New Mexico With Kids: Santa Fe Mission & Spanish Colonial Art

Santa Fe is home to some of the oldest (still remaining) buildings in the country. We began our day at one of them, the San Miguel Mission. Built between 1610 and and 1628, the mission is considered to be the oldest church in the United States, and still holds a weekly mass. The kids didn't understand any of that, of course, but they always seem to enjoy churches, and this one was no exception. The adobe building must have provided a cool respite from the heat of Santa Fe summers back in the days before air conditioning. What now feels like a cozy space must have felt huge back in the 1600's. Something about the whitewashed adobe interior and the wooden beams made the space wonderfully homey, a welcome contrast to the ornate altarpiece and decorations. An interesting display gave information about the history of the church, and glass panels in the floor of the alter provide a view of its older subfloors.

As we walked past the "oldest house in the country," (now home to a gift shop) E was particularly fascinated with the straw-heavy adobe. After a couple of days in Santa Fe, he has become so interested in Adobe walls that he asks us what almost every building is made of, and he'll often get up close to an interesting looking building to inspect the mud/straw base.

The day was heating up already, and everyone was in need of a snack, so we walked over to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market. I always enjoy weekly markets because they bring out locals even in heavily touristed cities like Santa Fe. Small producers make them great place to sample fresh produce and dishes that are closer to what people eat in their own homes than the usual restaurant fare. This market was no exception. I never thought of New Mexico as an apple growing region, but we saw basket after basket of apples, usually varieties we had never heard of before, and we bought a few small bags to sample. My favorite was the crisp and tart-sweet "translucent." One clever vendor was even selling shave ice with freshly made apple cider taking the place of artificially flavored syrup. We couldn't pass by without buying a few cups, and then we sat in the shade of the vendor's tent and tried to talk with her Spanish speaking children. Chilies were everywhere too, with vendors selling fresh chilies, chili art, and freshly roasted chilies to-go. Fantastic pastries, local cheeses and even a few prepared dishes rounded out the market. As we snacked our way through the market, musicians played huge standing xylophones in the background.

With a good lunch under our belts, and D ready to go to sleep, we decided to visit the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. A bit out of town, the museum showcases artifacts from Spanish Colonial times along with traditional artforms like straw-art and tinwork. While my husband sat in the car with our sleeping daughter, E and I had some rare mom-and-son time. Once again, he was fascinated with the artifacts and was willing to explore slowly enough that I even got to read a few signs (a rare treat for a mom with two kids under four) and explain what we were seeing to him.

Midway through the circuit, we found a sweet little children's area tucked away in the back. Dress up clothes, books, puzzles, art project, traditional Spanish Colonial artworks made by local kids made the space warm and inviting. E sorted through the books and found a great one about Spanish Colonial artwork. Each page showed a picture of one artwork (for example a wood carving) along with detailed pictures of a child making the item. As we read, we looked around the room at the high-quality artwork made by local children and related it to what we saw in the book. E was fascinated. It is always hard to understand what's going on in his head, but I think he is starting to understand artwork as something made by a person rather than something that just hangs on a wall as decoration. (As I'm typing this on the evening of our visit, he just sat up in bed & said "that one is art" and went back to sleep... clearly he's doing some deep thinking on this subject!)

Once D woke up, we returned to the nearby Santa Fe Children's Museum where the kids revisited their favorite exhibits from yesterday and branched out to a few new exhibits too. Once again, E was covered in face paint by the time we left.

Dinner, Mexican food at the casual Bumble Bees Baja Grill was one of our most successful meals yet. Fresh squeezed watermelon juice was the perfect antidote to the hot weather, and both kids loved the tacos and cilantro-lime rice. I tried something new, a tender and savory lamb taco along with fresh salsa and guacamole. Service was fast, and we feasted on chips and a selection of salsas while we waited for our food. The kids loved the decoration, a swarm of bumblebee piñatas dangling from the ceiling.

After dinner, we let the kids run off their steam in the (finally cooling) fresh air back at E's labyrinth. As the sun set, D asked us fireworks, just as she's done every evening on this trip. Her memory of the fireworks on our Fourth of July Trip to Portland is so vivid that she just cannot let go of the idea that there might be fireworks in any new place we visit.

