4 out the door

Adelphi Mill

2010-08-23T16:20:00.008-04:00

delphi Mill is just down the street from our house and a place that I've been wanting to explore for a while. We had a crazy amount of rain the other day, so as soon as it stopped I thought it would be good to get the kids outside for a while. Our backyard was a mud pit, so we headed for the mill. They must only open it when people rent it out for weddings or parties because it was locked and there weren't hours posted or anything. It was a great place for the kids to run around though. There is a small park and of course there is the creek (part of the Anacostia River system). It was raging and parts of the path were flooded, so we didn't get too close. There is a nice path though. There was a mile marker there that said we were at mile 5, so it's at least that long.

Getting pictures of the kids was something akin to pulling teeth, so I let them growl. We take growling very seriously around here. KIDS!!

Total:Free
Verdict: Neat place, but I'd love to see the inside
Location: 4802 Riggs Road, Adelphi, MD
Metro: No

Takoma Park Area Restaurants

2010-08-04T15:13:00.001-04:00

A friend just asked me for restaurant recommendations in our area (Takoma Park). Here's what I thought of off the top of my head ...

Samantha's

Latin American food

Mark's Kitchen

Totally a hole in the wall kind of place. Their menu is so random. Everything from Spinach Tofu Cakes to Korean Short Ribs

Middle Eastern Cuisine

It's next door to Mark's Kitchen. Typical Greek type food ... gyros, hummus, etc.

Roscoe's

Pizza, salads, paninis. André thinks it's over prices and the portions too small. I like it! I did a review of it here ...
http://www.4outthedoor.com/2010/06/roscoes-neapolitan-pizzeria.html

Pizza Roma

Nothing fancy, just a pizza place. It's good though. André sometimes picks up a pizza on his way home. I think it's more of a take out place if you're ever looking for something like that.

Splash ... again ...

2010-08-04T08:43:00.001-04:00

I didn't take the camera this day, but there is the sweetest little splash park (and regular kiddie park as well). A friend introduced us to it. It's tucked in between a few row houses. With the houses and the trees, almost the whole park is in the shade. The water isn't overwhelming with just two sprays. It reminds me of playing with the hose in the backyard as a kid!

Total:Free
Verdict: Fun
Location: Across the street from 914 Westminster NW, DC
Metro: Shaw-Howard University (.3 of a mile walk)

Café Olé

2010-08-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

Groupon came through for us again! This time we went to Café Olé. We had such beautiful weather, we got to sit outside. The food was great and the sangria was yummy. What more is there to say? Check out this food ...

The Boy's kid's meal had to be the best looking kid's meal I've ever seen. See the chicken in those little pitas? So, cute!

My favorite dish was the bastilla, which is a flaky pastry stuffed with Moroccan couscous, chicken, almonds served with spicy yogurt. You can probably tell that we loved the food. The Boy and I were supposed to be saying "yummmmmmm" in these pictures, but somehow I was the only one who followed through!

Total: $64 + tax and tip - $30 Groupon This is a little more than we usually spend, but my sister was with us and we each had a glass of sangria

Verdict: YUM!
Location: 4000 Wisconsin NW, DC

Metro: Tenleytown (1/2 mile walk)

Georgetown Cupcake

2010-07-05T14:32:00.002-04:00

It's almost The Girl's 4th birthday. She and I went around town this morning taking her picture. We eventually ended up at Georgetown Cupcake.

Total: $2.75/cupcake
Verdict: Not for the every day, but it was fun!
Location: 3301 M St NE, Washington DC (there is also a location in Bethesda)
Metro: No

White Oak Duckpin Lanes

2010-07-03T18:23:00.001-04:00

A few years ago we took the kids candlestick bowling in Gloucester, MA. The idea is the same as regular bowling, except that the pins are tall and skinny and the ball is small enough to fit in your hand. We can't find candlestick bowling here, but we did find duckpin bowling. It uses the small balls, but the pins look like regular pins, just short and squatty.

This was a huge amount of fun. The balls are small and light enough the kid's small hands. The bowling alley is totally vintage. There's not a computer in sight. I had to dig around in my memory for things learned in college bowling class (not a joke) for the scoring and you push various buttons to sweep away downed pins or to reset the lane. I'm going to have to call my bowling professor though to see if I scored correctly. I just can't imagine how I managed to lose to everyone but the 4 year old ... and even she was only 10 points behind me. We were all pretty bad, which is probably what made it fun!

