Ritz Carlton Battery Park

When we began exploring the nearest hotel to the Statue of Liberty we found the Ritz Carlton Battery Park.  

What caught our attention is not only were they located right in Battery Park, so we could easily cross the street to catch our ferry to the Statue of Liberty.  They also have an amazing Statue of Liberty view.  The Statue of Liberty view rooms come fully equipped with telescopes.  Which entertained Jaxon the entire stay.  Also conveniently located near by was the hop on and off bus, Castle Clinton National Monument, The National Museum of the American Indian, Seaglass Merry-Go-Round, and the Korean War monument to list just a few things that kept us busy during our stay.

In addition to Battery Park, located directly in front of our hotel was the beginning of the 9/11 Memorial walkway that took you directly to the site of the Memorial and Museum.  I was not sure how I would feel about visiting this site especially with a small child in tow who really doesn't understand the meaning of living through such a tragic event.  Sadly, it would be foolish of me to hope or wish that he never has to experience such tragedy.  In the world we live in today it is more common then generations before.  Yet I can now say I visited the site and cried as many people have done before me remembering all of the brave people who lost their lives on 9/11.

Since we were visiting during the Fourth of July all guests of the Ritz Carlton were invited to join the hotel on the 14th floor to relax and watch the fireworks from their outdoor terrace.  We made sure to get there early so that we could have a front row seat for the Fourth of July event.

Our stay at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park was absolutely wonderful.  We could not have asked for a more convenient location in this area and having the opportunity to watch the fireworks without fighting the crowds on the street made for a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.

Ritz Carlton Rancho Mirage

After finding such a great Ritz Kids program in Orlando, Florida we decided to start venturing to other locations when the opportunity arises.  Since we are studying Deserts we turned to the Ritz Kids at the Rancho Mirage Ritz Carlton for our next adventure.  Palm Springs has always held a special place in my heart. There is something about this area that has a sense of calmness to it.  Even through all the extremes of the desert habitat I still find peace here.

The cactus garden in the lobby immediately caught Jaxon's attention upon check in.  We arrived early to give ourselves enough time to enjoy the property for the day and experience some of the resorts activities.  The resort has nature walks, morning hikes, night hikes among many other activities scheduled through out the week.  

We choose a Terrace Firepit Two Queens for our visit as we love being able to spend time outdoors as an extension of our (living space) room.  This room exceeded our expectations.  It had an outdoor living room under a terrace where we spent most of our time.  The terrace had a fan and during the heat of the day patio misters would turn on to keep you cool.  Each night at dusk someone would come around and light our firepit.  The room was absolutely gorgeous and more comfortable than some suites we have had in the past. 

The hotel has two pools.  We never ventured over to the adult only pool.  The family pool was very comfortable and enjoyable. Even with a full crowd it never felt confining.

There was a wide range of extra curricular activities to do spread through out the entire resort.  Jaxon was drawn to the putting green as he was having withdrawals from his golf classes.

We found this Ritz Kids was set up much different than the other location we had previously visited.  The Ritz Kids program here is only available on Friday and Saturday's.  So we made sure to come into Rancho Mirage on a Friday and Saturday so Jaxon could take full advantage of the Ritz Kids program.  During the program they read books on the desert such as Way Out West Lives A Coyote Named Frank or How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears.  Anytime we have visited Ritz Kids locations they always do a great amount of reading to the children on the specific topics surrounding the location. Of course Jaxon's favorite part of the Ritz Kids was Draco, the resident bearded dragon, that he was able to observe being fed daily.  

Here is an example of one of the crafts that were created during Jax's Ritz Kids visit. Anytime we are studying a topic I try to collect as many books as possible on the subject.  On this trip one of the books we brought along was The Storm on the Desert.  Then at night we use them for reading time.  Which makes for a perfect ending to an adventurous day. 

In the past the Ritz Kids locations we had been to had a rigid activities schedule including daily themes.  Rancho Mirage was a much more laid back form of education then we were used to during our travels or even at home.  At first I was a little concerned as we had come to visit solely for the educational value of the Ritz Kids.  Since my mind is extremely structured I did not see how this was going to happen while they were playing games all day long.  Frank was the Ritz Kids counselor Jaxon interacted with during the majority of his time.  As our conversations continued we found out that Frank was a Joshua Tree Park Ranger in the past and his knowledge superseded anything you could read in a book or learn at a zoo.  His expertise on the local animals is what caught Jaxon's interest and even though he thought he was playing games the entire time his mind was soaking up all the grand stories of adventure Frank was sharing with him.  Again the Ritz Carlton has amazed me.  This location took education out of the norm and put it into a new perspective and method but was equally as successful in the knowledge Jaxon took away from the program.