Jody Mercier

When asked to illustrate her dream job as a first grader, Jody drew a picture of a mom with one kid on each hip and another clinging to her leg. All these years later, that is her reality, raising three kids in New York City. Since that gig only pays in hugs and kisses, she has spent her professional career as a journalist covering health, fitness, sports, and parenting topics. She's currently the regional editor overseeing the Mommy Poppins NYC, New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester sites and can be reached at jody@mommypoppins.com.

Latest posts by Jody Mercier

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to March Again in 2021

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Wed, 09/08/2021 - 10:16am

Confetti, characters, Tom Turkey, and more return to city streets this Thanksgiving with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Photo courtesy of Macy's

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is returning to the streets of NYC on Thursday, November 25, organizers and city officials announced. Following a made-for-TV spectacle in 2020, the 95th annual parade is planning a return to a more traditional parade route to kick off the 2021 holiday season.

Safety protocols will be finalized in the coming weeks, but expect to see larger-than-life helium balloons, marching bands, giant floats, and A-list celebrity performances, plus Santa Claus himself all parading down NYC's avenues.

Space-Themed Play Space Cosmic CAMP Comes to NYC City Point

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Tue, 09/07/2021 - 5:31pm

See how many black holes you can target with asteroids at Cosmic CAMP, a new intergalactic play space that's only here for a limited time.

Editor's note: This review was written when Cosmic CAMP was at the Flatiron location. It has since moved to City Point so there may be minor differences.

Grab your space suits and get ready to blast off on an all-ages family adventure. CAMP, the innovative toy store/play space is taking families on an interactive journey with Cosmic CAMP an intergalactic-themed family experience, which cultivates a sense of adventure while testing the mental mettle and physical skills of your all-ages "crew."

Read on for a sneak peek at what's in store once you open the magic door and enter the Cosmic Launch Pad.

Free Memberships Await as NYC Rec Centers Reopen

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Tue, 09/07/2021 - 12:45pm

NYC's recreation centers are reopening, bringing free memberships and after-school programs. Photo courtesy of NYC parks

New York City's recreation centers are reopening with big perks for New Yorkers—FREE citywide, one-year memberships will be doled out to all visitors who sign up between Tuesday, September 7 and the end of the year.

The news comes amidst the final week of the season for the FREE public swimming pools housed at city rec centers and marks the first time most of the 36 indoor spaces have reopened since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Here's the NYC Public School Calendar for 2021-2022

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Tue, 08/24/2021 - 10:17am

NYC school kids return to the classrooms for the 2021-22 school year on Monday, September 13. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography

Looking for the 2022-2023 NYC Public School Calendar? Find it here.

If you've got a child in public school, you live by the public school calendar, and after a year of fits and starts, delays, and COVID-induced quarantines and closures, parents are wondering what the new school year will bring. With less than three weeks before the first day of school, we're republishing the public school calendar. Many local NYC preschools follow the public school schedule, too. The New York City Department of Education's calendar for the 2021-2022 school year is below, and you'll want to bookmark it now for reference—and to help with planning family vacations and school break camp coverage.

One notable change for the upcoming school year: There will be no snow days. Plan on logging your kiddos on for a day of remote learning whenever buildings are closed for snow or other emergencies.

These are all of the dates you can count on your kiddos being out of school during the 2021-2022 school year.

Central Park's Top Playgrounds Ranked for NYC Kids and Visitors

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Tue, 08/17/2021 - 4:17pm

Central Park's Heckscher Playground is one of our favorites in all of NYC.

When out-of-towners ask me how I have managed to stay sane with three kids in Manhattan, my answer is always easy: Central Park. It's been our family playground for more than a decade. My son's first steps were taken there, and every day of elementary school in our house has started with a trek across the urban oasis. Our afternoons just don't feel quite right without a stop at the East 110th Street Playground, where my daughter finally conquered the monkey bars.

Central Park is our family's collective happy place, thanks in large part to its diverse array of playgrounds, which always keep us coming back for more (sanity-saving) playtime. In the spirit of our posts ranking the playgrounds in Prospect Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Riverside Park, we present our top playground picks for Central Park. Find more places to play in our Guide to NYC's Top Playgrounds.

Pixar Putt Brings Fun Mini-Golf Course to Battery Park for Limited Run

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Mon, 08/16/2021 - 4:31pm

Test your mini-golf skills on the Pixar Putt course, which has popped up in Battery Park for a limited late-summer run.

Pixar fans take note: You can now interact with some of your favorite movie scenes thanks to Pixar Putt, an immersive, interactive, pop-up mini-golf experience that's taken over Pier A in Battery Park for a limited time.

I recently played the 18-hole course with my trio of kids, and we've got a sneak peek at the fun that awaits. Whether you want to walk in the shoes of The Good Dinosaur, sail away with Up, or whack a golf ball a little too hard at a creepy Benson doll bust, Pixar Putt is a fun addition to the city's mini-golf scene, but act fast: Your favorite characters are only in town until Halloween.

A New Van Gogh Immersive Art Installation Opens in DC

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Sun, 08/15/2021 - 10:00am

Seeing The Starry Night in total immersion is one of the highlights of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience.

Vincent Van Gogh is certainly having a moment. A slew of immersive, larger-than-life art exhibits dedicated to the Dutch master have opened in cities all over the world. DC can now add itself to that list with the opening of Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience on August 6 at northeast DC's Rhode Island Center. And in a city teeming with museums, it offers something quite unique.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is a 20,000-square-foot light and sound installation featuring two-story projections of the artist’s most compelling works so you can experience them in 360 degrees. It includes three galleries tracing the artist's development and life story. Giant fact-filled placards hang in the first two exhibition spaces before you ever encounter the finale: total immersion.

Autism-Friendly Big Umbrella Fest Returns to Lincoln Center Next Month

Submitted by Jody Mercier on Wed, 08/11/2021 - 12:42pm

How close you get to the action is up to you during Squonk's Big Hands for Big Umbrella performance at Lincoln Center's Big Umbrella Outdoors Fest next month. Photo by Emily O'Donnell/courtesy of Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center's Big Umbrella Festival—the first performing arts fest with programming specifically geared toward autistic audiences—is set for a September return taking over Josie Robertson Plaza and the sprawling outdoor Restart Stages venues for three days of performances beginning Friday, September 17.

Latest posts by Jody Mercier

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