Look at The Girl. They say she gets her attitude from me, but here's proof that it comes from the other side too!

Total: $27 (they have a military discount on weekdays, but we went on a weekend)

Verdict: They gave us coupons for a free next game, so we'll be back at least once.

Location: 11207 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring

Metro: No

Soretti's

2010-07-03T17:25:00.000-04:00

By now you've probably noticed that I have an obsession with Groupon. I just like getting things for 1/2 off! We got another great deal for a place called Soretti's. This was a Montgomery County Groupon and it was kind of nice to do something in our own neck of the woods rather than going into the city. Another bonus ... FANTASTIC food!

We got sambusas in three varieties: chicken, beef and lentil. They came with a sauce that I can best describe as a vinaigrette. I'm sure that's not at all what it was, but it was like that to me! We also got the lentil salad and lamb tibs. It was served with injera, which is kind of a spongy pancake. The kids surprised us and wanted bagels and cream cheese. They're usually pretty adventurous, but since this just meant more lamb for me, we obliged them! I also got the best caramel macchiato of my life. I'm not going to think about how many calories were in it. It was worth it! It was all yummy and the staff was sweet and friendly to the kids.

Total: $36 + tax & tip - $20 Groupon

Verdict: We'll be back!

Location: 15510 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville

Metro: Not for this one

Splash!!

2010-06-17T16:32:00.001-04:00

There is nothing better than water on a hot summer day! Our mom's group from Grace DC went to Lyon Village Park this morning to take advantage of the water. What a fun park!!

The Boy met a new friend and I only caught glimpses of them for almost 3 hours. I heard something about Star Wars, saw them with some imaginary light sabers and that was it. They had a blast, without even exchanging names by the time we left!

The park itself is nice with a water area and a regular park. There's quite a bit of shade. My only complaint is the parking. There are so many restricted areas that we ended up parking about 4 blocks away. Minor, but kind of a pain.

Total: Free
Verdict: We'll be back!
Location: 1800 N. Highland, Arlington, VA
Metro: Clarendon Station - 1/2 mile away

Roscoe's Neapolitan Pizzeria

2010-06-02T21:59:00.002-04:00

Roscoe's describes it's (and our) home of Takoma Park as "vibrantly independent". It's really a great description. It's not every town where a rooster wanders into town, decides to stay and the town gives him a name, immortalizes him in bronze after his death and then names a restaurant after him. But, that's just what happened!

Last year, we came home from a trip and were unloading the luggage from the car when The Boy took a tumble down the 7 concrete steps that lead up to our house. After a surprisingly short and easy visit at the Children's (who said that he had "just gotten his bell rung") we were HUNGRY. We decided to stop into Roscoe's Pizzeria on the way home.

This was so long ago, that I don't remember exactly what we ended up paying after tax and tip. André remembers it as expensive. I remember it as fantastically delicious. What this means is that I go to Roscoe's when my mom is in town or it's girl's lunch out ... which is fine with me!

The kids and André shared a cheese pizza ($10) and I got the grilled vegetable panini ($9). I have to say that both were excellent, although you might not think so if you are in love with Papa John's.

I've also enjoyed the mediterranean panini, the vegan panini and the roasted beet salad. They're all nice, but the paninis are fantastic!

Location: 7040 Carrol Ave, Takoma Park, MD
Metro Station: Takoma - .3 of a mile

Penang

2010-05-16T11:31:00.003-04:00

Well, I'll admit it's been awhile since anything new has come out on 4outthedoor! We have a good excuse though, I promise! First it was the addition to the house which, thanks to both torrential rains in October and multiple Snowmageddons this winter, took a bit long than we planned. Follow that up with a hard drive crash, replacement and mostly successful data recovery, and we arrive at today! We did have some outings during that time, and hopefully we'll be able to post some retroactively.

We've gotten into the Groupon craze a bit, and have found it to be a nice way to try new places to eat while also getting a pretty good deal. For those of you not aware, a Groupon is basically a gift certificate or coupon that you can buy online which usually ends up giving you about 50% off your bill up to a certain amount. Most of them cost between $10 to $20, and then provide a voucher for about $30 to $40.

