The sweetest place on Earth!

Chocolate. The creamy, silky sugar-filled snack. You don't think about it, but we eat chocolate a lot. It's at the dentist, in stores, even sometimes in your milk. But, dear readers, why am I randomly talking about chocolate? I'll tell you why. Yesterday we traveled to Chocolate Avenue, a street very close to Hershey Park, World of Chocolate, Milton Hershey School, and many others.

Yesterday, we really went, to the sweetest place on Earth.

It all started with my departure with Mom into Hotel Hershey. A few minutes ago, we had driven through other parts of the town, trying to find information. Mom thought a hotel would be just the place.

The hotel was pretty beautiful. It had nice flowers of all different colors laid out, and a very majestic water fountain. We entered through one of those spinney door things, and asked where to find information. He directed us to the concierge, directly behind him. The concierge was a lady with, with olive black hair, the color of chocolate. She said hello.

Mom asked what there was to see in Hershey. She told us of the World of Chocolate, Hershey Park, and a few other things. She said that a tram would take us to the World of Chocolate, and it would be free. She said all we had to do was to show them our room key.

I started to say we weren't staying at the hotel, but I thought Mom would instead. She didn't.

Mom asked of parking and the woman gave the address of the World of Chocolate. We left.

"Andrew," Mom started to say, "I thought you were going to say we weren't guests."

"I was going to, but I thought you were going to. I'm surprised you didn't."

Mom explained that the concierge is great source of info, but usually intended for guests, but that it's ok. Oh well.

The family and I whizzed past the park and the factory, looking at the huge rides.

We parked into The World of Chocolate. I grabbed a Dasani, and we strode in. It was a pretty big building, stretching wide and tall. In the top center on the outside, were 3 animated characters: a chocolate kiss, a Hershey bar, and a recess pieces. It looked cute.

I walked in and saw a whole lot of people. The guy at the lobby told us of the activities. There was a tour through the simulated factory, a 3-d presentation, and a live educational lecture about cocoa beans. We got tickets for the lecture, and he said the lecture was going to take place at 2:30. In the meantime, he said, we should go on Hershey's Chocolate Tour.

We did.

The tour entrance was on the right if you're looking at the ticket booth. I got my new Sony Video Camera, and turned it on. Going through the entrance, we went down a long corridor. Around us were trees with long brown bean-looking objects on them. Going down a staircase, I quickly noticed it was one of those tours where you are on a moving pad, and jump into a car. Then, it that kind of tour, you go through the tour in the car and exit in the same way.

I was a little clumsy on the pad, but I got in all right. The tour was in motion.(literally.)

What we saw at first seemed to look like tails of mechanical cows. In fact, they were. Over the tails, were plaques saying Olimpia, Harmony, and Gabby. The tails were swinging, and it looked like there was another part on the other side. There was. (I'm a good predictor). When past the tails, we saw three cow faces with tutus on. They were singing, "Hershey's Milk Chocolate!" over and over again. They said milk was an important ingredient to chocolate, which was true. The announcer said that he''d get to that in a little while. In the meantime, he told us of cocoa beans, shipping, stirring, wetting, mixing with milk, drying, wrapping and shipping once more.

And we saw all of this happening! On conveyer belts and assembly lines. It was awesome to see it made, packaged and shipped.

We got out. As we walked down a different set of stairs, we departed in the biggest gift shop in my life. We ordered and got the picture that was taken at the end of the tour. Then I looked at the shelves, and shelves, and shelves of Hershey Chocolate Bars, Kisses, York, Recess, almond joy, ice breakers, twizlers, and many, many more. Also were hats, shirts,toys, bags, pillows, candles, bats, even a recess car. It was all so cool.

I got my friend a present and we went into the live lecture. Tables filled the floor and a stage with a projector and many safari looking items were on it. On the tables where we sat was a strangely brown drink and a bottle of water. When we came in, a lady gave us brown bags, and we sat down.

I emptied the contents of the bag and found: a chocolate kiss, a milk chocolate Hershey bar, a Hershey bliss, a dark chocolate bar, and a strousenburger chocolate.

A guy in a lab coat walked up behind me. I asked him what parts of the show to videotape, and he said that I couldn't tape the whole show, because I wasn't allowed to put it on youtube. He said also that I shouldn't tape the guy on the stage, because the guy on the stage was uninteresting

I nodded okay, confused. A few minutes later he got up on the stage! He was the guy! How funny! Of course now I knew he was kidding with me. He then told us not to eat yet.

The lecture wasn't really a lecture at all, it was just a tasting experience. He asked us what each treat smelled, sounded and tasted like. It was cool to compare them all.

Also on the projector was an Australian, telling us of the Aztecs and their use of cocoa.

Another thing in the presentation, was the guessing of the color of the inside of the cocoa bean.

Dad guessed green, Mom white, Rebecca pink, I blue. He said white was right.

"Blue?" He asked in surprise.

It was a fun blunder.

After the lecture, we pretty much left. I had a really cool time. I wish I could of written more on paper.

Going to New York,

Andrew.