Sure, that's a predictable way to open a post about Sesame Street, but I just couldn't help myself. Every time I hear the phrase sunny day, the opening notes of Sesame Street's theme song begin to play in my head and I can't stop singing. Perhaps that's because Sesame Street was with me from the beginning, when my mom sat with preschooler me to watch it over thirty years ago! She insists that Sesame Street helped make me smarter during those years, and while I know it was the original in children's educational programming, my memories are all about the fun. I loved laughing and counting with the Count, giggling at Oscar's grouchiness, and getting exasperated with Ernie right alongside the neat and tidy Bert. (Yup, my allegiances were clear from a very young age.) But most of all, I adored Grover. I had a stuffed doll of that too cute blue monster, and I vividly remember moving his thin arms and legs in sync with my younger sister's physical/occupational therapist as he worked on her. Grover was my companion, and I still wonder whatever happened to that beloved doll.
Sorry, I'm back from my little stroll down memory lane to share with you our impressions of the new holiday themed celebration at Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. A Very Furry Christmas opened on Friday, November 25, and will run for nineteen days through December 31, 2011. We were offered tickets to attend the opening day, so we loaded the kids in the car and drove the three hours to check it out, even the reluctant 11 year old, who wasn't quite sure if he'd be simply carrying a book around with him all day. Neither hubby nor I had been to the park before, so we didn't know what to expect, but we anticipated that he'd at least have fun on a few rides.
Well, I'll let the photos do the talking...
And that was just the first ride! In fact, this was round two for the boys, after Red and I sat out the second ride. Turns out that one ride on a roller coaster is all either of us had in us. (Don't scoff. It's amazing I even got on it once.) After the Vapor Trail, we walked around a bit and found ourselves right near the stage where the Sesame Street Christmas Show, one of four shows that are a part of the celebration, was about to start. We piled into the bleachers and waited for the show to begin. Can you believe that all five of us were soon singing familiar Christmas carols along with the beloved characters we were watching down on the stage?
Sure, hubby and I had to laugh at the very brief references to other winter holidays, but I don't think they're hiding anything when they call the whole event a Christmas celebration. It should be noted that this is a very secular view of Christmas, with the focus being on spending time with family and friends, giving gifts and enjoying the winter weather known to those of us who grew up in the Northeast.
After the show, we checked out the Nets 'n' Climbs area, which was perfect for our mixed-age grouping of children. While 11 year old JAM went up into the nets area with his dad for some way-up-high fun, 5 year old Red and 4 year old Pudge tried out Cookie Mountain, which they declared "AWESOME!" Also, much fun was had in Monster Maze, a pit filled with jostling punching bags. Yeah, ask JAM about how much fun this was, since he played fabulous big brother to Pudge in it for a while.
Next up was a ride on Grover's World Twirl, for I thought, yeah, a teacups-style ride will be perfect for us. This time Pudge opted out, so just JAM, Red and I went on. JAM and I convinced Red that spinning really fast is a lot of fun, and we proceeded to do so for the entire ride. Funny thing. At 36, I'm apparently too old for the teacups, for as much fun as I thought I was having, the feeling in my stomach (and the look on my face) when I got off had a different story to tell. Before I got crazy queasy in the cup adorned with Grover himself, I did enjoy looking at the mural of all the different Sesame Street characters and signs from around the world.
Don't worry, I didn't hold it against Grover. While the younger two went off to bounce to their hearts' content on Ernie's Bed Bounce, JAM and I went off to fly the friendly skies on Elmo's Cloud Chaser. The cool thing? Red soon fell in love with Elmo's version of amusement park swings, which has always been one of my favorites. Pudge watched from down below instead.
After letting the younger ones let off some steam in a soft playground area for kids five and under, soon we found it getting dark, and the holiday lights made the Sesame Neighborhood sparkle with even more magic than we imagined. No characters were on the Street while we walked through, but I did get a little sentimental while standing outside of Hooper's Store, to tell you the truth.
Funnily enough, we ran into a friend and her family from our own town three hours away while we were walking around, and after chatting for a bit, it was time to grab some grub. The park does not allow you to bring your own food in, so we were forced to pay the higher-than-usual-restaurant-prices for dinner, though they didn't scoff at us buying five kid meals. Now we're the happy owners of five souvenir Elmo plates and cups, and the hot dogs, chicken fingers, fries, pudding and jell-o hit the spot. Thankfully, you can leave the park and re-enter with a hand stamp, because without the sun shining anymore, we were all in need of the jackets that were waiting for us in the van. As we walked toward the exit, who did we happen upon along the path? Why, you are right! My furry, fuzzy friend Grover himself!
More rides for the kids and hubby followed as I watched the 1-2-3 Christmas Tree Show and listened to Jeff Davis, the VP of Operations at Sesame Place, share some info about the park and the holiday celebration. After that, there was just one more thing for us to see. It was time for the Neighborhood Street Party Christmas Parade, of course! More holiday singing followed for us, as the characters and some very, very enthusiastic young employees danced and sang down the main path of the park. There was even a sighting of the elusive Prairie Dawn, another childhood favorite of mine (if you know me, you can understand why!!) After a long afternoon of rides and laughs, this was the perfect way to cap off the day.
With the parade over, we headed for the exit and the long drive home. But wait, can we please, please have just one more ride on the Vapor Trail? Well, if you're the daddy in the bunch, you'll willingly take one for the team when the mommy declares there's no way she's getting back on that, and yet you have two little ones that want to ride with you. So, ride one went to Pudge sitting with Daddy, and JAM happily in his own car. Ride number two was to go to Red, but when she backed out at the last minute, Pudge got a second ride with Daddy and JAM was once again on his own. Thanks to the world's greatest dad!
On the way out, I couldn't help but take one last picture, for the day really was all about the blue guy for me.
All in all, our entire crew had a fabulous time at Sesame Place's A Very Furry Christmas, even the biggest of us all. The rides were enough to sustain the oldest's attention, and the younger two enjoyed seeing the characters almost as much as I did. I was reminded of the giddy feeling I had when I met Maria a few years ago at the National Book Festival, for Sesame Street has always been a part of my life. If you find yourself in the Philly area this holiday season, be sure to check out A Very Furry Christmas with your own family. You can tell Grover hi for me while you're there!
**Disclosure: I was provided complimentary admission tickets for my family to attend opening day of A Very Furry Christmas. All opinions expressed here are my own, based on my life-long love of Sesame Street and our experience in the lovely park environment.
Once a fan, always a fan,
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