Filed Under: travel-stories

0 comments | Posted on August 19, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

New Mexico With Kids: Santa Fe's Georgia O'Keefe Museum & Children's Museum

Even the bright Santa Fe sun, streaming in through a crack in the blackout drapes couldn't wake us up on this, our first full day in Santa Fe. When we finally did awake, we feasted on banana bread and fresh fruit picked up at a grocery store the night before. (E's already picky eating gets even more difficult when we travel, so we like to make sure that we start the day with some favorite foods). We also want both kids well fed, and not cranky, because today is the day we visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum.

Regular readers will remember that I asked for advice on how to make our museum visits with the kids more fun. There were some fantastic suggestions, and I finally settled on showing the kids some pictures by O'Keefe online, and then leafing through a coffee table book at our first hotel together. The kids showed only marginal interest, but I hoped O'Keefe's new celebrity in our family might carry us through a few galleries.

When we arrived at the museum, I took both kids to the museum shop to buy postcards. I thought we'd try to match them with the artworks in the galleries for a quaint little "scavenger hunt." The kids had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, so instead of choosing two postcards each they chose 4 pictures of the same painting! With some coaxing, we walked out with 4 different postcards, and also a set of crayons and a pad of paper. There are times to put your foot down about new toys... and then there's times to recognize that you don't need a meltdown in the lobby.

Before we entered, the museum staff lent us an excellent children's book about Georgia O'Keefe's life. Many children's books about artists don't seem to be written by children's authors. Those books too focused on showing the exact artworks, recounting autobiographical details, or explaining what the artist is known for. My Name Is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter was a welcome change. Details E could relate to, like Georgia painting the same picture over and over and over, or sleeping under the stars to paint the morning sun created an engaging story line. The book built on themes he could understand, like wanting do do things differently from other people. The underlying messages, like seeking out "the faraway," and choosing to do something you love,... and then doing it over, and over, and over resonated with me too. I have never seen E so engrossed in a new book on the first read, and before we left the museum, I had one more giftshop purchase in my overloaded bag.

E was thrilled with the museum too, sitting quietly with me to watch a movie about Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams (the special exhibit during our visit) and then cuddling up in his father's arms as daddy walked slowly through the museum. From time to time, he asked about a painting or pointed out something that interested, but more than anything else, he just seemed content.

Does that all sound too perfect? The glimpses I caught of my son enjoying the art felt great, but they were counterbalanced by the need to rush through the museum as quickly as I could with poor D who has certainly mastered the phrase "I wanna go out." My desperate attempts to interest her in the paintings failed, except for the occasional Ansel Adams photo that included a moon or a building. Little D is an outside girl(and who wouldn't want to enjoy the warm morning and the new scenery). Sometimes with a 21 month in tow, the timing just isn't right and there's nothing you can do.

And the scavenger hunt? A bust... none of the pictures we selected were on display in the museum at the time of our visit. Next time I'll ask the staff to help me select the postcards instead letting the kids choose.

The rest of the day was wonderful, and more kid focused. We revisited the labyrinth E had loved so much the night before and then headed to lunch at a crowded local favorite, The Shed. D seems born to devour New Mexican food. The beans, the guacamole, and some chicken taken from an enchilada all elicited squeals. The professional critics agree with her, The Shed has been written up in Gourmet Magazine and won a coveted James Beard award for their traditional New Mexican food. Perhaps she isn't so much against art museums as she was for a meal outdoors in a shaded courtyard.

We allow some time in each day for the kids to run freely, and today we headed to the Santa Fe's Children's Museum. The museum is a bit out of the center of town, and with D about to drift off to sleep, we drove a bit further, past the adobe "suburbs" and into the calm dry ranch land. Then we returned to the Museum, where both indoor and outdoor play spaces greeted a very-ready-to-run E. The museum itself was smallish, but took advantage of a huge shaded garden by building in lots of outdoor activities. E gravitated towards a waterplay area where a huge hand pump let him force water into a series of ramps. As the water worked its way down the ramps, other kids played with it too. He also loved an indoor climbing gym, the craft area, and the play kitchen in the toddler area.

When D finally woke up, she gravitated towards the face painting, and I painted her first "tatoo..." a butterfly on her cheek. E, normally so reticent to dress up that we put him in green sweatpants last Halloween and declared him a "frog," watched with skepticism as I painted. After carefully considering the completed product, and ran off to do something else. I figured that was the final verdict. But when he returned a few minutes later, I asked him if he wanted to paint his face too. "Ok," he said (as if the idea was all mine), and he chose a butterfly in his own favorite colors, green and orange. Within minutes, he was back at the table, experimenting with the paints, and 20 minutes later he was one of those kids. The kid with wild swirls and blotches all over his face instead of a simple and tastefully crafted design. A breakthrough... I couldn't have been more delighted!