So, this Friday we used a Groupon at Penang, a Malaysian place in the Dupont Circle area of DC. I had checked out some Yelp reviews and folks there said it was not kid friendly. This always kinds of irks me, because I think most any restaurant will be kid friendly if your kid is friendly to them! Turns out kids are paying customers too.

We started off with an appetizer of Roto Canai, ($5.25) which they describe as "Crispy Indian style pancake with curry chicken dipping sauce." We had been looking forward to trying new and different things, and this light and crispy pastry type thing definitely met the bill. One order was plenty for the four of us to tear into little strips and munch on. The curry dipping sauce was so good in fact that even after the Roto Canai was gone, we ate the curry dipping sauce straight!

Jessica ordered the Prawn Mee ($9.95), which consisted of "Shrimp, rice and egg noodles, sliced pork, hard boiled egg in a spicy prawn broth." It looked very good and the serving size was very generous. Somehow I forgot the spicy component of the dish and asked to try a bite, which included both skinny rice and round egg noodles ... and a lot of spicy-ness! Too much kick for me, but I don't generally like spicy foods to begin with. Jessica, who is definitely the spicier one, enjoyed it.

I ordered the Beef Chow Fun ($10.95). The thing that struck me about this dish was how wide the noodles were! I would say they were probably half the width of a lasagna noodle, and the same length. Sprouts, egg and beef were mixed in with the noodles. I especially liked the full flavor of the scrambled egg bits, which seemed to have soaked up whatever sauce was used to flavor the dish. Jessica will tell you I'm picky when it comes to meat, and while the pieces of beef were alright, I thought they were a little bit thick sometimes and could have had some more fat trimmed off of them.

The kids had been asking for seafood the whole way into town on the metro, and their wishes were granted as we ordered the Seafood Chow Fun ($12.95) for them to split. (Kid friendly aspect #1: The waiter had no issue with having them split a plate and, without us asking, they brought two extra plates out so we could serve the kids) The Boy's favorite part was "not so much the squid, but the shrimp, scallops and the noodles which I really liked when they were in sheets of noodles, thank you very much." He's always one for a good run-on sentence! The Girl seconded her brother an added that she also liked the little bok-choy in the mix as well.

As is our habit, we drank only water (instead of $3 sodas), saving $12 on the bill. (Kid Friendly aspect #2: Again, without asking, the wait staff brought bendy straws for the kids to drink their water. Also when at the end of our meal the boy accidentally knocked over his glass of water, not only did the wait staff not bat an eye, within 5 seconds, someone was coming to fill his glass back up again!) With our Groupon, tip and tax, total expenditure was $28. Without the Groupon, it would have been around $43.

All in all, if you're looking to try something a little different with the kids, and you think the kids will be "friendly" Penang is worth checking out. (On a side note, the restaurant's web page linked above, is a bit out of date, both in prices on the menu and pictures of the decor).

Strawberries!

2010-05-15T11:14:00.005-04:00

When I was a kid, we went strawberry picking every year. Our last day of school would be the first Friday of the month and we'd be out in a strawberry field the next Monday. I have such great memories of these times. Is there anything better than fresh strawberry ice cream.? This part of the country has strawberries ripened a little earlier than in Minnesota, so the kids and Grandma and I got out to pick this week! Note: The Boy goes nowhere without his Grandma-made cape!

I thought this would be the perfect picture for Natalie's Picture Spring Photo Challenge. I don't usually enter photo contests, but this one is so light-hearted and fun! I just discovered Natalie's blog. I was up way to late the other night. You know how you see something on Facebook and that leads you to a blog and to another blog and to an article and to another blog and another? Well, that's how I found Natalie. She has inspired me to get 4 Out the Door going again and now has a permanent place in my RSS feed!

Back to the strawberries ... Homestead Farm is a great place. It took us about 45 minutes to get there from southern Montgomery County. We got to see a few animals as well. They had goats, a cow, pigs and chickens. We picked peaches and blackberries at Homestead last July and will definitely be going back when they're ready this year. Strawberries are $2.29/lb this year.

Homestead Farm
15604 Sugarland Road
Poolesville, MD 20837-8879
(301) 977-3761

Assateague Island

2009-09-30T21:18:00.000-04:00

The 4 were out the door again last weekend ... although we were 5 and we ventured about 2 hours away. My sister took the day off of work to go with us to Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. The day started out rainy and we debated going, but there wasn't another day for us to go together, so we headed out. My sister had gotten the kids a book about the island, so they had a heads up about what it was going to be like. The big draw to the island is that there are wild horses that roam about. Sure enough, as we drove onto the island there were two horses off on the side of the road, munching away on some grass. They're not phased in the least by cars and people. They just go about their business. Check out this beautiful lady ...

