I just love the Beaux Arts architecture. The information center behind us was the original elephant house, built in 1911.

Here’s a bit of trivia about The Boy – he was born in The Bronx. At the time, we lived in Westchester County, about 20 minutes north of the hospital where my OB delivered babies.

He thinks it gives him a cool street cred. Which is negated every Friday when he skips off happily to Webmaster Club, toting his very own Ninja-shaped thumb drive.

But a drive south to the Bronx Zoo always elicits smiles and memories when we pass the exit for the hospital where our lives changed forever.

WHY did you go there, exactly?

We’ve been to the Bronx Zoo many times, and never knew it was the world’s largest urban zoo! Zoos, especially expansive facilities like this one, are a treat for all ages. With two kids of opposite genders, seven years apart, it’s not always easy finding an outing everyone can agree on.

Plus, the Bronx Zoo is open year-round, which makes it an ideal day trip for us in the spring and fall when other seasonal attractions are closed.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

The outdoor animal habitats are huge, which make me feel like they’re living a decent life despite the whole “captivity” thing.  In fact, the Congo Gorilla Forest is the world’s largest gorilla habitat. The size also gives them plenty of distant corners in which to hide, leaving you to explain to your anxious kids why they won’t be able to see the giraffes today.

For guaranteed animal sightings, head to the indoor exhibits, where you get an up-close look at smaller creatures behind glass. Our favorite spaces to see animals include JungleWorld, the Sea Lion Pool, and the World of Birds.

Indoors and outdoors, you’ll find a nice variety of simple interactive elements at the exhibits. Lots of buttons, dials, and other touchy-feely devices for little hands to explore when the animals aren’t putting on a show. The Children’s Zoo, in particular, is a three-acre setting full of activities.

The Children's Zoo

What elevates the attraction status of the Bronx Zoo are the extra rides, especially the Wild Asia Monorail and The Bug Carousel. The Girl is something of a merry-go-round expert (we’ve even been on the world’s only solar-powered carousel), and she loves this one because of the choice of insects to ride on. No namby-pamby painted horses for her.

I got the ladybug!

The Wild Asia Monorail brings you to (technically, over) exhibits you can’t access on foot, to see animals like the Asian leopards and elephants. This, like the other rides, cost an additional fee, but it’s worth the “Total Experience Ticket” if your kids want to do and see more than the traditional animal exhibits.

The elephants came over to the monorail to greet us!

How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): ★★★★★★★★★★

The Bronx Zoo is one of the best zoos we’ve visited anywhere. However, the immensity of it – which qualifies it as a “world’s largest” – means a LOT of walking. You’re not going to cover a lot of ground if your kids no longer want to be in a stroller, but are still toddling.

And if you DO still use a stroller, it’s not always smooth sailing. You can’t bring them into the indoor exhibits, so you have to park them and get the kids in and out repeatedly. Plus, the hilly landscape means a lot of pushing uphill, and some stairways to manuever.

Hey you! Go BIG!

Bronx Zoo

2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460

718- 220-5100

Can you hear me now?

International Spy Museum

BEST GIFT SHOP EVER! Okay, now that I have that out of the way, let me tell you about one of new favorite museums.

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

While in DC over spring break, we visited the International Spy Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of espionage artifacts. We also visited the Air and Space Museum, so we continued in the vein of geeky, techy adventures.

WHY did you go there, exactly?

Both kids have watched all four movies in the The Spy Kids series multiple times, and wish they were Carmen and Juni Cortez. (Which would make me Carla Gugino in a black leather get-up. I could live with that.) Naturally, The Girl wants to be a spy when she grows up. Considering her skill at lying with the face of an angel, I would say she has a good shot.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

If you are even slightly intrigued by spies, their gadgets, and their undercover adventures, you will love this place. When you arrive, you choose your “cover,” adopting a name and back story. The Boy took this task seriously, writing down all the details of Yuan Zheng, the 39-year old dentist he had become.

School for Spies Gallery. Photo courtesy the International Spy Museum

Most of the museum experience is passive – looking at the collection of espionage artifacts behind glass. But I found the displays of disguises, weapons, invisible ink, and buttonhole cameras really intriguing. You can also watch videos describing different facets of espionage, like surveillance and picking locks.

Listening to a "bugged" conversation.

You’ll learn about the history of espionage from its beginnings, in 400 BC, to modern day cyber threats. Some of the artifacts, like the lipstick pistol, looked like they came straight out of a James Bond movie, but they were REAL. I was also taken off guard to find out about the long history of espionage; there’s a 1777 letter by George Washington authorizing a spy network in New York.

