Visiting Knoxville, Tennessee

Towards the end of our Mother/Son roadtrip, we decided to take a couple stops in Tennessee. First stop, Knoxville.

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Knoxville Downtown at 210 W Church Ave for 2 nights. I chose this hotel because it’s so close to downtown. It’s close to public transportation. They have free wifi and a mini fridge. And I’m so glad I did. This hotel was pretty nice! It was probably one of the nicest places we stayed during our trip. Self parking costs $15 a night, which is what we did. There is no breakfast included, but I think you can purchase some. However, we decided to go to a place just a couple blocks away.

We ate brunch at the French Market Creperie Downtown. We started by waiting in line, which was fairly slow moving. After we ordered, we found ourselves a table and waited for our food. It did take a couple minutes, but that’s because it’s made from scratch! I had a mushroom, spinach, bacon, and swiss crepe while Owen ordered a s’mores crepe. They were both delicious! But I don’t think any kid could sit there without a huge smile on their face while being presented with that awesome s’mores crepe.

Owen’s Notes: “I love crepes and when I had a s’mores crepe, I just thought it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had in my whole life. I want to go there again!”

Then, we walked to the visitor’s center to watch some live music. Every day, they broadcast live on the radio from this location so it was fun to see the two acts perform, knowing that we were watching something that other people around the world were listening to. We really enjoyed the Bird and the Bear. They were pretty good. Inside the building, they have bathrooms, brochures for things to do around town, and a local gift shop. There’s also a great mural on the side of the building that you should check out before or after you see the acts.

Next, we headed off to the Knoxville Zoo. It cost us about $37 for my son and myself. Parking was $5 (but we paid for that at the gate along with our tickets so I’m not sure what’s to keep people from lying and saying that they didn’t bring a car). It didn’t seem to be too busy, but we were only there for a couple hours in the afternoon due to the heat. We saw so many great animals! It was an absolute blast. Owen even got to ride a camel. The elephants were inside, but Owen bought himself a wax one to bring home. They had these wax animal machines all over the zoo. My favorite part to walk through was definitely monkey area. There were multiple different levels to walk through so it was like you were up high with them swinging on branches. Overall, we had a great time. I would definitely recommend a stop if you’re in town.

Owen’s Notes: “Knoxville Zoo was a great zoo. I loved that we got to see so many animals. My favorite one that we got to see was the sleeping tiger. He was so cute. He kept opening one of his eyes.”

Then, we decided to go for a hike to the Bluffs. So, first of all, I was super confused where I was supposed to park. I had heard that you’re supposed to park in one place (so we did) and then, after walking a ways, I learned I could have parked closer. That was annoying. I would definitely recommend googling the bluffs in Knoxville to find out where they are. There are a couple things you should know before going though. The road/path is large rock gravel. So, even with tennis shoes, it was painful to walk on. It’s not a very long hike, but it was pretty uphill so at the end of our day, after we’d already walked A TON, this was a little difficult for me. However, the view that you get is beautiful. Now, while I don’t necessarily recommend going past the sign that says not to go any further, that is what we did to see the amazing views. And clearly, almost everyone else does as well.

The last thing we did that day was to catch a free trolley to the Sunsphere. We took an elevator to the observation deck and walked around it a couple times. The Sunsphere is a free attraction and there is a ton of informational things to read while on the observation deck. Plus, it gives amazing views of the city. There were a couple other people up there at the same time as us, but I definitely wouldn’t say it was busy at all.

Owen’s Notes: “Sunsphere! At first I was really scared because I’m afraid of heights, but once I got used to it, I really really liked it. You could see the whole city from up there. So cool!”

We decided to walk around the World’s Fair Park for a while before walking back to our hotel. We took a couple pictures with the water. Owen’s favorite part was definitely the fountains. He ran through them multiple times and got completely soaked! He was just so happy, though, so how could I possibly complain. Then, we decided to walk back to our hotel and call it a night.

Owen’s Notes: “My favorite part was when I got to go through the fountains. I went through the fountain like 15 times. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to get even wetter, but I had to stop.”

We were definitely exhausted from our day and slept really well that night!

Hickory Nut Falls

My son and I started our two week road trip visiting cities and going to the beach and hanging out at a theme park. So, to change it up a bit, we decided to go hiking between visiting my dad in North Carolina and visiting Knoxville.

