Jeff's blog

As we head toward summer's unofficial start, Memorial Day weekend, there are a slew of exciting openings to share, including a new mini-amusement park in Queens' Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the debut of a Dinosaur Safari at the Bronx Zoo and a fresh ice cream shop in Williamsburg.

We've also got the scoop on a couple of museum closures, a way to see Section 3 of the High Line before it opens to the general public and a list of hilarious parenting hacks that may inspire you—or at least put a knowing smile on your face.

There must be something in the air. A bunch of kid-centric businesses across the city are closing, moving or reopening, like Dumbo's Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, which is once again serving the sweet stuff after being closed since October, and Kidville, which is closing and opening downtown and in the Bronx.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn is set to get its own David Rockwell-designed Imagination Playground, the New York Hall of Science adds a healthy cafe to its list of attractions, school admissions are all screwed up and a call to help an ill young girl.

With the media focused on the awful events in Boston—our hearts go out to everyone there, especially our friends and family at our Boston site—we're happy to give you a bit of a break from bad news. Every single item in this edition of our biweekly links roundup is good. The long-delayed Asphalt Green Battery Park City is finally opening, a mobile market brings fresh veggies to the Bronx, District 2 residents get to have their say about a new middle school, and free comic books and doughnuts are up for grabs. Plus, we share a very funny (though profanity-laden) reaction to the STFU, Parents blog and book—a must-read for moms and dads who are tired of suffering the gripes of the childless.

Earlier this week in our April NYC Go List, we told you about the biggest family concert happening in New York City this spring: the annual Kindiefest at BAM, which sold out super quickly. But don't worry: Kindiefest isn't the only cool gig in town this season.

Spring is a particularly great time of year to catch kids' bands in NYC. Local acts are emerging from hibernation with new tunes in preparation for the summer concert circuit, including popular groups like the Deedle Deedle Dees, Elizabeth Mitchell and Brady Rymer. We've rounded up 10 awesome concerts to put in your calendar this spring, but the best part is these big names don't cost big bucks. In fact, seven of these shows are 100% FREE.

Lots of cool family arts and culture news this week, including new open hours for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a call for kids' drawings to be used in the set of an Off-Broadway show and an offbeat exhibition of work by lauded children's book author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers. Plus, an Upper West Side rec center reopens after a revamp, a political action committee dedicated to NYC public school reform and a sad goodbye to a longtime Bronx Zoo resident.