grand day out!
Sep. 28th, 2008 03:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fleaWe headed out to Atlanta early yesterday. mr. flea called around and found several gas stations on our route that had gas, so we were able to fill up and avoid the worries. We did see a couple of gas stations in the city with long lines (one with a camera crew filming and people being stupid and almost causing an accident).
The Georgia Aquarium was quite nice but quite expensive. Aside from the tickets, the cafeteria food was priced high for what you got - I don't mind paying $6 for a hamburger, but it's nice if it has lettuce or tomato or something besides a stale bun, and $2.75 for a 20-ounce bottle of Coke in downtown Atlanta, they should be ashamed of themselves. mr. flea was also a soft touch and got the kids pressies from the gift shop. Casper got a beluga whale in a pink carrying purse and has named it both Katie and Beth and is currently calling it "he" and gave it a bath in the bathroom sink this morning. Dillo got a biggish white fluffy seal pup. A couple of photos are up on flickr and more are coming. We got there at 10am, and if we go again I'll vote for 9 - it was getting crowded when we stopped for lunch at 11:30, and very crowded when we left at 1.
Then we were off to Ikea; Dillo napped for nearly an hour in the parking lot. I hadn't spent much time in Ikea, so was interested to examine the quality (mixed, IMO; design fairly good.) They had a lot of very small armchairs, which is something I both like and want, but I wasn't happy with the quality. We saw some desk possibilities but weren't ready to decide. We looked at rattan chairs ($35) but they were a bit small for mr. flea and I wondered about sturdiness, plus the day was already sort of an expensive one! We ended up buying two sheepskins, for the kids, who have been hugging their "fuzzies" and traipsing all over the house with them; a bed net/canopy for Casper's room (planned purchase), a $10 shoe rack for either the front porch or our closet (we have a shoe problem), and a $2 pack of silly plastic utensils. Also can report that the chocolate cake was good.
Then off to Virginia Highlands and a boutique selling organic things, where we bought a gallon of Yolo brand no-VOC paint ($40; color Water 04). The shopkeeper was very patient with the two rambunctious children (Dillo wanted to hold a doll, which was dressed in a pricey baby outfit, then dropped it on the floor; Casper knocked over an entire rack of clothes.) Then down the street to meet Ginger! She brought goodies for the kids (books; Casper colored the whole time we were there and feel asleep about the instant we started driving home) and me (a GA gardening book, and 2 plants from her garden). We talked of computer-illiterate family members and stress corrosion fracture in pipes. A quick drive home and I was in bed by 9:30. A long day, but the kids were remarkably cooperative, all told. And we did a good job making appropriate choices (regular feedings, outside seating at the restaurant, a chance to run on the lawn after the aquarium, sitting them in the shopping cart in Ikea.)
The Georgia Aquarium was quite nice but quite expensive. Aside from the tickets, the cafeteria food was priced high for what you got - I don't mind paying $6 for a hamburger, but it's nice if it has lettuce or tomato or something besides a stale bun, and $2.75 for a 20-ounce bottle of Coke in downtown Atlanta, they should be ashamed of themselves. mr. flea was also a soft touch and got the kids pressies from the gift shop. Casper got a beluga whale in a pink carrying purse and has named it both Katie and Beth and is currently calling it "he" and gave it a bath in the bathroom sink this morning. Dillo got a biggish white fluffy seal pup. A couple of photos are up on flickr and more are coming. We got there at 10am, and if we go again I'll vote for 9 - it was getting crowded when we stopped for lunch at 11:30, and very crowded when we left at 1.
Then we were off to Ikea; Dillo napped for nearly an hour in the parking lot. I hadn't spent much time in Ikea, so was interested to examine the quality (mixed, IMO; design fairly good.) They had a lot of very small armchairs, which is something I both like and want, but I wasn't happy with the quality. We saw some desk possibilities but weren't ready to decide. We looked at rattan chairs ($35) but they were a bit small for mr. flea and I wondered about sturdiness, plus the day was already sort of an expensive one! We ended up buying two sheepskins, for the kids, who have been hugging their "fuzzies" and traipsing all over the house with them; a bed net/canopy for Casper's room (planned purchase), a $10 shoe rack for either the front porch or our closet (we have a shoe problem), and a $2 pack of silly plastic utensils. Also can report that the chocolate cake was good.
Then off to Virginia Highlands and a boutique selling organic things, where we bought a gallon of Yolo brand no-VOC paint ($40; color Water 04). The shopkeeper was very patient with the two rambunctious children (Dillo wanted to hold a doll, which was dressed in a pricey baby outfit, then dropped it on the floor; Casper knocked over an entire rack of clothes.) Then down the street to meet Ginger! She brought goodies for the kids (books; Casper colored the whole time we were there and feel asleep about the instant we started driving home) and me (a GA gardening book, and 2 plants from her garden). We talked of computer-illiterate family members and stress corrosion fracture in pipes. A quick drive home and I was in bed by 9:30. A long day, but the kids were remarkably cooperative, all told. And we did a good job making appropriate choices (regular feedings, outside seating at the restaurant, a chance to run on the lawn after the aquarium, sitting them in the shopping cart in Ikea.)