We really only had time to go to one place, so I chose Hickory Nut Falls, which is located in Chimney Rock State Park. Something I didn’t know before we went is that it does cost about $20 to drive into the state park. There are 2 options to parking. You can park down below and take a shuttle to the top, or you can drive all the way to the top. The road wound around a lot. It was weaving back and forth up the mountain and at times, it was very difficult to see if other cars were coming. However, I was happy with my choice to drive all the way up though, so that I didn’t have to wait for the shuttle.

At the top parking lot, there is a building where you can buy souvenirs. There are also restrooms. It’s a nice area. I guess that there’s usually an elevator to take you to the top of Chimney Rock, but when we were there, it was out of order. And to hike up to Chimney Rock was climbing up 500 stairs. There was no way I was going to make it so we just took in the views from the benches set up in front of the gift shop. It was seriously beautiful!

We took our time during our hike to Hickory Nut Falls as we climbed down a set of stairs and took the amazing mile long hike to see the 404-foot waterfall. It’s not necessarily a difficult hike. I’m sure some people classify it as an easy hike. However, it’s not flat. There are some stairs. There are some logs to step over. It does go uphill. There are rocks to climb over. It was a great little hike though. I would definitely recommend it to people that are only mildly into hiking. When we arrived at the waterfall, my son had a great time climbing down to the rocks and playing in the water at the bottom of the falls.

It definitely took way less time to hike back. That is, until we reached the hundred and seventy some steps back to the parking lot. Those sucked. But I made it. And I loved the hike. I would absolutely do it again. And you should check it out too!

Owen’s Notes: “It was pretty exhausting to get there, but once we got to Hickory Nut Falls, it was beautiful! I got to climb around on rocks to get to the bottom of the waterfall. I got soaked!”

Virginia Beach

During the two week road trip I took with my son, we visited cities, mountains, the country and we went whale watching, did a factory tour, visited a theme park, went hiking, learned about history, etc. My point is that I tried to really put a little bit of everything in this trip. So we couldn’t get through this trip without visiting the beach. I looked around and decided on Virginia Beach.

After seeing how much a nice, beachfront hotel cost, I lowered my standards! So, I just needed a clean, close to the beach hotel. That’s when I found it. We stayed at the Days Inn by Wyndham Virginia Beach at the Beach at 1000 Atlantic Ave. They have free wifi, free breakfast, mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. Plus, it’s right across the street from the beach. While the room did look a little dated, it was pretty clean, so I can’t complain. Overall, it was a decent place to stay, especially since we only stayed for one night. And I would absolutely stay here again. But it’s definitely not a 5 star hotel. Or a 4 star hotel. Or a 3 star hotel. But you get what you pay for, right?

When we woke up in the morning, we got our swimsuits on, packed our bag of beach stuff, and headed out the door. We crossed the street, walked across the boardwalk, down the stairs, and across the beach to the ocean. It was a little chilly, but we got used to it. The water itself isn’t very clear here like it is in the caribbean, but it’s still fun for kids. There weren’t very many people there at 8:30 in the morning. However, when we left at 10am, it was starting to get pretty packed. I’m not big on spending hours upon hours at the beach so we left pretty early. Plus, I wanted to get back to the hotel and take a shower before we had to check out.

Owen’s Notes: “Shells! Beach! Sea! The waves were really strong there. Some of the waves, I dove under and sailed away with it. I really liked that.”

We then made our way back toward the beach to find Cherie’s Bike Rental. It was right between the beach and our hotel. The company actually has 15 locations along the boardwalk. We rented a surrey bike! It cost us about $25 for the hour. We rode up and down the bike trail that runs along the boardwalk. There were a lot of groups on surrey bikes on the trail so we were definitely not alone. It’s super easy to drive, especially when multiple people are pedalling.

Owen’s Notes: “It was actually pretty hard to pedal all that way. It was pretty tiring. I also liked it.”

After we returned our bike, we decided to eat lunch at the place right next door called Calypso Bar and Grill. Seriously, we never travelled any more than a block to do anything! It was great. We decided to sit outside so that we could be close to the beach and still see the ocean. That was definitely my favorite part. I ordered crab hush puppies as an appetizer. They were really good. I’m a huge fan of hush puppies though. They basically tasted like a regular hush puppy, but with a piece of crab in the middle. For my main meal, I ordered the lobster mac and cheese. It was a huge portion and there was no way I was going to eat the whole thing, but it was absolutely delicious. If you’re in the area, for sure check this place out.

