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New York City Attractions: High Line Park New York, Hudson Yards & More
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Family Living in Long Island City for NYC Kids
New York City Attractions: High Line Park New York, Hudson Yards & More
Family Living in Long Island City for NYC Kids
There are always a hundred or so new and interesting things to do in NYC and every month there’s something new to see. Here are five somewhat random picks from the beautiful Bronx throughout Manhattan and out into Brooklyn – all happening in May: (more…)
Tons of fun for kids at the new, colorful Citibabes Playroom.
True, TF Cornerstone’s Long Island City residences are right on top of the great Gantry Plaza State Park, with its 12 acres of riverside playgrounds, ball courts, gardens, a fun mist fountain, lawns for lounging, and four eminently strollable (and getting-a-suntan-able!) piers. BUT that doesn’t mean an nifty little playroom in your building’s lobby won’t be a total savior on those rainy / horribly humid / cranky-for-no-reason days ahead! Which is why we’re excited to announce TF Corrnerstone’s second collaboration with Citibabes, this time in LIC, and now open exclusively for residents of 4720 Center Blvd. (more…)
Yes, it is actually snowing right this second as I’m writing this, but still: Spring’s here! Kind of! Last Sunday marked the opening day of Coney Island’s recently rebuilt, redesigned, revitalized amusement parks: Luna Park proper; The Scream Zone, its high-tech, “high-thrills” offshoot; the world famous Cyclone roller coaster; and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park.
And though the skies were gloomy on this celebration of Coney’s return for the summer, and temperatures never got close to 50, plenty of happy people turned up to check out the rides and games (the Wonder Wheel was free all day!), and, it seemed, scope out how this small but vital stretch of beach and boardwalk survived Sandy. (more…)
It’s not news anymore that the Financial District has undergone a stunning transformation in the past decade or so. What was once, and pretty recently, a strictly-business sort of neighborhood (lots of lunch places but desolate on weekends and after dark) is now one of the fastest-growing residential communities in Manhattan. And increasingly, it has the retail, restaurants, and recreation to prove it! Here then are updates on three FiDi public projects – all of which, when completed, will have an immediate effect on our daily downtown NYC lives. (more…)
TF Cornerstone’s elegant Upper East Side building The Fairfax just got even more desirable, with the grand opening this week of a perfect little Citbabes Playroom located right in the back of the lobby. As its name suggests, The Fairfax’s spanking-new playroom is co-managed and supplied by the great “family and lifestyles club” Citibabes in SoHo.
It’s filled with high-end toys and furniture; lots of costumes, props, and dress-up stuff for imaginative play; arts and crafts supplies for all manner of creative projects; and enough open space to clomp and goof around over by that fun, climbable school bus. Open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the playroom is available exclusively for Fairfax residents (and their little buddies). And it’s always completely free.
The Citibabes Playroom at the Fairfax is ideal for families with infants, toddlers, and early-elementary children on those rainy and/or freezing-cold days when you just need to get out of the apartment for a bit. It’s also a great way for you and your kids to get to know other families in the building. And because it’s a Citibabes space, there are all kinds of excellent extras for Fairfax residents as well.
Most exciting: a year-long series of free monthly “workshops” for parents, caregivers, and children aged 6 and under. The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. next Friday, February 22, with a Winter Wonderland penguin-palooza featuring make-your-own waddling birds and a rousing Steve Metzgar sing-a-long of “5 Little Penguins” (jumping on the berg?). Like all of the Fairfax-exclusive playroom events, the Winter Wonderland workshop is limited to 12 children, and an RSVP to fairfax@citibabes.com is required. The Citibabes Playroom is also available for rental, for private birthday parties and other occasions.
I went to the grand opening of the Citibabes Playroom on Tuesday and had a great time watching all the Fairfax kids exploring – and taking control of – the space, working and laughing and meeting new friends. The kids were basically having a blast.