Is face painting the reason we travel with our kids? Did we come all the way to Santa Fe to splash in some water and discover color? No... and Yes. There is something about getting out of your home, out of your everyday experience, and out of your routine that leaves you open to new experiences. I think that's just as true for kids as it is for adults. Is an expensive road trip the only way we can achieve that? Of course not, sometimes it is the only way I can slow myself down enough to notice and appreciate those moments.

The rest of the evening was routine. We had a simple dinner & picked up some snacks for the next day. We returned to the Labyrinth, by now one of E's favorite spots in the world, for one last run. Exhausted, we decided to give ourselves a break. Instead of returning to the hotel, we took a long sunset drive out of town and let the kids fall asleep in the car. That time was priceless too, because the one thing that's toughest for us at home, or on vacation is how little time my husband and I end up with to enjoy a one another.

Filed Under: travel-stories

3 comments | Posted on August 18, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

Do you want to see my budget?

The cost of trips seems to be a huge mystery, with everybody paying different prices for different hotels and airfares for the same routes varying widely too. Sometimes as a reader, it can be hard to get a sense of how much a trip would cost if you were to do it yourself. So I'm curious, do you want me to dish? Should I post the budget for our recent trip to New Mexico? Or is that a boring detail you are glad I usually skip?

Let me know in comments...

11 comments | Posted on August 17, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

ABC News Reports: Dangerous Car Seats at Advantage Rental Car

As I sit down to write this, ABC's San Diego station is running their coverage of Unsafe Car Seats at Advantage Rent A Car as the lead story on their website.

Here is a link to the video: New Complaints about Advantage Rent A Car's Unsafe Car Seats

I feel very proud to have been a part of this story. As with our story earlier this year Advantage Rent A Car's Unsafe Car Seats the team at ABC was ultra-professional and I learned a lot from working with them. I am particularly excited that the California Highway Patrol is now looking for a grant to do spot inspections of rental car agency's car seat rental programs.

Why did I investigate?
Several people have asked me how I made the decision to fly down to LA and investigate this issue myself. I could have easily published a story based on Barbara's experience and left it at that.

When Barbara contacted me, first by commenting on our original story on Advantage Rental Car's Unsafe Car Seats and then following up in email, I felt terrible. I had truly hoped that Advantage would keep their promises of a strong car seat safety policy and I published them on my website. This wasn't a case where Barbara had stumbled into the problem. She had seen my story, and decided to rent from Advantage because of the new car seat policies I had included in my article. She reasoned that, less than 6 months after a very public news story and a sweeping policy change, her son would be safe in a car seat rented from Advantage.

I think there is a point for every blogger, where it becomes clear that the blog is no longer just a way to share stories with a close circle of family, friends and regular readers. Seemingly overnight, people they have never met are using the information they provide to make real decisions with real consequences. This was my moment of realization. My emotions ran the full gamut, from guilt, anger, to a sense of responsibility.

I wanted to make sure that Barbara's story had enough weight behind it to be told as publicly as the original story did, and I wanted to warn even more parents about the dangers of renting a car seat, from any agency.

I also felt a sense of responsibility to make sure I had the full story. Before accusing Advantage of breaking their promise, I wanted to know whether Barbara's experience was the norm or an exceptional case. By visiting the location myself, I was able to experience first hand what Barbara went through. I was able to ask for manuals over and over. I was able to talk to a manager and see whether she would follow the agency's policy where employees had failed (Barbara also talked to a manager) and I was able to look at each and every car seat available for rental that day to see what condition it was in.

Over the past few months, I have realized that my blog is a platform where I can do some good. There is a reason that PR professionals are so focused on targeting bloggers (and mom bloggers in particular) right now. It's because we have become very effective at sharing our stories and influencing people. That influence has become so powerful that PR executives are willing to pay for it, but I think it is also important for bloggers to ask themselves how they want to use use their power.

Is it possible to change things for the better?
Some might see this story as a failure. Advantage was caught, they made some very public promises, and then they broke the law again... putting more children at risk.

