Raven's blog

Memorial Day weekend is the talk of the town—and out of town, too. All of our sites have posts about the best things to do over the three-day holiday, whether you opt for a New York City staycation or decide to take a day trip to Connecticut, New Jersey or Long Island. Tri-state area beaches open for the season this weekend, and we've got the scoop on what to expect post-Hurricane Sandy at NYC, Connecticut and Jersey Shores. We also have some great suggestions for day trips, all less than two hours from the city by car. In other words, we've got your entire Memorial Day weekend covered!

Have you contributed to our IndieGoGo Mommy Poppins App campaign yet? We're in the process of creating an app for all of our sites so you'll have our carefully curated content at your fingertips when you're on the go. For as little as $2 you can ensure that the app will be free to all, and we're offering some cool rewards for more generous contributions. Speaking of apps, we're proud to be partnering with family activity app RedRover, which recently relaunched and now includes Mommy Poppins event picks.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week:

With so many amazing things to do with kids in NYC we're never jealous of suburban families... except when it comes to throwing birthday parties for our children. Most of us don't have the space to host a big bash at home and no backyard for a bouncy house. And while there are lots of great party places in all five boroughs, buying an all-inclusive package can get pretty pricey, especially if you want to invite the whole class.

But if you're a DIY type who just suffers from space constraints take heart: There actually are some ways to rent relatively inexpensive party rooms in NYC, you just have to know where to look.

We're still basking in a Mother's Day afterglow (that's three generations of my family in the photo) but we're also counting down to Memorial Day weekend. Our Travel site rounded up some excellent getaway deals for the upcoming holiday weekend including destinations that are a short drive from NYC. Our regional sites are full of cool spring day trip ideas like the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, New Jersey, the USS Nautilus and Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut or pick-your-own strawberry farms throughout the Garden State. If you decide to make it a Memorial Day weekend staycation, there's certainly plenty to do in town like the opening day family festival on Governors Island, the debut of the Dinosaur Safari ride at the Bronx Zoo and the start of the Coney Island season.

There's still time to subscribe to our Hamptons and North Fork newsletter and be automatically entered to win fun prizes. We also have another great giveaway going on: Enter to win a week of Summer Adventure Camp: City Edition run by NY City Explorers.

Wish you could enjoy all of our Mommy Poppins recommendations when you're on the go? Well, soon there'll be an app for that. We're readying our Mommy Poppins App for launch but we need your help. We started an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign so that we can raise enough money to make the app free to all. Contribute to our goal and you'll snag some cool swag and, of course, get the benefit of using the app once it debuts in June. We believe that Mommy Poppins is more than just a website, it's a community. This app is a way for us all to collaborate on something really cool.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week:

Even though Hurricane Sandy may seem so long ago, many communities are still recovering from all the damage done. One of the hardest hit areas in NYC is one of our favorite places to play in the summer: Coney Island in Brooklyn.

While the Parks Department says the beach will be ready to welcome swimmers and sunbathers come Memorial Day weekend, many other Coney Island attractions like the New York Aquarium are struggling to open for the season, and some iconic events like the annual Mermaid Parade may not happen at all without support from fans. We've got up-to-date info on what to expect when you visit Coney Island this summer, and how you can help the People's Playground bounce back.

Mother's Day is the big subject on all of our sites this week. In NYC, we've got Mother's Day brunch suggestions and fun family activities on Sunday and even a few ideas about how to celebrate the holiday without the kids. Since my mother and my mother-in-law live in the city and we always end up at their respective homes, I often forget that Mother's Day is about me, too. This year I'm going to make sure I enjoy myself—and I hope all you moms out there do the same!

We launched two great giveaways this week on the NYC site. First up, we're giving away 100 tickets to the massive New York Baby Show on Saturday, May 18-Sunday May 19 in Midtown West. Right now the odds are pretty good to win! And if you're planning on visiting Long Island's East End this summer, you'll want to check out our brand-new Hamptons and North Fork Family Guide and sign up for our soon-to-launch newsletter. If you subscribe to our Hamptons and North Fork newsletter before Tuesday, May 21, you'll automatically be entered to win one of a host of awesome local prizes, including gift certificates to Dockers Waterside and Studio Art, and tennis lessons at Sportime Quogue.

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week: