We woke up early after such an eventful night. Our hotel stay at the Embassy Suites, Philadelphia Airport included breakfast. We went down to the restaurant, and found a table for the four of us. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, finding us two highchairs, and bringing us a pitcher of ice water to fill the duo’s sippy cups. In addition to the typical continental fare, there was a ‘grill’ line for eggs made on request, and you could order off of a menu for pancakes, or other hot offerings.
After breakfast, we headed out for the day. We had a day full of fun planned. We started out by making our way to the Marathon’s home base- the Pennsylvania Convention Center- to check out the Health & Fitness Expo, and pick up TT Dad’s Race Packet.
No turning back, now!
After navigating the Expo, and picking up the packet, we wanted to do something fun for the duo. Philadelphia is home of the Please Touch Museum. This is also member of the Association of Children’s Museums’ Reciprocal Network.
Adult admission was $17, with our newly-turned-one-year-olds costing the same as an adult. Children under 1 are free. Carousel rides are $3.00.
We arrived just in time to experience story time sing-a-long in Fairytale Garden. A staff member provided a basket full of noise-making shakers, and read a story, while kids and their grown-ups sang along. It was a hit!
This boy loves the grocery store!
Ahoy!
We spent quite a bit of time in the Fairytale Garden area. This area was full of fun, interactive, exhibits for toddlers. The rest of the Museum was a little bit over their head, but they enjoyed it! Our day at Please Touch ended with a ride on the carousel. It was the duo’s first ‘go-round’, and it took them a few turns to get used to it. It was a big hit!
First Carousel Ride!
Finally, we made our way to the café, where we wanted to find a healthy-ish option for the kids’ lunch. After a decent search, they shared a couple of slices of pizza, some yogurt, and a fruit cup. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but we tried! I wouldn’t recommend eating at the museum. You can reenter with your same day ticket, so even if you’re planning a full day at the museum, I’d suggest heading out for lunch, or packing your own.
I imagine once the duo is a little older they will get a lot more out of the museum. There were a lot of exhibits that would have really engaged their imaginations, but at this age, the toddler area was perfect.
After the Please Touch museum, we had another fun activity lined up… But first, we had two kids napping in a car, and two hungry parents. Clearly, this left us with only one option.
Pat’s and Geno’s.
And since you asked (oh, you didn’t? Whoops.)
Pat’s? Or Geno’s?!
The verdict was split. We found both cheesesteaks to be delicious, and had a hard time deciding which was better. It depends mainly on what you’re looking for in a cheesesteak. Do you want your basic staple cheesesteak? Or do you want to get fancy with toppings?
I will leave you with one word of advice. The-Taste-Test-Is-Half-The-Fun! (I tried.)
In all honesty, we are glad we tried both, and suggest that you do the same if you’re a fan of cheesesteaks. I could tell you which we preferred, but the touristy thing to do is to try both, and decide on your own! Enjoy!!