I don't see it that way. With digital cameras and blogs, parents are in a better position than ever before to share information about issues that impact them. This story was picked up on countless blogs and newsgroups. Parents forwarded it around in email. All of those things helped get the word out to more people than a single news broadcast might reach.

Even better is the news that the state of California is looking for a way to step in. Based on these stories, the California Highway Patrol is looking for a grant to perform spot inspections of rental car agencies.

Having a publicly documented series of stories helps too. If this issue keeps getting raised, the agencies will start to take it more seriously. It's not just bad PR, but a documented trail of negligence is a legal liability too.

Are you done now?
Yes. I know from the email and comments I get from my readers that this problem isn't limited to just one rental car agency or just one city. It is going to take time to change a practice that has been going on for years. It won't happen with just one news story or even one piece of legislation. I plan to keep reporting on this issue until I stop hearing from parents who get stuck at the airport with their young kids.

In the meantime, I hope you will share your stories with me if you have had an experience (good or bad) with car seats at a rental car agency. I hope you will also join me in warning parents to bring their own car seats when they travel.

Filed Under: car seat carseat

3 comments | Posted on August 15, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

Photo Friday: Paris Bon Marche

Doesn't this look delicious? When we headed to Paris with 6 month old E, we were ecstatic to be spending a month in Paris, but bummed that we would be missing out on all the high end restaurants. In the end, we did squeeze in a trip to Robuchon and a few other wonderful places while E napped in his stroller.

On other days, we often picked up wonderful, fresh, prepared dishes (like these desserts) from The Bon Marche Food Hall or one of the many other gourmet to-go shops (called "traiteur") in Paris. We might have been dining in our apartment while our son slept in the next room, but we certainly didn't miss out on Paris' wonderful food.

Photo Friday: Please Share Your Photos Too: Share a favorite travel photo by adding your link below. First timers, here is more Information about Photo Friday

Filed Under: photo-friday

5 comments | Posted on August 14, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

Book Review: Le Voyage De Polo

I love reading to my kids, and part of what keeps it fun for me (especially after the 200th reading) is finding books that I think are interesting and engaging too. I often buy children's books that are either about travel itself or about a different place or lifestyle that I want to expose the kids to, and I thought it would be fun to start sharing some of those book choices here.

This is a book from my personal collection. From time to time, I might choose to review a book that a publisher has offered me, but I will always let you know when that happens. Frankly, I have an embarrassingly large collection of travel related books for kids, so I can keep this feature going for a long time without reviewing anything I don't already own (and then there's the library). That means that when I do accept a review copy, you can expect that it caught my interest in some way.

When we took 6 month old E to Paris for the first time, I became obsessed with French children's books. I was blown away by the variety and by the beautiful illustrations, but what really worked for me (as a non-French speaker) was the large number of wordless book choices. The Adventures of Polo, by Regis Faller was one of those books, and even though it was for a much older child, I secreted it away in my suitcase. (Today the book is available in English from Amazon).

The Adventures of Polo is illustrated using a comic book format, and "readers" follow Polo on a wild adventure that begins at his treehouse in the middle of the ocean, and winds its way through the clouds, a meeting with the "Queen of Sea," a trip into outer space, and finally back home again where he sits quietly reading his journal and remembering all the friends he made on the way.

What I love about this book (besides the unadulterated spirit of adventure) is the ingenuity and creativity with which Polo handles every unexpected situation. Submarine crashed into a glacier? Head to the surface and chisel a new boat out of another glacier. Stuck on a strange planet? Find a rocket shaped mushroom and add a door and a window to turn it into a real rocket. Stuck on a volcanic island next to a lava flow? It must be time to roast hot dogs!

The Adventures of Polo is a complex story with lots of action, and it manages to be dramatic without resorting to violence (the "scariest" moment in the book is a five-frame sequence where a Polar Bear chases Polo and slips on some ice, splashing into the ocean). Still, I kept this book in storage for a long time, waiting until the day E seemed old enough to enjoy it. When I finally took it out a few months ago, it became a fast favorite with both kids. E learned pretty quickly how to follow along and re-tell the story in his own way (one of the joys of wordless books for a pre-reader) and D is absolutely fascinated by the story. This is the only book we have that I'm careful not to leave lying around... she literally cannot pass it by without asking for someone to read it to her (which is great in theory, but inconvenient when we are on our way out the door).

What do you think? Should I keep the book reviews coming? Let me know in comments.

