Get your next flu shot at an airport terminal
In 2006 Chicago O'Hare became the first major airport to offer passengers flu vaccines at kiosks in the gates—right next to sports bars and magazine stands. Nearly a dozen other airports had already been offering them at clinics in out-of-the-way spots in the terminals. USA Today reports that this flu season (December through March) O'Hare plans to give out 6,000 vaccinations. The paper also posted online where you can find flu shot kiosks or clinics at about 20 airports.
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This weekend: An art lover's paradise in Lancaster, Pa.
Art lovers will want to attend the Fall ArtWalk 2008 this weekend in Lancaster, Pa., (between Philadelphia and Harrisburg). The event will feature more than 50 arts venues. Artworks on display will include mixed media, photography, printmaking, and much more. There will also be special events happening at some galleries, such as pumpkin painting, wine tasting, art demonstrations, and meet-the-artist open houses. If the art isn't enough to sate your palate (or should we say palette?), there are performances, including a cabaret and a female barbershop chorus, and even "Art on a Plate," where local restaurants present special menus. Official ArtWalk hours are Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday noon–5 p.m. Gallery admission is free; some performing events are admission only. Lancaster's Gallery Row begins at Prince and Walnut Streets; there are lots of downtown parking areas.
Fresh camping gear makes the Great Outdoors a bit more modern
The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisp. It's a great time of the year for camping. We've rounded up some neat (and affordable) gadgets to help you weather the wild. And keep these in mind for any outdoorsy folks on your holiday gift list this year. It's a water bottle! No, it's a flashlight! Wait—it's both! The LightCap is a one-liter bottle that has a solar panel on the lid. Charge it in the sun all day and you'll have up to six hours of light to guide you at night. ($25) There's nothing like drinking wine around the campfire. But who wants to lug around fragile bottles that you have to drink in one sitting? The Bota Box holds four bottles' worth of California wine in a lightweight box with a handle. It stays fresh more than a month after opening (about $20). Souped-up tents are out, apparently. Hammocks are the new black. REI's travel hammock won't break the bank, and comes with a built-in mosquito net to protect you from the little beasts ($39). The Hennessy Hammock comes with netting, a detachable rain fly, and support ropes. "It's especially popular with teens who don’t want to sleep in the big tent with Mom and Dad," says the site (from $80). The lightweight, pocket-sized HYmini charger converts wind and solar energy into a power source for all your gadgets. In just 20 minutes, you can tack 40 minutes of life onto your MP3 player or take an additional 20 photos with your camera. Think of all the power you could harness on a long bike ride (from $50). Find these and more thought-provoking ideas for camping gear at TrustyPony.com, the travel goods blog. What products make your life easier on the road?
Philly's Please Touch Museum gets a new building and new exhibits
Dedicated to children 7 and younger, the expanded Please Touch Museum opens this Saturday (Oct. 18). Its new home in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park is Memorial Hall, a Beaux Arts gem opened in 1876 to host a World’s Fair. Compared with its former digs, the museum now has three times more exhibition space (plus expanded parking outside). A magical Alice in Wonderland exhibit takes visitors down the Rabbit Hole in a former in-ground swimming pool. No matter what the weather is like outside, kids can experiment with waterwheels and toy boats at an indoor water play area. My daughter Ella and I had loads of fun at the museum’s special press preview last week. When we wandered into the Roadside Attractions exhibit, it didn’t surprise me that Ella, already a backseat driver, went straight for the kid-size hot rod with flames streaking alongside the car side panels. She must've been a racecar driver in her previous life! A ride of a different sort capped off our visit. We took a spin on the museum’s newly restored 1924 Dentzel Carousel, with 52 hand-carved animals. It's housed in a beautiful glass-enclosed space. This Saturday’s opening festivities begin with a brief welcome from Mayor Michael Nutter and include a performance by Fandango—a rock band that entertains kids—and costumed characters that will interact with visitors all day long. Please Touch Museum, 215/963-0667, pleasetouchmuseum.org, open daily, $15, free for babies under the age of 1, carousel rides $3, parking $5. —Helen I. Hwang, author of All Grown Up: Please Touch Museum and its Move to Memorial Hall (available at the museum’s kids store beginning Nov. 1).
