Philadelphia Moms

Stroller Parking Lots

I think restaurants should have stroller parking lots.  We went to the Fitzwater Cafe today and they don't allow you to bring strollers in.  I mean, not even folded up in the entryway.  They have to be left outside.  Sorry, but I'm not leaving my stroller outside in Philly.  I'm going to resort to getting a bike lock for it. 

Macy's

So the Macy's at 13th and Chestnut Streets has been...something of a disappointment since it opened a couple of years ago.  Don't get me wrong, the building is lovely and the first floor is rather grand.  I love the feeling of walking into a large department store in the city, any city.  But this Macy's, it has no home store, or "The Cellar" as they call it, which I just found to be odd.  So odd that I keep to seem forgetting that it doesn't have a home section--I headed there just yesterday with the intention of buying new sheets, but no home section = no sheets.  However, the good news is they are finally adding The Cellar and, to be opened in November. I won't even get picky about the fact that The Cellar will be on the 3rd floor.

Macy's was one of the places I thought I'd visit frequently while on maternity leave.  After all, I love to shop, and could shop for both myself and the little dude there.  There's a rest room in the children's department, and knowing that department stores usually have nice rest room (or at least well appointed ones), I thought that at least I wouldn't have to worry about where to change the baby while shopping.  At the time, I was breastfeeding and my son was pooping about 12 times a day, so finding places to change him became a pretty high priority for me.

Of course, Macy's was just fine for rebuilding my back-to-work wardrobe.  And I found lots of cute outfits for the kid.  But when I visited the ladies room with the intent of doing a little diaper change, I ran into a problem.  After navigating a couple of turns down a hallway to get to the ladies room, the ladies room in the children's department, I was met by a sharp turn up a couple of steps.

What?  Steps to get into a bathroom? 

At the time, I had the bassinett attachment on my Bugaboo, which made it pretty long, and literally couldn't make the turn to get up the steps.  I think with an umbrella stroller it would be feasible, albeit awkward.  Annoyed, I turned the Bugaboo around and looked for an alternative location for diaper-changing.  Which wound up being in a seating area near the elevator on the 3rd floor (same floor as the children's department).  While I was there, I also gave the baby a bottle, and, through my people-watching,  realized the 3rd floor men's room is where homeless folks commonly bathe.  Interesting.

I'm sure there's another ladies room in the building, with easier access (in fact, since the rest room I visited isn't ADA compliant, there must be one that is), but frankly, I'm not sure why on earth you'd design a rest room with angled steps in a children's department.  The department where women would more likely have strollers with them. 

So, yeah, annoying.  It was the only time I visited that Macy's with the kid. 

Lolli Lolli

I popped into Lolli Lolli (on Walnut between 7th and 8th Streets) at lunchtime yesterday, looking for something to buy my son for his first birthday.  We've already purchased his "big" present, and I was searching for something extra like blocks or a toy boat...something.  Specifically something wooden. Knowing that Lolli Lolli carries the Haba line, I figured this would be a sure thing.

The store is a decent size for a center city boutique, narrow, but deep.  There are a couple of stairs leading up to the door and since the store is narrow with lots of stuffed packed in, I wouldn't classify it as super stroller friendly.  That said, in the time I was there, there were two strollers nagivating around.  It's tight, but it's doable, particularly if you have an umbrella stroller. 

The front of the store is generally all infant-related items: clothes, diaper bags, nursery decor and toys.  The back of the store is geared more towards toddlers on up.  They have some great clothes, including the line Tea, which makes sundresses so cute, I wish I had a little girl.

While toys for older tots and children seemed to be grouped well in their own little section in the middle of the store, the infant toys, and those geared towards 12-18 months, are tucked into all sorts of nooks and crannies in the front of the store.  They have a nice selection, but it is difficult to find exactly what you're looking for.  Then again, the store owner seems very helpful and this is probably the kind of place where you should ask her to point you in the right direction.

I think I had my heart set on some Haba blocks that they didn't have--although they did have other items by Haba and other blocks by companies with which I am not as familiar.  I'm going to check out the company Voila, though, since many of Lolli's wooden toys seem to be manufactured by that brand. In the end, I walked out empty-handed (although I nearly bought one of these for my son's stroller), but I know, I'll be back.

Ann Taylor

I love me a good shopping trip and fortunately, Philadelphia has a ton of fine retail establishments.  Unfortunately, many of those are not stroller-friendly (why every store does not have one of those electronic push buttons to open the door is beyond me). Before I had a baby, I regularly shopped in Ann Taylor, because the clothes are perfect for work and the dresses usually suit my style. 

But now I'm often shopping with a stroller and the Ann Taylor at 1713 Walnut Street falls in the "not stroller-friendly" camp.  Getting into the store isn't a problem, as there are no steps, but the store is teeny, with racks of clothes packed closely together.  There isn't a whole lot of room to maneuver.  The good news is that both nearby Ann Taylor Loft locations (one at the Shops at Liberty Place and the other at 1729 Walnut Street) have wider floor plans.  I prefer the original AT clothing line to her Loft sister, but I guess I'll take what I can get.