Days 1 and 2: Baltimore and Hershey (with some random giant landmarks along the way)
We spent spring break this year in Baltimore, visiting our wonderful friends Rob and Kelley. Because Mark neither appreciates nor enjoys vacationing with me, I also brought along my mom and niece Nathalie. I figured it was the only way I'd have someone to talk to who didn't immediately argue or roll their eyes every time I opened my mouth.
Our first lesson in Bawmer was that no freeway exists from the airport to the Gludts--you have to drive through downtown. Which includes Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, who kindly hosted their opening day game that very evening, at the exact moment we were driving by.
It was also the first night of Passover. Though the Orioles slowed us down, we arrived in time to celebrate the second half of the Seder. We represented the clueless Catholic demographic, and really had no idea what was going on. Kelley included a Seder for Dummies page, which included passages like, "Some rabbis talked all night, blah blah blah" and "We were bitter about being slaves, so now we eat something bitter to remember that." (I'm paraphrasing--Kelley's version was much better.)
It was a blast to see the Gludts and their family, including the Chuckle Cousins, Jamie and Suzanne (on our last trip, we visited their house, but not them. This was much better!). They looked great, and it was fun to see them after so many years.
But we didn't stay in Baltimore long. After our first matzah breakfast with the Gludts, we were off. Our destination: Hershey, PA.
Hershey is 90 minutes from Baltimore, unless you take the long way, and of course we took the long way, because it involved a side trip to see stuff like this:
We spent spring break this year in Baltimore, visiting our wonderful friends Rob and Kelley. Because Mark neither appreciates nor enjoys vacationing with me, I also brought along my mom and niece Nathalie. I figured it was the only way I'd have someone to talk to who didn't immediately argue or roll their eyes every time I opened my mouth.
Our first lesson in Bawmer was that no freeway exists from the airport to the Gludts--you have to drive through downtown. Which includes Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, who kindly hosted their opening day game that very evening, at the exact moment we were driving by.
It was also the first night of Passover. Though the Orioles slowed us down, we arrived in time to celebrate the second half of the Seder. We represented the clueless Catholic demographic, and really had no idea what was going on. Kelley included a Seder for Dummies page, which included passages like, "Some rabbis talked all night, blah blah blah" and "We were bitter about being slaves, so now we eat something bitter to remember that." (I'm paraphrasing--Kelley's version was much better.)
It was a blast to see the Gludts and their family, including the Chuckle Cousins, Jamie and Suzanne (on our last trip, we visited their house, but not them. This was much better!). They looked great, and it was fun to see them after so many years.
But we didn't stay in Baltimore long. After our first matzah breakfast with the Gludts, we were off. Our destination: Hershey, PA.
Hershey is 90 minutes from Baltimore, unless you take the long way, and of course we took the long way, because it involved a side trip to see stuff like this:
Yup, it's a house built like a giant shoe! It was in the middle of nowhere, and it. was. AWESOME. The kids were not impressed, but my mom and I couldn't stop giggling or taking pictures. We love goofy stuff.
From there, Louisa, our trusty GPS, led us toward Hershey. But as we pulled off the freeway, we another thing of beauty:
"Do you want to stop?" I asked my mom, but she said, "No."
"Really??" I asked, and she answered, "OK, YES!"
The kids were more impressed here than they were with the shoe house, but not much. The minute I aimed my camera, Mark started making faces.
"Stop, Mark!" my mom yelled at him. "No dumb pictures!"
I lowered my camera for a moment and said, "Mom, you're in front of a GIANT COW!!" I think she was kinda missing the point, which was...you know, to take a dumb picture.
The cow was actually a landmark for something called "the Turkey Hill Experience." I didn't know what that was--it just looked like your average building. But then I saw a giant inflatable iced tea bottle, and I had to go inside.
The cashier said it wasn't really a museum as much as a hands-on learning experience. I still didn't know what we'd be touching, until she explained that Turkey Hill is a company that makes ice cream and iced teas. When she said the experience included ice cream tasting, we were in!
The ice cream was a success, but some of the other stuff, like creating your own ice cream flavor, was a bust. (You create it on a computer, not with actual ingredients.) My mom and I worked together, but when the computer showed our final result, I was disappointed.
"That's not a new flavor," I told my mom. "That's just mint-chocolate chip ice cream!"
"That's what I like," my mom answered, and who was I to argue with that?
We could've spent much more time there, but we had places to be--namely, Hershey. There was chocolate calling our name, and we couldn't ignore it.
Somehow, we managed to drive through Amish country without actually encountering any Amish people. I was hugely disappointed. My mom saw two Amish ladies, and Mark saw a buggy, but that was it. I'll just have to go back.
We arrived at Hershey in the afternoon.
"Really??" I asked, and she answered, "OK, YES!"
The kids were more impressed here than they were with the shoe house, but not much. The minute I aimed my camera, Mark started making faces.
"Stop, Mark!" my mom yelled at him. "No dumb pictures!"
I lowered my camera for a moment and said, "Mom, you're in front of a GIANT COW!!" I think she was kinda missing the point, which was...you know, to take a dumb picture.