We spent some time driving around deer and egrets. We walked around on the beach for a while and then stopped for a picnic lunch.

By then it was time for the kids to take a nap. What better place to take a nap than on the beach!

The Boy laid down for all of 60 seconds. The Girl did a little better with about 10 minutes. Then Dad got up and chased them around while my sister and I got in our nap. Literally ... chasing ...

By this time the sun was shining, the world was beautiful and it was probably the best nap of my life!

When we got up we played on the beach a while longer. The kids were excited to get in the water despite it being windy and the water being beyond cold. Of course, the Girl had to take one step too far and ended up wet from head to toe. Once that drama was over, we went on two walks ... the forest walk and the marsh walk. They're 1/2 mile walks with lots of informational plaques and such along the way. The boy took all of this very seriously, as is his nature ...

On the marsh walk we got to see a blue crab in action. He had himself hooked onto a piling, upside down and was waiting for something to swim past. Very cool.

The forest walk was more about plants. The kids were a little overly impressed by the mushrooms. It was a good opportunity to talk about asking the parents before eating something!

The Island had originally been the start of a resort type community. It was destroyed by a hurricane in the 50's and was eventually taken over partly by the National Park Service and partly by the the states of Maryland and Virginia. We walked out on what was originally intended to be the marina. We saw these two beauties. They were amazing!

At the end of the day we headed into Ocean Shores to Crab Alley. Guess what we got!!

I love vegetables, legumes and the rest, but I'm definitely a carnivore! After a long day exploring a national park, there's nothing better than all you can eat blue crabs!!

Total: My sister had a park pass, which we used. Otherwise it would have been $15 for our vehicle to get in.
Verdict: Fabulous! We'll be back for camping.
Location: Maryland's shore. Directions
Metro: Nope. You'll have to drive to this one.

Nathan Lee

2009-09-14T17:09:00.006-04:00

André and I have taken the kids to some interesting things over the years. They've been to various plays, dinners and concerts that most people think are a little advanced for kids. They figure that the kids would run around and scream their heads off. The kids certainly are not perfect, but they have yet to embarass us enough to leave them home! Maybe it's because we've carted them everywhere for their entire lives (literally ... The Boy was taken to Blue Man Group in utero), but they seem to put up with it .. and even enjoy it!

The 4 of us headed out for a home concert last night! A new friend of ours knows a musician named Nathan Lee and he performed in her home. Nathan is from Nashville and is doing 40 concerts in 40 days in 40 cities! His tour and new cd are both called "Risk Everything". It really is risky. He's got 40 cities to go to, but doesn't have venues yet in many of these cities. I think he's going to find it worth the risk though!

First, the idea of having a concert in your home is fabulous! How personal! You get to know the artist and what's behind the songs. I feel like you get so much more out of a song when you know the story behind it and what went into it.

Second, Nathan is just a super nice, genuine guy. He chatted with us and with our kids. He often plays in bars, so I can only imagine that he doesn't play the 3-5 year old scene too often! He was sweet with the kids and they SAT and LISTENED to him play. The Boy even recalled the name of a song that was played at the beginning and declared it his favorite!

Third, and most importantly, this guy is amazing. He's got a great raspy voice, meaningful lyrics and can he ever play the piano!

One of the goals of this blog is to let other families in the area know what there is to do around DC. The opportunity to see Nathan Lee in a friend's home probably won't come around again, (although we can always hope!), but I just want to encourage you to get out there, meet people, take your kids and HAVE FUN!

Open City

2009-08-31T22:18:00.007-04:00

After the Eric Carle exhibit it was time for dinner!

I found Open City through a quick Google map search. It seemed to have some pretty positive reviews, so I thought we'd give it a try.

We walked in, and after waiting just a few seconds, were greeted by a smiling hostess. I asked for a table on the outside patio area, as it seemed a little noisy inside, and the weather outside was just about as perfect as one could ask for the last night of August in the city.

The menu at Open City features salads and sandwiches as well as some fuller entrees. They also serve breakfast all day, although we stuck with more traditional (well...sorta) dinner offerings.

