My ten-year-old son loves animals and has been begging us to adopt a cat for about a year now. (Currently we only have a millipede and she's not exactly cuddly.) But since I'm not sure my kid is quite ready to take on the responsibilities of pet ownership, I decided we'd start with a trip to the recently opened Meow Parlour instead.

Meow Parlour is a cat cafe where you can grab a treat and play with adoptable felines in a cozy environment. These establishments have been super popular in Asia and Europe for years, and though Meow Parlour is the first permanent cat cafe in NYC, we expect more of these animal eateries to pop up around town. Little Lions is planning to open this spring and there are rumors of a dog cafe on the way, too.

While my son really enjoyed his visit to Meow Parlour, there are some important things to know before you go with kids. We've got the scoop on this cute kitty experience.

Whether you’re planning a skiing and snowboarding trip in the White Mountains of New Hampshire or you’re a world-class armchair traveler, the Ice Castle is a must-see on your Lincoln, NH winter itinerary. These glimpses of Ice Castles New Hampshire's magnificence are for your enjoyment, enchantment and daydreams. Maybe you'll even be inspired to create your own ice palace at home. 

First, a confession: I feel a little like this prolonged winter may be my fault. For the last few years, my family has ushered in spring by adopting a maple tree at the New Canaan Nature Center (one of our favorite outdoor spots in Fairfield County), and we have happily counted down the last few days of winter by wandering out into the snow to collect our sap and appreciate the arrival of the spring thaw.

This year, however, our schedules got busy and we decided to forgo this ritual, and now we appear to be stuck in endless winter. Coincidence? I think not.

We finish up our series of posts on East Harlem with a look at El Museo del Barrio, the northernmost institution on Museum Mile (at least until the Africa Center opens). Founded in 1969 by NYC-born artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz, who recognized a need for a museum dedicated to Latino culture and art, El Museo moved to its current location in the Heckscher Building in 1978 and underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2009. The museum's permanent collection features more than 6,500 objects that span eight centuries of Latin American, Caribbean and Latino art, and it mounts temporary exhibits, too. However, with only two galleries, the museum isn't able to showcase that much work at once.

But what El Museo lacks in space, it makes up for in rich family programming like FREE monthly family festivals, and popular annual cultural celebrations like Day of the Dead and the Three Kings Day Parade. And since it's located one block north of the Museum of the City of New York and across the street from Central Park, a visit here can turn into an enriching day-long itinerary.