With just a few “hands-on” exhibits, like the crawl-through air duct and the computer kiosk used to access satellite surveillance, The Girl surprisingly lost interest in an hour. This is definitely an experience best suited for ages eight and up, and The Boy wanted to see everything.

"pssst...the eagle flies at midnight."

And did I mention…the BEST GIFT SHOP EVER?! Save time for shopping this fun and extensive selection – in 5000 sq. ft. — of spy gadgets, disguise kits, movies, books, clothing, souvenirs and more. I may even try their online store closer to Christmas…

How it rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoozefest, 10 = add to your bucket list): ★★★★★★★★★★

All ages can relate to something within these exhibits. At least for an hour, anyway! Our experience was greatly enhanced by the fact that we arrived when it opened in the morning. The crowds built up during the day, and some of the galleries were feeling a bit claustrophobic by the time we left two hours later.

Hey you! Go BIG!:

International Spy Museum

800 F ST NW, Washington DC, 20004

(202) EYE.SPYU

War of the Spies Gallery. Photo courtesy the International Spy Museum

Disclaimer: The International Spy Museum hosted our visit. 

We start the month with a fun guest post from Ben West, who writes the Living Vicariously blog. This is exciting for me for several reasons. 1) It’s our first contribution from Australia, a country high on my bucket list for all its BIG roadside attractions. 2) It’s our first travelogue about an adventure on a motorcycle. 3) It’s an adventure being enjoyed by someone SO outside my demographic – a young, unmarried, carefree couple – which is why the name of his blog really resonates with me!

Ben is currently exploring his own country with his girlfriend Jette. Some of the BIG highlights of his trip include the world’s largest Tasmanian Devil! Here’s his report:

“Since I started to follow the Go BIG or Go Home blog, I have been noticing just how many big things we have here in Australia. Australia is a big place, so big that if all Australians had an argument and spread out evenly over the continent, every person would have 213 square miles to themselves — that’s only 4.6 people in every square mile.

Submarine:

Holbrook is a perfectly charming little town on the road from Sydney to Melbourne. It has bright cafes with reasonable prices, and parks full of play equipment where parents can air out their children. Holbrook not only has the sole set of traffic lights between Melbourne and Sydney, it also boasts a massive submarine sitting proudly right in the middle of town.

Holbrook is named after Commander Norman Holbrook, a decorated WWI veteran. Commander Holbrook spent the war hiding underwater and driving his Oberon class submarine around, occasionally popping up to shoot at the surprised baddies then disappear in a stream of bubbles. Lt. Holbrook won the Victoria Cross, our highest pat on the back for military people.

Jette was amazed to sight this big black submarine shell (sadly they took out all the bombs and fun stuff) almost 400 kilometers inland from Melbourne. Despite my best efforts, she would not climb aboard for a photo.

Ned Kelly:

Us Aussies love a bad guy and we love an underdog, so you can imagine how much we love a bad guy-underdog. One of our most notorious underdog-baddies, Ned Kelly, was hanged in November 1880 after a violent confrontation with police. Before being shoved off the little platform Kelly coined the phrase “Such is life.” To this day it is tattooed on footballer’s torsos, printed on bumper stickers and more recently uttered by annoyed housing investors.

Kelly famously wore home made armor during his last shoot out. Despite trying to be scary, he looked like a kid wearing a mailbox and a barbecue plate.

Some consider Kelly to be a symbol of Irish resistance against the bossy rich guys, however most of us just love the fact that an amateur blacksmith wearing a drinking trough could not be shot by the police.

Nowadays the small town of Glenrowan between Melbourne and Sydney is cashing in on it’s most famous son. Gift shops abound, there is a forgettable animatronics display and a great museum with all you need to know about Ned…Umm, Yeah, he lost.

Penguin:

Penguin is a small coastal town on the Northwest coast of Tasmania. Ronald Campbell Gunn was one of the first residents of Penguin. He was a botanist and one hell of a modest guy. So modest that when they gave him the honor of naming this tiny portside town, he named it after the penguins which abound along the coast, instead of himself.

This massive concrete penguin is joined by numerous medium sized fiberglass penguins, as well as penguin-shaped garbage bins around the town.

In hindsight, it’s a good thing that Gunn didn’t name the town after himself. A big statue of a be speckled, wild-haired botanist is no competition for a large penguin standing to attention.

Tasmanian Devil:

I assume that at some point in your life you have seen a cartoon of that whirling dervish “Taz,” the Tasmanian Devil. Jette and I were passing the Trowunna Wildlife park when we spotted the world’s largest Tasmanian Devil.

