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  NW Kid Chaser

Summer in Seattle...

10/11/2014

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A little more than 14 years ago, my husband and I spent a long weekend in Seattle. It was fabulously fun.
This August we returned, we our two favorite companions.
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Our boys loved the big city as much as we do. Going by train makes it a super easy, close-to-home, family adventure that can't be beat.
Here's a few of our favorite activities:

Love that train ride...

We played cards, read books, ate in the dining car, and didn't worry a bit about traffic. Check the Amtrak website regularly for discounts/deals.
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Fremont District Fun...

The walking tour with superheroes, community art, and heart. Worth every penny to get an insider-view of this uniquely Seattle neighborhood. Great eats nearby too!
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Space Needle...

Buy tickets online to avoid the long lines and dedicate at least an hour up at the top, as there are several interactive displays as well as a great view. Employees will take your picture and email it to you for free, so even Mom gets in the skyline shot!
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International Fountain...

The challenge of this amazing fountain is to touch the center globe without getting wet.
I double dog dare you to try it.
I also advise that you bring a towel. It makes for a perfect way to unwind after a long day and was a favorite location for our boys.
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Glass Museum...

Amazing sculpture displays and garden: Ask about their summer special that gives you access both day and night. Tickets can be purchased with Space Needle tix at a discount. Be sure to watch the movie that shows the artist's process and vision.
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Go Seahawks!

I never, ever expected to attend an NFL game - but my boy loves football! That said, the Seahawks put on a great party. Touchdown City was free and great fun for the kids. Contact Seattle's Children's Home for ticket sales that support a good cause.
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Pacific Science Center...

This museum offers kid friendly fun in the middle of it all. Use your local children's museum membership to get in for free.
DO NOT MISS the high-rail bike.

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Pike Place Market...

The Free Walking Tour was fabulous and family friendly. Our guide was funny, informed, and hooked us up with food samples throughout the market. Hooray!
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Monorail...

Soooo touristy; Soooo fun! There really is no need to use a car in Seattle. You can get everywhere you need to go with trains, the monorail, light rail, and buses. Use the Transit app for automatic updates.
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Klondike Museum...

Just a block from the Amtrak Station, this historical park is totally worth a quick visit. Check out the movie telling of the journey north. Junior Rangers welcome!

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The Art of Bicycle Riding...

7/27/2013

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Check out
Cyclepedia
at the
Portland Art Museum
until Sept. 8, 2013.
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A folding bicycle built for parachuting behind enemy lines.
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Suitcase bicycle for world-traveler riders who are on the go.
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A bicycle built for two!
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Bumpy race track ahead?

    While you are at the Museum, be sure to visit the Discovery Center on the 3rd floor. There are books, exhibits, costumes, art supplies,  and furniture all designed with young museum visitors in mind.   
       After walking through almost all of the exhibits, my boys were ready for action. My youngest loves a good mummy fact. My oldest, began a portrait of a "young Roman guard" for the wall. I tried my hand at tin-foil sculpture.
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Eastbank Esplanade...

9/16/2012

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For years I’ve heard of Portland’s Eastbank Esplanade, but have never had the pleasure of exploring the 1.5 mile path.  Following along the east side of the Willamette River, the Esplanade officially extends from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Steel Bridge. Even better: there are a variety of connection to east-side destinations.

 My family recently accessed this amazing bike path from OMSI. After enjoying a few hours of science museum fun, we jumped on our bikes and followed the path all the way to the Portland Saturday Market on the north end of Portland’s Waterfront Park. Highlights included the floating portions of the Esplanade path, crossing the Steel Bridge (on a level completely separate from cars), ice cream cones at Saturday Market, water fountains in Waterfront Park, and (of course) little boys who love to ride!

Here’s a bit of info for out-of-towners like ourselves. Free parking for your car, can be found just south of OMSI near the SE Caruthers Street Portland Spirit and Portland Opera offices. East access to both the Eastbank Esplanade and the Springwater Corridor are available. We rode just a bit of the Corridor near OMSI and found it to be mostly undeveloped. The railroad is on one side and the unmaintained river’s edge is on the other. That currently makes for a feeling of seclusion. The day we were there provided enough traffic that I felt safe – but generally, I would not want to take the path without my husband along for the ride. This was in sharp contrast to the Esplanade which was more open, visible from a distance and heavily in use. I felt very safe, as the path seemed expertly integrated into the urban landscape.

I recommend that all riders bring water, sunscreen, a bike-lock, and money for ice cream along the way. If you don’t have bikes of your own you can transport to the big-city: Never Fear! Kerr Bike Rentals is right along the way and has everything needed to set you up for the day (including tagalongs and bike trailers for wee ones).

