Day One Hundred Twenty-Three
Because the ship has sailed and I have taken matters into my own hands, I can say with confidence that my children will not be setting foot inside a school building this fall. I have the extreme privilege of being able to make that decision even as I work full-time, so I've decided to be done with waiting for school officials to plan accordingly.
For what it's worth, my personal opinion is that school officials should have been planning for remote learning for months now and should be fully prepared to leverage it in a way that is effective. They haven't, though, because I guess if you stand around and just sort of wish real hard, a global pandemic will go away? Let's all wish real hard tonight, mmkay? Because, seriously, that would be amazing.
ANYWAY. Since I know they won't be going inside a school building, I've been looking for things we can do in the world while remaining safe. I have to keep Mila from turning full feral, y'know? And they both need to see more than the walls in this house once in a while. We've been testing out places after I carefully review their COVID-19 precautions with the understanding that if I say we're bailing, we're bailing. I know a ton of other people are in the same place, so here's what I've figured out so far. Please to be commenting or tweeting or whatever with your own observations. It's good to broaden our prospects.
Hiking: A+
Pretty much everywhere we've gone has been a win, with the exception of the more popular parts of the Montour Trail. I generally don't want to remind the girls to socially distance nor do I want them to feel like they should panic if they run into a large group, so we just avoid large groups. It's pretty easy to do because if the parking lot near the trail entrance is full, so is the trail. Move on to the next one.
For what it's worth, our current favorite trails are at Raccoon Creek State Park. There's a ton of choices and each one is a good one. Mila is obsessed with the cabin along the wildflower trails and we've always been big fans of Frankfort Springs. We avoid Saturdays because it can be more crowded, but otherwise it's been a win every time.
Phipps Conservatory: A
We have a membership, so this one feels like it's "free." Even with a membership, it's required to reserve a time slot/tickets in advance. Phipps is very strictly enforcing capacity limits, and their capacity limits are lower than I would have guessed they would be. Mask-wearing is also enforced and I have heard employees remind guests to wear their masks. We've gone three times in the past few months - all on Fridays. Each time we maybe saw two or three people, not counting employees.
The only reason they don't get an A+ is that the entrance can be a little bit congested, and by that I mean there might be three employees plus those two other guests plus your group all near the door. Also, there's construction going on so our favorite room is currently closed. It'll be worth it in the end, but it's still sadness now.
National Aviary: A-
Same deal. Timed entry. They're enforcing capacity limits. Employees are being diligent. Guests are respectful of one another. I only rank Phipps higher because it has more big open spaces.
Malls: Pshaw. As if.
We haven't stepped foot inside a mall since March and won't be anytime soon. But! We have visited Tanger Outlets in Washington County. I would give it a B-. Outlets, of course, mean lots of outdoor space when you're walking between stores. There are signs on the entry to every single store indicating that masks are required and that the capacity limit is reduced. It seems that the capacity limits are being enforced - Bath and Body Works for sure is keeping an employee at the entrance and counting who is inside versus outside. Also, I can say for certain that Gap Outlet employees there are stopping people at the door who don't have a mask and telling them to order online instead of entering the store.
That's my measure of "success," I guess. A willingness to enforce safety measures. I can make sure the two monsters I'm responsible for wear masks and maintain a distance, but if other people aren't being respectful, we bail.
And that brings us to ...
Pittsburgh Zoo: F
We also have a membership there, and on the surface it seems like one of the safest places to go. It's nearly all outdoors, and you would think that the health and safety of the animals and employees would be a priority.
I don't know quite what to say about that, but it's pretty clear that employees have not been trained to deal with people who aren't following the safety measures. Both times that we've gone, there have been several groups of people walking around without masks. It seems most people put them on when they go inside, but not all. What's more, there's no enforcement of capacity limits. The aquarium was crowded enough both times for me to take a few steps inside and then turn right back around.
Of particular concern was the fact that there was an older couple walking around the primate building the last time I took Mila. They weren't wearing masks and the gentleman was hacking his lungs out. Like, coughing A LOT. Once he did it into his elbow, but mostly he coughed into his hand and ... then touched the rails. He was very obviously not feeling well, but certainly didn't care. Not one single zoo employee asked him to put on a mask (AT MINIMUM - but really, if you're coughing, stay home. Don't bother telling me it's allergies because you don't know that unless you've been tested. STAY HOME.). I will say that we didn't stick around more than maybe two minutes inside the building because the whole scene was so concerning, so maybe someone appeared later and stopped him. Maybe.
