New England Cable News (NECN) ran a follow-up story on the unprecedented tornado damage that occurred over the southern lakes region back on July 24. NECN was looking for the historical perspective on this event, and called the National Weather Service. The NWS referred them to PSU, and our Public Relations Dept. called on Lourdes. All in all Lourdes and I thought it went really well. Take a look.
It may not be a secret (lord knows I rarely discover things of worth quickly), but if you have young kids, you need to consider purchasing a membership to your local or favorite ASTC museum. The ASTC, or Association of Science Technology Centers, is simply an organization of science museums across the country, and memberships to an ASTC location can be more beneficial than you might think.
We live about 120 miles from Boston, but we are members of the Boston Museum of Science. We did so mainly due to the cost of going to such a museum. For a family of four, it was essentially cheaper to buy the membership simply for going twice … easy enough because the museum is phenomenal.
What does a membership bring? Generally it brings
Free basic admission to the museum for the length of the membership — usually a year
Discounts to the gift shop and cafeterias
Discounts on tickets to museum extras (IMAX, planetariums, etc.)
But the greatest benefit is the ability to participate in the reciprocal admission that all ASTC member institutions share. The reciprocal program in short allows you to go to other participating ASTC museums and enter for free. There are some exceptions (like museums close to your ‘home membership museum’ will not honor you discount), but it is truly valuable. In addition, a unique benefit of the Boston MOS is that they are also an AZA member, so we have reciprocal opportunities there as well.
One of our favorite extra-curricular activities while in Disneyworld is looking for merchandise from the classic 1993 film “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. Now before saying this, I’d like to note that this activity has changed in the last several years. In 1999, it was about the hunt: there was not much to find, but the quality was often equally low. I got a taste of the improvements in my trip last year, but it is now clear: Disney is embracing much more directly the money they can make, so the locations to find the stuff — while still limited — is growing, and the quality is top-notch.
There are a handful of simple things you’ll find everywhere. The pens (I actually really like them), snow globes, charms, and bedroom doorknob pictures can be found in your own Disney hotel. But for the fun stuff.
In the Magic Kingdom:
Kiosk outside Haunted Mansion — Small, good stuff. Nothing you can’t find in other places.
Tomorrowland Video Arcade (Next to Space Mountain) Also small, Tshirts, Mugs, etc.
In Epcot:
I did not see anything
In Disney-MGM Studios
Villains and Foes, Sunset Blvd. — Very large and unique collection. Not to be missed
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Gift shop — Nice collection. Found movie score book for piano. A must see.
In Animal Kingdom
I did not see anything
Downtown Disney
Disney’s Days of Christmas — Possibly the largest collection. Lots of goodies. A must see.
Pin Trading Station — Had many pins — you can find them in many places, including the Emporium at Magic Kingdom
My favorites were the two in Disney-MGM studios. Both were not known to us when we left, and were both places where we saw items that we did not see anywhere else.
Certainly your experience may vary, and with two kids to look after, I’m sure we missed a few. Also, this was a July trip. One in October might yield different results. Feel free to comment with other Disney World locations (hey, and if you’ve got info on Disneyland locations, I may be going there soon) and any differences noticed during the Halloween season.