In reality, the existence of the native population of Tasmanian Devils face a huge challenge in the next few years — the Facial Tumor Disease. In recent years, a transmittable form of facial cancer has sprung up, and these lovable scavengers are facing quick extinction if we cannot find a cure. Trowunna Wildlife Park is part of a captive breeding effort to deepen the genetic pool in the population so that the tumor will slow down.

So there you have it! Without even actively searching for big things on our Australian road trip, we have managed to stumble across plenty. Venture further north and you’ll also see a big avocado, a big prawn, a big merino, a big lobster, a really big coral reef and not one, but two big pineapples! You really should pop down for a visit one day; we love our big things “Down Under!”

The world’s largest clothespin! The Girl couldn’t wait to get out of the car. The Boy thinks we’re crazy.

There are roadside attractions in Philadelphia, although most of them are best enjoyed on foot. The public outdoor art installations we saw in Philadelphia thoroughly charmed me, because there are quite a few BIG pieces!

Claes Oldenburg sculpture in Philadelphia, PA

I’ve become a fan of Swedish American sculptor Claes Oldenburg, best known for his public art installations worldwide which feature immense replicas of familiar objects. He thinks BIG!

Of course, our first order of business in Philadelphia was seeing Clothespin – the world’s largest clothespin — created by Oldenburg in 1976. It’s located in Centre Square Plaza on Market Street across from the City Hall, which happens to be the largest municipal building in the U.S. The 45-ft. tall clothespin was made from 10 tons of Cor-Ten and stainless steel.

The Paint Torch is Oldenburg’s most recent work in Philly, and was just installed on Cherry Street last year. This four-ton brush is five stories tall! It looks like an artist has jammed it at a 60 degree angle into the sidewalk, leaving a blob of paint on the ground. We didn’t get to see it at night, but the paint on the brush and the paint blob are lit from within by synchronized LEDs.

We also didn’t get to see the other oversized Oldenburg piece in Philadelphia — the 16-foot Split Button in Levy Park on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Next time!

The Paint Torch by Claes Oldenburg

The Board Game Art Park, Philadelphia, PA

We had no choice but to visit Municipal Services Building Plaza at 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard on a rainy morning. But we still enjoyed visiting the Board Game Art Park, home to the multi-piece installation, “Your Move,” created in 1997 by artists Daniel Martinez, Renee Petropoulis, and Roger White.

"Your Move" outdoor art installation in Philadelphia

Spread over the concrete square were oversized sculpted game pieces from familiar board game classics like Monopoly, Sorry, Parcheesi, dominoes, checkers and chess.

Um, Matt, I don’t think you should do that…

Other BIG things we found in Philadelphia

The Comcast Experience Video Wall  – the world’s largest four-millimeter LED screen.

The giant walk-through heart – the largest of its kind in the U.S. – at the Franklin Institute.

We’re going to break a world record! Well, us, and 2,996 other people. We’ve registered to participate in the world’s longest Hokey Pokey line! This event is taking place on Saturday, June 9^th, across the Walkway Over the Hudson bridging Poughkeepsie to Highland, NY. We want you to come and join us!

The organizers are hoping for 3,000 people, since the current record, set in June 2008, involved 2,350 people. The Guinness World Records organization will be there to authenticate the feat!

We LOVE the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park – the views are phenomenal, and it’s practically in our own backyard!

The View Southward from the Walkway Over the Hudson

At 6,768 feet (or 1.28 miles) it’s the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge. At 212 feet high, it’s also one of the highest. {gulp} We’ve written about our first visit. The Boy and I have become braver since then.

Won’t you join us? We’re organizing a “Go BIG or Go Home” Team to meet up and do the Hokey Pokey together! We’ll outfit you in nifty “Go BIG” buttons, and ply you with snacks.

If you’re interested in registering (and WHY wouldn’t you be??? You can tell your grandkids you broke a world record!!), you can do so online at the Walkway Over the Hudson site.  It’s $15 / person, which is a tax-deductible donation to help fund the Walkway’s operating costs.

The Guinness World Record organization will only count participants seven years or older. You don’t have to register and pay for people younger than that, although they can still do the H.P. with us! The Girl is working on her left foot / right foot differentiation skills as we speak.

Let us know in the comments below if you’re “in!”

Occasionally, we diverge from the telling of BIG adventures to present family travel tips, based on our own experiences. We’ve suggested technology to facilitate travel, and great places to eat on the road beyond traditional restaurants. We’ve even warned you about road trip mistakes.

This week, we offer our own suggestions on how to find a family friendly hotel, as well as ideas from other family bloggers.