I also had a chance to talk to Keri Snyder, a former preschool teacher and now the Director of Programming of Citibabes, who was on hand to greet parents and caregivers and, of course, to play with the kids. Naturally, and rightly so, Snyder is super excited about SoHo-based Citibabes becoming a part of the Upper East Side TF Cornerstone Fairfax community, and spoke to me about how the playroom functions seamlessly for many different kids, at different ages, and with different interests. There’s a reading nook, for example, and an infant area, as well as space for more rambunctious play.
The furniture is all easily moved, so the room is really flexible. The storage solutions are smart, too, leaving some items within easy reach of children so they can make their own discoveries, but also with cabinets that are accessible only to adults.
She also noted that the playroom will be cleaned daily by a crack TF Cornerstone crew, with a weekly deep sanitizing done by the Citibabes experts. So: welcome Citibabes…and enjoy, children of The Fairfax! See the Citibabes website for additional information.
I’ve become accustomed to visiting the various museums in New York City so my first visit to Dialog In The Dark was eye opening to say the least. The Dialog In The Dark exhibition is located on the South Street Seaport and shows you the daily experience of a blind person in NYC by taking you through different simulations of popular NYC landmarks – without the use of your sight. (more…)
I wanted to get my best friend something special for her housewarming, and I knew whatever it was it had to be customized. Sometimes a store-bought gift isn’t special enough.
I decided to go to a pottery class and make her a custom ceramic cereal bowl, and after doing my research I felt The Painted Pot was the best place to go. The pottery is pre-made, which for people with a small supply of patience works perfectly. The studio is located in Brooklyn on 339 Smith St and the F train will get you from 45 Wall in Downtown to within a few blocks.
If you’re looking for the “start from scratch” experience where you mold your own handmade pottery, you won’t be satisfied to just paint pottery – but a lot of the people I met here just wanted something that stood out in their cupboard. One girl told me she’d use the mug her husband was making her every morning to drink coffee out of because he put his time and effort into it.
It only takes about 2 hours tops to get your pottery painting done and no-one hovers over your shoulders and hassles you with rules unless you request assistance. The rules in the pottery classes were also very laid back. Many people brought in outside food and spirits for their amusement as they painted.
The first time you come to The Painted Pot, they offer you a big photo album with different styles of designs you can try to implement. They have all sorts of brushes, sponges and other tools that leave different imprints and marks on your design. Also they have over 30 paints that you can use to paint pottery with different finishes (ranging from glossy to matte).
You apply about three layers of paint on whatever piece you decided to work on by the time you’re done. Once you’re done painting the pottery and customizing it to your own likes, they dip it in a food-safe glaze so none of the toxic pottery paints effect you. Then once that process is finished, they take it and place it in the kiln (a big oven), which finalizes the finish. You come back in a week to pick up your finished piece, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the final outcome. The best thing about it is you never need an appointment to come in and create something.
If you’re looking for more of a hands-on pottery making experience, you can look into the sculpture courses that they offer. The lady at the desk told me the classes fill up quickly so you’ll have to keep an eye on the schedule of pottery classes at The Painted Pot website and commit to it as soon as possible.
One of my favorite destinations in Lower Manhattan is the South Street Seaport. I often times travel here on a day off to enjoy some of the restaurants and the different crowd that comes out to the mall week in and week out. For some reason I never really noticed The New York Bodies Exhibit on Fulton Street until I took a visiting friend down to the Seaport for a visit. The Exhibit advertises its self as showing over 200 real human bodies, meaning they compiled the displays with authentic human remains. This may seem a tad bit creepy, but what better way to get to know your self? (more…)
Need to get in touch with your artistic side? Loop of the Loom can help! But this is not one of those typical art classes in NYC–it’s an Upper East Side studio that offers a fun and relaxing, hands-on weaving experience. (more…)
Japanese Cherry Blossoms at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Hanami 2009 - Meg
When translated, Hanami means “flower viewing” and refers to the 1,300-year-old Japanese cherry blossom festival tradition. This peaceful celebration of Japanese cherry blossoms appreciates each stage of the blooming cycle, and has since spread through the world – right down to the cherry blossoms in NYC. And at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, Hanami is in full effect. But you’d better go now, because Mother Nature waits for nobody. (more…)