The Boy was once again pleased with the set of four crayons provided to him and happily worked on his color by number place mat. As he colored, we browsed the menu and made our selections.

To start out we enjoyed the hummus plate, which in addition to hummus and pita bread featured grape tomatoes, cucumber slices and pitted olives. I thought the extra veggies were a nice touch and provided a fresh crispiness to the whole appetizer. The hummus was very good, but the pita bread, although drizzled with olive oil and topped with some sort of herbs was dry and a bit tough to chew through.

For the kids we ordered a grilled PB&J sandwich to split, which featured sliced bananas! (hence the departure from "traditional" offerings) Both kids enjoyed the sandwich, although The Boy wasn't too keen on the idea of his mother making these at home for him some day. The (what looked to be freshly fried) potato chips were also well received. One thing we really appreciate was that our server split the sandwich onto two plates as we requested, provided plenty of chips on each plate, and didn't charge us any silly "extra plate" fee for splitting the dish. While this particular sandwich was on the regular menu, they did have a kids menu with dishes ranging from $3 to $7.

Jessica enjoyed her Rueben sandwich, which not only tasted good, but was "pretty." I must admit, as one who likes nothing about Rueben sandwiches, the swirled bread, tender meat and crisp sauerkraut almost looked good enough for even me to eat!

I ordered the cheeseburger and had my pick of cheeses, settling on a slice of provolone. I always like to have my burgers well done, which sometimes means they are a bit on the dry side. I'm happy to report that not only was my burger perfectly cooked as ordered, it was juicy too! Everything about this burger, from the bun to the pickles hit the spot.

This was a nice place to be outside and grab a bite to eat after a day at work. The service was friendly and quick, but we never felt rushed. Our appetizer came out a few minutes after we ordered, and just after we were done, our meal arrived.

Total (including tax and tip): $37.
Verdict: Good place for a nice sandwich!
Location: 2331 Calvert St. NW

Metro Station: Woodley Park

Come out of the Metro station, veer right and follow the sidewalk down to the corner, where you'll find City Cafe on your left.

Note from Jessica: As we were leaving we saw some other diners getting the cappuccinos they had ordered. They looked wonderful ... foam art and all. We'll be back!

Eric Carle!

2009-08-31T21:56:00.010-04:00

From Bugs to Beasts: Storytelling through collage by Eric Carle was at The Stanford in Washington Art Gallery. It closes 9/1, so hurry over if you want to see it! The kids and I met André at the Woodley Park Metro Station after he was done with work.

It's a sweet little gallery and it was full of Eric Carle works ... both original collages, lithographs and sculptures. There were also concept drawings of some of his books.

I don't know if I can put into words, how amazing these works are. They're really stunning. There was a little movie of Eric Carle reading some of his books and talking about what goes into making them. It was facinating, both to us and to The Boy and The Girl ... as you an see!

The Girl was so excited. "LOOK IT'S THE CATERPILLAR, IT'S THE CATERPILLAR!"

There was a little area set up to read Eric Carle books. I thought that was a nice touch.

The show so inspired The Boy. He was ready to break out the tissue paper and paints when we got home. Unfortunately, his mean parents made him go to bed since it was late! ;)

The only not so great part about it was a family with two small children who came in when we were watching the movie. They were so loud that no one could hear the movie and it was difficult to enjoy the art. By "they" I don't mean the kids ... I mean the parents. Just a friendly reminder of gallery etiquette!

If you can't make it to the show, check out Eric Carle's blog or, if you're in Massachusetts sometime, his museum.

Total: $0

Location: 2655 Connecticut Ave NW

Verdict: We'll be back. This looks like a great little gallery to watch.

Metro Station: Woodley Park

From Bugs To Beasts

2009-08-30T15:59:00.005-04:00

The Stanford at the Washington Art Gallery has an exhibit of art by Eric Carle. It closes September 1. We're headed out the door Monday! If you can't check out this exhibit, at least visit his blog or, if you're in Massachusetts, you can visit his museum.

Total: $0
Location: 2655 Connecticut Ave NW
Metro Stop: Woodley Park

Rita's - Ice, Custard, Happiness

2009-08-30T13:42:00.002-04:00

Before we even started looking at houses here, my sister did us a favor and introduced us to Rita's.