Filed Under: book-review

8 comments | Posted on August 14, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

DeliciousBaby in the News

The ABC affiliate in San Diego will be running their coverage of our story on Unsafe Car Seats at a Advantage Rent-A-Car tonight. If you live in San Diego, tune in to see it live. If not, you can check out the 10News website tomorrow for the video and a blog entry about the story. I'll post links here when they are available.

0 comments | Posted on August 13, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

New Mexico With Kids: The Road to Santa Fe

We're moving at a much faster pace on this trip (in terms of the amount of time we're spending in each place) than we ever dared before. It's already time for us to pack our bags and head from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. E wasn't quite ready for the change this morning, and told us he was sad, that he wanted to go home, and that he wanted to stay in Albuquerque. This is the first time that he's ever expressed anything other than enthusiasm for heading to a new place, and it bummed us out a bit. We figure he was just starting to get comfortable with the hotel, and the area, and he doesn't want the fun to end. Partly, it's developmental too, he's been having a harder time leaving friends houses and other activities when we're back home. Still, once we finally got packed, he was enthusiastic and ready to explore.

The great thing about packing light isn't what you'd think (no checked bag fees, less to lug through the airport), it's the fact that re-packing gets so much easier. Having just a few things to gather makes it easy to remember what to look for. I also use a separate Eagle Creek Packing Cube for each kid's clothing (and another one for toys) so that everything has a place. That keeps our things from getting scattered all over the room. Believe me when I say that packing with a 1 year old and 3 year old underfoot can get chaotic, so I'll do anything I can to make sure it goes quickly.

Our first stop, on the way out of town, was the Petroglyph National Monument There are over 20,000 carved images in the rocks at Petroglyph National Monument, and a hike on one of the many trails also provides an opportunity to see how diverse and interesting the dry landscape is up close. By the time we arrived, it was already very hot, so we opted for a short hike, close to the road. For former hikers, it felt like a bit of a cop-out, but it turned out to be just about right for all of us. The terrain was just rocky enough that little D needed some help (and some close watching), but she loved the challenge! E was fascinated by the petroglyphs. He loved everything about searching for the pictures in the rocks, and he puzzled over each one, delighted when he deciphered what it was. At three, you can guess that he had lots of "why" questions... about why the pictures where there, why the people made them, why they drew a bird, or people, or a circle.

The questions continued as we drove away, and it was as much fun for us to try to figure out how to answer them as it was for E to ask. As D drifted off for her nap, E leafed through a book of Petroglyphs that we had picked up at the Visitor Center, and the chatter continued for longer than I would have imagined until he switched gears to singing songs for us (a little noisy, but it's nice not to have to lead the charge on road-trip song singing ;)

Just outside of Santa Fe, D started to wake up, and we decided to make a detour to El Rancho de las Golondrinas (The ranch of the swallows). From the 17th to the 19th century, the ranch was the last stop on the El Camino Real before arriving in Santa Fe. What visitors see today is a reconstruction of the small agricultural village, complete with staff in period costume, billed as the "Williamsburg of the Southwest." That's a fair way to describe the ranch, though what we found was a lot less "bustling" than the Williamsburg I remember from my own childhood. For me, the quiet added to the charm as we wandered in and out of buildings set up as weaving rooms, shops and homes.

The kids were fascinated with just about everything, especially the beds and ovens, but the hi-light turned out to be some tee-pees we spotted off on a side lot. Frontier Days, one of the many weekend events scheduled at the ranch during the summer, was scheduled to begin the next day, and "Mountain Men" (as the docent described them) had come to camp using traditional tents and teepees. During the festival, each would demonstrate some aspect of how people lived, and the skills they had in the past. With the sun at its hottest, most were sitting in the shade, giving us the perfect opportunity to talk with a few people.

One man showed us how animals used to be trapped, and how to build a shelter out of sticks and leaves. He explained that his ancestor had been the first trapper in the area, and that he came to "Frontier Days" each year to teach kids and adults about this important part of his family history, and local history. We sat in the shade and talked with two older men, also "Frontier Days" regulars. Watching our small kids investigate the area and play, they shared their memories of bringing their own kids to the campground each year and their thoughts about the important lessons their kids had learned about nature, and about the responsibility that comes with living in a communal space. It was easy to see these men, dressed in period costume, and sitting outside their tent as some sort of caricatures, so I was glad when one of the men, a school teacher by trade, shared a story of his own trip to Seattle and a cruise to Alaska with us.

