3decades3kids Ride The Philadelphia Ducks!

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Ride The Ducks
Ride The Ducks
Philadelphia, PA
In the heart of Philadelphia there something a little ducky going on. You can take a break from your long day of walking the historic sites and catch a glimpse of them on wheels, well, at least for part of the tour!
Ride the Ducks, Philadelphia, or more commonly known as the Philly Ducks is a great way to tour Philadelphia. The boarding is located in the heart of Independence Mall area. You can buy tickets and board right across the street from the Liberty Bell at 6th Street and Chestnut. Before you even get onto the bus, the fun begins by having a family photo taken at the ladder area. It’s a great memory, if you choose to purchase it and is available after the ride.

Once your photo is taken, it’s time for the fun to begin. Our family climbed on board, grabbed and seat and got ready for the tour of a lifetime! We headed up and down quaint Philadelphia streets on a guided tour of some very historic sites, including the Betsy Ross House and the Seaport. The history of Philadelphia was pleasantly accompanied by our witty tour guide and some appropriate, yet humorous music, including “The Chicken Dance” and “YMCA”, all while riding aboard our tour bus.

But, the best was yet to come as we approached the Delaware River. The gates opened, a second tour guide hopped on the bus, and in 3 seconds we were not aboard a bus anymore, we were floating on the Delaware  River in our tour boat! I kind of felt like I was on the Magic School Bus for a minute. The people screamed wildly as we hit the water.Well, I may have screamed the loudest! It was quite a sensation, I must say, to be on land one minute and in the water the next!

Once in the water, we floated up the river a bit and the history of Philadelphia continued by sea!
It was quite a unique experience and  I  would recommend it to anyone looking for a little out of the ordinary fun! This 1 1/2 hour tour was well worth it’s price in fun and history!
Oh yes, and don’t forget, at the end of the tour you each get your own complimentary quacker! The quacker not only quacks, but allows for discounts at a bunch of  eateries.
Quack! Quack!
For more info, please check out Ride The Ducks Philadelphia!


All opinions are that of 3decades3kids.blogspot.com

New York Theatre Ballet Presents One-Hour Sleeping Beauty May 14 & 15

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Looking for a perfect family ballet experience?
New York Theater Ballet
Presents
Sleeping Beauty
May 14 & 15
When it comes to ballet, my 4 year old daughter, Emily, cannot seem to get enough. Finding the right experience for her age seemed impossible at one point, until I came across New York Theatre Ballet. This 70 minute performance is perfectly timed to hold the attention of the audience of  children aged 3-12 and their families.
During the Christmas season, 
we enjoyed The Nutcracker and it was beautifully done. 
The costumes and scenery were breathtaking. Not to mention, there was not a bad seat in the house. 
What I love most about the  
New York Theatre Ballet is how child friendly, 
yet professional the experience is for the entire family.
If you have a chance to take in
 Sleeping Beauty, don’t miss out.
See You At The Ballet!

New York Theatre Ballet 
presents
Sleeping Beauty.  
Show times are 
Sat, May 14 @ 11 am & 1pm 
&  Sun, May 15 @ 11 am, 1pm & 3:30 pm
 at family-friendlyFlorence Gould Hall,
 55 East 59th Street (between Park & Madison avenues – closest subway 59th street & Lexington),
 where each seat provides a close-up view of the dancers and all of the activity on stage.   Tickets are $40 for adults and $35 for children age 12 and under (plus a $1 facility fee).  Go to www.nytb.org, or call Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787 for tickets and more information.  
Before the show Artistic Director Diana Byer will spend a few minutes with a short, interactive lesson on the art of mime in story ballets. 
Choreographed by James Sutton, the ballet delivers the magic of Princess Aurora’s 16th birthday, the mystery of the enchanted spell, the magnificence of the wedding, and a perfect storybook happy ending.  The story unfolds when Princess Aurora is bewitched by the evil Carabosse, then the benevolent Lilac Fairy places the princess and her kingdom into a deep, protective sleep.  She awakens when the noble Prince breaks the spell with a kiss. 
Mr. Sutton is a Master Teacher of Dance (Ballet) at the Tisch School of the Arts, and has taught dance at Juilliard, the University of Wisconsin, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Ballet Hispanico of New York, and other significant schools and venues around the world.  His choreographic commissions include the Dallas Opera and the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut.  Mr. Sutton has appeared as principal dancer with Houston Ballet, Chicago Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet and DANCERS.  He is also a contributing writer for Ballet Review.
Based on the original Sleeping Beauty by Russian choreographer Marius Petipa, New York Theatre Ballet’s one-hour version is danced to music by Peter Tchaikovsky.  The elegant costumes were designed by Metropolitan Opera costume designerSylvia Taalsohn Nolan.  The setting – a tiny, fanciful fairy kingdom situated beneath the roots of a giant tree – was conceived and created by set designer Gillian Bradshaw-Smith.

Special Thanks to New York theatre ballet.
All opinions are that of 3decades3kids.

ChaCha’s Easter Adventure Breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe

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Cha Cha’s Easter Adventure
Breakfast at The Rainforest Cafe
Over the weekend my family 
and I had a wonderful time attending Cha Cha’s Easter Adventure 
at the Rainforest Cafe. Our family loves the Rainforest Cafe and usually dines at in when we vacation in Florida or when we visit the Menlo Park Mall.
One of their special events is breakfast with the Easter Bunny and Cha Cha. We have not missed it in years. It seems to just get better every time we go to it!

Yesterday was no different. We had to arrive bright and early, since the breakfast event begins at 8 am sharp. 
After checking in, everyone was greeted by the Easter Bunny and Cha Cha and then the children were split into two age groups for the Easter egg hunt.
 If you have ever visited the Rainforest Cafe, you can just imagine how much fun it was for the kids to check under the tables, chairs, around all the trees and in the shrubs by the animals hunting for eggs  loaded with surprises. 


