Lansing Area Weekend!

July 27-29, 2012

We decided to take a weekend camping trip to Sleepy Hollow State Park (Laingsburg, MI), since we had a birthday party to go to in the Lansing area. We set up on site 145, which was perfect size for our pop-up trailer. The site was very private, surrounded with vegetation.  The bathrooms were clean. The showers were warm, but nowhere close to being hot.

We did not spend a lot of time at the campground, but there is a kid’s play structure, disk golf, a picnic area, a beach and a hiking trail. Many people fish, boat, and kayak in Lake Ovid.

Peacock Road Tree Farm

The birthday party we went to was for a 1-year old and was held at Peacock Road Tree Farm, which is also in Laingsburg.  The farm has a petting zoo, train rides, and hay rides. The place was nice and very well maintained.

Prior to the party, we headed to downtown Lansing to check out the Michigan Historical Museum. The museum use to be free to get in but now charges $6 or less per visitor. If you have the “Recreation Passport” sticker on your license plate tab you get a discount. The museum is nice and would be a great activity for a rainy day and also for children. You may also want to visit the capitol building, which is a couple of blocks away. During the week, it appeared that you would have to pay for parking, but on the weekend it was free. You will need to check the hours for the museum, it varies.

Lansing Lugnuts 

Saturday evening we got tickets to see the Lansing Lugnuts baseball team. The Lugnuts are a Class “A” minor league team, affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. We headed to Clara’s for dinner. Clara’s is housed in the “Union Depot”, which was built in 1902. There is a historical marker outside of the place, which tells you the history of the building. The building is very pretty. The menu at Clara’s is rather large and the prices are reasonable. I had a Calzone, it was good. It was well cooked and a bit smaller than what some places serve.

We kept our vehicle parked at Clara’s and walked the few blocks to the Lugnuts game. We had $20 clubhouse seating. While seating in that area, pop was $2.50 and you got free refills. Free popcorn was also provided. There were fireworks after the game, which were nice. It was about a 30 minute drive back to the campground.

The next morning we packed up headed home, with memories of an excellent camping weekend!

New York, New York! (Day 6-7)

June 25, 2012

Today Show

Since our trip was coming to an end soon, we decided it was now or never to visit the “Today” show. We hopped on the subway early to get a good spot, however we did not get there nearly early enough (7AM). Lucky for us, it started to rain and that cleared people out. The rain stopped so the TV people did come outside! We ended up getting on television twice – that was exciting! Monday is definitely the day to visit the Today show. It was Spiderman week; they were passing out masks, shirts and posters. It was also Hope Week – a New York Yankees charity. For Hope Week, they passed out hats, shirts, and buttons. Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte were also there, so we got to see them. Some of the USA women’s soccer team also visited the set while we were there.

After the Today Show, we wondered around the Rockefeller Plaza and checked out St. Patrick’s Cathedral. St. Patrick’s opened in 1897 and is a fine example of Neo-Gothic style. Neo-Gothic is an architectural style that was developed in the middle of the 18^th century in which the structures demonstrate a strong vertical emphasis, with sharply pointed arches and finials (decorative ornament). This church was also undergoing renovations.

Alice in Wonderland Sculpture - Central Park

We continued our journey towards Central Park – stopping by Trump Tower for some photos. There are many sculptures near the entrance of the park, and many throughout the park, as well. Some stops that we made included: Alice in Wonderland, Belvedere Castle, and Strawberry Fields. You could easily spend a day wondering around Central Park, we spent only a couple of hours.

Strawberry Fields - Central Park

We walked back towards the Broadway area, since we had heard about a really cool diner called “Ellen’s Stardust Diner”. The wait staff sings throughout the day and everything is in the 50’s style. The menu is huge and the food was good. I ordered the sloppy joe with onion rings and baked beans ($15). Allison had chicken tenders with fries ($15). We discussed going to the Today Show again the following day and decided to make a sign to take. As we headed back to the apartment, we stopped and got supplies for our sign. We also were in search of a Post Office to mail post cards home.