The cow was actually a landmark for something called "the Turkey Hill Experience." I didn't know what that was--it just looked like your average building. But then I saw a giant inflatable iced tea bottle, and I had to go inside.
The cashier said it wasn't really a museum as much as a hands-on learning experience. I still didn't know what we'd be touching, until she explained that Turkey Hill is a company that makes ice cream and iced teas. When she said the experience included ice cream tasting, we were in!
The ice cream was a success, but some of the other stuff, like creating your own ice cream flavor, was a bust. (You create it on a computer, not with actual ingredients.) My mom and I worked together, but when the computer showed our final result, I was disappointed.
"That's not a new flavor," I told my mom. "That's just mint-chocolate chip ice cream!"
"That's what I like," my mom answered, and who was I to argue with that?
We could've spent much more time there, but we had places to be--namely, Hershey. There was chocolate calling our name, and we couldn't ignore it.
Somehow, we managed to drive through Amish country without actually encountering any Amish people. I was hugely disappointed. My mom saw two Amish ladies, and Mark saw a buggy, but that was it. I'll just have to go back.
We arrived at Hershey in the afternoon.
The first thing I saw were the famed streetlights. They were indeed shaped like Hershey's Kisses, and I screamed with delight. (Nathalie realized then it would be a long trip, with a lot of screaming.)
I drove blindly down Chocolate Avenue, not sure where to go, but loving every minute of it. Somehow, we made it to our destination, Hershey's Chocolate World, which was already populated by every other family currently on spring break.
We joined the massive crowd, and followed the families blindly. I was relieved to see the chocolate factory tour at the end of it. It wasn't the real factory, since they closed tours there in 1974, but it was a pretty good replica, complete with flowing candy and singing cows. Mark and Nathalie about died laughing when they saw the first cows, one of whom sported the name tag, "Gabby," just like Nat's sister.
Afterwards, we ambled through the rest of Chocolate World, which was really just a souvenir/giant candy store. I was expecting to see specialized chocolates, or custom candies available here only, but no, it was just massive bags of the same Hershey's candy you can buy at home. But we did make our own personalized label, which was fun:
We also rode the trolley through town, learning all about Milton Hershey, and what a wonderful man he was. He created three schools, first for orphan boys, then girls, then to all disadvantaged children.
The schools were gorgeous--my mom and I were really impressed. Nat and Mark were impressed too, but for a different reason. They learned that the kids lived in homes on campus, with a set of house parents--and that there were no sodas served in the homes, but there was chocolate milk on tap 24/7. I don't think they remembered anything after that.
I loved the trolley ride, because it was just plain fun. We started off with a sing along, and then every 15 minutes or so, the tour guide would pass around chocolates. It was awesome.
Dinner was at a local sports pub. The food was okay, but the drinks were great--apparently, we hit some sort of happy hour. And by the time we left, we were indeed happy, prompting my mom to remark that, "I love Shershey." Cue round two of endless laughing by the kids, and a new family slogan.
We awoke early the next day, which we'd forgotten was actually Easter. Hershey is a tiny little town. Not many restaurants looked like they opened on Sundays, and none of them opened on Easter.
Luckily, the Hershey Story museum had a cafe. However, the cash register was broken, which offered further proof we were not in Los Angeles any more.
"It's not working," the young cashier told us.
"Oh, so we can't order?" I asked, since that would be the case back home.
"Oh, you can order," she answered. "You'll just have to pay later, after you eat."
I love small towns.
The Hershey Story was cool. More info on Mr. Hershey and his good deeds, and then, for the kids, an Easter Egg hunt. So we didn't completely miss out on Easter.
Then we were off to our next destination--Gettysburg (pronounced by the locals as "Get-iss-burg.")
My mom and I were interested in seeing the historic site, and we figured if we gave the kids enough chocolate, we could trick them into learning some history, too. (Plus, it was really beautiful out there!)
We bought tickets for the last tour, and marvelled at how lucky we were to get them. But our luck ran out the minute the tour started.
I'm not saying it was a bad tour, just that we were the wrong audience. My dad would've LOVED this tour, and the minute details the very knowledgeable but socially awkward tour guide imparted (he never opened his eyes while speaking). The Gettysburg battle lasted three days, and the guide made it feel like he was telling us the story in real-time.
I'm not saying it was a bad tour, just that we were the wrong audience. My dad would've LOVED this tour, and the minute details the very knowledgeable but socially awkward tour guide imparted (he never opened his eyes while speaking). The Gettysburg battle lasted three days, and the guide made it feel like he was telling us the story in real-time.
Or maybe I was just spoiled from the trolley ride. The Gettysburg guide should've started with a song, or tossed us chocolates every once in a while.
It was an interesting place and I'm glad we took the kids there. But I think the condensed 25-minute film at the visitor's center and a quick drive through the battle grounds was more our speed.
It was time to return to the Gludts, and the ride through the rolling hills of Pennsylvania was beautiful. It was gorgeous, with spring shining everywhere--flowers blooming, and tulips everywhere you looked. It was a beautiful way to end the day, and the only thing that made it better was how warmly Romi and the Gludts welcomed us home.
No comments:
Post a Comment