The City Museum

[Yes, Jason is finally posting an entry. Katie made it look like fun!]

After talking about it for some time, we finally made it to the City Museum. If I understand the history of it correctly, it was supposed to be something of an architectural museum but ended up being an eclectic adult-sized playground. It opened in 1997, housed in the old International Shoe Company factory, it's been constantly changing and growing ever since.

It has too many different activities to list, but favorites on this trip were the Enchanted Caves, the Skateless Park, Toddler Town, and the first floor tunnel areas. You can find out more about all it has to offer here.

Getting Ready

I wasn't certain if Lilie was helping with breakfast or remodeling the kitchen. Either way, she took a break to apply some chapstick. Liberally.

We had to be certain that the rugs were fed.

Main Floor Climbing

We've made it through our first tunnel! Katie = relieved; Lilie = intrigued.

Here we are in our first 'bridge', suspended 20 feet over the floor below. Oddly enough, Katie's expression matched Lilie's here, but she still took the picture.

A view of the first floor fun.

This is immediately after we all made it across the 'bridge'. Katie seemed to *really* want to trade the camera for Lilie. See the white knuckles on that grip?

Main Floor Crawling

Here's the view from the main floor into a tunnel below.

Here's the same view when Katie shoved the camera into the hole in the floor. I'm on my back here, if that helps with the perspective any...

Katie, headed upstairs!

This is the kind of eclectic stuff you find at the museum: a real tree trunk resting on a carved elephant head!


The trunk forms a tunnel that leads up to the second floor/mezzanine area.


The first floor has a huge aquarium with carp, catfish, pike and turtles.


The catfish are *huge*. Lilie spotted one and watched for a long time.


They were both being waaaay too cute to *not* photograph.

Slide

Waiting with Mommy....

...and Daddy....

...TO SLIDE TO MY DOOM!

Katie: "Look at Daddy!"

Lilie: "Psssst.... Lady - HELP ME."

On the Giant Slide, no one can hear you scream...

Katie found her way here later on in the day.

Skateless Park

The world's largest pencil. Seriously!

I mean, that's a big deal, right?

Well, *we* thought so. Lilie's not that impressed.

You, Jane.

"Are you going to go?"

"Wheeeeee!"

Toddler Town

The toddler ball pit! We had it all to ourselves.

WHOAH! This ball pit is *SCARY*!

I'm kidding. It's really fun.

Look at the camera, Lilie! Just be careful -

- where you STEP!

Fully recovered, and all enjoying the pit.

Lilie watches the circus. Yes, a *circus*!

I have no comment on this. None.

Art Town

Notice the prominent placement of the pink paint...

Katie: "Blue!"

Lilie: "Yellow!"

Hey, look... they're painting with yellow! :)

Lunch
Sultry sandwich...


Pouty bread...


Yummy orange!



Surrounded by a wonderful waterscape.

I Sit

The following montage represents Lilie 'sitting' for ten minutes.

Peekaboo

Lilie found an old elevator chassis and decided that as long as she stood behind its screen, she was invisible...

Goodness, that was a hair-raising game of peekaboo.

We never knew when she'd pop out!

Vintage Clothes

The fourth floor (or so) houses a gift shop, coffee bar, and a vintage clothes store.

We wanted to see how it felt to 'go Western'...

"I love the coat... but are you sure the hat is the right size?"

Enchanted Caves

The caves were cold when we entered at the bottom...

...but climbing to the top warmed us up!

There was an aquarium on the way,

and an excellent view of a VERY LOUD ORGAN.

Here's Katie at the beginning of the seven-story slide.

Here's Katie at the middle.

Here are her feet near the end.

THAT was a fun ride!

The phrase 'lock up your daughters' comes to mind...

A smaller entry in the Enchanted Caves...

...fun all around!

FAIL!

End of Day

This slide was Lilie's F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E at the end of the day.

By the twentieth slide, it was not so much the parents' favorite, but we kept a happy face...

Katie started hallucinating. Somebody called security, but we left before they found out who tore off the sumo wrestler's head.

Neither the City Museum nor ourselves will ever be the same. We didn't get to play outside (in Lilie's words, "Brrrrrr"), so watch this spring for 'City Museum 2: Day at MostroCity'.