For dinner we walked to Little Italy, passing through Chinatown on the way. We got warned that in Little Italy all of the restaurants would try to pull us in to eat that their place. We had done some prior research (thanks Tripadvisor!), so we chose one of the higher reviewed places “Da Gennaro”. The prices were reasonable, $15-$20, and the food was good. It took a while for them to deliver bread to our table; it pretty much arrived the same time as our meal (I had a pesto dish). After dinner, we stopped by a bakery shop, where Allison got some cannoli – which she claims were nearly the best she’s had. I got chocolate caramel cheesecake at a cafe next door from the bakery – it was not very good.

June 26, 2012

First thing in the morning, earlier than the previous day, we hopped on the subway so we could get a better spot at the Today Show. We arrived a little before 7AM and managed to get a good spot along the fence. Our sign grabbed the attention of a lot of other visitors as well as the camera crew! We basically made a NYC Bucket List, with checkmarks by everything except for “meet Al”. Al did in fact come over to us! We got to shake hands and he talked about our sign on television! Having a good sign seems to be key to making it on the air for more than just a few seconds – that or find out where the hosts will be standing and get in that area. It was much less busy on Tuesday, compared to Monday. There were not any freebie handouts, but they did handout little cards that give you a 10% off purchases at the NBC store.

Central Park from the Top of the Rock

We had a few hours to kill, before we had to catch the taxi to the airport so we went to the “Top of the Rock”. There was no wait to go up first thing in the morning. It was a bit pricy ($25 for adults), but it provided a great overhead view of the city, better than the Empire State Building (which I went up a few years back). We spent probably about 30 minutes to an hour at the top.

Our New York City adventure was about to end…one last ride on the subway…one last view from the apartment. My cousin arranged a car to pick us up and take us to the airport. That worked out very well and I would recommend others to do the same, mostly because who wants to stand around and try to hail a taxi with luggage. We used the Dial 7 service. It cost only $5-$10 more than a standard taxi. Another tip – have the driver take the Brooklyn Bridge - there is not a toll. Our flight home was uneventful.

New York, New York! (Day 5)

June 24, 2012

Hamilton Grange NM

The day started with a run along the waterfront, it was very pretty. Then we hopped on the subway to visit Hamilton Grange National Memorial, in the Harlem area. Hamilton Grange National Memorial is the home of Alexander Hamilton. Chances are that you see Hamilton quite frequently –he is on the $10 bill.  Hamilton was an orphan from the Caribbean that later became George Washington’s right hand man. Hamilton was instrumental in the creation of the new Constitution, and he was also the first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton only lived in the home for two years, before he was fatally wounded in a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr. At this point in time, it was illegal to duel; however it still seemed to happen quite frequently. Hamilton’s son was killed a dual a few years prior to Hamilton. The park service offers tours of the home. The tour was good and lasted around 30 minutes. There is also a 30 minute film available, but we did not get a chance to watch it. The display boards were interesting. Allow 1-1.5 hours to visit the site, if you do the tour.

General Grant NM

Our next destination was about a 30 minute walk to the south – General Grant National Memorial. There was a 3 minute film at the visitor center, which does not really tell you much about the site, but rather about all the sites in the area. I would advise not to wait around for the film to be shown. There are a lot informational boards in the film area that you can read if you are so inclined.  Ulysses S. Grant (the guy on the $50 bill), was twice elected to president and he established the first national park – Yellowstone. Grant’s Tomb was the largest fundraising event, at the time, raising $600,000 for its construction. The granite and marble structure was completed in 1897 and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. Be sure you check the hours that the monument is open, it is only open every other hour or so.  Thirty minutes would be more than enough time to spend in and around the memorial, allow more time if you wanted to read the display boards at the visitor center.

General Grant NM - ceiling

For lunch, we took a short walk to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Harlem. This BBQ place was better than Blue Smoke, and a bit cheaper. I had the pulled pork sandwich, which came with two sides.

After lunch, we hopped on the subway again and exited in the Times Square area. We had nothing else planned for the day so we decided to go to a Broadway show. We got discount tickets at the TKTS booth. The TKTS booth sells day-of-performance tickets only. We opted to see Mary Poppins. We had mezzanine seats, which cost us $156 for two tickets (claimed to be 40% off). The show was good and of course kids would love it!

