8:30a - A quick check on the website shows a bus is due a block from our house in five minutes. On weekends, the schedule is likely to be right, since traffic is light. Sure enough, we head out for the bus stop and the 42 bus appears within minutes to whisk us downtown.
9:00a - The African American Museum is hosting its Juneteenth celebration, which means admission is free. The kids opt out of a Zumba workout taking place in the auditorium, choosing instead to make fun of me as I try to keep up.
10:00a - Franklin Square is a couple of blocks away, so we partake of the nice playground there before cutting over a couple more blocks to grab pastries in Chinatown. From there, we hit a grocery store for sweet buns and bean sprouts. Including a token contribution to the African American Museum, we've spent a grand total of twelve dollars so far, and that will be the extent of our expenditures for the remainder of our outing.
11:00a - The 48 bus arrives just as we leave the grocery store, so we grab it and ride it until 19th, where we debark and walk a block to the Academy of Natural Sciences, where we have scored free admission through Aaron's school. Even better, participants receive a huge tote bag full of toys and activities. The museum offers a goodly amount of fun for the kids, from a live animal show to a butterfly exhibit to a dinosaur bone dig to a plant pot decorating workshop.
12:30p - We exit on the 19th Street side and just miss a 32 bus, but another one arrives right behind it. We take it a few blocks, get off, walk two blocks, and grab the 21 home. With not many intermediate stops, we are home within minutes, the kids skipping because of all the fun they had and me trudging because I'm hauling two bags full of kid crap and groceries. Hey, I can't complain: we got a bunch of free stuff, the buses worked in our favor, and the kids got some exercise traipsing around downtown. Life's good.
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