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.

Midtown West may not be as chock-full of traditional play spaces as neighboring Chelsea or the Upper West Side, but there are still plenty of places where kids can run around indoors. Times Square has lots of fun interactive megastores like the Disney Store and Dave & Buster's is filled with new and retro arcade games. Plus there are three bowling alleys within blocks of each other, a lovely local library, a couple of kiddie gyms and other offbeat spots to romp or hang out.

Mother’s Day is nearly here, and a getaway just might be your favorite way to be pampered.  Resorts are starting to promote summer discounts too, so it’s not too early to be thinking of your summer holiday.  Deals in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Phoenix,  the Finger Lakes and Cancun provide plenty of options.

While there are a ton of family-friendly NYC boat tours, there are, surprisingly, only a handful of companies that have cruises that cater specifically to kids. Both the Circle Line, which launched its Kids' Cruise series in 2012, and Kiddie Cruises offer regularly scheduled seasonal boat trips in New York Harbor that feature kids' entertainment and activities in addition to stunning views. And a few other companies offer boats for charter, in case you're in the market for a private party on the high seas (a.k.a. the Hudson River).

The pay-per-kid party packages include all of the usual fun like face painting, live music and magicians, plus a couple of extra bells and whistles. All you need to do is book in advance, climb the gangplank with your crew and bring along a cake.

While not quite as glamorous as Earth Day, (see our Earth Day guide as well), the much older holiday Arbor Day, officially arrives this year on April 26th, with tree-friendly events spanning the last two weekends in April. While Earth Day focuses on the health of our entire planet, Arbor Day highlights trees themselves. It is a day to honor, care for, and appreciate the trees in our lives. This year there are plenty of opportunities to get involved and learn about trees while having a whole lot of fun. You can participate in a tree scavenger hunt at Sands Point, protect trees by pulling the invasive garlic mustard plant from Garvies Point, and celebrate trees during the Tree Celebration at Old Westbury Gardens and the Arbor Day Festival at Planting Fields. We've also provided a number of great arboretums where you can see and learn about some of Long Island's oldest, largest and most beautiful trees all year long. 

Are we the only ones who felt like this was a long, slow week? Maybe it has something to do with this being the first full week back after spring break. The awesome spring weather doesn't help either: How can we focus on work when there are parks and playgrounds calling out to us? Not to mention the hypnotic tinkling of the invading ice cream trucks.

Still, we found time to do some work. We launched our NYC Kid-Friendly Restaurant Guide and even added a pair of tasty new posts: Restaurants where kids can make their own food and an international food crawl on Ninth Avenue to go with our Midtown West coverage.

If you're looking to take a seasonal day trip, our Long Island site profiled New York State Parks in Nassau and Suffolk Counties that are filled with all kinds of outdoor fun like boating, fishing, biking, horseback riding and golfing, not to mention the opportunity to commune with nature. Meanwhile, our New Jersey site has a roundup of animal-filled farms where kids can get up close and personal with alpacas, llamas, sheep, goats, ponies, chickens, miniature horses and more.

And those are just a few ways to take advantage of spring now that it's sprung. Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week:

This weekend kicks off a whole host of special events, from the Cambridge Science Festival and the Boston International Children’s Festival to the openings of the Swan Boats and Frog Pond Carousel. Read on for our top picks, and be sure to check our 35+ Things to Do for April Vacation, Patriots Day Activities Roundup, and Events Calendar for more suggestions.

And remember, the circus is still in town - read how it went when Kristin took her daughter to the Big Apple Circus last weekend. Looking for ideas of things to do a bit further afield? Our coverage of great museums in Providence continues with 10 reasons to take your kids to the Providence Children's Museum, plus a whole gallery of photos, because we all know how many words a picture is worth.

If your family is making summer plans, how about going to summer camp with your kids? Here are 5 family camps in New England.

Finally, have you completed our survey yet? We want to know what you want to know. Tell us what you think in this quick, 5-question reader survey. We appreciate your input!

Enjoy!