Opening of the Garden Railway at Morris Arboretum: Saturday May 29

Since moving to Chestnut Hill from the UK in summer 2008, the Morris Arboretum has been a favorite of ours. We first walked there with our son, a few months old, in his stroller and enjoyed a picnic in the grounds in the shade of one of their beautiful trees. We have been back many times and have enjoyed the seasonal railway as well as the new permanent Tree Tops exhibit, which is great fun for all ages.

On Saturday, the Garden Railway will be open for the summer, until Labor Day, with a theme of ‘American Roadside Attractions’.  The onsite Bruno's Café will be transformed into a 1950s diner for the day, and visitors will be able to enjoy a free scoop of ice cream from 12pm on their journey towards the Garden Railway. With a changing theme each year, the Garden Railway is a miniature world set in the splendor of a summer garden, featuring historic buildings created entirely of natural materials, each meticulously detailed with leaves, bark, vines and twigs. Logs and branches are also used to create unique tunnels and overhead trestles. Nestled among woody plants, colorful annuals and perennials, the finished product is an enchanting landscape that never ceases to delight visitors both young and old. 

The Railway is free with regular admission ($14 per adult) and those under 3 are FREE. See their website for further details on admission prices, memberships and hours (http://www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum/index.shtml ). Also, those who travel on foot/bike/public transport have their admission reduced by half!

YUMMMMMM! Decorate your own Cupcake Fri. Night at Bredenbeck's!

It doesn't get much tastier than this; on the two remaining Friday nights in May, Bredenbeck's Bakery is offering "Decorate Your Own Cupcake Night".  All ages are welcome to stop by between 6 and 9pm to choose and top their very own delectable creation... FREE.  Stop by after dinner, or after a night out at the Treehouse Play Cafe's outside summer jazz series, or just have cupcakes for dinner!  Sure to be a crowd pleaser.  

Cost: Free
Dates: May 21 and May 28
Time: 6-9 pm
Location: Bredenbeck's Bakery
8126 Germantown Ave.
Chestnut Hill

Go Downtown: A Day of Franklin

Day of Franklin

A fun afternoon or early evening with the kids can be had by doing a mini-tour of places in the city bearing the name of Ben Franklin. This past Saturday evening, ready for a shake-up from the neighborhood playgrounds, we headed in town to meet friends at Franklin Square Park, the wonderful mecca of fun visible off 676 at the 6th street exit. Parking can be tough-- don't be tempted to park illegally on the sidewalk near the park, or risk a hefty $76 ticket (the reasoning "everyone else is doing it" bears no weight with the Parking Authority). But once parking has been found a world of fun activities awaits you.

We've been to this park before and played on the very large and enclosed playground, which has designated areas for tots and for slightly older kids. We've also done the beautiful merry-go-round, with which my son has a love-hate relationship. This night, the agenda included the park's cute and relatively easy mini-golf course ($6 for a child) where two 3 1/2 year old boys had a wildly successful first stab at mini-golf (if, like me, you measure success by a lack of tears, tantrums, and injuries).

We followed our golf game with dinner from Stephen Starr's "Square Burger". Starr has taken over the burger shack in the park, and while the menu is small (think hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers and fries) the items are well-chosen. The veggie burger had well-selected toppings and the meat eaters enjoyed their selections as well. The summer salad I had included green beans and corn, and the buttermilk ranch dressing was so good I found myself lapping up the extra with french fries when my salad was gone! We passed on the yummy looking treats (including, no joke, a butterscotch krimpet milkshake-- a whole new reason to love Starr) because our night included desert elsewhere.

After our dinner on one of the many large picnic tables and a visit to the very clean restrooms, we headed out of the park, past the giant sand-sculpture of the 2009 World Series Phillies, down 6th Street to Arch, and turned left, where we took in Ben Franklin's grave site at the back of Christ Church. Many visitors throw pennies on his grave, and last time we walked by an impersonator who was lecturing on the life of Ben. You can see all this from just outside the gate at 5th and Arch.

This was a mere pit stop on the way to our next destination-- Franklin Fountain, at 116 Market. A true old fashioned ice cream and soda shoppe. The soda jerks (I love getting to use that word properly) wear old-time costumes and the ice cream and fountain sodas are delicious. Perhaps a bit on the pricey side, but quite large. My son and I split a hot fudge sundae (homemade ice cream and fudge) and were filled to the brim. We happily walked back to the car and drove back home with happy memories of our day with Ben!