The kids played and half-listened, soaking up enough that E asked me later "why did that man tell me 'always listen to your mamma'" This is one of the things that I love about traveling, getting out of my comfort zone so that I can hear different perspectives and gain some insight into world views that are different from my own. I might not have agreed that raising kids in the city (as I do) is a bad idea, but our talk was a good reminder about how important it is for me to get my kids out into nature more often. My kids are to little to understand the details, but I hope that as they grow up, they'll start to understand the value of listening to different ideas, and even more importantly, of being willing to talk with people who don't look, dress, or live exactly the way we do.

After a longer-than-expected detour, we arrived at Santa Fe's plaza too late in the day to visit any of the museums or other tourist attractions. Instead, we wandered past upscale jewelry shops and art galleries to the Saint Francis Cathedral Basilica. The Cathedral itself was closed, but there was a large tile labyrinth set into the courtyard, perfect for E to follow from start to finish, and back again. He's been obsessed with the book Museum Trip lately, in which a young boy visiting a museum shrinks down and physically runs through one maze after another in the museum's display. We can only imagine what was going on in E's head as he got his own chance to solve a life-sized maze, but it was clear that he was thrilled, and we practically had to drag him away at dinner time.

We're looking forward to our first full day in Santa Fe tomorrow. First stop? The Georgia O'Keefe Museum...

Filed Under: travel-stories

3 comments | Posted on August 13, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

Headed to Book Passage Travel Writer's Conference

I leave tonight for the Book Passage Travel Writer's Conference in Corte Madera, CA (across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco). I'm looking forward to meeting other travelbloggers and travel writers, many of whom are just getting started (like me!)

I've already heard from a few people who will be there, and if you're going, please let me know!

0 comments | Posted on August 13, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

New Mexico With Kids: First Day in Albuquerque

It has been a while since our last full-fledged family vacation, and we must all have been full of the same sens of adventure and energy, because today was the busiest travel day we have ever had with the kids. We simply cannot believe how much we fit in, and how much the kids seemed to thrive on each new change of scenery. I know that their ability to get overwhelmed is still lurking under the surface, but it feels like they are starting to develop a real sense of adventure.

We started the day with a visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center where each of the state's 19 pueblos has created a space showing their arts and crafts. Other exhibits trace the history of the Pueblo people or aim to show how people lived.

We usually start travel days with a museum to take advantage of the kids early-morning goodwill and patience. As the day wears on, we switch gears and add more kid-friendly activities. The last place any parent wants to be during the 4pm "witching hour" is a building filled with artifacts that can't be touched and where a child's natural spirit and energy need to be subdued.

In this case, though I shouldn't have worried about the kids. They were fascinated by the kid-height (but safely behind glass) displays of pottery, sculpture, and other daily use items. We're not sure whether she was more excited about all the stuff, or just wanting to show off her "tour guide" skills, but D ran around repeating "look at this, look at this." She wasn't exactly whispering, but she wasn't yelling either, and with the museum almost completely empty during the early morning hours we decided not to try to quell her enthusiasm for the museum. E pointed out a favorite item in each case, and revealed a fascination for intricately designed pottery that we would have never realized otherwise. We visited at the kids pace, which meant not reading many signs, but still enjoyed seeing the wide variety of crafts and everyday items, each beautiful with it's unique local design.

Midway through the circuit the kids spotted a small hands on area. E, always obsessed with tools, tried endlessly to master a stone drill and a small loom where kids could make their own fabric out of yarn. D tried the drill too, but finding it too difficult to balance, moved on to a drum and a small puzzle. Those few carefully selected and engaging activities provided just enough playtime to give us momentum to make it the rest of the way through the small museum. (The museum is in the midst of renovations and only a small portion was available during our visit. On weekends, the museum also hosts ceremonial dances in a large courtyard at the center of the building.)

We usually seek out local food at mealtime, and on this day we drove back to Old Town for lunch at Monica's El Portal. This casual restaurant was filled with locals, and since our West Coast kids find nothing more kid friendly than Mexican food, traditional New Mexican fare wasn't much of a stretch. E had seen blue corn in one of the displays at the museum and was excited to try a taco with a blue-corn shell. Our food was satisfying and delivered quickly, but the hi-light of the meal was the fresh fry-bread, served warm and drizzled with honey.

