The rain did hold off to allow us to get into the Franklin Institute. The place is huge and even though we didn’t get to see the show wanted to at the Planetarium, we were there for around four hours. The big traveling exhibit was the Art of the Brick, the incredible exhibit by the guy who make art from Legos. He does 2d and 3d and some of his sculptures use up to 100,000+ Legos. Nathan Sawaya’s story and technique are amazing and the easiest way is to go to the artist’s website of https://www.brickartist.com/ I lost count of  the number of pieces in the exhibit and it was definitely far more elaborate than I anticipated.

We did luck out with rain that evening, too, as it cleared a bit and we did the short walk to Fado, another quintessential Irish pub the kids used to go to for special occasions when they lived there. It was Amelia’s first time of course. Having passed on Shepard’s pie in New York, that was what I did and Hubby and daughter-in-law had fish and chips. Son did Guinness Mac and Cheese with buffalo chicken and with a couple of appetizers and a huge soft pretzel, granddaughter basically passed on protein and grazed on all carbohydrates, once again leaving room for ice cream. It was Trivia night beginning at 8:00, so the place was packed as we made our way out. We’d been back at the hotel for maybe twenty minutes when the weather alert said rain would start again in fifteen minutes. Granddaughter decided she wanted one final adventure for the trip and they kids were going to take her to the big aquarium about twelve miles from Philly on Thursday.

The Seaport Museum was nicely done with lots of exhibits, enough interaction for children to enjoy and the added option of touring an old steam vessel and WW II submarine. The exhibits are a combination of U.S./Navy history, history of ship building, the Delaware River and Bay and the ecological aspects. Granddaughter enjoys these kinds of things so the three hours we spent was pleasant. I did pass on the submarine part because as it turns out, some of the passages would have been difficult for my knees. I let everyone else do that and I went over to the next door Hilton where we were going to have lunch at the Anchor and Rope (I think that was the name).

I did have my Philly cheesesteak even though not from one of the famous places. It was good. Hubby had something different with grilled cheese with bacon and tomato and believe it or not, they have fancy deviled eggs as an appetizer. Not me of course, but the kids enjoyed them. It was after 3:00 when we returned to the hotel and were leaving again at 6:00 to meet our friends who came into the City. The Iron Hill Brewery was typical and good. With a lot of beef so far, I did do a lovely grilled salmon with onion jam and Hubby went straight for comfort with schnitzel as daughter-in-law did an artichoke flatbread and son went with burger. Granddaughter balances eating just enough – chicken tenders in this case – to warrant having ice cream for dessert. Son had flourless chocolate torte and daughter-in-law creme brulee. The rest of us did coffee, and it was good coffee.

Still cold, but sunny until tomorrow. We waited late enough so getting out of NYC was pretty easy and the NJ Turnpike wasn’t bad. Getting into Center City of Philadelphia is like all big cities. Hotel is not as well kept up as some of their properties, although it is older and the staff is friendly. Parking is weird as it is a shared garage, and we didn’t know that for off-loading. Anyway, the kids arrived around 3:30 and we were all pretty tired. Since everyone was good for walking, we all went out for dinner.

Daughter-in-law picked the place, and I am blanking on the name. Nice menu, plus rotating beers on draft. Hubby and son had IPAs, I did chardonnay, and daughter-in-law Angry Orchard cider. Then it was crab cake and asparagus for me, seared scallops and asparagus risotto for Hubby, blackened chicken tortellini for daughter-in-law, chicken quesadilla for son (lots of extra stuff in it), and granddaughter went with the “breakfast all day” option of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. As we were all full, coffee after and only one dessert of iced lemon pound cake (warmed) and vanilla ice cream part went to granddaughter.

Granddaughter and I went down to breakfast this morning while the “sleepyheads” stayed in. We’re off to the Seaport Museum later and then we’ll see. One adventure and lunch per day might be the plan for her. We can watch her though this afternoon and the kids can go out later.

