Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Day 11 – Philadelphia City Pass

Give mom the city – without having to gift wrap – with the City Pass.

Wouldn’t you love to wrap up the best Philly has to offer for mom this Mother’s Day? Well, this year give her the National Constitution Center, The Philadelphia Zoo and Adventure Aquarium – without the hassle of wrapping. Easy to do, with the CityPass,your ticket to the best the city has to offer.

Better yet, buy one of these ticket booklets – at $58 a book – for each of you, then share the next few days together exploring six of the most popular Philadelphia attractions, including the Franklin and the Academy of Natural Sciences. You’ll both have wonderful memories of your “staycation,” – and you’ll be saving a whopping 45% off the price of these tickets sold separately.  Passes are valid for nine days, and you’ll see savings if you just check out three of the attractions – but in a city this great, why stop at three?

So make Philly the City of Motherly Love this year by sharing it with the CityPass.

Day Tripping On The Cheap

We had planned to make the rounds of yard sales on Saturday, but the rain sort of ruined our plans. So what to do with the kids on a rainy Saturday that’s educational, fun and (most important to my budget) cheap?

Well, never fear, the City of Brotherly Love came through again. First, our foursome (one 6 year old in pigtails, one 12 year old art lover, my dh and I) headed over to the historic district, where we visited the Betsy Ross House on Arch Street. This is a great bargain – $3 for adults, $2 for kids, which means we could flag down (hee) an educational museum experience for just one Alexander Hamilton ($10).

And we were doubly lucky on this particular trip. First, the guy selling us the tickets asked if we wanted the audio tour, which was being offered at the sale price of just a dollar that day (it’s usually two). So we snatched up the headphones, which saved us a lot of reading aloud. (Note to self: wait until the kids are old enough to read before taking them to museums. If that’s impossible, bring along a lot of Sucrets.)

Second, the museum was holding a special exhibit called Marching to the White House: Election Memorabilia from the Sublime to the Ridiculous which was free with admission. This was so neat – presidential campaign buttons (like “Nixon Now!” and “All the Way With JFK“) were displayed along with surprising posters (Elvis for president? Really?) and even Jimmy Carter toilet paper. The kids had a blast checking out the oddball items, while I tried to see which campaigns I could actually remember based on the memorabilia (I’ll admit to the Nixon – Humphrey race).

After finishing the tour, we were directed to the courtyard, where the famed seamstress and her husband are buried. Although we were too late to catch her Saturday, “Betsy Ross” also makes personal appearances out there and is quick to teach children her one-snip method of making five-pointed stars.

The campaign memorabilia will be on display through May. Betsy Ross makes the rounds daily, with a special story hour on Sunday mornings.

Let’s Stay Overnight!

At these prices, you can’t afford not to stay in Philly this spring. From March 10 to May 21, the Alexander Inn is offering rooms from Thursday through Sundays for just a buck.  Yep, you read that right – prime time weekend lodging for what it costs to get medium fries off the Super Value menu.

And the Inn has a great locale, too, for your visiting guests (or just to get out of the suburbs for a night!) It’s only minutes away from the Avenue of the Arts, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Antique Row and the Independence Hall area.

Of course, there are a few cavaets – but no small print! The rooms are limited and will be confirmed on a first come, first serve basis in advance. Guests are only permitted one reservation at this rock bottom price and cannot reserve multiple rooms (you know, share the wealth!). Credit cards will be charged for rack rate, but all but a dollar will be returned at check out.

Make your reservations now at the Inn or by telephone at 215-923-3535 or tollfree at 1-877-253-9466.

Quoth The Raven: Cheap Cheap Cheap

Well, yesterday was Sunday, and I was planning to enjoy the Sabbath by playing some Wii or watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with the kids.  But my husband came down with some sort of nasty stomach bug, so the kids and I decided to vacate the premises fast. (That was part self-preservation, part kindness…after all, any noise we made was annoying!)

But this isn’t a post about how men are babies when they’re not feeling good. No, it’s a post about what to do with a 12 year old and a six year old when you only have a twenty in your pocket and it’s already 2 pm (thanks to losing an hour, doncha know?).  It seemed like the choices were rather limited…

But before I left home I (quietly, as not to annoy) checked out the Web site of the National Park Service to see if I could find a Junior Ranger project to engage the kids.  And I found a great one – The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site at 7th and Spring Garden. We paid our $4 to cross the bridge and found the site – with free parking right across the street. You can’t beat that!

Admission was also free, as is the whole Junior Ranger program (which my brother, one of the world’s most thrifty men, turned me on to when he was visiting Philly with his two boys last spring). The kids received age-appropriate workbooks which they were to complete during their visit to the house. First up: an 8 minute movie about the life of Poe (in which my little one learned that she has the same first name as “Eddy’s” mother, which thrilled her so much she made us sit through the movie twice).

We also did a self-directed tour of the house, completed the project booklets in the “reading room” (which also had some audiobooks of Poe works) and followed a timeline of Poe’s life. We read about cultural references (the kids wanted me point out “Eddy” on the Sgt. Pepper album) and dug through an old fashioned truck to find personal items of the era. The kids got a certificate and a Junior Ranger badge upon completion of their booklets (also cheap – and a great souvenir of the day).

In fact, we still had enough money left to get ice cream….now if only I had my Baskin Robbins BOGO coupon with me.  But alas! We had to settle for cones….and a great day on the cheap.

Philly in the News (and Cheap, Too!)

The Detroit Free Press had an interesting article about doing Philly on the cheap yesterday.  (Actually, it was written by Associated Press writer Randy Pennell, so it was probably printed all over the place, though I saw it here.)

Anyway, I wanted to share a couple of  highlights for you guys.  Of course, these are directed towards the touristy types, but hey, you locals can take advantage too (especially in the age of Staycations…):

• Transportation – ours is a bargain. Subways, buses and trolleys can get you around for $2 a ride, which is lots cheaper than parking. Regional rail (to get to the edges of our fair city) won’t cost more than $5. Save gas, go green, take public transport, peoples!
• The Big Purple Bus – the writer reccomends the Phlash bus as the best way to get around.  Again, it’s $2 a ride or $5 for an all-day pass, but the 21 scheduled stops take you all over the historic districts and museums. Runs seasonally, May through November (and may I add looks way fun, too!)
• Free(dom) Rings – as the locals all know, the major historic sites in the city – those being the Liberty Bell and Independence Mall - don’t cost a dime. They’re located right next door to each other and pretty impressive symbols of what this country was (and is) all about.
• If museums are more your thing, the Rodin Museum is just down the Parkway and is home to the most Rodins you’ll find outside of France. They suggest a $3 donation.

Last Chance – Dark “Knight” at the Movies Cheap!

We don’t go to the movies often. With kids ranging in age from 6 to 18, it’s hard to get everyone to agree on something. More importantly, it’s hard to pay for everything – you know, with tickets, a drink, and the all-important popcorn (at $6+ a box!), the night becomes a major investment. So we usually end up sitting at home with the On Demand and the microwave Orville.

But this weekend, it’s your last chance to go to the movies in style – without taking out a second mortgage. And this isn’t just any movie, either – we’re talking the final two showings of The Dark Night in the wonderful IMAX Theater at the Franklin Institute. That’s the latest Batman epic, starring the late great (and recent Academy Award winner) Heath Ledger.

This Friday and Saturday, take your family of four to see the movie and get drinks and popcorn too – all for the bargain price of $44. That’s for all of you! Hey, when was the last time you saw a top-rated flick in a premium theater for just $11 a person (and got your snacks as well)? That’s what we thought. So head on out…when February’s over, so is this deal. Available online only, so make sure to click!