My Day Was “Out of this World”

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Kim

I had plans with a friend today, but those plans were best saved for a sunny day….and today was not that kind of day…..so, we canceled! 😦 I got to thinking…..sad to waste a wide open day, so I commenced to thinkin’ about what I might like to do on a cloudy, drizzly day. What I came up with was a trip to the planetarium!

I used to love to go to the Strasenburger Planetarium when I was a kid! When I lived in NC, we went to the Morehead Planetarium in Raleigh. I love the shows they put on at both places…..interesting and fun!

I was interested in seeing the 1:00 show called “The Sky Tonight” about what stars, planets, and constellations you can see in the sky right now. I also googled possible restaurants near there that I might enjoy after the show. So….I headed to Rochester armed with my trusty GPS…cause it has been many, many years since I’d been to the Planetarium and I was too young to drive, so had absolutely no idea where it was!

Turns out it is super easy to get to….I drove right there, found a great parking spot, and went inside.

On my way to the box office, I stopped for a couple photos of exhibits – I was a bit early, so I had the time!

Turns out I was pretty early cause they weren’t actually open, yet – the girl at the box office was surprised I got in! But, she said that’s OK and she logged on to get the system up to sell me a ticket. But — second ooppss — I guess I should have called first cause the show I wanted to see was sold out!!! She could see I was disappointed, so suggested I come back for the next show called “Forward! To the Moon” that started at 2:15. She explained it was all about NASA’s next generation of space exploration program – Artemis! I wasn’t sure I’d be that interested, but she said it was quite good and I was there, so I bought a ticket and decided to go get lunch now rather than later!

The restaurant that caught my eye when I googled restaurants near the Planetarium was called “The Mad Hatter Restaurant and Bakery” at 176 S. Goodman St – sounded quaint (and I had fond memories of another Mad Hatter-themed restaurant I went to in Colorado called “The Rabbit Hole”). I passed it on the way to the Planetarium, so I knew it was just down the street so I’d have plenty of time to have a leisurely lunch.

Turns out (there’s that phrase, again) that things worked out just as they needed to…..the restaurant is only open 8:00-2:30, so if I had seen the 1:00 show at the Planetarium, I would have had to choose another restaurant…..and that would have been a shame cause this was the sweetest place!!! They have an extensive tea menu – every kind imaginable – a nice breakfast/brunch/lunch menu and loads of amazing looking baked goods in a display counter.

As soon as I was seated, they brought me a carafe of ice cold water with cucumber slices – so refreshing! I looked over the beverage/tea menu and had a really hard time choosing — I do love my tea!!! I selected an Herbal Tea called Tropical Turmeric – the description read: “Rosehip, orange peel, hibiscus, apricot, apple, coriander, and turmeric” – interesting! The waitress brought the tea pot and asked if I ever had tea there before – when I told her no, she poured the hot water into a smaller pot with the tea and explained that the tea should steep 3-6 minutes and then I should remove the center part with the tea leaves so it doesn’t get too strong. To ensure I steeped it for the proper amount of time, I was given a 3-minute hour glass timer – sweet!!! I did as instructed and when I finally poured the tea into the beautiful china cup, I fell in love — it was a wonderful choice! So good!!!

The food menu had so many wonderful sounding options, as well……for those who want them, there were also many vegetarian and gluten free options and most things that weren’t indicated as such were noted as “can be made VT/GF upon request”. I finally decided on the breakfast sandwich – fried egg, cheddar (although, due to my allergy, I requested that be left off), and meat or avocado on grilled challah. I chose bacon as the meat…..and, I learned that challah is an eggy Jewish bread similar to brioche. I also had the choice of potato or fresh fruit as my side – I chose the fresh fruit.

Everything was absolutely delicious!!! The atmosphere was lovely with all Mad Hatter’s Tea Party themes – a very comfortable, quaint place for breakfast/lunch – I highly recommend it! I had a relaxing lunch, sipped my amazing tea, and read a couple chapters in the book I’m reading before heading back to the Planetarium for the 2:15 show.

And…..I found out they do High Tea — would really like to go do that to see how they do it sometime! I always enjoy doing High Tea!

So…..back to the Planetarium: I got back in time to sit a few minutes before the show I missed out on finished and they were ready to let us in. I also took a couple more photos:

This is the flight suit of an astronaut we have living right here in the Rochester area!!! She was at the Planetarium recently and brought this for them to put on display!

While I waited, I noticed that there was another show after the one I was waiting to see — “Laser The Weeknd” at 3:15 — a laser light show to the music recorded by The Weeknd – yeah, not my kind of music, but I do love a good light show and knew that the Planetarium would do an amazing job! So, I went to the box office and the same lady helped me purchase a ticket to that show, as well.

The “Forward! To the Moon” was actually VERY interesting – I learned a lot about NASA’s Artemis Program and after that part was done, they also showed the stars, planets, and constellations that will be visible tonight, if the skies are clear (which, they won’t be, so nice to have seen it all this way) — I’m guessing it was an abbreviated version of the show I didn’t get to see! Woo Hoo!!!

When that show ended, I told the attendant I had a ticket to the next show and asked if I had to go out and back in….he said, nope – just stay here, it will start shortly.

“Laser The Weeknd” was AMAZING!!! GREAT laser light show and the music was actually very enjoyable, as well. I was really glad I decided to see BOTH shows! BTW – the seats recline back so you can easily and comfortably view the show being projected on a domed ceiling all around you…..the lasers seemed to fill the room!