Over spring break, our family stayed at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC. This property, in my opinion, sets a gold standard for kid-friendly accommodations, so I’ll use it as an example in many of the following points.

When searching for a kid-friendly hotel, look for:

A welcoming attitude toward children

Hotels can be upscale, grand, and historic, and still be casual enough for kids. The Omni is a stately “grand dame” among hotels, and yet, we never felt self-conscious about bringing the kids through the lovely lobby. It helped that The Girl did not have any public meltdowns. (For a change.) Not only was the staff very friendly, they delivered milk and cookies for the kids during the turn-down service.

Pool(s) and open green space

When on the road, the pool is the first and foremost amenity my kids want in a hotel. Indoor, outdoor, any shape or size will do. Swim time means blowing off steam, or winding them down for bed, or just spending some time NOT in an expensive theme park. We were fortunate that our Omni stay coincided with the seasonal opening of its outdoor heated pool!

A lawn, garden, or ideally, a playground, is also a big plus.

"I'm not getting off this hammock anytime soon, just FYI." At the Omni Shoreham.

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I don’t write much about our life in a small town, but one effect of living here is an aversion to crowds. I don’t even drive to our dinky mall on weekends, lest I have to park more than three rows away from the entrance.

So alarm and dread resulted from the realization that the “perfect storm” awaited us at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. A free museum in our nation’s capital. An overcast weekend. The week of Spring Break.

Perhaps I saw you there, too?

WHY did you go there, exactly?

There are so many wonderful, kid-friendly museums in Washington, DC, but I knew the one which would most interest my kids would be the Air and Space museum, home the world’s largest collection of historical aeronautical artifacts. For The Boy, it meant geeky science stuff. The Girl, ever fearless, would get more ammunition for her dreams of space flight.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

Of course, it’s awesome, and truly amazing, that admission to this facility is free. There are additional experiences which cost extra, but these are still affordable, and totally worth it. As soon as we arrived, we bought our tickets for one of the three IMAX movies and one of the three planetarium shows which are shown on a frequent, rotating basis. We were glad later when we saw the long ticket line.

Both the IMAX movie – To Fly! — and the planetarium show – Cosmic Collisions – kept both kids entertained, but more than that, it was SO nice to sit!

I was correct in assuming that The Boy would want to try the virtual flight simulator. Matt went with him, and looked a little green upon exiting. “He’ll never be a pilot,” was all he was capable of uttering. Apparently, barrel rolls were part of the experience.

Look up! It's a bird! ...No, wait...

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Illuminated screens play a far larger role in my family’s everyday life than I care to admit. So I was sure that the tip I got from Mara at Mother of All Trips would result in a memorable stop during our Philadelphia weekend getaway.

She suggested we visit the Comcast Center, for a look at the “Comcast Experience” wall.

This image is displayed on only the top half of the screen. The panels below aren't really panels, they're video replicas of the room's actual wood panels.

The 2,100-square foot HD video display wall is the world’s largest four-millimeter LED screen. For 18 hours a day, you can watch various short films; original programming created exclusively for this screen, which measures 83.3 feet wide and 25.4 feet high.

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Dinosaurs are becoming a “thing” for us. Makes sense…they’re BIG after all! Last year, we went to the American Museum of Natural History in NYC for its temporary exhibit, “The World’s Largest Dinosaurs.” This spring, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is presenting a similar program, “Giant Mysterious Dinosaurs,” through April 15.

I now know more about the Jurassic era than I ever thought I would. Or ever really wanted to…

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

Visiting Philly earlier this month, we were drawn to The Franklin Institute for this dinosaur exhibit, as well as the giant walk-through heart. In the end, another unexpected BIG thing turned out to be the highlight of our visit.

Okay, what was so cool about it?

We would have loved this place more if we had: A) less whiny children; and B) a few more hours to cover all three floors of science and technology exhibits. We missed out on the planetarium, IMAX theater and 4D flight simulator.

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“Dino Trio.” Sounds like a smooth crooner group from the ‘50’s. “Singing live tonight at the Starlight Lounge…it’s the Dino Trio!”

Last week, on our post about the Jurassic dinosaur collection at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, I mentioned DinoMite Days, a 2004 public art project which resulted in 100 uniquely decorated dinosaurs, made of fiberglass and weighing 200 lbs each. They were temporarily installed throughout the city, but most have since been sold to private collectors.

However, several can still be found on public display. We found these BIG beauties in front the “Wintergarden” building at PPG Place!

They are, from left to right:

Philiposaurus. Artist: Gary Mesa Gaido

Ketchupsaurus. Artist: Kristina Martinez

Mr. Dig. Artist: Glennis McClellan

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