Reading about the design and planning involved in this great bike connection (between the two sides of the river), I’m impressed by the undertaking. This project is an amazing model for other communities. The possibilities (and benefits) of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure await!

Thank you to Bike City, USA for a day of great family bike ride and for leading the way.
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The Seeing Things...

7/28/2012

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    I was determined to make our Yellowstone National Park memorable and so researched and planned our time in the park carefully.  At the half-way mark of our visit, I asked my oldest son how he liked our vacation so far. He told me, “I like the doing-things more than the looking-things.”

    This completely made sense to me. Yellowstone is a HUGE park with so many “sights” (and “sites”) to see, but little boys are little boys (and need to move, touch, and actively engage with their world). Here are the highlights of our “seeing things” time in the park.  I’ll cover the “doing things” in another post.


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DRIVING: The main road through the park is designed in a large figure eight. This road is two lanes with no (or extremely limited) shoulder area. The speed limit is approximately 45 mph. That said, there are frequent pull-outs, small side roads,
and the occasional traffic jam (when a bison or two decide
to claim an entire lane for themselves). My advice: Give
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yourself plenty of time to travel from point A to B and understand that you are just visiting. This wild land belongs to the wildlife.

Different sections of the park offer different landscapes. The NE corner is high mountains and low valleys, the NW corner is dramatic rock fields, canyons, and cliffs; the Canyon Area reminds me of Oregon, and the Hayden Valley offers the large grassland/meadows where bison herds often roam. We drove the full figure-eight and I enjoyed the change of scenery.

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LODGING: I’ve heard that many folks stay outside the park and enter during the day for activities. However, cabins in the very center of the park were very reasonably priced. The trick here is making reservations early. (Rooms go fast - even months ahead of time- but with a great cancellation policy you have plenty of flexibility in case your plans change.)

Our Frontier Cabin at Canyon Lodge was described as “rustic.” I took this to mean we had a 50/50 chance that it would be “scary.” However, we found our two double beds/private bath space both clean and comfortable. Since we were out in the
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park from early morning to late at night, we didn’t need much indoor space and the resort’s guest service was always very helpful. Ice (for our cooler filled with breakfast, lunch and snack items) was readily available and fresh towels magically appeared when needed.  Sadly, on our last day in the cabin a gentleman in the room next door experienced a medical emergency. I was glad to see EMTs with an ambulance on the scene in less than five minutes. Overall, I was very pleased with the parks accommodations would recommend them to other traveling families.

SEEING THINGS: It seems wrong to travel to Yellowstone and NOT see Old Faithful, so we made sure to set aside one full day to see the famous geyser.The area around Old Faithful is fully developed and offers the Inn, the Lodge, a Visitor’s Center, a General Store, Gas Station, Ranger Station, and Medical Clinic. There are miles of trails that lead to many smaller geysers and pools, with little shade and usually a big crowd. This isn’t walking on the wild side – but it does make for a lovely lunch on the shaded porch of the Yellowstone Lodge, a fascinating look at a seven story log cabin, and a quick stop at a quality children’s museum.

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Our other sightseeing stops around the park included the Mammoth Hot Springs (which vary widely based on season – ask others if the hike up the stairs is worth it before you take little-ones); the Fountain Paint Pots (a short, easy walk that offers visitors the chance to see all four geo-thermal features active in Yellowstone Park), the Norris Geyser Basin (with its magnificent view of a geyser/hot spring field); the West Thumb Geyser Basin (a very short boardwalk with a great view of Yellowstone Lake); and the Sheepeater Cliffs (visible from the parking lot and a great spot to see marmots).

With something interesting to see at every turn, I chose just two locations a day as “must see.” This allowed us to stop and discover unknown treasures – some which we preferred to the big-name sites – along the way. By the end of the trip, each family member had a geothermal favorite.


Here’s the final tally:

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This Dragon's Mouth ROARS!
Mom –
Mud Volcano Mudpot
(“I love the glub, blub, gurgle, pop.”)

Dad –

Dragon’s Mouth Spring
(“A great combination of sights and sounds!”)

Oldest Boy –

Fountain Geyser in the Fountain Paint Pot Area (“It was unexpected.”)


Youngest Boy –
Old Faithful Geyser
(“I liked it because it went so high and looked so powerful.”)


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Discovery Village...

1/19/2011

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Recollections
            My boys are getting a bit old for most of the A.C. Gilbert House exhibits. When they were in preschool we spent hour upon hour at this favorite Salem location. Now when we visit - we make a quick run through of the "Recollections" exhibit and a final stop in the Bubble Room, but the bulk of our time is spent on the outdoor play structure.
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Erector Set Tower
       During past visits, I have walked through the tower (bumping my head along the way) time after time . But these days - my boys can find their way solo and I can sit on the deck and watch the fun in comfort. After an hour of free play on or last visit, the boys and I came up with a new game. I hid a brightly colored object in the tower and they then had to search for it and return it to me. Suddenly speed was not the primary eight-year old concern.
    Good clean fun on an Oregon winter day!


