6.30.2011

Warhawk Museum, Nampa Idaho (Near Boise)

Warhawk Museum, Nampa Idaho (Near Boise)


It’s still the summer of Idaho and my family and I are hell bent on learning about our new home state. Here’s a pithy lesson: don’t try to discover Nampa, Idaho on a Sunday. The town is D E A D. Closed. Rolled up. TheFlying M Coffee Garage was open. I’m used to the one in downtown Boise: hipsters, great gift shop, local art – and you have to be New-York-aggressive to find a place to sit.
In Nampa, there is plenty of space (well, especially on a Sunday) to stretch out, plug in your laptop and get to work. Same great coffee and pastries. And hipsters. Much cooler and expansive space.
warhawks_museumOur purpose in Nampa was to go to the Warhawk Air Museum, inside a hangar at the Nampa airport. The mission of the museum is to teach and preserve America’s history during times of war from the home front to the war front and aviation history from the advent of flight through the space age. The museum has two of only a few remaining Curtiss P-40 World War II Fighter Airplanes left in the world and a very rare World War II P-51C Mustang Fighter Airplane. It’s got lots of actual planes that you can’t touch and plenty of memorabilia if you are an aviation history buff.
Here’s the rub: my family includes no aviation history buffs. My 5 and 7 year olds were plenty put out at not being able to touch the airplanes. Still, if aviation history is your thing, you should definitely come to the museum. You will be in good company. We were the interlopers. Also, to get us all in the door, it cost $28 – kind of steep for a half hour of “fun.”
My daughter decided that she would practice her on-camera presence, as she has seen mommy do many times.  I'll let you see how she's coming along.  She's 5 1/2:

After a lap at the museum, you can watch planes take off and land at the Blue Sky Café at the Nampa Airport. It’s a burger and sandwich kind of place and its view of the runway is top notch. We saw a tiny little airplane (see, no technical knowledge have I) take off and then buzz the runway before disappearing into the wild blue yonder. That was free. And that was FUN.

6.29.2011

Family Friendly Restaurants in St. Louis

Family Friendly Restaurants in St. Louis
Root Beer Floats at Fitz's!

Just got back from a fabulous press trip to St. Louis. What was truly amazing was how many free attractions there are – next to Washington, DC, St. Louis is the place to go to get a free and fun history lesson about this great country of ours.
But baby’s gotta eat, right? You need something that will satisfy both your children and you: it’s a two-way street.
100_0378-1We had an incredible meal at Pi Pizzeria. There are three locations in St. Louis (and one coming to Washington, DC); we went to the original. They have both thin crust and deep dish pizzas – as well as vegan and gluten-free options. (Truly, you can have a gluten, dairy free pizza. They say it tastes great, but I have no earthy idea about this and hope never to taste this.)
I prefer thin crust – we devoured the Lincoln Park, and North Beach Classico -- but I must say that we tasted the deep dish, Chicago style pizza and I finally figured out why people like this. The deep dish pizza at Pi was truly delicious. Never understood all that kind of topping until I sank my teeth into the tomatoes at the brink of this pizza. I get it, now.
There are some good salads and even hummus – I’m telling you, they have a diverse family covered!
Fitz bottlesBest of all, there was Apple Pi for dessert with cinnamon ice cream. This was way above average apple pie – with delicious cornmeal crust. We also had salty caramel ice cream with a Cookie Pi. The Cookie Pi was a little much, but the caramel ice cream was perfect.
A great place for lunch is Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works. The original owner just 100_0460-1bought back