Overall, we had a great time in Virginia Beach, even though it was a short visit. I would absolutely return and choose these same activities again!

Hershey's Chocolate World and Hershey Park

On our 2 week road trip in early August, my son and I made a stop in Hershey, Pennsylvania to visit Hershey World.

Our Hotel: We decided it was too expensive for us to stay onsite, so we chose the Comfort Suites Hummelstown-Hershey at 320 Milroy Rd. It has free parking, free wifi, and free breakfast. What more could we ask for? The room seemed clean and the staff was friendly enough. Our breakfast was pretty standard (waffles, fruit, eggs, sausage, cereal, muffins, etc.).

We decided to head to Hershey’s Chocolate World before heading to Hershey Park. Well, little did I know that this was going to be the highlight of our time in Hershey. Seriously! It was amazing. Right away when you walk in, there are multiple photo opportunities. We were even lucky enough to bump into Miss Hershey Kiss herself! It was great. I love a good meet and greet. Then, we walked over to the Hershey Tour Ride. It’s like a mix between a slow amusement ride and a factory tour. Clearly, you’re not really in a factory, but you definitely get the idea about how chocolate is made.

We walked over to the ticket counter to add some fun to our time here. We chose to do the Build Your Own Chocolate Bar experience and the 4D Mystery Movie.

First was our Build Your Own Chocolate Bar experience. And while we still had to wait in a fairly long line even though we had tickets (everyone had tickets), it was still an awesome experience. It isn’t cheap, but I would definitely recommend doing this one! You start out by putting on a hairnet and an apron. It’s a really great look for absolutely everyone! (sarcasm) Then, when it’s your turn, you are led to a screen where you decide what you want in the chocolate bar you’re creating. I decided on a base of dark chocolate with pretzel bits, chocolate cookie bits, and butterscotch chips topped with sprinkles. (I just ate my chocolate bar recently and first off, it was huge and secondly, it was delicious!) Then, you wait in another line and when it’s your turn, they cue up your chocolate bar to be made. (I think they do it like this so that 1. You can watch your bar being made and 2. To keep families together.) Then, you walk along the line, watching the machines add all the pieces to your chocolate bar. It was fun to see it get filled with the items we chose, covered in milk chocolate, and then dashed with sprinkles. After that, you walk over to another set of screens where you design the wrapper. It’s so cool! You can put your name on the front, add stickers, change the background, and so much more!

Then, you wait for your chocolate bar to come out of the cooling rack. It is packaged, put into a Hershey tin, and then wrapped in the custom wrapping you designed. My son had the time of his life at this experience. Plus, when we walked out of the “factory”, Reese was there, so we were able to get a picture with him.

Owen’s Notes: “Chocolate Bar! I really really really liked making my own candy bar! It had a dark chocolate base with chocolate cookie bites, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and crisp rice and on top, there are sprinkles! I loved it. I loved making it.”

Then, we went to the 4D Mystery Movie. First, you stand in line. Then, you stand in a little room, waiting. Eventually, you do go into the theater. But let me tell you something, there really is no reason to get there early. It’s a theater so there aren’t really bad seats. And everyone that purchases a ticket will get in. Besides, there’s no reason to stand for a long time, especially with kids. The show itself was a fun, interactive mystery. I won’t spoil any of it for you. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself. Plus, it’s a great time to sit and relax if you’ve had a long day or know that your day is going to be exhausting like us.

The last thing I’ll say about this place is to continue looking over by the Build Your Own Chocolate Bar area for meet and greets. It rained on and off while we were at Hershey Park and we didn’t see a single character out so before we went to our car to leave for the day, we stopped back in Hershey’s Chocolate World to see if any characters were out and about. We were able to find Jolly Rancher. And where? By the Build Your Own Chocolate Bar area!

We eventually made our way over to Hershey Park. The forecast wasn’t looking so great so we tried to get in as many rides as possible before the rain came. I’m not a huge fan of walking around wet. It’s just not comfortable. Here’s how our day went:

Tilt-A-Whirl: This was the first ride we rode (mostly because it was right by the entrance, but also because it was a good way to ease into rides). I love a good classic ride.