While we were in the area we stopped by the Hard Rock Café store to get my husband his beloved zippo. Then it was off to the subway and back to the apartment for a bit of relaxation before heading out to dinner. We had dinner at a place called Sarabeth. I ordered the chicken pot pie ($16), which was very good.

New York, New York! (Day 4)

June 23, 2012

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS

First thing in the morning, we hopped on the subway and headed out to the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. The park service offers a tour at the site and of course, we took it. The tour was very good! It lasted about an hour and was very informational. Roosevelt lived in the home until the age of 14. The house was demolished in 1916 only to be reconstructed in 1919. The home contains five period rooms, which is furnished with a lot of original artifacts. Allow 1.5 hours if you take the tour and look at the other displays.

Near the Roosevelt Birthplace is the FlatIron Building. Its architectural styles include: Beaux-Arts, Renaissance, and Neo-Renaissance. It was completed in 1902 and was once one of the tallest buildings in the city.

View from Governors Island NM

We headed back to the apartment, grabbing lunch at a Whole Foods store, before our afternoon adventure to Governors Island National Monument.  The Governors Island ferry is near the ferry for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. The ferry ride was free! There are a couple of guided tour options at the site – we were able to do the National Monument tour, which lasted 45-60 minutes. The Roof to Castle Williams tour fills up fast is has a limited number of people allowed. The island also has a different schedule for the weekend and weekdays, and is only open at the end of May through the end of September. There are two forts on the island – Fort Jay and Castle Williams. Both forts were constructed between 1796 and 1811, as a part of the First and Second American System of Fortification. There is not really too much to see here, but the island provides an excellent view of the NYC skyline. Half the park belongs to the park service and the other half is owned by a trust, which plans to develop the island into a park area. The park was very busy and the ferry line can get long. Allow 1-2 hours to check out the island.

Brooklyn Bridge

After jumping on the ferry and arriving back in Manhattan we walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge (1883) is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US. The bridge was very busy with pedestrian traffic.  Once we got to the other side – Brooklyn - we had pizza at Grimaldi’s. They serve coal brick-oven pizza, where a large runs you about $15. Be prepared to wait outside in order to get a table, we got in after about 20 minutes. After pizza, we headed to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. Ice cream was $4 for a single scoop – warning a single scoop is very large! Be sure to check out the pier area surrounding the ice cream place for some great photographs.

New York, New York! (Day 3)

June 22, 2012

Statue of Liberty

The plan for the day included a visit to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Castle Clinton. We walked along the waterfront all the way to Battery Park, which is where you can purchase tickets for the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry. The ticket booth is inside of Castle Clinton. Tickets are $17 for adults; $14 for seniors over age 62, $9 for children 4-12, and under age 4 is free. You can also order tickets online if you know in advance when you want to go. The ticket line was short and the waiting line to get on the ferry was short also.  Again, you must go through security screening before boarding the ferry. The first stop, if you take the ferry from Battery Park, is the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France. Construction began in 1875 and it was dedicated in 1886. The Statue of Liberty was designated as a National Monument in 1924. The park service offers tour every 30 minutes at the flag pole in the middle of the courtyard. The tours last 30-45 minutes and talks about why and how the statue was made and a bit of the history behind it and the island. There were a lot of kids on the tour that we were in so it seemed that the guide directed the presentation to a kid level of understanding, which is good if you take kids with you. We walked by a different tour guide at one point and it seemed that his tour was more in depth, probably since there were no kids in that tour group. The inside was closed, due to renovations. Renovations should be done by the end of 2012, at which point you can get to the crown and into the lower pedestal. Beware that the crown is very hard to get up to, due to the fact that the park service only allows 10 people up at a time, with only 3 groups going per hour. Time to allow at this site would vary, depending on if the pedestal (museum) is open.

Ellis Island

Back to the ferry for Ellis Island (which is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument). Ellis Island was America’s largest and most active immigration station back in 1892-1924. Over 12 million immigrants were processed in Ellis Island. The national park service offers a tour, which covers a large portion of the building. We took the tour and thought it was great. The tour was about 45 minutes in length. There were some kids on the tour, but the presentation was not really geared toward them.  There are a ton of displays and a few short films to view. The huge plus for us was that there was air conditioning! You could easily spend most of the day there. We were there for probably about 3 hours. The funny thing about Ellis Island is that New York and New Jersey keep fighting over what state it is in – the verdict – the building is in NY the grounds in NJ. NY claims it should be all theirs since the place was built on a landfill that is full of NY garbage.