The large maskless group, though. There was a group of about 10 that were all together and not a one of them was wearing a mask. They happened to be the type of people who walked up real close to mask-wearers and made a baa'ing sound, and then giggled amongst themselves about how many "dumb sheep" there were walking around the place and panicking. Mila and I left the zoo (and will not return - I need to call and ask for a refund on our membership because OH HELL NO) when they took their act to the central food area and stood around complaining to an employee that they weren't allowed to go inside to order.
There were three zoo employees within the area. All of them saw the group. All of them lacked the training or willingness required to ask them to comply with basic safety requirements. I can't excuse it.
Carnegie Museums: On my list to try
I've heard from friends that the Carnegie Museums are doing a good job, similar to Phipps and the Aviary. The Natural History Museum will probably be our next venture, albeit it not for a few weeks because I'll wait until the girls start to seem to need a break from being home constantly. If you've been there and have thoughts, I'd love to hear them.
Or about anywhere, really. We're all just doing the best we can at this point. Except the anti-maskers. They aren't trying at all.
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Reader Comments (5)
If you don't mind going a little further, Ohio has some nice state parks. I really like Mill Creek Metro Parks in Youngstown and Beaver Creek State Park in East Liverpool. Both have a lot of walking trails similar to Raccoon but I find them to be less populated. For Beaver Creek if you park by Gaston's Mill there are indoor bathrooms with running water. For Mill Creek most of the facilities are closed but its near enough to town that you can swing by a Sheetz if you need to.
If you don't want to cross the border, try McConnell's Mill in Moraine State Park. There are some trails around the mill that might be ok during the week. They do get busy on the weekends. I highly recommend the Hell's Hollow area... (1332 Shaffer Rd, Slippery Rock Twp) will get you to the parking area. There are 6 different trails ranging from a half mile to get to the falls up to 7.6 miles. There are no restroom facilities. Not even a portapotty.
This weekend we will be going to Cuyahoga Valley National Park near Cleveland. I'll tag you on Instagram if it’s any good, (Normally I wouldn't go this far but I have to be nearby for something else that day and tacked on this side trip)
I appreciate the honest review of the different places. I've been wanting to go to Phipps and the Aviary, but didn't know how "safe" it would be. I'm glad their employees also have the agency to enforce the rules!
I have been enjoying Mingo Park in Washington County. Lots of trails, multiple playgrounds, covered bridges and the creek, of course, is fun to splash in. There is also a really fun slide in the woods both girls would probably enjoy. If you enter the park on Chapel Hill Road, it's a great location. Puts you right in the middle of the park. Make a right off Chapel Hill Road and that direction leads you to some cool parts of the park and the slide. Also, the Springhouse in 84 is not too far from Mingo. Great ice cream and other items such as pies, etc. They have outdoor seating. You can order ahead of time and they will bring it outside to you. One last place I would recommend is the small town of Volant. If you blink, you might drive through it. But, there are a lot of shops and even an old Mill (Volant Mill) that is pretty neat to go inside. They have the old equipment from the mill displayed along with photos and clothing the people wore years ago. Fun hands on history lesson on what life was like for the town. Everyone in Volant wears masks inside the shops and it is near Moraine State Park. I have been there twice in the past few months on a Saturday and have felt safe each time. If you visit on Friday and Saturday, I do believe the Amish and others set up pop-up tents with pottery, fresh produce and goodies.
If hiking's on your list, consider doing a little research on geocaching. It's honestly a favorite hobby of mine, and there are geocaches EVERYWHERE... especially on hiking trails. It's like a high-tech scavenger hunt. Allows you and the kids to use an app on your phone to find little treasures out in the real world. It will quickly transform a "boring hike" into something exciting.
I pretty much plan most of my hikes based on where there are geocaches hidden. I'm always available as a resource if you have questions or anything.
We've been hitting the North Country Trail where ever we can (Moraine mostly, McConnell's Mill and more north in Cook Forest, too). If you can get up north to Cook Forest, the Forest Cathedral Trails are really amazing and have that old, huge tree darkness that feels so magical.