NB: We had one unplanned stop on the way to Franklin Fountain because when we walked by the pet store Doggie Style at 3rd and Market, we found that they had SPCA kittens living in a cat condo in the front window. The cats are all friendly and they let kids walk into the window display and play with the kitties. (By the skin of my teeth I got out of there without a new cat-- they are all up for adoption!). I guess, however, Franklin would prefer cats to dogs, since he is famed for reminding us that "He that lies down with dogs shall rise up with fleas."

What is MALT?

Mt. Airy Learning Tree is a community-based "school" that draws on the human, geographical, and architectural resources of Germantown, Mt. Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Students enroll for $5.oo per term and can participate in classes that range from swimming to computer basics to aromatherapy. Classes may run for 2 hours on an afternoon or for up to 8 weeks. The spring term is underway and continues through June.

Three reasons why MALT classes are a boon for GAPpers:

1. For those new to the area, courses can take them into private area gardens, local history can be learned, and other like-minded neighbors can make contact.

2. Classes are offered for children as young as three.

3. Participants can choose classes convenient to their schedules: nights, weeksdays, weekends, and registration can be done online!

I have taken several classes through MALT and will be starting another next week: Meditation for Beginners. What parent cannot benefit from a few minutes to him or herself?

Mt. Airy Learning Tree

6601 Greene Street

Philadelphia, PA 19119-3114

215-843-6333

Fax registration: 215-843-6655

Dining Without the Whining: The Trolley Car Diner

Hop on over to Dancing Meatball's blog to read my latest post about one of my favorite places to eat with kids: Mt. Airy's very own Trolley Car Diner!

Stimulating your child’s senses: A Visit to the Reading Terminal Market

Winter can present parents with the following challenging question: What are we going to do today? Outdoor playgrounds are icy and movies are expensive. Last week, I was faced with the choice of practicing paper-cutting skills with my daughter or having all of our senses stirred by taking her to the Reading Terminal Market at 12^th and Market Streets in downtown Philadelphia. Guess what I chose?

This was our third visit together to the old market. In my BK (before kids) days, I might have shopped here for lobster-stuffed ravioli and Thai food, but children open up novel perspectives on this Philadelphia treasure. To begin with, we took the #9 bus from Roxborough. Children under 42 inches ride free and mine enjoys the great view, people-watching, and getting to ride without a booster seat! I enjoy the same two things, plus not having to drive!

Once we arrived inside the market, the first spectacle we visited was the seated brass pig, which accepts all forms of currency by mouth and then excretes them out the other end into the collection bin – fun to watch for scatologically-minded kids! Other treats for the eyes can be found at Chocolate by Mueller, who sells chocolate noses, liberty bells, and handcuffs in addition to more mundane truffles. You can also watch the experts making their chocolate novelties. For my child, it was thrilling to look at the whole red snappers on ice at the fish stand and the roasted whole ducks hanging at the Chinese stand. She was fascinated that the animals were not alive – although the fish looked that way!

We capped off our visit with my child’s new favorite activity: sitting on the spinning stools at Bassett’s while practicing her ice-cream-cone-licking skills. Request a cup for the point at which your child has finished licking and is ready to use a spoon. My new favorite activity is sitting next to her while I enjoy my falafel sandwich or Pakistani meal from Nanee’s Kitchen (Bassett’s doesn’t seem to mind.).

Details: The brass pig is located just outside of the Spice Terminal store. As an alternative to a Septa bus or train, driving is also an option, with $3 parking available in exchange for a stamped ticket, which you get with a purchase at the market. I recommend going on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, in order to visit the Amish stands, where you can watch pretzels being hand-twisted and pick up a whoopee pie!

Treat Yourself: A Taste of Philly

I found myself walking on Germantown Avenue today with my two kids and we just happened to be close to A Taste of Philly, so we had to stop in for a pretzel.  Although, as I keep forgetting, they have a $10 minimum for credit/debit card sales and I NEVER have cash these days, so we ended up getting a lot more than a pretzel.  

We also got a pretzel dog with cheese and I remembered to put the mustard on top and not inside since my friend always tells of the sad, sad day her hot dog flew out of the pretzel on the sidewalk due to slippery mustard.  I also ordered one of their pretzel breakfast sandwiches, the sausage, egg, and cheese one.  This is one of the fastest and cheapest breakfasts you can buy in Chestnut Hill, in case you're ever in need.

