmund with WikiStiks and triangular crayons. It was enough to amuse and entertain our child, as well as the adults, while we waited for our food. The next day we got up early so as to beat the heat and headed to the Hershey Gardens. Hershey Gardens houses a wonderful children's garden. Edmund enjoyed taking in the aroma of the various flowers. At one point he got a little too anxious for a sniff and leaned over so far he toppled into the flower bed. Daddy was a little upset at mommy for letting this incident occur, but I have to say it was a hilarious sight. The gardens were stunning. It was like taking a trip back in time as one can also see the historic Hotel Hershey from a distance. Edmund enjoyed touring the butterfly house, but this past week when KayKay came for a visit I heard him tell her he was a little scared of the butterflies. I suppose if a child has strange insects landing on his head it might make him a little apprehensive. We spent quite awhile in the children's garden. There Edmund rode a pig and a cow, (just statues, so no need to report animal cruelty), played in a hollow modeled after The Wind in the Willows, and played a tune on a crocodile xylophone. The children's garden was beautiful, but Edmund seemed to enjoy the paths through the main gardens just as much. I wasn't sure what to expect from the Hershey Gardens, but it more than exceeded my expectations.

After a quick nap at Grammie's, we headed to Chocolate World to ride the famous chocolate making ride. A trip to Hershey isn't complete without the singing cows. Then we headed to Aunt Sharon's house for a visit. Edmund was lucky to be able to visit with Aunt Sharon, Uncle Sam, cousin Laura, and dog Baxter. After some initial apprehension Edmund bonded very nicely with Baxter. It was nice to be able to celebrate Aunt Sharon's birthday with her. She even let Edmund blow out the candles on her cake. This was most fortunate, as Edmund's silly mommy forgot to get candles for his birthday cake. At least he got to practice, so he'll be ready for next year. That is if mommy can remember to get some candles. Again our day had been jam packed. We ate dinner and put Edmund to bed. Then mommy and daddy sneaked out of the house for a few hours at Hershey Park. Our plan was to ride as many roller coasters as possible, but I was only able to handle four. When you go to the park at night lines are short, so there is no recovery time. My stomach could only handle so much. However, Steven and I still had a great time. While it would have been fun to share the park with Edmund it was nice to have some alone time too. The next day we visited Zoo America and the Hershey Story Museum. I feel that we were able to take in all that Hershey has to offer even while traveling with our little man.

Vacations with a toddler can be rough, but I actually feel we were able to relax, learn, and enjoy. We may not have ventured into the most exotic territory, but we did have a good time. For now it will be the vacation to remember, as tomorrow both Steven and I head back to work. Wish us luck!