Reese’s Cupfusion: We happened to get to this ride at a great time! At first, we didn’t want to go to this ride yet because the app said the wait was 2 hours long. But we decided to chance it anyway and wait. Well, not 15 minutes after we got in line, it started raining. And not just raining, it was pouring! Lucky for us, 90% of the ride line is covered! We didn’t get wet at all. And to top it off, even though the app said the wait was 2 hours, we really only waited about an hour. And the ride was so much fun! We really enjoy the shooting games where you try to collect as many points as possible so this was sure to be a winner for us. And it was.

Trailblazer: This was the only rollercoaster my son would ride so we clearly had to ride it three times!! It was a blast though. I’m a big fan of this coaster. It’s probably the most tame one in all of Hershey Park so if you have a child that is a little scared of coasters, start here for sure.

Kissing Tower: This was a nice little ride that takes you pretty high up in the air while rotating slowly, giving you great views. I recommend this ride as a nice break from everything else to just sit and see the views. Don’t forget to give your loved ones a little smooch when you get to the top!

Coal Cracker: We went on this ride twice. It was one of Owen’s favorites! It was just a fun little log flume ride with a nice drop at the end. We even got this awesome photo.

Tea Cups: It had just started lightly sprinkling when my son decided he wanted to be on this ride so he actually got to ride it all by himself! But he had a blast. It’s a small, little kid ride, and it’s tucked back in a corner, but it’s still cute.

Pirate: Our last ride was a good one. My son and I both really enjoy these types of rides. They’re the ones that swing back and forth and give your tummy that funny feeling as you drop back to the other side. We rode this one twice as well.

We did end up buying one of those refillable cups where you pay once and get free refills all day. (including ICEEs!)

Owen’s Notes: “I really liked this roller coaster called the Trail Blazer. It twisted around a bunch. We went on it three times. I also really liked this shooting game called Reese’s Cup Fusion. Hershey Park was the best place that we went on the trip!”

For the record: I am a large, plus-sized woman (size 24 pants) and I had no problem fitting on any of these rides. That being said, I did look up what others had said and didn’t even try to ride the ones that people said were tight fits.

We didn’t spend a long time at Hershey Park, mostly do to the rain, but the time we did spend, we had a lot of fun! I definitely recommend giving this place a visit!

Spending A Day In Boston

Out of all of the stops my son and I made on our 2 week road trip, Boston was one of our favorites! We did so many amazing things and I seriously can’t wait to tell you all about it.

So, there is no good (i.e. cheap) parking in all of Boston! That may be an exaggeration, but it really feels like it. We ended up parking in a garage that was a couple blocks from our hotel. The hotel then gave us a voucher that made the parking slightly cheaper (but still super expensive, about $39 a night).

Our hotel: We stayed at the Harborside Inn at 185 State Street. It was a great room with high ceilings, a fridge, and free wifi. It felt very modern and the location just couldn’t be beat. Usually, we stay at chain hotels, but I’m glad we made an exception this time. We only stayed there for one night, but it was a pretty good one night. There is no breakfast or pool. But there is a nice seating area and restaurant on the first floor.

Since parking cost so much, we thought the best way to get around would be to use public transportation. Well, I did a little research and found that Boston has an Old Town Trolley. I enjoy this company when we travel. Right now, they are in 7 cities around the country. So, what the Old Town Trolley Tours offer is a tour around the town. But it’s not only that. Our guide was very funny and made our trip very entertaining. Plus, you can get off and back on as many times as you want. We only got off and back on once during our trip, but it made the journey there so much better! We learned so much and really got to see the city. It was a bonus that one of the stops was just a block from our hotel.

Owen’s Notes: “It was very unique. I don’t think I’d ever been on a trolley before then. I liked it.”

