Hershey Park, PA: The Sweetest Way to Spend the First Day of Summer Vacation

Everyone needs a friend like my friend Linda. Linda is the fun mom, the one with the irrepressible energy who organizes frequent get-togethers (the more, the merrier), the one who always has a smile on her face (even in the mornings at school drop-off), the one who might just like the roller coasters more than any of the kids do, the one who always goes in the pool and goes swimming with the kids—underwater!—while the rest of the moms watch from the lounge chairs, making lame excuses about their highlights, the one who shows up to every event with a good bottle of wine that she’s always willing to share, the one who has more energy than all three of my kids combined. You know, that friend. And if you don’t know, then you should immediately stop reading this blog post and figure out how you can get yourself a friend like that.

The reason behind my love letter to Linda (but really, do I need a reason? We should tell all of our girlfriends more often just how much they mean to us) is that she took it upon herself to gather no less than fourteen moms and their gaggles of children and plan a first-day-of-summer-vacation overnight trip to Hersheypark. She came up with the idea and the dates, started the buzz and generated interest in the trip, booked rooms at The Hotel Hershey, suggested itineraries, arranged a group dinner and drinks at the hotel on the night of our stay, and, in typical Linda fashion, made it all happen.

The entire time I was at Hersheypark, I tried to channel my inner Linda. You see, I am not the one who always has a smile on her face and I am frequently tired and cranky (is that where my children get it from?) and I hardly ever get my hair wet in the pool. I resolved to be more like Linda—to consent to the face painting (even though it’s messy), to go on the log flume (even though I knew it would completely soak me through to my underwear), to allow some arcade time (even though everything but Skee-ball and air hockey makes me itchy), to let the kids eat their Hershey bars before lunch instead of after. And you know what? We all had the best time ever.

This trip was a tradition in the making and I can’t wait to go again next year—with Linda, of course, so that she can remind me to complain less and smile more and that the key ingredients to a full life are good friends, happy kids, and chocolate.

Hersheypark, 100 W. Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033; (800) HERSHEY; hersheypark.com; Hours: Vary, but generally open during the summer from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekdays and from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM on weekends; Admission: Varies; check website for different ticket options, prices, and deals.

The Hotel Hershey, 100 Hotel Road, Hershey, PA 17033; (717) 533-2171; thehotelhershey.com; Guest perks include special deals and packages on Hersheypark tickets, kids’ activities, complimentary shuttle service to Hersheypark, and early access to select rides and attractions.

The Blog is Back

In the Summer of 2010, I decided to rebrand my lack of planning for the summer into what I preferred to call a “positive opportunity” by hatching the idea of a Summer of Fun Bucket List (aka, Camp Mom). The kids and I had one glorious summer of diligently researching, planning, executing, and blogging, but the idea eventually lost momentum and quietly slipped into oblivion in 2011 and 2012.

This summer, I am resurrecting and updating our Summer of Fun Bucket List for 2013 and the rules, resources, and other perimeters are set forth below (I’m hoping that a summer of blogging will make me write less like a recovering lawyer and more like a writer):

THE CHALLENGE

• Prepare a draft schedule five days a week, every week, until the end of the summer, subject to weather, changes in attitude, or other unforeseen circumstances. Without the working schedule, I am staring down 13 unplanned and unaccounted for weeks of summer with three children ages eight-and-a-half, six-and-a-half, and four--potentially dangerous and soul-sucking situation. The success of the Summer of Fun 2013 turns on the schedule, which has been (mostly) planned out through the end of June and remains a work in progress
• Tie in relevant books and movies into our regular outings
• Record our daily adventures and outings in a blog, even though I may very well be the least technologically advanced person under the age of 97
• Have each child and myself complete a hard copy scrapbook of our summer, complete with photos, ticket stubs, postcards, written descriptions, and drawings

THE CATEGORIES  (in the past three years, this has morphed into a somewhat unwieldy 65-page  Word document and includes:)

• Museums
• Beaches/Pools
• Playgrounds/Parks
• Zoos
• Libraries
• Gardens
• Other (this is a smorgasbord of places that defy easy categorization such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island, and Grey Line double decker bus tours)
• Neighborhoods and Walking Tours
• Broadway, Movies, and Other Shows
• Adventures Outside the City and Overnight Trips

THE RESOURCES

• City Walks With Kids: New York 50 Adventures on Foot by Elissa Stein
• Fodor’s Around New York City With Kids, 4th Edition
• Storied City: A Children’s Book Walking Tour Guide of New York City by Leonard S. Marcus
• New York Family: website and monthly magazine (newyorkfamily.com)
• Red Tricycle: website (redtri.com)
• Time Out Kids New York: website and monthly magazine (timeout.com/new-york-kids)

Hurricane Preparedness Redux

Just resurrecting my post from two summers ago in advance of Hurricane (what got reduced to a Tropical Storm) Irene. 

• "D" Batteries. Check.
• Milk. Check.
• Working flashlights and headlamps. Check.
• Limes, dark rum, and passion fruit syrup to make a Hurricane, the cocktail made famous by Pat O’Brien’s, a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Check, check, check. 

When the hurricanes get going, the going go to the liquor store...

