Coin Collecting Packages for my Friends – Follow Up #3

Earlier this year I was aware of some friends and family making some trips to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and I wrote about some packages I put together and you can read out it here.  My pressed coin collecting hobby is so well-known among friends that anytime someone goes on vacation they always ask if there are any coins they can get for me.  I’m a truly lucky guy to have some amazing friends.  In the past I have also mentioned that I do really appreciate them going out of their way to get these coins for me but I never want to take away from their own holiday enjoyment.  So I try to make collecting these coins as easy as possible with these little packages.

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Just recently a co-worker of mine let me know they were taking a very last-minute trip to Disney and were going to be staying at the Coronado Springs Resort.  This is a location I have visited in the past to acquire the coins there, but it has been a few years and I always jump at the opportunity to get a fresh set.

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Years ago when I had graduated high school my parents sent me to Disney and I stayed at this resort.  I remember it being a nice place to stay with a really cool pool, but it was huge and there was lots of walking.

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There were numerous bus stops inside the resort and it always seemed we were either the first picked up (last to the parks) or last to be dropped off at the end of the night.  Then there was more walking to the room.  But I was young and walking is always good for you so I shouldn’t complain.  My co-worker did mention the walking so that hasn’t changed, but I still think this is a nice Moderate resort to check out.

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Located in the main building of this resort where the check-in area is, and the main food court and restaurants is a place called Panchito’s Gift’s and Sundries.  This is the main gift shop for this resort and from what I remember this is pretty big.  Just outside the main entrance is where the two coin press machines were situation.

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The first machine is a 3 die electric model that presses the designs on pennies.

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The set includes Cinderella, The Fairy Godmother, and Dopey Dwarf.

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The second machine located right beside the first and has one image that presses on a Quarter so the over cost is $1.25 for this one.

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The image is of Jose Carioca who you may recognize from the Three Caballeros movie.  Even though these weren’t new designs it was nice to get a fresh set for my collection.  The resort is really beautiful and if you are in the area it does make for a nice place to wonder around.  Just make sure you bring some comfortable walking shoes.

Cubs Win, Cubs Win!! 2016 World Series Champions

In some of my previous posts I’ve mentioned that my family are pretty big baseball fans.  Now I will admit we are not actually Chicago Cubs fans, but when they made it into the World Services we couldn’t help but jump on the band wagon.

For those of you that may not know the Cubs had last been to the World Series in 1945, and the last time they won was in 1908.  That’s a 108 year drought and they finally broke it, but it was a long season and there were some bumps along the way.

To commemorate their journey the folks over at pennycollector.com put out a special limited number set of pressed pennies for each of the playoff series.  When I got the email about this set being made available I quickly headed over to order my set.

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This set includes 3 pennies and I think just make a really cool collectible set for any Cubs fan, baseball fan or just pressed penny fan.

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The first playoff series for the Cubs was the NLDS – National League Division Series where they played the San Francisco Giants in a best of 5 series.  They bested the Giants in 4 games (3-1).

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The next series was the NLCS – National League Championship Series again the Los Angles Dodgers.  The Cubs won this series in 6 games (4-2).

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Finally they had made it to the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians.  This was a really fantastic series.  The Indians went up 3 games to 1 and it looks like the Cubs drought would continue.  But they wouldn’t go away quietly and eventually came back and forced a game 7 which is the holy grail of sports events, and to top it all off the game went into extra innings.  The Cubs eventually won in the 10th inning with a final score of 8 to 7.  What a season they had and were able to win the ultimate goal.

Congratulations Cubs fans you’ve waited long enough, enjoy it.

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Pooh Corner – Disneyland, CA

I told you I’d be back with another Disneyland pressed coin set.  This new machine became available pretty much as I was writing about the other Beauty and the Beast set.  This new machine is located in the Pooh Corner Store located in Critter Country behind Splash Mountain and obviously near the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride.

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This new set of images are being pressed on pennies and as you should probably assume are themed around Winnie the Pooh.