Castle Clinton NM

Boarding the ferry we headed back to Battery Park. We checked out Castle Clinton National Monument. The fort was built just before the War of 1812, to protect the harbor from attack by the British Navy. Later, the fort served as an entertainment complex, immigrant processing station, and then an aquarium. In 1975, the fort was restored to its original fortress configuration. There really is not much to see at the fort, other than a few canons and some small display boards. The most interesting thing, in my opinion, was the photographs showing what the area looked like at certain dates in time. Plan to spend 30 minutes or less at the fort.

After the fort, we headed back to the apartment, making a quick stop for a late lunch on the way. For lunch, we went to a place called the “Shake Shack”. Allison had been here on her previous trip to NYC and said it was good. They sell burgers, hot dogs, fries, and custard. I had the shack burger and a vanilla shake. The shake was good the burger was not the best. I do not eat fast food, and I would consider this place fast food – very greasy.

For dinner we went out with the people we were staying with. We went to a place called 508 Gastro Brewery in the Soho neighborhood. We ordered a large variety of appetizers – truffled mac & cheese, spinach dip, Italian sausage flatbread pizza. The mac & cheese was very good. For my main course, I had a burger with fries. The fries were the best I have ever had – they add all sorts of seasonings on them. The burger was good, typical of a burger served at pretty much any establishment.

New York, New York! (Day 1-2)

June 20-26, 2012

New York City!!! This trip was taken by my cousin, Allison, and me. We had a Delta flight out of Detroit to LaGuardia. Once landing at LaGuardia, we had to wait about 10 minutes for a gate, which seems to be a regular occurrence. The luggage was quick to arrive at baggage claim – by the time we exited the plane, used the restroom, and walked to baggage claim it was there. For the first time ever, the airport had someone checking your ticket with the luggage tags! Next came the fun part…waiting in the taxi cue for a taxi. The line was pretty long, but we finally got our taxi and headed to our designation. A word of caution - be sure to only take a taxi from the taxi cue! There are “gypsy” or unlicensed cabs that solicit at airports and other areas where getting a taxi is difficult. “Gypsy” drivers typically give you an upfront rate, only to then change it once you are riding.

We stayed with another cousin and her husband for our entire stay – which was nice since we do not see them often and it saved us some money. They live in Lower Manhattan, the Tribeca neighborhood – which is an acronym based on “Triangle below Canal Street”.

June 21, 2012

9/11 Memorial Site

The morning started out with a trip to the 9/11 Memorial. Note – you will need to get tickets in advance (timed reservation), which is not a big deal at all in the morning. The place to get tickets is a few blocks away from where to enter the 9/11 site (at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site), or you can order them online prior to your visit. The ticket is free, but they would really like a donation, which will be used to develop and sustain, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Of course, once you get to the tour location you must go through security. The lines were not too long and they were just the standard metal detectors. Currently, you can observe two waterfalls and reflecting pools, which each are one acre in size and stand within the original footprints of the original twin towers. There are many trees planted in the plaza, along with the lone surviving tree from 9/11.  There is a 9/11 Memorial Museum under construction in the plaza.

St. Paul's Chapel

The next stop was the St. Paul’s Chapel, which escaped destruction when the World Trade Center buildings collapsed across the street. Many of the workers that helped with 9/11 spent there down time at the church receiving care and resting. The chapel (1766) is Manhattan’s oldest public building in continuous use. Back in the day, George Washington worshiped in the facility. The chapel now serves as a museum and as a place of worship. There was some exterior renovation work occurring during our visit.

Trinity Church

The journey was continued to Trinity Church, which like St. Paul’s is undergoing renovations. The church is in Gothic Revival architecture. The church that stands there now is the third Trinity Church to be constructed at the site. The first was built in 1698 and was destroyed in a fire; the second was opened in 1790, but was torn down after being weakened in severe snow storms during the winter of 1838-1839. The current church, when built in 1846, was the highest point in New York.

