Poor Matt. He’s been doing a lot of the “heavy lifting” for the sake of the blog lately, like when we sent him out on a tightrope 70 feet in the air in November. Last month, we sent him up a circular staircase of 228 steps, to the top of Absecon Lighthouse, the third tallest lighthouse in America.
Well, someone has to do it.
Where we went, and who was coerced into going:
We spent a cold President’s Day weekend in Atlantic City, New Jersey, WITH the kids. Despite those obstacles, we still had a great time, and found plenty to do. One of our stops was the Absecon Lighthouse, the tallest in New Jersey and the third tallest in the United States (topped only by the Cape Hatteras Lighhouse in North Carolina, and the Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Florida).
Okay, what was so cool about it?
The lighthouse has been decommissioned since 1933, but it’s still lit every night, and open for tours daily.
All I knew as we approached Trenton, NJ was that we should be looking for the world’s largest tooth, based on an address listed on RoadsideAmerica.com. As we approached, I saw signs for “Grounds for Sculpture,” and excitedly noticed several other over-sized artworks.
This 15-foot tall tooth isn’t on the “Grounds for Sculpture” proper, but it’s nearby. It actually sits unceremoniously on the side of the road, in front on the Congoleum warehouse. There was some trepidation as we parked, but we figured we would be okay on a weekend!
“Tooth” by Seward Johnson
That’s when The Boy struck with this zinger, delivered with a smirk: “We should go see if there’s any plaque with the artist’s name.” BAM!! Bless him; he inherited his mother’s wit.
Of course, there was a plaque. The piece is officially called “Tooth,” by Seward Johnson. It was made of aluminum in 1982, and is on loan from The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.
…as evidenced by the melted chocolate around her mouth.
When it comes to Valentine’s Day candy, chocolate isn’t the only kid on the block. If you want points for creativity, pass on the red heart-shaped box from Walgreens. I can also do without those chalky pastel message hearts, thank you.
Our travels have brought us to several BIG candy stores where the selection is vast, and the ideas are limitless. For inspiration, I recommend visiting one of the world’s largest candy stores from this list before buying sweets for your sweetie. I’ve also made a few suggestions on what to buy to commemorate Valentine’s Day, if you want to go a step beyond predictable!
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company, Inc.
While Sweeties Candy is the largest candy store in Arizona, its no-frills warehouse in Cleveland, Ohio bills itself as the “largest candy store in the U.S.A.,” offering the “largest selection of candy in the world.” Those are some pretty BIG claims, so we went to check it out last summer on our Cleveland road trip.
You’ll need at least an hour to cover the 20,000 square feet housing ten aisles of candy – over 3,500 different varieties, stocked floor to ceiling. You’ll find a lot of bulk candy on display in addition to small packages, and all the tools – molds, sprinkles, sugars — to make your own candy.
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company
There’s an entire wall dedicated to PEZ dispensers and hard-to-find candy flavors like chocolate and cola. I loved discovering brands I’ve never heard of before, like Pearson’s Nut Goodies, Chase Cherry Mash candy bars, and Annabelle’s Abba-Zaba Taffey.
Best Bet For Valentine’s Day – Head to the large Jelly Belly display, and mix a custom blend from the vast variety of colors; including all sorts of red and pink hues.
You know I’m an easy grader when I rate the places we visit. Too many years spent working in PR, looking for the best in places for a proper spin. I tried my hardest at Country Junction, the world’s largest general store, but I may have met my match. It’s a chain, but we went to the largest flagship location. I couldn’t get out of this place fast enough.
WHY did you go there, exactly?
I love the retail, you know that. Matt was even patient enough to visit the world’s largest candle store, and the world’s largest shoe store. These places lulled him into a false sense of security. Having been scarred at Country Junction, I’ve lost his trust.
Okay, what was so cool about it?
Welllll…not much.
A “general store” makes me think of an old-timey emporium out in Walnut Grove where the Ingalls family would buy coffee, jerky, nails, and penny candy. This place began as a hardware store, then added lawn and garden products, then gift and home décor items. There’s furniture, seasonal décor, grocery, a candy counter, and a bakery.
Oh, and a fine selection of guns and ammo. And a display of taxidermied animals. The turkey would look nice over our fireplace.
The green lights add a lot to the display, I think.
The layout follows a yellow brick road (painted squares on the cement floor), and there are a few animatronics here and there to keep the kids from whining. And random dinosaur and Spartacus statues.
Hail! (Matt forgot to bring his gold chest plates on this trip.)
We didn’t purchase much, but we did try the fresh-baked apple dumplings in the bakery department, and they were quite good.
On Wednesday night, 502 Christmas carolers in Westport, CT set a Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest group of singers caroling door-to-door! We weren’t there, but two of our friends were! You may remember Fiona from her guest post on the world’s largest Rubik’s Cube. She and Libby got their official numbers to wear in the “One Voice” event:
Ready to sing! Libby’s the “high-spirited” one on the right.