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The images include Winnie the Pooh, Tigger on his head, and Rabbit.

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These coins also have a nice design on the back which says Disney Winnie the Pooh surrounded by some leaves.  Very nice and festive for the fall that is now upon us.

It seems that more and more new pressed coins designs are becoming available throughout the parks and I’ll be sure to keep you up to date as I come across them.  Keep your eyes open you never know when or where you will find a pressed coin machine.

Hershey Park – Hershey, PA

After checking out Chocolate World just a short walk away was our true destination for this trip Hershey Park.

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Now I will admit that my wife and I are not big thrill ride fans so most of the crazy roller coasters they have here are lost on us.  But our daughter loves the little kiddie rides and I’m having panic attacks about potentially having to go with her on bigger rides when she’s older.  For now we get to do the nice easy things like meet Mr. Hershey Bar.

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Not to mention Hanna’s absolute favorite thing to do a classic carousel.

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We do make it on some of the more “boring” rides like cable cars, the monorail, and the odd log flume ride.  The day we were here actually was a really hot day for this late in the summer, and Hanna really wanted to just play at the Boardwalk.

My wife volunteered to take her through water park area and I was able to sneak off with our younger daughter Melody (8 months old) to wonder around the park.  This was to accomplish two things.  1) Melody was pretty cranky due to the heat and trying to get her to take a nap was top on my priority list.  2) There were penny machines to be found.  Now I didn’t collect these machines in this order, but I’m going to review them as you would after first entering the park.

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As you go through security and have your admissions ticket scanned you will immediately find the first two machines.  The first one is on the right of the main path just outside one of the many souvenir shops.

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I will apologize now for not having actual pictures of the final pressed pennies.  All of these coins were collected on a previous visit a couple of years ago and the designs have not changed.  Due to this I didn’t press any new sets since I already have a few of each in my collection which unfortunately is all packed away as my family is getting ready to move.  So instead I took close-ups of the machine marquees that show the coin designs. Back to the machine, the set available here includes Springtime in the Park, Ms. Hershey Kiss, Great Bear Roller Coaster, and the Storm Runner ride.

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The second machine is on the left side of the main path.  This may actually be easier to collect on the way out depending on the crowd level when you first enter.

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The designs available at this second machine are the Kissing Tower, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Character, The Wildcat Roller Coaster, and a Hershey Kiss Street Light.  By the way in case you are wondering about the Street Lights these actually exist and are located all around town see picture below.

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After walking up the first big hill in the park you come out in the main kiddie ride area.  Near Starship America and the Carousel is the third machine.

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Just due to where this machine is located there are always a lot of kids around it.  To be honest not many are ever actually using the machine but they always get a kick out of watching when it’s used.  I always make sure to show them how it works and the finished products then they quickly run off to ask their parents for spare change.

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This set includes the Hershey Bears Logo (Minor League Hockey Team), Mr. Hershey Chocolate Bar, Hershey Park Logo, and a Carousel Horse.  To find the next machine you have quite a walk ahead of you.  It’s located way over toward the Boardwalk and is just outside the bathrooms/changing rooms for the water flume on steroids ride called Tidal Force.

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A word of warning about this area.  The ride Tidal Force has a splash area that includes part of the pathway that surrounds it.  When the ride vehicle comes crashing down there is a huge wave of water that splashes down over some suspecting (and non-suspecting) visitors.  This machine is thankfully out of the splash zone, but just beware in case you don’t want to get wet.

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The pennies at this machine have images of Hershey Park in the Dark, Lightning Racer, Wild Mouse, and Tidal Force ride logos.  The last machine is back on the other size of the park past Zoo America near the Skyrush Roller Coaster.

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As you may be able to tell from the above picture this machine is located right outside a set of restrooms.  This always tends to be a busy area with not a lot of extra standing room for people waiting for their family members.  Plus you get some strange looks when trying to take pictures of the penny machine as people are exiting the restroom doors.