With D overdue for a nap, and E itching for a playground I pushed her in the stroller while E and my husband headed to the Explora Science Center. As in Portland, I didn't have high hopes for the Science Center, and as in Portland I was surprised and excited about how wrong I had been. Explora is among the best science museums I have been to. Not only were the exhibits well thought out, but the open, light filled space wonderful to be in. I particularly liked the way the museum was divided up into small areas, bringing the huge space down to kid-size and making it easy for a parent watching more than one child to keep everyone within view.

E was so fascinated by the first few exhibits that we quickly resigned ourselves to the idea that we wouldn't cover much ground. While D napped in the stroller, he played endlessly in a construction area where kids could build things out of PVC pipes. I was inspired by how many of the museum's exhibits were built using everyday materials. Some exhibits even had signs explaining how they could be re-created at home. My husband was inspired too, and claims he's going to re-introduce "science fridays" with our kids (where he does one science experiment with them each week). If you're reading this, honey, I hope you do...

Besides the pipes, there were areas for kids to learn about water, wind, and movement. A small gated toddler area seemed perfect for kids under two (though when she woke up D enjoyed the museum's "big kid" exhibits as much as her brother. There was also a crafts area where kids could make and take home artwork, and some special areas for ages 8 and up to do more advanced experiments. The music section did the best job I have ever seen of demonstrating how sound works.

We all needed an afternoon snack and a cold drink, and the casual Golden Crown Panaderia, a roadside shop just down the street from Explora, seemed like it would fit the bill. The kids were delighted to be given a fresh, sweet Biscochito when they walked in. If New Mexico had a "state cookie" the Biscochito would be it. The deliciate sugar-cookie like disc is spiced with anise and cinnamon, giving it a unique flavor. This is a good place to sample Bischochitos. Not only has Golden Crown been making them for 30 years, they've also been written up in Gourmet Magazine. We walked away with a bagful of the tasty treats for later. We also picked up some Empanadas, (filled pastries), and once again they were delightfully tasty and not overly sweet. I especially liked the pumpkin empanada, but there were also apple, cherry, apricot, lemon and more.

The kids seemed recharged, and ready for more activity, but we still wanted to beat the heat, so we headed to the Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town Albuquerque. This small museum houses the largest collection of different species of live Rattlesnakes anywhere in the world. When we visited, the owner was busily arranging for a few of the snakes to be used in a Japanese movie. D loves snakes (and animals of any kind) but since E had a snake nightmare just a few days before our trip, we weren't sure whether the visit would be scary or therapeutic for him, so we braced ourselves in case we needed to make a quick exit.

The museum started out easily enough, with some non-rattlers, frogs, and turtles. The kids loved the glass-enclosed displays and there were plenty of stepstools, enabling the kids to get right up close. When we proceeded into the rattlesnake room, the kids were fascinated with a large video about snakes (and E's refrain for the rest of the day was "why did one snake eat another snake." As we passed by each case, some of the snakes shook their rattles. D was endlessly fascinated by those who did, and once I realized what she was up to, I escorted her out of the room. I never thought I'd be placing the emotional life of a snake over my daugther's inquisitiveness! This is definitely one of those places where some parents will need to suppress their own phobias in order to help their kids learn a little about nature (and not pass those phobias on to a second generation), but the kids were so fascinated that we think it was worth the effort.

We thought our next stop would be Albuquerque's picturesque town square, which was being set up for an evening musical performance, but after a few minutes, the kids were getting feisty in the heat. We decided to make a quick getaway to the relative cool of the mountains. A short drive brought us to the base of the Sandia Peak Arial Tramway Sandia Peak's Tramway is the world's longest, and it carries you 2.7 miles over deep canyons and rocky terrain. While snakes aren't a big phobia for me, small spaces and heights are more of an issue, so this was my chance to "act like a grownup" and not let the kids see how uncomfortable I was. The kids were cooler already, but by now they were hungry. We grabbed a to-go box of chicken fingers and fries to take up in the tram, bought our tickets, and got on board. At the top, we sat on a bench and ate our simple dinner. The kids seemed delighted to be in cool air, and burt off some energy exploring. With everyone well fed, and getting sleepy, we didn't wait for the sun to set (though we're sure it would have been beautiful) before we headed back down the mountain and back to the hotel.

I'll be posting more about our trip this week, so please subscribe to our feed or check back!

Filed Under: travel-stories

4 comments | Posted on August 11, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us