The caroling took place in Westport’s Compo Beach area Wednesday night, and raised more than $4,000 for a local charity.
I wanted so badly to vindicate my Park City cowardice this summer, when I didn’t have the nerve to ride on the country’s longest alpine slide. Vindication will have to wait for another day.
Where we went, and who was coerced into going:
Two weeks ago, we road tripped to Syracuse, NY, mainly for the grand opening of the WonderWorks attraction in the Destiny USA mall. WonderWorks, which we know from Orlando, has opened its first northern U.S location here, but with a twist. It contains the Canyon Climb Adventure Ropes Challenge Course, the world’s largest suspended indoor ropes course.
WHY did you go there, exactly?
I was SO sure I could face my fears, get harnessed up, and go out there, even just a short way. And if I couldn’t, I would just send the husband. And I knew that the rest of WonderWorks would be a treat for the kids.
Okay, what was so cool about it?
Canyon Climb
If you’re into daredevil thrills and adrenaline rushes, you will love this course! What propels it above other courses is the fact that it’s suspended from the cavernous mall ceiling, leaving you walking across ropes and narrow beams with nothing between you and the ground, 70 feet below your feet. There are more than 80 different obstacles and activities, including swinging steps, lily pads, and a tremor bridge.
Do you SEE those little dots at the bottom? Those are the people on the ground floor, 70 feet below!
How many of these did I experience? Zero. But I did get harnessed up, and climbed the stairs to the first platform. But then, the beam looked so very narrow…just right for this fearless four year old who came out of nowhere and took off past me toward the other end.
We all attempted it, actually, and The Girl chickened out too. I’m proud to say that while The Boy — who loves his terra firma just like his momma — didn’t make it out past where the third floor ends, he did complete a small loop with quiet dignity and grace. In the end, Matt was our soldier. He didn’t complete the entire course (which can take up to an hour), but he did get out over the mall courtyard.
“Do it for the blog, son.”
This is Mr. Brave in action. He’s starting from the right side of the screen, slowly and carefully working toward the middle. Thirty seconds in, note the fearless guy on the left practically bounding across the plank bridge!
WonderWorks
WonderWorks mixes the best elements of a children’s museum, science museum, and high-tech video arcade. When you arrive, everything is upside down, until you travel through an “Inversion Tunnel” into the main area with more than 100 hands-on exhibits.
Some of our favorite experiences included the Hurricane Shack, where you feel the effects of a Category One hurricane with 84 mph winds.
The Hurricane Shack at WonderWorks
The Boy and I “played” Mindball, which uses EEG biofeedback to move a metal ball either toward or away from you, depending on how calm your brain gets. Mr. Never-Worked-A-Day-in-His-Young-Life easily won this. I used my loss to guilt him into lying on the bed of 3,497 nails, an experiment to test the effect of pressure and force over area.
He also thought the EVA astronaut suit was cool, as well as the Mercury Capsule.
Tight quarters!
The Girl enjoyed playing in the Bubble Lab, dancing to the colors of light in the Recollections area, and playing Virtual Air Hockey on a touch screen with Matt.
Paddle-free play!
My BIG adventure that day was my first game of “lazer” tag, played with a group in a blacklit maze (at an additional cost). Another thrill for me was the 4D extreme motion simulated thrill ride in the XD Theater, which is included in the price of admission.
See? I can handle thrills…as long as I’m buckled into a seat which never leaves the ground.
How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): [rating=9]
For ropes course fans, this place is a must. For chickens, WonderWorks offers a heckuva lot, too!
Where We Stayed:
During our visit, we stayed at the Genesee Grand Hotel, which put us close to everything in the city, but in a quieter neighborhood. Recent renovations and some upscale amenities make this property very comfortable. And The Girl was quite taken by the koi pond in the lobby!
We had a BIG evening in the BIG Apple tonight! We had burgers at “Big Nick’s.” {meh} But the highlight of the day was going to watch the BIG parade balloons being inflated for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (the world’s largest Thanksgiving parade, BTW)!
Doesn’t this smurf look like he’s leering at the kid?
We’ve never been to the actual parade as a family. Matt and I went once, waaaaay back “b.k.” Based on what we went through this evening trying to find public bathrooms suitable for the kids, the parade is off limits until they’re old enough to hold it for seven hours straight, or their bladders grow to adult size.
We’ve made our contribution to the Red Cross. We’ve brought diapers and supplies to the local collection point. We’ve waited patiently in line at the gas station, as shortages hit the mid-Hudson Valley. The effects of Superstorm Sandy are still raw, and for many, normalcy is far, far away. But I can’t keep from looking ahead, at the long-term fall-out from this devastating event.
With my background in tourism destination marketing, I wonder how this storm will affect incoming visitation to New York State. Tourism is one of the state’s largest economic engines. Will potential visitors who are unfamiliar with the state’s geography think the entire state is out of commission, and make plans to go elsewhere?