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This final set has designs of a The Claw, Fahrenheit, Skyrush, and a Train Engine.  The first three designs are all thrill rides located in the park.  That concludes all the penny machines in the park, however as I was wondering around I came across 4 new Medallion machines.  These are not really my thing (I spend enough on pressed coins) but thought I would mention these just in case anyone does collect them.  The cost for these were $3 each or 2 for $5.

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The first one was located near the restrooms by the carousel.  The designs were a Carousel Horse, Milton S. Hershey, a Hershey Kiss Lightpole, and Hershey Chocolate Bar.

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The second machine was over near the Wildcat Roller Coaster.  This set of Medallions were of Hershey The Sweetest Place on Earth, Ms. Hershey Kiss, Cocoa Bushes, and Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.

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This third machine was available in the area near the Zoo America entrance, by the restrooms at the Loft Catering.  This set has pictures of Fahrenheit, Mr. Hershey Chocolate Bar, a Hershey Kiss, and the Hershey Smoke Stacks.

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Finally the fourth Medallion machine was located by the restrooms near the Chevrolet Music Box Theatre.  This set included the Hershey Park Boardwalk, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup character, the Kissing Tower, and Laff Trakk.

With all the penny (and Medallion) machines photographed and documented for my collection it was time to head back and see how everyone was doing in the water park.  As usually Hanna didn’t want to leave but with the promise of chocolate on the way out she reluctantly agreed to dry off and start our trip back home.  This is a really great place to enjoy a day of rides, food, chocolate and pennies.  How does that not sound like fun!

Enchanted Chamber (Castle) – Disneyland, CA

Disneyland out in Anaheim California has continued with their replacement of the 60th Anniversary pressed coin sets.  These seem to be showing up every few days which is great for us collectors. The latest set that was made available is in the Enchanted Chamber Store which is inside the castle.

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The machine located here now is a 3 design electronic model pressing designs on quarters which is always cool.

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As you can see from the above picture this set is inspired by the Disney Classic Beauty and the Beast.  It includes Belle, Belle and the Beast, and the Friends of Belle (Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Chip).

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Another great bonus that the Disneyland parks include with a lot of their pressed coins are really nice designs on the back of each coin.  These coins have a great example of this with the above design that includes the iconic Enchanted Rose.

I’ve already hear of more machines becoming available so stay tuned and check back for updates as I’ll post as the new sets become available.  Have fun collecting!

Zoo America – Hershey, PA

While we spent the day in Hersey Pennsylvania we stopped in to check out Zoo America.  Now this isn’t a huge zoo and you can probably get through the whole thing in about 30-45 minutes if you walk really slow, but still has some unique exhibits I haven’t seen at other zoos.  You can access this separately from Hershey Park and there is a pretty reasonable admission.  However, if you are visiting Hershey Park you can access the zoo for free.  Just make sure to get your hand stamped before walking over the bridge as that is how you will get back into the Park once you’re done with the zoo.

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Once you enter the Zoo there is a recommended trail to follow which will ensure you get to visit all the areas and exhibits.  Once of my favorite is the Desert with a nice assortment of animals and is one of the unique exhibits I had mentioned above.

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For years this Zoo has had 3 penny machines available.  They have changed designs over the years and as luck would have it during this visit I was able to get the brand new sets.

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The first machine along the recommended trail is located in Bear Country.  It’s just outside the covered viewing area of the Black bears.

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You will see that each of these designs includes the name of the animal pictures (thank you!) which is nice as sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what it’s supposed to be.  This set included a River Otter, Great Horned Owl, American Black Bear and an American Alligator.

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The second machines is located on the main path of the zoo and is located right near the small little concession stand.

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These coins were on the very of rolling short but thankfully still came out okay.  The images on these coins are a Canada Lynx, North American Porcupine, a Road runner, and a Gray Wolf.

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The last machine is located just before the exit of the zoo before you enter the gift shop.  Technically this is also located right at the entrance, but if you follow the recommended trail you will go up some stairs behind this machine and won’t be able to access it until the end.  Another good reason to stick to the trail is it will ensure you find all three machines.

