Tacoma With Kids: Tacoma Museum of Art
I paid for our meals and museum admissions on this trip, and as always, all opinions are my own.
Some trips peter out slowly, with my enthusiasm for exploration slowly waning as my desire to sleep in my own bed grows. Other trips go out with a bang. They're extraordinarily fun until they something happens to the delicate ecosystem that is travel-with-kids, and I want to pick up and leave as quickly as I came. This trip was the latter, but before I tell you what happened, I'll tell you about our morning.
I always seem to focus on how difficult the nighttime routine can be without a grown-up partner to help out, but forget about mornings. Mornings are harder, in part because you don't have the inevitability of sleep on your side. D woke up first this morning, like she does most mornings.
Still drowsy, she tried to sleep a little more on the fainting couch, and then moved into her familiar stroller (where she did doze for another 30 minutes) but when she finally got up, there was no turning back. My only goal was to keep her from waking up the other kids, but the small space of a single hotel room didn't offer a lot of options, and soon everyone was wide awake. That extra sleep is critical for E, and without it, I knew that he would be a little on edge today.
If I was smart (or perhaps less sleep deprived) I would showered last night. To make matters worse, D has an over abundance of enthusiasm about her baby brother. I can't leave them alone together even for a minute - so we're up and out early today. No shower for me.
Luckily, getting the kids dressed and ready is a breeze when there's a train to catch. Tacoma's Link Light Rail connects the Tacoma Dome Station with downtown Tacoma and trains run every 10 minutes. A stop was conveniently located a block from our hotel, and with another stop across from the Tacoma Art Museum, the light rail was a great way to get around. E insisted on riding to the end of the line before ultimately getting off of the train, and by the time we were done, he had a full assessment of how the train compared with our own brand new Light Rail line.
We took a chance on a low key breakfast at A Renaissance Cafe. The decor reminded me of the type of place we might have stopped when I was a child on a roadtrip, and the owners have made a real effort to create a restaurant that feels comfortable. While the old fashioned cash register might have been dated, the food was fresh and comforting. Homemade scones were bursting with blueberries and a waffle huge enough for the kids to split was barely visible through a layer of fresh strawberries. The friendly owner made both me and the kids feel welcome and relaxed, a pleasant break from the normal routine of vigilant child watching that accompanies most restaurant meals.
Next stop, the Tacoma Art Museum. The museum has just four galleries and has always been a favorite of mine. It accomplishes exactly what I think a small city art museum should by focusing on excellent Pacific Northwest Art and a few supporting pieces from international artists that relate to the collection. Exhibitions are always interesting in their own right, and don't fall into the trap of showing lesser quality works from big names.
Interesting or not, two days of museum going was a little much for the kids, and even the scavenger hunt the museum provided wasn't enough to keep them engaged for long. Instead, we high-tailed it up to "The Open Art Studio" a comfortable sunlit room where kids can check out kits that let them create their own artwork, paint with acrylics, or draw.
We could have spent all day here, switching between kits that related to each of the various gallery exhibits. In the end, the kids decided to make necklaces with a variety of interesting beads and when they were done, to color with crayons. The Open Art Studio is open during museum hours and is free with museum admission. I wish we had a space like this here in Seattle.
Eventually our stomachs got the better of us, and we headed to lunch. That's when things started to fall apart. The kids were feeling fussy, hungry, and tired. Eilan got a blowout diaper that soiled my own shirt, and later spit up on me. Between the diaper and a potty run for one of the older kids, I rounded up all four of us for two bathroom runs before our food arrived. Finally, as the older kids melted down, I realized that the party was over and it was time to head home before I too dissolved into tears.
The Light Rail ride back to the car soothed us all, and by the time we got into the car we were all feeling a bit better. I think all of us were disappointed to leave, there was more I wanted to do here, but we'll be back for a daytrip soon.
Despite the rough ending, I'm glad we took this short trip. In the near term, it broke up what would otherwise be a long week. It is also nice to know that I can leave town with all three kids if I want to, and even better to know what parts were difficult so that I can plan for next time. As tiring as the two days were, I know that traveling with three will get easier as they all grow up.
Besides, what could be sweeter than this:
3 comments |
Posted on September 2, 2009 |
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Sarah V. on September 2, 2009 at 1:05 p.m.
Really enjoyed reading this! Sometimes the short trips are just as fun as the longer, faraway adventures. I'm sure travelling with three is a challenge, and I admire you for keeping your cool when things got tough.
Linda on September 2, 2009 at 1:44 p.m.
Fortunately those bad moments fade into memory on your next fun outing. We have so many fun days, but sometimes it's just too much, like you said. Still, if you don't try taking the kids anywhere, you'll never know how much fun you could have had.
Sounds like your trip was a success overall.
Debbie on September 2, 2009 at 11:49 p.m.
Yes! I've already forgotten the gory details (and frankly, all those things happen to me at home too...) We had a really terrific time and writing about it always helps me focus on the best parts of a trip instead of the tough parts.
The thing I learned was that a) the mornings were tough and b) it's hard when there's no hotel room to retreat to (I had already given up the room for the day). Those are both things I can plan better for next time.