After Hurricane Irene hit New York last year, I dedicated a post to all the BIG things to love in New York which we’ve visited for this blog, like the world’s largest toy store, the world’s largest indoor theater, the world’s largest collection of glass, and the world’s largest pancake griddle.
At the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
There are so many great travel stories to tell about New York State. So I’m asking my fellow travel bloggers to link here with me this week, to share their tales. The Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes, the Thousand Islands region, Niagara, and (most of) the Hudson Valley…all of these destinations escaped major harm, and are ready now to welcome visitors.
I was born in Queens, partially raised in Long Island (where many of my family members are now dealing with the storm’s after-effects), and have been a Hudson Valley resident for almost 20 years. I’m proud to call New York home, and know we’ll bounce back, stronger than before.
If you have a blog post about a trip you enjoyed anywhere in New York State, please link up below. And please let others know this list is here, for anyone who wants to see the selection of amazing things to do and see in New York!
The Girl was really using her noodle when she found this sculpture outside Faneuil Hall in Boston during our August visit!
Yes, in fact we DO love it. It’s one of her main food groups.
The enormous elbow was created as part of a 2010 Kraft public art project, the Homestyle Tour, to promote a new variety of macaroni and cheese. Identical sculptures — 20 feet long x 9 feet high — showed up in a number of other cities as well, including Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.
One of our favorite road trip travel blogs — Roadside Wonders — was way ahead of us in finding these magnified macaronis!
When I was approached by Cloud 9 Living to try one of the experiences they offer, I saw the words “stock car ride along” and immediately thought of Matt. He has suffered gallantly since the kids came along, curtailing his lead foot and following speed limits, but in his heart, he loves driving fast. Then I realized that the ride-along adventures are offered at the Pocono Raceway, the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility. It was a match made in GBOGH heaven, so we checked it out last weekend!
If you’re looking to give an original, unique gift this holiday season, you should take a look at what Cloud 9 Living offers. Besides the ride-alongs, they offer experiences throughout the U.S., like sky diving, learning to golf with a PGA pro, and chocolate-making classes (My personal favorite!). Cloud 9 is running a “9 Days of Christmas Contest”, where you can win your own experience, so it’s a good time to check it out.
After suiting up, Matt climbed through the window of #8. They clipped on a neck roll, positioned him in his seat, fastened his seat belt, then chained his neck roll and helmet to the back of his seat so his head was immobile. He couldn’t turn to see his driver, Bruce, but he did introduce himself. A transplant of Charlotte, NC, Bruce has been driving professionally for 20 years; the last nine at Pocono. Bruce didn’t give him much instruction, but he did tell him that if he felt nauseous at any point, he should give him the “thumbs down” sign, and he would slow down.
Wait, where’s your life insurance policy paperwork?
Before he reached the end of the pit row, Bruce had the car in fourth gear. Matt felt the force pull him back. He didn’t realize until he felt sore later that he was clenching muscles in his shoulders and back. He didn’t feel scared, but at one point in turn two, he saw skid marks along the wall, and thought, “ouch.”
Don’t blink, but this is how fast he was going:
As Matt tells it: “The second Bruce takes his foot off the gas, you feel a difference. There’s only four speeds, and he really never even used the brakes. At the end of the third lap, he coasted and downshifted and cut the engine. He told me we were going approximately 165 miles per hour at top speed, which was when we drove the front straight away in front of the grandstand. We went slower during the turns.” (The track is a triangle, so there were three turns.)
This is what we got out of him as he was taking off his gear:
Bruce told Matt that the cars get checked after every six laps, particularly for tire wear. After Matt got out, they jacked up #8 on the left side, because Bruce said he “felt something,” which may have been nothing more than a pavement seam.
Matt’s ride-along experience was three laps, and lasted about ten minutes. You can also choose a six lap ride. Each lap is approx. 2.5 miles. I didn’t realize that some races are 500 miles; that’s a lot of time in a rattling car!
In our own car on the way home, I pointed out that the speed we were driving was only half of what he was driving on that track.
Matt thought it was “totally wicked,” but wished he would have been able to bring his phone along for the ride to take video. (He has a hard time separating from his technology.)
Since we were at the world’s largest solar powered sports facility, I should point out that we saw the 25 acres where the Pocono Raceway operates 40,000 photovoltaic modules, which will produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy over the next 20 years. The system offsets more than 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. Not only do they generate enough power for the Raceway, but also for close to 1,000 homes in the area!
Disclaimer: Cloud 9 Living provided us with this experience free of charge, in exchange for our honest review.
Poor Matt. He’s been doing a lot of the “heavy lifting” for the sake of the blog lately, like when we sent him out on a tightrope 70 feet in the air in November. Last month, we sent him up a circular staircase of 228 steps, to the top of Absecon Lighthouse, the third tallest lighthouse in America.
I wanted so badly to vindicate my 