The closest one to us is in College Park. MD. After looking at airplanes in 90 something degree heat and who knows how much humidity, with the heat and sun reflecting off of the tarmac, we needed a cool treat.

Rita's did the job for us! Their flavors vary daily, so you never know quite what you'll get. We have yet to be disappointed though. We got the kids a wild black cherry ice, vanilla custard Misto shake. Rita's takes your choice of ice and frozen custard and blends it. A regular size is even a little big for the kids to split.

Smiles and an almost empty cup are telling!

I got a Gelati, which is the ice and custard as well, but layered in a cup. I chose vanilla ice and coffee custard. André also got a Gilati, but with twist custard and passion fruit ice. A regular is more than enough for me. André got the regular, but he and his sweet tooth will be getting the large next time.

When we got home I looked on the Rita's website. They have a birthday club that I signed up for. I got a buy one get one free coupon for doing so and I'll get a "special birthday treat" on my birthday.

Some Rita's locations are open year round and some are seasonal. They have locations all up and down the east coast ... and Ohio and Texas ... but all of that info is on their website.

Total: $10.87 (1 regular Misto and 2 regular Gilati)
Location: 8900 Baltimore Avenue, College Park, MD 20740
Verdict: We'll be back ... with our coupon!
Metro Station: The College Park/U of M station is the closest to this location, but it's 2 miles away. I would imagine that there are other locations closer to Metro stops.

College Park Aviation Museum and Air Fair 100

2009-08-29T11:58:00.010-04:00

After serving as a public affairs officer in the Air Force for almost 10 years, I've worked on my fair share of Air Show committees, so when I read about the Air Fair 100 happening this weekend at College Park Airport, I jumped at the chance to enjoy an air show without having to put in any work towards planning it! Going to the air show was also a convenient excuse to check out the College Park Aviation Museum, which I had read about at some point when we first moved here to the DC area.

The Airport has a history steeped in aviation pioneers and milestones. The Wright brothers conducted a bulk of their first training flights for their Military Flyer, which the Army contracted them to produce. The field is one of the first to be used as an airmail delivery station, and is still an active airfield, hosting a number of general aviation aircraft as well as a pair of Prince George's County police helicopters.

But, enough of all that, let's talk about the air show!

While we could have taken the metro to the airport, it would have taken about 35 minutes (including taking the bus from our house to the local metro stop), so we decided to drive instead (15 minutes). Parking was plentiful although a bit spread out. I think the threat of rain kept the turnout down a little lower than organizers may have liked. We parked at a pool/ice rink across the street and had a short 5-10 minute walk to the gate.

Once through the admission gate we were free to roam wherever we wanted. Our first stop was a nice display of model/radio controlled airplanes.

The Boy impressively identified a WWII era bomber as being the same kind that he had a small metal die cast version of at home. At the far north end of the field we examined a number of helicopters, and even had a chance to climb around inside a few. After seeing her brother relaxing in the back of the Anne Arundel County Police helicopter, The Girl had to get in on the action as well. I really appreciated how friendly and talkative most of the helicopter crews were, kudos especially to Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties.

The entire air field was lined with various small aircraft, and as we walked from one end to the other we were able to enjoy both the airplanes on the ground and the various acts flying over the field. The hands down favorite for the kids was the joint act between Otto the helicopter and Dan Buchanan's hang glider.

Audio from both the hang glider and helicopter was broadcast over loudspeakers on the ground as a faux misunderstanding between the two acts played out, culminating in a police chase down the runway. Jessica and I found the Otto act to get a little bit long and drawn out, but it was definitely a highlight for the kids, who just couldn't say enough about it.

One of the planes parked on the ramp was a Zenith 650, which happens to be the type of airplane I would like to own myself someday. I've had my private pilots license for almost 12 years, but haven't flown as pilot in command for about 10 years. Someday I'll get back in the cockpit again!

By this point, thanks to the black tarmac and pretty much relentless sun, we were all sweating like pigs. The cool air conditioned comfort of the Museum at the other end of the airfield was a welcome change.

Walking into the Museum the first thing that struck me was the airy, open feeling of the place. One entire side of the museum is a large glass wall, overlooking the runway. There are 10 or so aircraft on display, each with informative posters describing the history behind the aircraft and its importance in aviation history.