Charging Bull

The next planned destination was the Federal Building, but along the way we stopped at the Charging Bull (a.k.a Wall Street Bull or Bowling Green Bull), which was surrounded by foreign tourists that were rather rude. After waiting a bit we were able to get some photos of the Charging Bull.  It is said that the bull is a symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity. Per the artist, Arturo Di Modica, there are five editions of the bull. In 2010 a similar Charging Bull was installed in Shanghi and in 2012 on was placed in Het Beursplein, Amsterdam. After seeing the bull, we had lunch at a nearby Cosi restaurant. It was okay and less than $10.

Federal Hall NM

Federal Hall National Memorial was a bit of a disappointment.  A tour is offered, and we took it. The tour was a joke. It lasted about five minutes and the guide just explained the history of the site, which you could have read and learned a lot more information about the site. I would recommend on visiting the hall whenever it convenient and not wait around for the tour.  The original hall was built in 1700’s as New York’s City Hall, later served as the first capitol building of the United States of America under the Constitution, and was also the site of George Washington’s inauguration.  The current building was constructed in 1842, as the Customs House and is in Greek Revival architecture. The Independent Treasury System was established at the hall in 1862 and the Federal Reserve System in 1913. There are displays throughout the hall, some which are interesting – like the bible that George Washington was sworn in on. You should probably allow about an hour to see and read everything at the site.

African Burial Grounds NM

The last planned destination for the day was the African Burial Grounds National Monument. You must go through security at this location. The site was not very busy at all the time we were there. There is a drinking fountain available at this site (Federal Hall did not have any working ones). There is a 20-minute film available to watch, which they will show if you request them to. The film was very informative and there were many nice displays available within the facility to observe. There is also an outdoor portion at this site. The outdoor area is just around the corner from the building and represents a portion of the area where bodies were unearthed back in the 1990’s. The bodies found on site dated back from the 17^th or 18^th century. There is a neat sculpture with different symbols of faith and African heritage. An hour would be adequate time to see and read everything that the site offers.

We headed back to the apartment to relax and get out of the heat. Later in the evening, we went to Blue Smoke for dinner. We were able to walk up and get a table right away, despite the fact that the place was very busy. Blue Smoke serves mostly BBQ food. I had the pulled pork platter and Allison had the Texas Salt and Pepper Beef Ribs. I thought my meal was just okay, but Allison really liked what she ordered. It was about $50 for the both of us, without getting drinks, but including tip.

Road Trip - Day 8! (PA)

June 2, 2012 (Saturday)

Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS

The first stop for the day was the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. The site is an engineering marvel that occurred back in the 1840’s. The railroad opened a valuable trade route and had the first railroad tunnel in America. The railroad was equipped with ten incline planes which were used to help trains get up and down each side of the mountain. Prior to the railroad, it would take 23 days to travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, after the railroad was up and running the trip too less than 4 days. The park charges $4/person or is free for those under 15 or having the America the Beautiful Pass. There is also a package deal for the Allegheny Portage Railroad, Fort Necessity and Johnstown Flood site that is $15/pass. That pass is valid for a year and gets 4 people in with one pass.

There is a fifteen minute film and exhibits in the visitor center. Taking a short walk, we were able to view the engine house and the Lemon house. The Lemon house served as a tavern along the railroad. There is also a short hike to the “Skew Arch Bridge”. This bridge was the only bridge purposely built along the portage.  The bridge remains in fair condition, but has been stabilized and repaired.

After leaving the Railroad site, we drove about 30 minutes to the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. The site charges $4/person ages 16+, free if you have a pass. The park shows a 35 minute film that was very somber and explained the timeline of event leading up to and including the 1889 flood that killed over 2000 people. The film would not be suitable for children. After the video, there are exhibits to view inside of the visitor center. There are some hiking trails that take you to the remains of the broken dam. The Clubhouse of the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club, which owned the dam, is open during the summer months, but was not open during our visit.

Flight 93 National Memorial

The next destination on our list was the Flight 93 National Memorial. It was about 40 minutes to arrive to the site from the Johnstown Flood site. The drive from the park entrance to the crash site parking lot is very scenic – rolling hills, tree plantings, and wildflowers. The memorial remains under construction and is waiting for donations to complete additional phases. Phase one is the only portion done at this time. We look forward to returning to this site in the future once all phases are complete.  This site is free to visit.