Hurricane Cocktail*

(Adapted from www.whatscookingamerica.net)

Ingredients:

-1 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice

-4 ounces dark rum

-4 ounces passion fruit syrup

-ice

-1 lime slice

-1 Maraschino cherry

Directions:

In a cocktail shaker, add lime juice, rum, passion fruit syrup, and ice; shake vigorously for 1-2 minutes and then strain into a tall glass. Garnish with lime slice and a maraschino cherry. Makes 1 serving.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/Hurricane.htm

*There are many different versions of the Hurricane cocktail and I believe that the original Pat O’Brien’s boasts about five different kinds of alcohol, but we will just have to make do.

In Case You Want to Get Your NYC Playground Groove On This Spring...

http://www.newyorkfamily.com/newyork/article-1006-thinking-outside-the-sandbox.html

THINKING OUTSIDE THE SANDBOX

The 13 Best New York City Playgrounds

By Jennifer Lehner

Photo credit: Frank Oudeman 2010

There are close to 1,000 playgrounds throughout the city! If you're in the mood to go beyond your neighborhood swing set, here's a list of 13 out-of-the-box playscapes worth traveling to throughout the five boroughs.

BRONX

COOLEST SOUNDS
Mullaly South Playground | Highbridge

Located near Yankee Stadium, this fun spot lets mini musicians delight in sound exploration by slapping hollow, open-ended metal pipes, talking through telephone tubes and playing a xylophone with their feet.

BROOKLYN

BIGGEST WOW FACTOR
Brooklyn Bridge Park | Pier 6

Boasting four separate play areas totaling 1.6 acres (Water Lab, Sandbox Village, Slide Mountain and Swing Valley), spectacular views of lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor, three sand volleyball courts and an outdoor food section dishing out Bark Hot Dogs and Blue Marble Ice Cream—this playground is a destination in and of itself.

STRAIGHT OUT OF A BOOK
Imagination Playground | Prospect Park

Paying homage to children's literature, this storytelling playspace sports an enormous bronze dragon which doubles as a water feature. Nearby, another set of statues depicts beloved characters of children's author Ezra Jack Keats. During the summer, families flock here for storytime. 

MANHATTAN

BEST WATER FEATURES
Chelsea Waterside Park | Hudson River Park

Pack up the bathing suits and towels because there's water, water everywhere at this Danish-designed wonderland. Kids will have a ball splashing in the wading area, getting drenched by the wall of faucets and running through the funky, blue fountains while parents and caregivers can sit in cool comfort beneath the shade umbrellas.

MAKES YOU WANT TO BE A KID AGAIN
Imagination Playground | Burling Slip | South Street Seaport (pictured left)

David Rockwell's brainchild invites children in for unstructured play using assorted, loose parts like burlap bags, buckets, shovels, brooms, carts and fabrics. Kids can reenact elaborate pirate fantasies by scrambling up ropes, swinging in hammocks and swabbing the decks of their imaginary ship using miniature push brooms. 

BEST FOR YOUNGER KIDS
Union Square Playground | Union Square (main picture)

Although there's plenty to draw the older kids, this playground caters to its littlest patrons with a section devoted solely to toddlers. Lined with wooden benches for parents and caregivers—and carpeted with checkerboard rubber tiles to cushion falls—this tot lot features age-appropriate climbing equipment, a sandbox and water fountain. 

MOST SPECTACULAR SLIDE
Billy Johnson Playground | Central Park

There are slides and then there are SLIDES! The 45-foot-long granite beauty at this playground—constructed primarily from natural materials—is known to true slide aficionados as the fastest one in the entire city. Some kids even bring their own cardboard to increase speed on the way down. 

BEST SHADE
Hippo Playground | Riverside Park

A favorite among Upper West Side families—this good, old-fashioned hub is a shady haven even on the hottest days. The playground's stars are its namesake hippo statues, which can be sat on, climbed in and scrambled over and even spray water in the warmer months. A canopy of mature, honey locust trees provides ample shade for the entire space.

THE HIDDEN GEM
Teardrop Park | Battery Park City

Tucked away between the tall residential buildings of Downtown, this urban oasis offers children both a place for excitement and exploration, as well as quiet contemplation. Its main event is a truly awesome, two-story, joy ride of a slide. There are also plenty of boulders for rock-hopping, a water play area and shady benches for midday reading.

WHERE LIFE IMITATES ART
Ancient Playground | Central Park

This playground mixes standard issue equipment with climbing pyramids, an obelisk and a sundial mirroring the real ones right next door in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian art collection. It's a mecca for older children once school lets out for the day.

QUEENS

MOST EDUCATIONAL
Science Playground | New York Hall of Science | Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (pictured left)

It's more than just letting loose at this 60,000-square-foot fun zone. Through more than two dozen hands-on elements like slides, seesaws, speaking tubes, a giant spider web and sand pits—kids soak up the scientific principles of motion, balance, sound and sight, as well as the elements of sun, wind and water.

FOR ALL ABILITIES
Playground For All Children | Flushing Meadows-Corona Park

The first of its kind in the country, this playground was created expressly for children with physical disabilities but, like its name implies, will appeal to all children. Special features include a boat-glider swing for the wheelchair-bound, a jungle gym accessible by ramp, stair-free paths, and swings and slides set at lower levels.

STATEN ISLAND

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE
Connie Gretz's Secret Garden | Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden

Inspired by Francis Hodgson Burnett's 1911 children's classic The Secret Garden, this charming space features a turreted castle and a hedge maze leading to its very own secret, brick-walled garden of dogwoods, roses, and other blooming greens. Though not your typical playground, it's an imaginative hotspot for the curious nonetheless.