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The final set of pennies has a Rattlesnake, an American Marten, Swift Fox, and a Thick Billed Parrot.

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Each of the 12 designs does include a backstamp of the zoo’s website zooamerica.com. The image was not very centered in any of the coins I pressed and the above is the best one I could find.

As I mentioned above it would be hard to spend an entire day at this zoo as it isn’t that big.  But it does make a nice side trip away from the crowds and screaming from the Theme Park.  With out fill of animals and yet more pennies collected it was time to meet up with the rest of our family back in Hershey Park.  Roller coasters were calling our name.

Pieces of Eight Gift Shop – Disneyland, CA

It was only a matter of time before the fantastic 60th Diamond Celebration at Disneyland came to and end.  I’m sad to say I was unable to actually visit during the celebration but from everything I have seen it looked really amazing.  Now that the decorations have started to come down in the parks it also means the special 60th pressed coin designs are beginning to disappear.

The first machine to have a brand new set of designs is located in the Pieces of Eight Gift Shop.  As you may guess this is where you end up after riding Pirates of the Caribbean and is a store filled with all your Pirating needs.  Towards the end of the store is where this machine is located and has some really detailed new images.

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The coins pressed a little long in this set but the images still came out really nicely.  As you can see they have a lot of detail and are a great new set.

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The first penny has an Anchor and says “Dead Men Tell No Tales” which for you Pirates of the Caribbean fans is a familiar warning you hear before boarding the ride.

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The second penny displays a pirate skull with hat and crossed swords in the background.

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The final available design is another skull with a banner saying Pirates of the Caribbean.  I was really impressed with these designs and am exited to have even more new coins to collect.  I don’t know if all the 60th coins machines will be replaced with brand new images and would assume some will be old designs brought back.  But I’ll keep my fingers crossed and will keep you posted.

Chocolate World – Hershey, PA

This past weekend we decided to take a trip over to a magical town in Pennsylvania that’s name explains it all.  Hershey.  Driving along roads named Chocolate Avenue and Cocoa Avenue you can’t help feeling like you are entering into Willy Wonka’s Factory.

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Unfortunately we didn’t have a special golden ticket, but thankfully Hershey takes credit cards instead and lets you wonder through a building known as Chocolate World.

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This is located just outside Hersheypark, and can be accessed without a Theme Park ticket, and is quite the attraction all its own.  Inside there is a theater showing the 4D chocolate mystery movie, the Hershey Chocolate tour ride, you can create your own candy bar, and of course one of the largest Hershey stores I have ever seen.

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This is a really deadly place to visit for me as Hershey chocolate is a childhood favorite of mine, and I usually need a large truck to get all the candy and souvenirs out of this place.  But they also have a couple of penny machines which is just the cherry on top.

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The first machine is located near the main entrance doors towards the bathroom area.  The machine does have a change machine attached incase you didn’t come prepared (Shame!).

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This set of pennies includes images of a Cow “Made on the Farm”, Hershey’s Chocolate Soldier, A Kiss for You, and Airplane.  As luck would have it you need to make your way through racks and racks of chocolate bars, peanut butter cups, and licorice until you find the food court.  In among the tables you will find the second penny machine.

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As you can see above this machine also has an available change machine.  When this area of the food court is busy I would anticipate this machine is a little hard to use because there were some tables located right beside it.  But thankfully the area was pretty calm so I was able to press the coins without any issue.

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This set includes some familiar faces, Mr. Reese’s, Miss Kiss, Chocolate Bar Man, and one with all three together.  With my new pennies collected I finished shopping for more candy than anyone really should try to consume.

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Case in point check out the 5 pound Hershey bar my daughter Hanna found.  As much as it would have been entertaining to watch her try to eat this we convinced her to put it back and get something a little more portable.  Chocolate World is really a chocolate lovers wonderland.  If you’re in the Hershey area be sure to check it out and let your inner child just have a blast.