The stop that we hopped off at was the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. I’m not big on history, but everything about this place sounded fun. First of all, every employee here stayed in character at all times. They wore period clothing and spoke in period accents and answered questions as though they were really there. We were given identities as people from that time period in a meeting house. Some people had lines. This was definitely an audience participation time. We were taken back to the meeting where the Boston Tea Party was planned. It was a lot of fun, for old and young alike. There was yelling, both of agreement and of disdain. You really have to experience it for yourself. Then, we were taken to a ship where we were shown below deck to get a sense of what the ships were like for people back then. We threw tea overboard. We were given time to look around the ship and take pictures. Then, we were taken to a dock that had some interesting historical facts. And finally, we were taken through a series of rooms that had videos and voices to tell us about what life was like after the Boston Tea Party occurred. After everything was done, we were dropped off at the tea house. You could get food and drinks here. Or you could walk back to the main building where there was a gift shop. I would have loved to look around, but unfortunately, we had to be moving to our next destination.

Owen’s Notes: “I really liked that we got to throw little tea boxes overboard. I also really liked that we got to go into a museum where things seemed to come to life. The paintings started talking!”

So we got back on the Old Town Trolley and ended up back at our starting point.

Then, we were off to our next adventure. I had already purchased tickets to go on a whale watching boat tour. We got some ice cream from the Ben and Jerry’s nearby and then stood in the long line that was forming. When the line started moving, they started scanning out tickets so that we could then wait in another line. I wish this line had been covered. I was almost concerned I was going to get a sunburn just standing in this line. Eventually though, it started moving again. Then, we were taken to the boat.
Tip: If you’re one of the first people on the boat, find a spot quickly. There are quite a few options, but there are so many people on these cruises, that there’s hardly enough room for everyone, and if you get up, expect that people are going to take your seat.
We sat in multiple different places while on board, and most people were incredibly rude when you asked if the 6 seats they were saving were taken. With all of those negatives out of the way, let me tell you what I absolutely loved about this tour. First of all, I liked that they had food and drinks for sale. Because we really needed a snack. Somehow, we had forgotten to eat lunch. And since you start and end the tour with a long ride to and from your destination, a good snack is just what we needed. We got a soft pretzel, some chips, and a gatorade.
But clearly, the best part was the whales. We were very fortunate to be able to see 6 different humpback whales on our journey. They were huge, amazing creatures. They were feeding so we got to see their tails in the air preparing to dive frequently. It was seriously amazing. You really have to experience it for yourself and I highly recommend that you do.

Owen’s Notes: “Whales! Whales! Whales! I love whales! Whales! Whales! Whales! Whales! 6 whales!”

After we got back, we decided to get dinner from Legal Sea Foods, which happened to be right across the street from where they let you off the boat. There are so many things all in that one area! It was just the two of us and we were there around around 5pm so we were seated right away. Then, we ordered our food. I got a cup of clam chowder and a crab cake. The crab cake came with a small salad. Altogether, my meal cost around $26. Owen got chicken fingers. He said they were good. But the real reason you go to a seafood restaurant is to get seafood. And it was delicious! There is a reason this place is famous. It was very delicious. I would absolutely return and order these items again.

Owen’s Notes: “I tried a new food there. I’d never had clam chowder before and I liked it. I was surprised!”

We headed back to our hotel and rested from our long day. The next morning, we checked out of our hotel, brought our bags the 3 blocks back to the car, paid for our parking, and then went on our way. Before we left Boston, though, we had one more activity we wanted to do.

I had bought our tickets for the Fenway Park Tour the day before. We got there about 20 minutes before our tour time and parked on the street right outside of Fenway. I still had to go to the ticket booth to exchange the tickets on my phone for paper tickets. Then, we were told to wait by some steps for our tour guide. Right at 9am (our tour time), our guide showed up and took us on an amazing tour of Fenway. I like baseball, but I’m not a huge fan. But I have been on multiple ballpark tours and I always find them to be a blast! I definitely recommend them to anyone that even remotely enjoys the sport. And even though we consider ourselves Cubs fans, it was still great to tour where the Red Sox play. We were able to visit multiple different places including the Green Giant, the red seat, the press box, the garden (where they grow their produce used in dishes at the ballpark), and more. We ended in a room filled with memorabilia. It was a blast and I would absolutely recommend a visit.

Owen’s Notes: “Even though the Red Sox aren’t my favorite baseball team, I like baseball. I even got to go up on the Green Monster! I also got to see the Fenway Gardens.”