the place from the corporate types that bought him out years ago and he is busy restoring it to its original
glory. Retooling the menu, owner Michael Alter takes great pride in making his restaurant a place that you want to come back to. I almost never drink soda and I’m telling you, Fitz’s Cream Soda is better than Dr. Brown’s. Maybe knowing that it was just created on the vintage bottling assembly line that you can see in process behind the glass panels affects the way I think about it. But I’m still thinking about it two weeks later. Not only did I drink a glass of cream soda, then I had a cream soda float (root beer is not my thing – but the root beer, if it’s anything like the cream soda…)
But back to lunch: I had a Greek Salad and a bowl of Gumbo. I can’t eat pizza and burgers for every meal, but if that’s what you’re hankering for, Fitz’s has you covered. They also have sandwiches, salads and a long list of kids’ menu items.
100_0569-1The waitresses are pretty and nice and who doesn’t want to see that root beer float sweating it out in front of you? What’s not to like?
The restaurant is located in the historic Delmar Loop are of St. Louis, iste of the St. Louis Walk of Fame. In the summer of 2011, a statue of Chuck Berry will be installed just outside Fitz’s restaurant. Chuck plays once a month across the street at Blueberry Hill. This neighborhood is fun – and necessary -- to walk around after you stuff yourself at Fitz’s.
100_0567-1I had one of the best coffee’s I’ve had in a long time at Messhugah Café. Don’t know what they did to it, but Starbucks can’t hold a candle to the simple pleasure of a drip coffee in this local café.
Lastly, we went to a local favorite, Ted Drew’s, where we got a “Concrete” which is like a blizzard at DQ. But wait! Ted Drew’s is better, creamier, has longer lines, more passionate customers than DQ. This location has been here since 1941! (The line moves fast.) Everyone knows about Ted Drew’s. You can’t go to St. Louis without going there. I got banana/oreo mixed into my concrete and it sat there in my stomach just like concrete oughta. Delicious.
Note: This trip was sponsored by the St. Louis CVB.

6.14.2011

Free in St. Louis: Family Friendly Activities!


WHERE CAN YOU GO FOR FREE? In most cities, not far. But things are a lot different in St. Louis. Here, you'll find dozens of interesting places to go and things to do that won't cost you a dime. These free attractions are some of the best, most popular places around.
Here's a sampling of what you can do for free in St. Louis:
Gateway Arch
Underneath the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion offers a chance to relive the Old West. Visitors can get a glimpse into the land that Lewis and Clark explored and see how mountain men lived in the 1800s. There are rare Indian Peace Medals, weapons of survival and an authentic tipi, and the historic tale is by the voices of life-like "animatronic" figures. And by the way, get thee to the Gateway Arch. You do have to pay to go up in the elevator, but when else are you ever going to be there and do it! Go on!

100_0467-1City Garden: One of St. Louis’ newest downtown attractions is Citygarden. Framed by office towers and surrounded by the hustle and bustle of downtown, Citygarden is a free, 2.9 acre sculpture park that incorporates a unique design of water, stone, architecture and modern artwork by world-renowned artists. I've seen people SWIMMING in the fountains. The guard did not seem to mind. Just saying... it gets pretty hot and humid in St. Louis in the summer.
old_courthouseOld CourthouseThere's more free history at the Old Courthouse, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Old Courthouse served as the site of many historic trials, including those associated with the Dred Scott slavery trial. If your timing is right, you might be able to participate in a courtroom trial reenactment.
Then head for Forest Park and a visit to the Missouri History Museum and a host of exhibits detailing St. Louis' diverse history. Check out exhibits on everything from Charles "Lucky" Lindbergh and dozens of local breweries to more artifacts from explorers Lewis & Clark and a look at the storied 1904 World's Fair.
Another Forest Park freebie is the Saint Louis Science Center and its 700-plus hands-on exhibits. Visitors of all ages can explore the "gene scene" and cast their vote on the ethical issues of genetic engineering, or build a replica of the Gateway Arch. Get a feel for what it's like to live, work and play on the International Boeing Space Station, then use radar guns to clock the speed of cars zooming beneath the enclosed bridge spanning I-64.St._Louis_art_museumSt. Louis Art Museum Atop Forest Park's Art Hill is theSaint Louis Art Museum, the only building that remains from the 1904 World's Fair. Built to house priceless artwork from countries around the world during the Fair, the museum continues the tradition today, with an extensive collection of 30,000 objects from ancient to contemporary. In fact, the museum's pre-Columbian and German Expressionist collections are considered among the best in the world.

ZebrasThe Saint Louis Zoo has more than 6,000 exotic animals, many of them rare and endangered, from the major continents and habitats of the world. Wander through the Jungle of the Apes and the River's Edge for a look at the elephants, cheetahs, mongooses and hyenas. Other attractions include the cool Penguin & Puffin Coast habitat and Fragile Forest, home of the great apes. In the Zoo's Living World center, hands-on, interactive exhibits teach lessons on man's relationship to the animal world, while creepy, crawly critters and beautiful butterflies call the Monsanto Insectarium home.
While there's no general admission charged at St. Louis' Zoo, Art Museum and Missouri History Museum, the institutions frequently host special exhibitions that require an admission fee. But all offer days and times when these fees are waived. Daily from 9 - 10 a.m. at the Saint Louis Zoo, visitors can enter the special Children's Zoo for free, and enjoy a variety of animal shows and programs, and educational play activities. Fees for special exhibits at the Missouri History Museum are waived every Tuesday when museum hours expand to 8 p.m., and on Fridays, the Saint Louis Art Museum stays open until 9 p.m., with no charge to tour special exhibits. Free, docent-led tours of the collection are offered Tuesday through Sunday between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
There are even more free museums in the Grand Center arts and entertainment district.
pulitzerThe Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, highlights contemporary art and architecture, and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis offers free admission to visitors each Thursday. Nearby, the Saint Louis University Museum of Artfeatures collections of Asian Decorative Arts, collections of the western Jesuit missions, and a gallery of modern and contemporary arts.