As the girl behind the counter informed me that I was not up to my minimum amount yet, I looked up forlornly at the board that was used in the summer for water ice flavors and found, to my delight, hot chocolate flavors:  raspberry, vanilla, caramel, white chocolate, dark chocolate, etc.  So, we got two hot chocolates since my son now loves it and I just can't always avoid him having some.  It was a cold day after all!  And, just to get it finally up to $10, I grabbed a bag of chocolate coated pretzel pieces (I had no choice, right?)

After paying, we walked over to one of their small tables with our load of food.  The kids munched on the pretzels happily (one of the ONLY foods my whole family will eat).  It was a nice, calm little outing.  Very hard to find these days!  If it weren't for my toddler's obsession with walking up and down stairs without stopping, we would have gone upstairs as my son wanted to.  He remembers that there is a great space up there, that they at least used to have a train track with trains.  We had a few playgroups meet up there in the past.

They weren't making pretzels this time, but sometimes you can catch them at the right time and take the kids to the back of the store to watch the dough ooze out of the machine as the man then whips it around effortlessly in the air and lays it down in a perfect, pretzel shape before moving on to the next one.

So, the next time you're in the neighborhood, and are hungry, cold, or both, head to A Taste of Philly for a pretzel and hot chocolate.  It's a nice treat for anyone.

A Taste of Philly is located at:  8513 Germantown Ave.  They are open 9am-5:30pm M-Sat., and 9am-4pm on Sundays.  Call 215.247.2217 for more info.

Treat Yourself: Earth Bread + Brewery

It's a dream for me. If someone were to ask this summer when I moved to Mt. Airy, "What do you dream about when you close your eyes?," I would probably have said, "I wish they would build a brew pub in Mt. Airy where I could take the kids."

Earth Bread + Brewery  at 7136 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy has been packed both up and downstairs since it opened in the beginning of October. It's a green-conscious space with great beer and flatbread pizza and, early on most nights, it's filled with kids. 

Earth Bread has six types of flatbread pizza and a "make your own" variety. The balance of the menu now has great salads and soups. So if the kids do not like pizza (believe it or not, I know one of those) and will not eat soup, it's not the place for them. But if your kids do like pizza, the Traditional is the best way to start. 

Ask for crayons too and the drinks in paper cups with straws. The owners tell me that they might branch out to sandwiches someday in the future but right now just want to get better and better at what they do. They also always knew that the Mt. Airy location meant that they should plan for families.

"I'm not sure we specifically planned to make the space kid- friendly," proprietor Tom Baker said, "but when you're planning a restaurant in a family place like Mount Airy you should plan for families."

"Some nights in the last month," partner Peggy Zwever added, "we've run out of highchairs."

Not only are Peggy and Tom dedicated to the enviornment, good food and great beer; they are dedicated to Mt. Airy.

"We moved to West Mount Airy this summer," they told me.

Earth Bread + Brewery has four types of their own brewed beer and eight varieties brewed in other local microbreweries. They offer wine also, but no other liquor yet.

Earth Bread + Brewery is only open for dinner for the time being from 4:30pm-midnight and until 1am Fridays and Saturdays. They stop serving dinner at 10, though. They are directly across the street from Infusion. There is on street parking but also a municipal lot behind FitLife.

AveNEWS: High Point Cafe's 2nd Location now Open!!

I realized yesterday morning that Election Day was not the day to check out the new location of High Point Cafe as I approached the long line outside. Could all these people really be waiting for coffee? This place was even more popular than expected! Then, as I got closer, I realized that they weren't waiting for coffee, they were waiting to vote! How cool to have your polling place inside a coffee shop?!?!

Even with the inside tables temporarily replaced with voting booths, the kids and I were impressed. The same fabulous coffee, a cozy friendly space, lots of yummy food, and warm and smiling staff. Even better, they now have space for stroller parking outside and high chairs! The new location will not be serving crepes, but will have lots of other treats including some Grab&Go Sandwiches.

Fortunately, they also have some outdoor seating over on the side - with a perfect view of passing trains. With an iced coffee, a couple gruyere brioche, and an up close sighting of the R8, we were all happily satisfied.

High Point Cafe now has two locations in West Mt. Airy:
The original Cafe at 602 Carpenter Lane
and the new location at The Allens Lane Train Station

Both sites are open every day, 7am-7pm.