After all the guests had there fill of finding every egg to be found, it was time to get seated and have some delicious breakfast. A nice hot buffet of pancakes, french toast, hash browns, eggs, bacon and sausage, along with cereals, pastries, and fresh fruit satisfied everyone.


There was also endless coffee, tea and juice for everyone to enjoy!
While we feasted on breakfast Cha Cha and the Easter Bunny made several rounds visiting the families, while the children worked on their coloring pages for the coloring contest.
During Cha Cha’s Easter Adventure there was plenty of time for fun, walking around to see all the animals, and for visiting the characters. 

The kids even had a chance to join the Easter Bunny in the Bunny Hop around the Rainforest Cafe. 
When the breakfast finished up every child was given a Rainforest Cafe goodie bag loaded with fun treats and the parents were given a 15% off coupon to be used in the gift shoppe. 
What a great day!

Harry Potter The Exhibit! Review and Family 4 Pack Ticket Giveaway!

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Harry Potter The Exhibition
Open Now Through September 5th
Discovery Times Square
44th Street NYC
Recently I had the pleasure of attending Harry Potter The Exhibition at Discovery Times Square.
My entire family enjoyed the experience. My oldest son, now 20, has grown up reading the Harry Potter series and aged right along with Harry. So, Harry Potter is nothing new in our house. It’s been a household name for years and years.
If you are a Harry Potter fan, you will not want to miss this opportunity to become immersed in the wonder of props and magic of the Wizarding World.
Before even entering the exhibit, some lucky volunteers are chosen to try on the sorting hat. My 11 year old was one of the lucky ones. 
From that point you are free to enter the exhibit where you will be wowed by all of the props. One of my favorite was seeing the actual letter Harry received that he was going to Hogwarts. There is was right in front of me to read!
I also enjoyed hearing about background information on choosing Harry’s glasses. The actual pair was also right there! Be sure to take the option of the audio tour. It is well worth it!
We enjoyed seeing the Hogwarts beds
 that belonged to  Harry and Ron. 
It like being transported right back into the films.
Another part of the exhibit I found just fascinating was entering Hagrid’s Hut. Wow! It was wonderful to sit in his chair and get a sense of his size. I never wanted to leave. Buckbeak was there, too. I was intrigued to find out that every feather on him was hand cut and pieced on one by one.
Some family favorites we all agreed upon were being able to pull a Mandrake up and hear him squeal and also getting a chance to try your hand at Quidditch by throwing a quaffle! Fun!
Just when I thought the tour was about over, we came upon the “Forbidden Forest”. If you want a look at the never before seen Horcruxes this is your chance.
Even though the characters were cg, Kreacher and Dobby were also there!
This exhibition was a nostalgic look back though the past years of Harry Potter. It’s something a Harry Potter fan should not miss out on. Whether you have read the books, seen the movies, or both..this exhibit will definitely satisfy you.
Be sure to visit the extensive Harry Potter 2 room gift shoppe. 

For more information on Harry Potter the Exhibition:

3decades3kids is having a Family 4 Pack Ticket Giveaway to 
Harry Potter The Exhibit at Discovery Times Square.


How To Enter:  You may do one or all of the following! Leave a separate comment below this post for each option  to increase  your chance of winning and please write your email or twitter on each entry! 
  1. Follow 3decades3kidsBLOG  and leave a comment telling who your favorite Harry Potter character is.
  2.  “Like”  3decades3kids on facebook.
  3. Follow @3decades3kids on twitter.
  4. Follow @elgeorgia on twitter.
  5. Follow @DiscoveryTS on Twitter.
  6. “Like” DiscoveryTSX on facebook.
  7. Tweet about this contest! Make sure it links back to @3decades3kids AND @discoveryts in order for it to count. Leave a separate comment that you tweeted about the contest.

Example: I want to win HarryPotter tix @discoveryts and @3decades3kids 

                               

3decades3kids is participating in this Discovery Times Square ticket giveaway. This giveaway will end on Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 at 11:00pm- EST. The winner will be selected using Random.org and will be contacted by email or twitter.  They will have 48 hours to respond to the email.  If there is no response, a new winner will be selected.  This giveaway is open to US residents only. Must be 18 or older to enter.  Good Luck and have a Wizarding kind of day! All opinions are that of 3decades3kids.




HOP screening

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HOP
screening
review
Tonight I attended  the screening of 
Universal Pictures  
HOP
 in NYC.
HOP opens April 1, 2011

It’s been a few years or longer since,
 I have seen an Easter movie in the theaters. If you are looking for the Easter Bunny…or should I say the teenage son of the Easter Bunny…meet E.B.Bunny(Russell Brand), some hilarious chicks, jellybeans and an outrageous amount of fun, you will definitely not want to miss HOP.
E.B. Bunny is hilarious!


Movie Goodies!


This movie was fun for the whole family. I was there with two of my children that are ages 4 and 11. We all enjoyed it! 

Family Fun!


JAMES MARSDEN
RUSSELL BRAND
KALEY CUOCO
HANK AZARIA
GARY COLE
ELIZABETH PERKINS
DAVID HASSELHOFF
CHELSEA HANDLER
and
HUGH LAURIE
Executive Producer
JOHN COHEN
Produced by
CHRIS MELEDANDRI
MICHELE IMPERATO STABILE
Story by
CINCO PAUL & KEN DAURIO
Screenplay by
CINCO PAUL & KEN DAURIO and BRIAN LYNCH
Directed by
TIM HILL
Special Thanks To: