Raven Snook

Raven is a writer, editor, performer and mom, who was born and bred in NYC, just like her husband, her mother and now, her daughter. As a writer, she's contributed articles to New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide, Better Homes and Gardens, iVillage, AOL TV and Moviefone, Parents.com, and worked as an in-house editor for ParentsConnect.com and TimeOutKids.com. As a performer, she's appeared on many downtown stages (sometimes even for pay!), a couple of obscure films and TV shows, and The Maury Povich Show as a female drag queen. She's also the founder of Hot Mama Burlesque, the world's only all-moms burlesque show. After being the NYC editor from March 2011-March 2015, she is now happy to just be a blogger as she pursues additional writing opportunities.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

This Week: Skiing & Snow Tubing Near NYC, MLK Day Weekend Picks, Winter Family Day Trips

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 01/15/2015 - 4:00pm

Seeing kids all bundled up for the winter puts me in a giddy mood. This morning, I spied a toddler decked out in a full-on Elmo costume to stay warm, and no, he wasn't working Times Square. It's worth pulling out your toastiest coats to enjoy all the seasonal fun winter has to offer. The three-day weekend is a great time to take a day trip to a nearby ski or snow tubing resort. Too cold for you? Our Weekend Trips Guide is filled with indoor options, and our Long Island, New Jersey and Westchester sites provide lots of destination inspiration, like outings in nearby Cold Spring, Lambertville or Old Saybrook.

Martin Luther King Day is also a National Day of Service, and all of our sites have ways families can give back to their communities. Whether you help beautify a local park, prepare care packages for the homeless, or bake treats for your favorite community organization, there are lots of ways to honor his legacy.

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

This Week: Indoor Winter Fun in NYC, Best Family Travel of 2014, Weekday Picks in NYC & Beyond, Mommy Poppins Event at Symphony Space on Saturday

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 01/08/2015 - 4:00pm

It's so cold, my mother calls every morning to find out if her grandchild is dressed appropriately for the weather. (She never asks what I'm wearing so I guess I'm too old to worry about.) Winter is here to stay for a while and (once this deep freeze dissipates a bit), we're looking forward to enjoying skiing, snow tubing and other seasonal sports near NYC and beyond.

Of course if you're the type who plans to spend the next few months holed up inside as much as possible, there are lots of fun things to do indoors with kids. To inspire you, we put together a list of 50 drop-in destinations including play spaces, interactive museum installations, arcades and more offbeat options. If you're still pining for warmer climes, check out our Travel site's roundup of our favorite family travel destinations of 2014 and then start planning your next vacation—midwinter school break is coming up next month!

And what are you doing this Saturday? Hopefully joining us at our special Mommy Poppins-sponsored performance of the eye-popping show Stella, Queen of the Snow at Symphony Space. Our readers enjoy an exclusive preshow activity and save 35% on tickets. Looking forward to seeing you there!

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

This Week: Best January Activities for Kids in NYC & Beyond, Mommy Poppins Event at Symphony Space, Top NYC Openings in 2014

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 01/01/2015 - 12:00pm

Are you ready for something new? I know my family is. 2014 has had a lot of ups and downs, so we're looking forward to all the healing and adventures we hope the New Year will bring.

To help us all kick off a fun-filled 2015, most of ours sites have posted brand-new January GOLists highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout the month in NYC, New Jersey, on Long Island and beyond. Even though the jam-packed holiday season is coming to a close, there are plenty of amusements ahead, like next Saturday's special Mommy Poppins-sponsored performance of Stella, Queen of the Snow at Symphony Space that includes an adorable marshmallow snowman activity and a deep discount on tickets. We hope to see you there so we can celebrate 2015 together.

If you're itching to start your post-holiday purge, we have lists of where to donate toys and kids' clothes in New York City and on Long Island, and all the details on how to easily recycle your Christmas tree in NYC.