The rain did clear and the temperature stayed cold. Not much let-up there although it will be a little better. Wednesday is supposed to be more rain and we’ll probably have to switch plans for tomorrow in order to do the Franklin Institute on Wednesday instead. We’ll see. The drive in yesterday was pretty good and we finally figured out how to use the elevator. While that sounds strange, it is automated in a way that makes sense once you understand it. There are no floor buttons inside the car. You press the appropriate “band” of floors before getting on, tap your key card, then it tells you which elevator to get into. The floor is pre-programmed. And yes, if you make an error, you have to get out and start over. The elevators are fast though.

Anyway, we had a lovely lunch at The Playwright, an Irish Pub, a few minutes walk from the hotel. Hubby did Shepard’s pie and Guiness to be traditional and I had crab cakes and salad with the crab cakes done correctly. For all the good seafood we have in our area, no one makes good crab cakes, Dinner was to be the highlight and it did not disappoint.  There are five Wolfgang Steakhouse locations; the original a ten-minute ride away. With fifteen of us for dinner, it was a boisterous event and Richie arranged for it to be family-style. The seafood tower as starters had prawns, lobster, and lump crab, Then there were the salad and sliced beefsteak tomatoes with thick onion slices. The porterhouse steaks were sliced and three traditional sides served as well. The dessert tray was cheesecake, chocolate mousse pie, key lime pie, apple strudel, and mounds of whipped cream with sliced strawberries. We did beg off the “after party” which allegedly was going to be over with by midnight.

I think we’re having a quick breakfast with just four of us this morning, then back on the road to Philadelphia.

This is another of the trips with a lot of movement. We flew into Philadelphia, picked up the car and drove to Seacaucus, NJ for the Beneath the Sea Dive Show. For those who might be new to the Blog, Richie Kohler is famous in the shipwreck world as he has been involved in some amazing adventures. Back in 2015 I co-authored, Mystery of the Last Olympian; Britannic, Titanic’s Tragic Sister. We knew each other a bit remotely before that and became friends in writing the book. He is receiving a well-deserved award tomorrow and when I heard about it, the timing worked in an odd way. The kids’ spring break is a week earlier this year so we are at the dive show today, re-set to Times Square tomorrow for another event, then go back to Philadelphia Monday morning, The kids come up and we’ll be with them until Thursday.

The flight up yesterday was a bit on the bumpy side, but at least we were on time. The weather though is tough; 30 degrees and it won’t get much warmer plus today is going to be rain all day. It’s good to see people and it will be a fun time. We ate here at the hotel last night. Not an extensive menu, but I had grilled salmon and Hubby had pasta Bolongease. We might go out tonight as there are a couple of nearby restaurants that sound interesting. On the other hand, if it is still raining, I expect we will stay tucked in.

There are moments when timing works in one’s favor. The three big civic organizations remaining here each have a major annual fundraiser event for the various programs to include scholarships. The Rotary Club always held a prime rib dinner and auction and it could get lively. The one gentleman who was really the “star” of it so to speak, finally relocated from the area and no one else quite had his ability to pull it all together. In looking at an alternative, the Seafood Festival in Key Largo was immensely popular, but as it grew, the one-way-in and one-way-out traffic problem of the Overseas Highway became such an issue, the Sheriff’s department wanted a change of location. I don’t know who all spoke with whom, but six years ago, the Homestead Rotary took it on for here. As is often the case, the first year was just okay. They worked through some things and the second year was better, and attendance leaped. That also meant they could attract greater sponsorship to keep their costs down. This weekend is Year Six and if it’s like before, somewhere around 10,000 people will attend. At $10/person, the vendor fees and being the ones who sell bottled water and sodas, and have the bar, you can see how it’s successful.

We will be going this afternoon for the usual photo array for the paper. There is the kids area with activities for younger and older kids, the stage with multiple bands performing, the “L” of food vendors with different types of seafood as well as other offerings such as BBQ, or more snacking-type choices and of course dessert items. The fried donut guy was new last year and I don’t know if he will be back. He was quite popular. I do plan to wear my hat I bought there last year and probably won’t buy anything this year, but I hope the vendors do well.

It is a huge effort in planing and an exhausting two days of work. Everyone involved deserves a lot of credit.