Once Upon A Toy Store – Disney Springs

It’s been very hard to keep up with all the changes and new openings going on at Disney Springs.  I’m attending a Disney Wedding in October and can’t wait to spend some time here checking out all the new stuff.  But with all the changes be sure to check out the old standbys as they still have some great things to offer.

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Down in the area towards the Rainforest Cafe is a pretty cool store called Once Upon a Toy.  As the name implies this is just one huge toy store.  When I visited in May this was one of the stops I needed to make as they had one of the new super multi-mega penny machines themed for Frozen with 8 unique designs and you can read out it here.

Que the Star Wars music.  I told you in my previous post that pressed coins seem to have ” gone to the dark side” (sorry couldn’t resist) with the Star Wars bug which is fantastic for us fans.  Shortly after the most recent machine at the Star Wars Galactic Outpost there is now a second 8-design penny machine.

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This machine is located in the far back area of the store where majority of the Star Wars merchandise is located.

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This set has each design numbers from 1 to 8, and includes the classic characters R2-D2, Chewbacca, Yoda, C-3PO, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, a Stormtrooper, and Darth Vader.

As with the other Star Wars machine I haven’t personally been able to visit this machine yet, but did acquire a set to post about thanks to a co-worker that just happened to be visiting Disney this pas week.  I actually sent her with a package to get some other coins from her resort which I’ll review shortly, but thankfully when she saw this machine and found out it was brand new she didn’t hesitate picking me up a set.  I really do have my friends and family well-trained to always be on the lookout.

Will Disney release any more Star Wars coins?  Only time will tell but with their upcoming release schedule of about one new Star Wars moving a year for the next who knows how many years this is probably a huge new set that will be forever growing.

Albany, New York

In just a few days we had been able to visit quite a few placed in our Upstate New York visit and on one of our last days it was late afternoon and we decided to pick a spot to get a hotel and rest for the evening.  We were coming up to Albany, NY and figured that would be a pretty easy place to find a hotel.

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We headed downtown and found a reasonable hotel that had a vacancy.  My family wanted to stay and rest in the room so I took the car out and decided to see if I could find any nearby penny machines.  As luck would have it there was one not too far away, I just had to hope the place was still open.

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The New York State Museum as you can see from the above picture is a very unique building.  They have some great exhibits and admission is free but donations are always welcome.  By the time I got inside they were actually starting the process of closing everything up.  I asked the security guard as nicely as I could if it would be okay for me to just stop over by the gift shop and use the penny machine.  He waved me through and I felt like I was getting away with something.

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I fumbled some change out of my pocket and pressed a set of coins.  They all came out nicely even though the machine was a little rough rolling.

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In this set you will get a I Love (Heart) Albany, a Carousel Horse, a Wooly Mammoth, and a Trilobite.  I stored my new pennies away and thanked the guard again as I left and heard the doors being locked behind me.  After the short drive back to our hotel I was greeted by my family that seemed ready to go and find something to eat.  Having a secret up my sleeve I mentioned that we should go to the Crossgates Shopping Mall as they would have a varied selection of places to eat.  Everyone was on board and a sneaky grin crossed my lips.

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The mall was a bit of drive away but we drove around the parking lot checking out the available restaurants.  We ended up choosing The Melting Pot which is a fondue restaurant.  All I’ll say is their desert Chocolate fondue is to die for.  Yes you do technically cook your own food, but the experience is still pretty cool and fun for the entire family.  Once our meal was over and we were completely stuffed with melted cheese and chocolate we figured it was a good idea to walk around the mall for a bit.  Eventually on the second floor we came across the food court and my plan fell into place.

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A penny machine was are the changes?!?!  My family just laughed and realized how I had orchestrated this entire side trip.  You’d think they would know better by now.

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I pressed my coins and we finished our after dinner stroll.  With the bloating feeling in our bellies starting to subside we eventually made it back to our car and then back to the hotel to get some sleep.  It was finally time to admit that our trip was over and time to head back home to Jersey.  Spending this time with my family was really a treat and we came back with some great memories and a pocket full of new pennies.  Overall it was another great family trip.