From all the moms at Mommy Poppins, we wish you and your family a fabulous New Year! Thank you for sharing 2014 with us. Here's what else we covered in NYC this week:

Best of New York City for Kids 2014: 21 New Must-See NYC Spots

Submitted by Raven Snook on Wed, 12/31/2014 - 2:00pm

One of my favorite things to do over holiday break is look back through the 500 or so posts we've published throughout the year to remind myself of all the cool places for kids that have opened since January. (Yeah, I'm nerdy like that.) Although we were sad to say goodbye to some big family destinations (The Moxie Spot, Bowlmor Union Square and the soon-to-shutter Scholastic Store), one of the great things about New York City is that there's always something new and interesting opening up.

In 2014, we welcomed a few new state-of-the-art parks and playgrounds, some offbeat indoor play spaces, and a couple of new or overhauled museum. Even if you're still working your way through our list of the best new family destinations for 2013 (or 2012 or 2011 or 2010), here are 21 brand-new New York City attractions to add to your must-explore list.

This Week: Best Things to Do with NYC Kids During Holiday Break, Celebrate New Year's Eve with the Whole Family, Three Kings Day Parades

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 12/25/2014 - 12:00pm

The holiday season is in full swing in NYC. Everywhere you look, there are amazing seasonal sights throughout the five boroughs, not to mention the entire country beyond.

The school break is a great time to enjoy all of those cool holiday experiences you didn't get to earlier. Santa may be gone, but Christmas trees, department store windows, decked out houses and holiday train shows stay up at least until New Year's Day.

Speaking of New Year's, we have roundups of the best ways to ring in 2015 with kids in NYC, on Long Island, in New Jersey, and further afield in Boston. Of course, you don't need to go out to enjoy the spirit of the season. If you're looking for festive, at-home family activities, be sure to check out our WeeWork Guide, which is filled with holiday crafts, recipes and projects.

Here's what else we covered in NYC this week:

Three Kings Day Parades & Celebrations for NYC Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Wed, 12/24/2014 - 4:00pm

Christmas may come and go this week, but holiday celebrations continue into the New Year with Three Kings Day, which officially falls on Tuesday, January 6. Also know as Epiphany, Three Kings Day is the last official day of the Christmas season, or the "12th day of Christmas" as the song goes.

The holiday, which is especially popular in the Hispanic community, commemorates the Three Wise Men coming to visit the baby Jesus. The main event in New York City is East Harlem's 38th annual Three Kings Day Parade, which is sponsored by El Museo del Barrio. We've got the scoop on this procession and six other ways to celebrate Three Kings Day with kids in NYC. You can find even more seasonal fun in our Holiday Guide.

This Week: Spectacular Holiday Lights, What's Open on Christmas & Christmas Eve, Holiday Break Day Trip Ideas

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 4:00pm

Regardless of what you celebrate, everyone seems to be in holiday overdrive this week. My family is busy gearing up for our favorite Christmas Eve traditions: last-minute gift shopping (probably at a seasonal market) followed by Christmas caroling in Washington Square Park. And since we still don't have our tree, I bet we'll buy one that night, too.

If you're thinking of taking a day trip over holiday break, you'll find lots of inspiration on our regional sites. Check out over-the-top Christmas displays in Westchester, Connecticut and Philly; explore the waterside haven of Port Jefferson, Long Island; or head across the Hudson to the nearby Liberty Science Center to conquer the brand-new Infinity Climber, which is suspended 35 feet in the air!

Even though our kids will be out of school, we'll still be right here bringing you the best things to do in NYC and beyond throughout the season. So don't worry: There's more fun yet to come!

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

Should Kids Go "Into the Woods?" A Parent Movie Review

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 1:00pm

As a diehard musical theater fanatic who's raising my nine-year-old daughter to be one, too, I'd been planning for months to take her to see Into the Woods on opening day. (Luckily, we scored an invite to an advance screening.) That said, having seen two different stage mountings of the show plus the American Playhouse recording of the original Broadway cast, I kept thinking, Into the Woods really isn't for kids. Stephen Sondheim's satirical take on familiar fairy tales explores what happens after the happily ever after, and it's as grown-up as it gets. Multiple characters die, others engage in infidelity, and there are undercurrents of violence and sexuality (not unlike those Brothers Grimm originals). And yet, this star-studded cinematic adaptation is Disney's big Christmas movie release. So, has the subject matter been completely sanitized in order to attract families?

Latest posts by Raven Snook

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