There were a number of interactive, children's museum type of exhibits. Both the kids enjoyed "flying" their colorful kite-like nylon aircraft around a busy traffic pattern, and spinning the large wooden prop on display. I liked the small wind tunnel that had an aircraft with working ailerons and rudder which you could control with a joystick on the display. It was a great way to see how an airplane maneuvers through the sky.

Another highlight was a real airplane that the kids could climb into. Some of the wing fabric had been removed and replaced with Plexiglas, allowing you to see how the cables ran through the wings and out to the ailerons. This was one of the displays that made me wonder where some of the parents were. Some kids climbed into the cockpit and yanked the steering wheel back and forth as hard as they could, making as much noise as possible. In fact, when The Boy climbed in and asked me about some of the dials and knobs instead of just mindlessly yanking on the controls, I heard some of the kids complaining that he "wasn't making it move enough."

The museum utilizes volunteers to run the place, and volunteers were out in full force during our visit. We were impressed by the patience and kindness these volunteers had, especially considering the previously-mentioned rowdiness exhibited by some of the young patrons.

All in all it was a fun outing. We definitely want to come back and enjoy the museum when it's not quite as busy. I'm sure a homeschool science field trip or two will be in the works with all of the great interactive exhibits they have. As for the air show, we'll probably go again in a few years, but it's not at the top of our list for an immediate repeat visit. One thing to be aware of if you go, they only take cash for admission, and according to folks I asked, the nearest ATM is a mile from the airport.

Total: $12 ($4 per adult, $2 for kids - admission to the museum was included in air show admittance. This is also the regular entrance fee for the museum.

Verdict: We'll be back (to the museum at least)

Location: 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, MD 20740

Metro Station: College Park

Come out of the Metro station on the east side of the tracks. Cross Paint Branch Parkway and walk 200 yards towards the airfield and museum

AirFair100

2009-08-25T08:11:00.005-04:00

This Saturday (August 29) we will be heading out the door to the College Park Airport for AirFair100. They are the world's oldest continuously operating airport and are celebrating 100 years of aviation on Saturday.

Cost: $4 for adults, $2 for children 2-17
Metro Station: College Park/University of Maryland

La Tasca

2009-08-23T10:42:00.001-04:00

What could be better than enjoying some Chinese food after looking at Chinese art? We walked from the Sakler Gallery to Chinatown, intending to enjoy a meal at a Chinese restaurant. Well, La Tasca (a Spanish tapas restaurant) enticed us with their Saturday special ... a free kid's meal with purchase of an adult meal.

La Tasca has a nice rustic feel about it, lots of dark wood with bright walls and pillows.

The kids were actually into their crayons. Restaurant crayons don't usually hold their attention, so that was a nice change!

The fish sticks that the kids ordered were not your typical out of the freezer variety! These were actual pieces of fish, battered in what looked to be some kind of saffron batter. They were by far the best fish sticks I've ever sampled.

The kid's meals also came with a drink (they both got pineapple juice) and ice cream. The Boy got strawberry and The Girl got chocolate. Kid's meals are typically $5.95. I guess this is a pretty average price now, but it always aggravates me to pay this much when I don't know if it will actually get eaten. The kids can be so hit and miss when it comes to how much they eat!

The rest of the food was amazing. Descriptions are straight from the menu ...

Ensalada Mixta con Atun - Grilled tuna salad with mixed greens and a piquillo and olive dressing

André isn't exactly known for his sophisticated pallet ... not that I am! Some call him a picky eater. The fact that he ordered AND liked this ... well, I'm speechless! It was delicious although if you don't like a heavy dressing, it might not be for you.

Croquetas de Pollo - A classic Spanish dish of pureed chicken and potatoes, lightly battered and then deep fried

Delicious and super creamy. It came with a mayonnaise sauce for dipping. I didn't think the sauce added much. The croquetas were delicious on their own.

Vieiras al Cava - Grilled scallops sautéed in a creamy sparkling wine sauce

Outstanding. The scallops were perfectly cooked. We've been watching Hell's Kitchen lately and have seen Chief Ramsey declare scallops "raw" or "like hockey pucks" on more than one occasion. Lucky for us, these scallops were perfectly inbetween!

Espinacas Salteadas - Freshly sautéed spinach with garlic, pine nuts and raisins

This was my favorite dish. The spinach was just barely wilted and it was full of garlicky sweetness.

