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The Feel-Good Guide to Sports, Travel, Shopping & Entertainment
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| Main | Sports Events | Holidays & Observances | Pop Culture | Shopping | Travel |
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What James Says : We went to the Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning New York. My whole family went for the weekend. It was a very long ride but we stayed in a hotel and got to go swimming. A pretty cool part of the Museum was the Hot Glass Show. We got to watch the gaffer, Eric Meek, working in front of an oven that was like 2000 degrees as he collected a ball of the molten glass which was bright orange like lava. He gathered the mound of glass on a long, hollow metal pole that was like a straw. Then he made the glowing glob of glass into a pitcher by twirling it and blowing into the metal pole. He kept the glass hot and flexible by putting it into an oven which was cooler than the first, only 900 degrees. Very cool - or hot I guess. He made a pitcher with a handle and everything right in front of our eyes. When he was all done he put it into cool water to bust apart so that he could reuse the glass. It was awesome, even my little brothers were amazed. They sat there quiet and watched the whole thing, and they almost never sit quiet at the same time!
Another fun part was the hands on kids area, the Innovation Center. We got to investigate how some things worked and see some of the really wild illusions glass can make. The Flameworking Demo is a show about glass and what they can do with it. I learned some pretty interesting information about glass and fiber optics. The glass sculpture galleries were cool but kind of crazed with my little brothers running around. We still got to see some amazing stained glass and really neat stuff, like a totally glass chair and a chess set where each piece was a tiny statue made of glass. This place is definitely cool, I can't wait to go back and see more. What Mom Says : This is a great museum, very interesting for all ages. Everyone had a great time. When you first enter the museum you walk though the Glass Market which consists of seven open air boutiques. You are surrounded by huge, beautiful displays of elaborate and expensive glass artwork, as well as anything related to glass and glass art. Very colorful and enjoyable for the over-8 crowd. I hurried our group through - the whole bull in the china shop thing.
If you are up for
it, and aren't packing any toddlers, take your time and browse. The Glass Market
is quite unique. While there you can take a look at demonstration booths where
the flame workers are shaping glass rods into animals. For an additional fee, you can sign up to try glass making yourself. Young children can fuse picture frames or decorate a glass, while adults and older teens can make a flower or bottle from molten glass. The whole family can get into the act with a family workshop. It is a really unique and interesting experience. The Sculpture Gallery features exhibits of works in glass and mixed media from recent decades by international artists. The Glass Collection houses the world's most comprehensive glass works collection spanning from Ancient Egypt to the 21st century. Other ongoing exhibitions — the West Bridge Collection, the Crystal City Gallery, the Study Gallery, The Carder Gallery and the Studio. You should allow several hours to see the whole museum. The museum staff recommends allowing 3 - 5 hours. It's a good guideline, but if you have to allow for breaks, and tired, or hungry kids you might want to give yourself a little extra flex time. If you would like to have a bite to eat, there is a café and a coffee bar on the lower level. You can sit inside or enjoy the fresh air and sunshine outside in the courtyard or on the patio. The staff and facilities are very child friendly. Everyone had a really enjoyable time.
About the authors: James is the oldest of 4 kids. Mom is their Mother, a children's writer, educator & photographer. They live in New York with their Dad and pet dogs, cats, geckos, and turtles.
also in Travel -> New York State Tourist Attractions
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.... featuring New York area weekend trips with James and his Mom as they search
for fun, excitement and learning adventures!
.... 