Treat Yourself: The Hill Tea Bar

Just east of Germantown Avenue, on Hartwell Lane in Chestnut Hill, you will find the cutest little tea bar. The Hill Tea Bar opened this year and features more than fifty varieties of tea, which can be served hot or cold. They also sell irresistible goodies such as cupcakes, cakes, scones (not the rock-hard kind!), and pastries.  If you are hungry for lunch, there are also sandwiches available.  And if you have a picky little one with you, you can even grab a bag of the ever-popular Pirate's Booty.

Make sure to visit the tea bar before the weather gets very cold, so that you can take advantage of their beautiful and serene garden. The garden is spacious and filled with tables and chairs. There is plenty of room for little ones to roam around on the grass while you eat, drink, and chat. Just beware that adventurous ones will be close to the road and that the garden is not fenced in, so you will have to keep a close watch on them, but there should be enough to entertain most. (My son was busy examining bugs and fallen berries on our last visit.)

If you are walking to the tea bar, plan to park any strollers out front while you place your order inside. The space is a bit snug, so be prepared to hold onto little hands because there are fragile items in the store that might be tempting. It is a good idea to come in pairs, so parents can take turns watching the kids outside!

There is indoor seating, so you can still enjoy your tea at the bar during the winter.  But, instead of trying to keep your eye on an energetic little one in the front of the bar, head to the back and you will find a door leading to a more private room with more space.  There is a toy chest full of things to keep your kids entertained.  The owner is even willing to put on a children's video if you would like.  And if you are able to get out without kids, take advantage of the free wi-fi in the tea bar.

The tea bar also hosts great events, including story times and wine tastings. For example, call now to fill one of the last spots for a Tour of Italy Wine Class to be held on October 17th, 7:30-9:30pm - cost, $40 per person. You will be tasting eight different wines paired with cheese samples provided by The Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop.

Or, if you don't have plans for yourself for Halloween just yet, adults can visit the tea bar from 7:30-9:30 on Halloween night for "A Night of a Thousand Wishes" storytelling event and "Mini Magical Tea Party" cost, $25 per person (adults only). To keep up with events at The Hill Tea Bar, check out their blog.

The tea bar is located at 6 East Hartwell Lane and is open on Tuesdays 10-6, Wednesday-Saturdays 10-7, and Sundays 10-3. For more information or to reserve a spot for an event, call the Hill Tea Bar at 215.381.2226.

Treat Yourself: Anyone for some water ice?

We don't know about you, but this weather makes us want one thing: water ice, water ice, water ice!! So, where do you go when you need that water ice fix? Or even just having an ice cream craving? Here are our favs:

A Taste of Philly Pretzel Shop in Chestnut Hill
8513 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
215-247-2217
map

Mango is THE BEST. Lemon and watermelon are great too. We advice against the pink lemonade and cherry.

*This is also on our list of kid-friendly eateries. So, get your water ice, and head upstairs with the little ones. Dig in while they run around and play with trains. Strollers are a bit hard to get in the door because of a few stairs and you won't want to drag one up to the second floor, but you can leave it downstairs.



Rita's Water Ice in Wyndmoor
900 Willow Grove Avenue
Wyndmoor, PA 19038
215.836.7171
map

The water ice itself is not as good as at the pretzel shop, but Rita's is still good and gets extra points for its Gelatis (custard with water ice) and their multitude of flavors. There are a lot of Rita's around, but this one is in great shape in beautiful downtown Wyndmoor, right outside of Chestnut Hill, and even has a large covered area with tables. Rita's is so fast and easy (go right up to the window) that it's a great idea for a stop when the kids are having a car nap.




Nonnie's at Bruno's

9800 Germantown Ave. (really on Northwestern Ave.)

Philadelphia PA 19118

Phone: 215-242-1880
map

This is a cute little ice cream shop with outdoor seating right across the street from the stables. It's a beautiful setting and they have delicious ice cream, gelato, and sherbet.

*It is VERY hard to get a stroller in and down the stairs, so plan to bring a baby watcher or a carrier along if you have a little one with you.

*As much as we love The Trolley Car Diner in Mt. Airy, their water ice is just not great. Way too icy, not smooth like it should be. Their ice cream is a better bet.

Bredenbeck's Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor
8126 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
215.247.7374
map

Okay, this one doesn't have water ice either, but we couldn't leave it out. Bredenbeck's is a great old fashioned ice cream parlor in Chestnut Hill. Try one of their sundae creations and dig in outside on one of their benches on the avenue. You won't be dissapointed!

*Not any room to sit down inside and not stroller friendly. They're open late, so it's a great one to come to for an after-dinner treat.




Your Turn: Did we miss any great water ice/ice cream spots? Any flavors we should know about?