Liberman-The_Way
Or head west forLaumeier Sculpture Park for free art of another kind. The open air "museum" features a fascinating - and sometimes whimsical - world-class collection of more than 70 modern sculptures. The 105-acre campus includes indoor galleries and exhibitions of paintings, ceramics, glass and photography related to the outdoor sculpture program, as well as an outdoor garden.
100_0542-1
Get Electrified at The Magic House - St. Louis Children's Museum holds "Target Free Family Nights"every third Friday of the month from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. These special nights enable a family (no more than two adults and four of their own children) to enjoy the more than 100 hands-on exhibits in the museum.
ClydesdalesSpend a day in the "country," at Grant's Farm, the former homestead of President Ulysses S. Grant, and family estate of the beer-making Busch family. In 1848, Grant married a St. Louis girl and built a small cabin in 1848 he nicknamed "Hardscrabble." In addition to the cabin, Grant's Farm also features a 281-acre wildlife preserve with more than a 1,000 animals from six continents, including the Budweiser Clydesdale breeding and training facilities. There's also a petting zoo, animal shows, tram rides through the Deer Park, and the Bauernhof - German for ‘farmstead' - which houses the Busch family's renowned carriage collection.
Across the road, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site features another of Grant's St. Louis homes - historic White Haven. The National Historic Site includes the Main House, built in 1816, an interpretive museum in the historic stables and a Visitor Center that frequently hosts a variety of Grant-related touring exhibits.
Speaking of Anheuser-Busch, you can see how beer is made with a free tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. The tour includes the historic Brew House, Budweiser Clydesdale stables, lager cellar and packaging plant. At the end of the tour, visitors are rewarded for their rapt attention with a visit to the Hospitality Room for free samples, along with sodas and salty snacks.
SchlaflySchlafly Bottleworks: Complimentary tours on a smaller but no-less-interesting scale are served up at Schlafly Bottleworks, a microbrewery that produces a litany of Schlafly ales, stouts and specialty brews. The tour includes a video about St. Louis' brewing history and manufacturing as well as a look at some "antique" advertising memorabilia.
Learn all about the mighty Mississippi at the National Great Rivers Museum located at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam in nearby Alton, IL, and then get a look at the breathtaking view atConfluence Point State Park. The park offers a bird's eye view of the merger of two mighty American rivers, as the Mississippi and the Missouri join forces. There's a collection of outdoor exhibits that detail the role both rivers played in the Lewis and Clark Expedition, along with the history of the rivers.
Explore an ancient civilization at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Located just minutes from downtown St. Louis, Cahokia Mounds has been designated a World Heritage Site for its importance to the understanding of the prehistory of North America. The 2,200-acre tract features the remnants of a prehistoric native civilization that lived in the complex community known as the Land of the Sun, which vanished after 1400 AD. It includes the 100-foot tall Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthen structure in the New World.
100_0385Get some kicks. Even if you're not old enough to remember the legendary Route 66 or the famous TV show, you'll enjoy a trek toRoute 66 State Park. There are miles of trails for walking and biking and a free museum with memorabilia from the days when Route 66 was America's Main Street. Afterwards, experience the historic Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which was once Route 66's link between Illinois and Missouri. Today, it serves as America's longest pedestrian bridge, and is open daily to hikers and bikers.
Shakespeare in the Park: Late spring brings free theatre to Forest Park during the annual Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis.For two weeks in early June, The Bard's works enjoy a lively display under the stars, much to the delight of the picnicking audience members.
MunyThe Muny: Across the park at The Muny, 1,500 free seats are available on a first come, first serve basis for each evening's performance. The outdoor theater offers Broadway musicals during its season, which runs from mid-June through mid-August.
These are just a few of the many freebies awaiting visitors to St. Louis. So plan a visit soon and see how many things you can pack in for free.
Did you know that St. Louis is no more than a day drive from one third of the US population? What are you waiting for! Get going.