I know this was a long post, so if you made it all the way to the end, you made it! This is it! We had an amazing 24 hours in Boston and I would love to go back and visit again. There were so many things we didn’t do. Let me know in the comments below all the things we should do on our next visit!

Crossing From Canada into the US

One of the stops my son and I made on our 2 week roadtrip a couple weeks ago was in Ontario, Canada. I had never crossed the border before by car so I was a little nervous just because I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. Well, our first crossing into Canada was pretty easy (but that’s a different blog post). But then came our trip back to the US. That’s not to say it was difficult, but it was definitely different.

To start with, we were crossing in a much busier area. This time, we were crossing at Niagara Falls. It was bound to be busy. That being said, it was a beautiful sight crossing the bridge and seeing the falls. It was one good reason to hang out in the right lane while you’re on the bridge. But once those 2 lanes go into the lanes where you talk to border control, it’s a free for all. Seriously, it went from 2 lanes to something like 12 lanes. And it was chaos. Some lines seemed to move faster than others so you really had no idea how long it was going to take. While we were in line, there was an officer walking around with a dog, sniffing cars. He ended up circling our car multiple times, which made me a little uncomfortable, but he soon moved on. I wasn’t concerned because we were hiding anything. I was more concerned that we would have to get our car searched.

When we got to the front of the line and it was our turn, I was ready. I had our passports out, a list of all the things we were bringing back that we bought while in Canada, our itinerary from Canada, and all our other travel documents. I rolled down my window and my son’s window in the backseat. The man asked for our passports, which I gave him. This time, unlike when going into Canada, we were asked many more questions. He asked what kinds of things we bought while we were there. What kind of things did we do? How long were we there? He asked my son how he knew me. And when he answered that I was his mom, the man asked him if he was sure.

While the experience wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, it did feel slightly more hostile than when we arrived in Canada.

Overall, it was a fairly simple process. It just might take a while depending on when you go. Hopefully, it’s not too difficult for you if you choose to cross here!

A couple hours in Niagara Falls

At the beginning of August, my son and I went on a 2 week road trip, mostly through the United States. However, we did take a couple days to travel through Ontario. We visited a lavender farm and spent a day in Toronto. On our way back to the States, we stopped at Niagara Falls. I had never seen it from either side, so I was excited. I had heard that it was a beautiful, magical, and quite crowded place.

So, I did my research. Here’s the #1 thing to know about Niagara Falls. It’s a super touristy area. There are actually quite a few things to do in this area. Some have to do with the falls, and some don’t. There are so many different ways for you to see the falls.

You can park and walk along the road to view them. This is definitely the cheapest way to do it. And we did see them from here. But be forewarned, parking is NOT cheap! I think it cost us around $25-$30. And it costs the same whether you’re spending 30 minutes or the whole day there. At times, there can also be quite the line just to get into the parking lot. However, there is a nice overpass walking area to get to the Table Rock Welcome Centre. There are bathrooms and a gift shop here. Take the escalator downstairs and walk outside. You are right at the top of the falls! And it’s beautiful. It is definitely crowded, but we were able to find multiple places to stop and look at the falls.

The first place we went was actually the Skylon Tower. I figured we only had time to do one thing while we were in town so I chose this. You do have to pay for parking (about $15, I believe) and then admission (which was about $27 for my son and myself). You have to wait in a line to get to the elevator and in this line, they have a spot where they will take your picture in front of a green screen. You can then look at these pictures on your way out of the building when you’re done. When we got there, we were one of the first people in the building when it opened so there wasn’t a very large line for the elevator. However, when we left, it looked pretty long. So just as a warning, you may have to wait for a bit to get on the elevator to the observation deck if you don’t get there right when they open.

The views from the observation deck are amazing. The only downside is the bars that prevent you from getting an amazing picture with people in it. If you put your phone or camera right up against the chain-link wall, you can get amazing photos of the view, though. There is also a souvenir shop up here, inside by the observation deck.

Owen’s Notes: “Oh my gosh. It was the best waterfall I have ever seen. If I could, I would go there a gazillion more times! I thought the falls were beautiful. I loved Niagara Falls!”

The other options we thought about were taking the boat up close to the falls or taking the elevator down to go behind the falls, but in the end, I thought the Skylon would be best for our budget and time constraints. We had a great time at Niagara Falls, and I definitely recommend it as something you need to see in your lifetime.