Pan a la Catalna - The house ciabatta bread is grilled and then topped with grated vine-ripened tomatoes and chopped fresh garlic

I didn't manage to get a picture of this dish. Honestly, when it came, it didn't look like much. I guess grating tomatoes doesn't do much for presentation. The taste redeemed the dish though!

Total (including tax and tip): $38

Verdict: We'll be back

Location: 722 7th Street NW, Washington DC 2000

Metro Station: Chinatown, exit at 7th St NW and H St NW

Make a u-turn after coming up the escalator. Cross 7th and turn left. La Tasca is a few restaurants down.

Sackler Gallery - Smithsonian

2009-08-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

I work near the Sackler Gallery, and had been through it quickly on a lunch break stroll a few weeks ago. I remember thinking at the time that it was something the kids might like to see. Turns out I was right.

We arrived around 10:30 on Saturday morning, and we practically had the place to ourselves.

As you enter the gallery, after the cursory back pack inspection, the first (and only) thing you'll see is something that looks a bit like the mirror in the funny house. "Perspectives" by Anish Kapoor, is two pieces of polished steel shaped in an S-curve. At the information desk, we picked up a kids guide for the exhibit, which had some interesting info on Kapoor and some suggestions on how to look at the piece. One of those suggestions was to not only look at the reflective surface up close, but to take a step back and see how the reflection twisted and turned the farther back you stood. The Boy was intrigued by this and had fun finding the point where things went from right side up, to up side down. The Girl enjoyed running circles around the entire thing. Unfortunately, the "no pictures" symbol was prominently displayed, so we weren't able to capture this in pixels.

Down the stairs on the first level you'll find a number of exhibits.

The Tale of Shuten Doji is a display that features long scrolls and large 8 foot tall panels that make up an ancient, huge, Japanese comic book. My favorites were the panels, which told the story in a counter clockwise order. Basically a maiden is stolen by the bad guy, the emporer sends a warrior out to rescue the girl, he travels far across the wilderness to find the girl, finds a monster, cuts his head off and proceeds back home with the maiden and the head of the monster, arriving to cheers from the locals. One neat thing about the panels is that the hero (Shunten Doji) is always wearing the same orange robe, so it's easy to spot him in each scene around the panels. The Boy really enjoyed finding the orange robe in each scene (like a giant Where's Waldo book) and piecing together the story. If you want to see it, make plans to go soon. The exhibit closes September 20!

Tsars and the East is an impressive display of gifts given by diplomats visiting Tsars in the Kremlin. There are 60 items on display, and for many of them, it is their first trip outside the Kremlin since then 16th and 17th centuries when they were originally given to Russian officials. The Boy especially liked the fine selection of sabres, daggers and armor. The Girl enjoyed looking at the ornate canteen that looked like a teapot, and the helmet with a face mask. I thought the descriptions given for some of the items could have been a little bit more informative, but most had enough information to provide some thoughtful insight into what the object was, where it came from and its importance, etc. This exhibit will be gone soon as well. It closes September 13.

In a small exhibition of Sculpture of South and Southeast Asia everyone enjoyed counting the multiple arms on bronze statues of Shiva and marveling at the round belly of the little Buddha.

Our final stop of the morning was the Arts of China Exhibition. I was struck by how old some of the items on display were. A small metal sculpture of a horse was dated between 200 BC and 300 AD, and several jade carvings were even older than that. One of our favorites was the set of ceramic Tomb Guardians. The Girl was eager to point out that each one featured the same colors of green, orange and white! Maybe I'm just not into furniture, but one room of the exhibit, featuring a huge, old, wooden Chinese wardrobe was a bit on the boring side, but other items throughout the exhibit made up for it.

All in all, we spent maybe 2 hours walking through the exhibits on the first subteranean level of the Sackler Gallery. We also visited the gift shop, which was nice, but I didn't see anything that really jumped out at me as a bargain. We enjoyed the Shuten Doji exhibit so much, I asked if they had a book that told the story and pictures from the scrolls, which, unfortunately, they did not.

Total: $0

Location: 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC.

Verdict: Great little museum to check out.

Metro Station: Smithsonian, Independence Ave exit

At the top of the escalator, turn 180 degrees and walk one block down Independence. Cross the street and walk through the large black gate on Independence that leads into the gardens at the "red castle" Smithsonian, take an immediate left, and you'll see the gallery entrance.