Fort Necessity NB

Our last vacation stop was Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Fort Necessity was the first action of the French and Indian War. The war resulted in the removal of French power from North America. The history of the event is rather interesting, as told by a park ranger. The park is $5, or again free for those under 16 years old or those with a pass. There is a 20 minute video that we did not watch, since we listed to the park ranger instead. At this site, you can also visit Mount Washington Tavern. The tavern served as a stage stop along the National Road from 1828 to 1855. To visit the tavern you can walk from the fort, it is rather steep, or you could park in the parking lot at the tavern.

The remainder of our drive home was uneventful. Overall, we had a great trip and got to see a lot of places.  In the future we determined a few places we would like to return to – most notably the Lake Placid area.

Road Trip - Day 7! (NY, PA)

June 1, 2012 (Friday)

Franklin D Roosevelt NHS - "Springwood"

After the free hot breakfast at the hotel we headed back to The Home of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site. There is a $14 entrance fee for the tour, FDR Presidential Library and Museum. The National Park Pass gets you in for free! By this point you can probably tell that the $80 for the Annual National Park Pass is totally worth it!

There is a 22 minute film to watch at the Visitor center. The video was informative. After the video, we took the home tour, which lasted about an hour. The library and museum were undergoing renovations, so we did not visit them. The FDR home is known as “Springwood”. The tour was interesting and we were able to view many of the rooms in the home.

After “Springwood” we headed to “Val-Kill”, the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Again, there is a fee for the tour, $8/person or free with the National Parks Pass. The grounds can be wondered for free. The tour starts with a 15 minute video and then the tour of the home begins. Approximately 50% of the interior furnishings are original to the home. If the tour has less than eight people in it you will be allowed to tour the upstairs of the home (fire regulations limit the number of people). The tour lasted about 45 minutes.

Orange County Choppers

Since our trips mostly revolve around me and what I want to see, I have to make Mike happy by visiting some places he wants to see, like the Baseball Hall of Fame. This time he wanted to visit the Orange County Choppers Store, the OCC show has been on TV for quite a few years now and he has watched pretty much every episode. The store displays some of the bikes that they have built and has a ton of OCC merchandise.  There soon will be a café opening inside of the building.

Delaware Water Gap NRA
 Raymondskill Falls

Our adventure continued to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. There was road construction going on in the area, so road closures were an issue that we ran into. The detour did take us past Raymondskill Falls, which we had not planned to visit. We hiked to both the upper and middle falls. The hike was defiantly worth the short 1/4-1/2 mile distance. The trail would be challenging for young children – lots of tree roots. After leaving, the hiking area we attempted to go to the Dingman Falls Visitor Center. Prior to the visit, I was confident that it would be open, but it was closed. There were a lot of other people in the area also, trying to get to the visitor center, maybe something happened there and they had to close – not sure. People were parking along the side of the road, but we decided to just head out to our next destination. Dingman Falls is a waterfall that is just a short walk from the visitor center – hopefully next time we will get to check it out. There are also many other stops in the recreation area, some of which were in the road closure area.

Steamtown National Historic Site

Continuing towards home, our next stop was Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA. The signage to get to Steamtown was above average. An entrance fee is charged at this site - $7/person ages 16 and over, free for those under 16 years old and for those with the America the Beautiful pass. We had an hour and a half to spend there before the place closed at 5pm. The site offers a 15 minute video, which was just okay. There are a lot of museum exhibits and locomotives, freight and passenger cars to view. We were a bit rushed with the time we had, but plan to spend about two hours minimum at the site. This place would be great for kids – lots of locomotives to walk on to and other kid activities through the museum.  The site offers train ride excursions, research before going if you are interested in partaking.

We spent the night at the Comfort Suites in Altoona, PA. The hotel was relatively new with excellent room conditions. Breakfast was included and had many choices, both hot and cold. There are a lot of campgrounds in the area, but once again it was rainy. We really lucked out on the rain throughout the entire trip, since most of the time during the day it was dry.