Visiting NYC

May 6 2013

Crown Heights with Kids: Top 25 Things to Do for NYC Families

Crown Heights with Kids: Top 25 Things to Do for NYC Families

Originally developed in the early 20th century as an upscale residential neighborhood before it fell on hard times, Crown Heights, Brooklyn is in the midst of a revival. It's no surprise really. The area boasts top cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; the northeastern section of Prospect Park, which includes the zoo; and lots of lovely buildings, especially near its main thoroughfare, Eastern Parkway (which, like Prospect Park, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux).

While Crown Heights was emblematic of New York City's racial tensions in the '60s through '90s, today its diversity is one of the things attracting new residents. Though the neighborhood is still primarily made up of Afro-Caribbeans and Hasidic Jews, families of all ethnic backgrounds are moving into townhouses and joining the active Crown Heights Parents Yahoo Group, new shops and restaurants are opening up, and local organizations are working hard to keep everyone happy. Stark contrasts remain, with pretty rows of historic houses giving way to vacant tenements on some blocks. But overall it's a vibrant area, especially around Labor Day weekend when Crown Heights hosts one of the biggest and most colorful festivals in the city: The West Indian Labor Day Carnival and Parade, which celebrates Caribbean culture with incredible costumes, performances and two processions, one for adults, the other specifically for children.

Throughout May, we'll be taking an in-depth look at everything Crown Heights has to offer families, including our favorite spots to eat, play and experience. For the purposes of our posts, our geographical boundaries are Washington to Howard Avenues, between Atlantic Avenue and Empire Boulevard (which transforms into East New York Avenue at Utica Avenue). Today we kick off our coverage with our top 25 things to do with kids in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

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May 1 2013

Experience NYC in a New Way with a Stray Boots Interactive Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

Experience NYC in a New Way with a Stray Boots Interactive Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt

As an intrepid Mommy Poppins blogger, I am always on the lookout for cool new ways to experience New York City with my eight-year-old son. While we're certainly up for exploring neighborhoods on our own, when I heard about the do-it-yourself mobile tours offered by Stray Boots, I thought they sounded like fun.

A Stray Boots outing is equal parts walking tour and scavenger hunt. You just download the app on your smartphone, head to the starting location and go. But the entire route isn't given to you up front: At each stop, you need to complete challenges and answer questions in order to progress to the next destination. Along the way, the app shares historical tidbits and facts about the places you visit and the surrounding area.

Stray Boots started in NYC and now offers tours in multiple cities all over the country. For our first one, my son and I and two of his friends decided on the Chinatown and Little Italy tour. While Stray Boots tours aren't specifically aimed at families, we had a great time. Best of all, even though we'd all been to Chinatown and Little Italy before, during the tour we got to see the neighborhoods in an entirely new way.

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Apr 18 2013

Knightwatch Medieval Sleepover: Spend the Night at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

Knightwatch Medieval Sleepover: Spend the Night at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

Ever since the movie Night at the Museum came out, sleepovers at famous New York City spots have been popping up all over town. First the American Museum of Natural History did it (it was the star of the film, after all) and then the Bronx Zoo, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square and a bunch of other attractions followed suit. These sleepovers are a fun way for families to experience familiar places in a brand-new way, and are a great source of revenue for the hosts, many of which are nonprofit.

Now the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is getting in on the overnight action with Knightwatch Medieval sleepovers (which, in case you're wondering, are totally secular). My seven-year-old daughter and I attended one back in March and overall we had an incredible time. Having the run of the gorgeous Gothic Revival church is a rare and memorable experience that made us feel like queens for a day (make that a night).

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Apr 8 2013

Brand-new Legoland Discovery Center in Westchester: 15 Things to Do and Visitors Tips

Brand-new Legoland Discovery Center in Westchester: 15 Things to Do and Visitors Tips

New York City may have the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center, but if your kids are as obsessed with Legos as my eight-year-old son, it's worth taking a trip north to the brand-new Legoland Discovery Center, which opened a few weeks back in nearby Yonkers. When we set out to visit over spring break, I worried that it would just be a glorified Lego Store and not worth the schlep to Westchester's Ridge Hill mall. But I'm happy to report that the Legoland Discovery Center is a super-fun play space that has a lot more to offer than just building ith Legos.

The only Legoland Discovery Center on the entire East Coast, this new family attraction offers hours of indoor fun, including rides, interactive stations and a massive play structure to explore. Your kids don't need to be Lego nuts to enjoy themselves here: Even though there were literally hundreds of thousands of Lego pieces at my son's disposal, he didn't stick one pair of plastic bricks together during our visit. He figured why waste time on something he could do at home when there were so many unique Legoland Discovery Center experiences to try.

Of course as cool as the new Legoland Discovery Center is, there are some important things to know before you go to help you make the most of your visit. So here are my top 15 things to do at Westchester's Legoland Discovery Center as well as my insider tips as a mom who's been there, done that.

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Mar 3 2013

Forest Hills with Kids: 25 Things to Do for NYC Families

Forest Hills with Kids: 25 Things to Do for NYC Families

Known as one of the ritziest areas in Queens, Forest Hills is especially attractive to families due to its quaint ma-and-pa boutiques and restaurants, excellent public schools and lovely real estate. The neighborhood is divided into three main sections: apartment buildings near Queens Boulevard, single and multifamily homes from the 1920s to 1940s to the west and south (like 20 Ingram Street, a.k.a. the fictional home of Spider-Man's Aunt May), and Forest Hills Gardens, a stunning planned community that was founded in 1909 and looks like an old English village. When I was growing up in Queens, I used to stroll through the Gardens, marveling at the Tudor- and Colonial-style mansions and pretending I was in the "Old World." The gateway to this historic development is the stately Station Square.

While much of this Queens neighborhood is residential with a decidedly suburban vibe, it's easily accessible by subway and the LIRR, and has two commercial drags: Austin Street and Metropolitan Avenue. I love taking my family here to browse the swanky boutiques on Austin Street, and the antique shops and old-school eateries on the quieter Metropolitan Avenue. We also spend a lot of time in the 544-acre Forest Park, strolling, playing or riding on the the historic carousel. (While Flushing Meadows Corona Park is Forest Hills' eastern border, most of the green space's big attractions are located on the Corona side.) Local families keep up on everything happening in the area by reading the Forest Hills Rego Park Times or joining the Forest Hills Mommies and Daddies Yahoo group.

Throughout March, we'll be highlighting all of the things Forest Hills has to offer families, both residents and visitors. For the purposes of our posts, our boundaries are the Long Island Expressway to the north and Jackie Robinson Parkway to the south, Yellowstone Boulevard/Queens Boulevard to the west, and Flushing Meadows Corona Park to the east. We kick off our series of posts with our list of the top 25 things to do with kids in Forest Hills, Queens.

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