Auntie Penguin (as the family is now calling me) tagged along to BUBBLE FEST 2006 at the Buffalo Museum of Science this afternoon with Lil Brother, Dayna and Baby A!

Alright, so we did. Baby A has been practicing the word BUBBLE for days and days…the excitement was building. We arrive at the Science Museum (just about at the same time everyone else in the region did) and…and…

Well? What a bust. Sad but true. BUBBLE FEST was a bunch of soapy sudsy silliness that any reasonably creative and motivated parent could have created MUCH BETTER at home for the price of admission. Sigh…

Let’s begin with the wait. Ok, BUBBLE FEST is only one afternoon, I understand the museum will be busy. HOWEVER the museum should have realized they would be busy too. All the guests came in through the same door and had to stand in line to buy tickets. The line, cut right in front of the entrance door. The line, also directly interfered with the bathroom/gift shop line as well. Piss POOR planning.

EVERYONE through one small hallway. Strollers, grandmas, wheelchairs, ticket buyers, bathroom users and gift shop buyers. RIDICULOUS.

Especially when PAST the long line for tickets, in the front of the atrium, you find a lovely welcome/information area. I thought that it was incredibly poor planning for the line not to be routed to this wonderful centrally located welcome/information area.

To give the benefit of the doubt, I assumed there must not be a cash register at the welcome/information area because there would be NO POSSIBLE way anyone with any idea of any sort of event planning would possibly route all the guests through the same small doorway.

But I was wrong.

20 minutes later…Onward bubble lovers!

The BUBBLE FEST tents are outside. We head towards them first…and what do we find RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE of the exit area from the museum to the gardens where the bubble tents are located! Why a BAND of course!

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I have no idea who thought it would be the PERFECT place for a band, considering it was considered a pretty heavy traffic area for EVERYONE AND THEIR STROLLER to get to the Bubble Tents. WONDERFUL PLANNING! Kudos!

So we cut through the band and find the Bubble Tent. Yay!

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Except BOO! A little crowded and a lotta lame and messy and well, boring.

I mean THIS was worth $7 per person PLUS $1 per person for the Bubble Fest? Hardly. I think Baby A has taken a bubble bath before.
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And of course, again with the smartastic planning, at the end of the tent, there was a table blocking traffic. Silly me to think that perhaps a two-way tent would be a heck of a lot easier for parents and children to enjoy the lame baby pools of bubbles in 85 degree heat.

So much for BUBBLES! Back to the Science Museum. Of course, interrupting the kitchen band once again.

I have quite a few pictures of Baby A enjoying the museum, although overall, I thought it was “picture on wall” and “glass box exhibit” heavy and not as interactive as I thought it would be.

Overall impressions?

Buffalo Museum of Science? Eh…so-so.

Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet Elementary School located AT the Science Center? AWESOME!

BubbleFest 2006? A big bust.