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Ladd & Bush Bank...

8/30/2010

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     I’ve always loved the outside of the historic Ladd & Bush Bank in downtown Salem. The ornate carvings above the main doors are beautiful and matched only by the detail of the metal gates at the same location.  
       Since the onset of drive-through windows and online banking, the art of carefully crafting such a stately building to house financial services may now be a thing of the past. Walking hurriedly past this building, even I sometimes fail to stop and appreciate this gem of downtown Salem. So… when looking to tour a bank with my kiddos (and friends) I decided that Ladd & Bush would be the perfect place to learn about Salem history as well as bank services.
      
      The Ladd & Bush Bank Building was first built in 1909. It is said to be the “
first steel and concrete fire-resistant building in Salem” and “Salem’s first financial institution.”

       
Our tour gave us a peek at the original safe, cases of antique coins and measurements, and several old “calculators” formerly used in money counting.  We were also able to visit the basement, the safe deposit boxes, and the large current day vault. Correction: the children were able to visit the vault. Adults had to wait in the lobby. My 5 year old thought this detail was absolutely delightful. He humbly tried to offer his sympathy by saying, “Sorry you had to miss the fun Mom. It’s just that you are so old.” 
             Overall, it was a great tour. Interesting for all ages
        (even us old-folks).
Thank you to US Bank for hosting!
 
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Creepy, Crawly, Wonderful...

6/22/2010

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     Artist and hometown boy Christopher Marley has brought big, beautiful bugs to town.  Mr. Marley’s shop/art gallery, Pheromone, is nestled right downtown between Starbucks and Straight from New Pizza on Liberty Street and shouldn’t be missed.
     Having spent many days in the rain forests of South America I have had my share fair of bug encounters. For years it didn’t bother me. I once saw a moth the size of a bird; a spider web designed to catch small birds, and a family of cockroaches who assumed mi casa was sus casa. I wasn't phased.

     Then I suddenly seemed to reach capacity and now even sugar ants give me the heebie-jeebies. Then just this spring, I was bit by a spider while gardening, and half my face swelled to the point of losing feeling for two days. It was awful! I’d file a restraining order against insects if I could. I want them 100 yards away from me - at all times.

     And then…we step into Peromone. My son ooos and ahhhhs. The colors are displayed so exquisitely. The arrangements are so precise. Strangely, I find that I’m drawn toward these creepy crawly beasts instead of being repelled by them.

Perhaps it is time for a peace agreement.

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Art Attack...

6/9/2010

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        Salem Art Association has opened its Project Space at the Metropolitan Building at 160 Liberty St. NE. This summer show of art if free and open to the public - right in the heart of the city.

My youngest and I stopped by today to take a peek.....

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     Stepping inside this empty commercial space, we found another world; a world of possibility; a world of wonder; a world to explore.
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Creative artists,
Adam and Rosalynn Rothstein,
took these:



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 And made this:



     The exhibit is titled: Please Treat Things As You Would Like Them To Be Treated. Like 95% of art -I’m not sure I get it, but I like it! My son liked it as well. Look closely     ---–    that’s him crawling through the structure. Even at a young age, he’s an art lover!

Stop by soon to see this amazing structure before it’s too late! Exhibits are set to rotate at the start of July and August
.

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Ready, Set, Bridge...

5/9/2010

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Just a heads up about a fun activity next weekend- May 15th.
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Photo Credit: City of Salem
The old railroad bridge/new bike path at River Front Park (The Union Street Walking Bridge) is reopening and families are invited to help celebrate. Festivities last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each family is invited to pick up a passport and visit a variety of locations in River Front Park and Wallace Park to receive a passport stamps. And if enjoying these great Salem parks isn’t fun enough…. your family receives free admission to A.C. Gilbert Village once you have filled your passport!

Should be a fun outing – bring your bikes, your skates, or your strollers and (if we’re lucky) your sunscreen!

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One step at a time...

3/29/2010

1 Comment

 
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Spring is here and that means it’s time for all those interested in getting a bird’s eye view of Salem to
head up to the top of the State Capitol Building.


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Tours are

offered (free-of-charge)

every hour (on the hour)

from 9am to 4pm.

Spring & Summer



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Climb all 121 steps to the overlook and even receive a certificate to prove you made it!

While you are at the capitol - take a peek at the Governor's ceremonial office on the 2nd floor. There you can see the Oregon Seal (also on the Rotunda floor & building door knobs) as well as receive a free pencil for the kiddies. Older children may be interested in seeing the Oregon House and Senate chambers. Take a look at that groovy carpet.  :)
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