A KID’S GUIDE TO NEW YORK
Hang out in Tompkins Square Park, 331 East 10th Street +1 212 408 0100
Gentrification has worked its magic and provided downtowners with plenty for their offspring to enjoy around Tompkins Square Park. There is a large and modern playground on the south side of the park with a giant slide, two tyre swings, a sandpit, and during summer, a series of water streams that gush high into the air. On the west side of the park is a branch of the New York Public Library, the second floor is dedicated solely to kids books.
Get crafty at Moomah, 161 Hudson Street +1 212 226 0345
Moomah is a combined art project space, cafe, and DIT (Do It Together) ‘living classroom’ for kids and parents alike. Don’t forget to help the trees grow in the ‘Funky Forest’ – a room populated by glowing trees manipulated through movement. The cafe features a full coffee bar, and food from local, sustainable resources. The ‘super-tryers’ plate of 6 healthy toddler-pleasing foods goes for just under $5.
Go to The Bell House Rocks, The Bell House, 149 7th Street, Brooklyn +1 718 643 6510
For those with children in Brooklyn this Spring, be sure to make the most of “The Bell House Rocks” at The Bell House in Gowanus, Park Slope. Every Sunday during March between 1pm and 5pm The Bell House will provide an indoor bouncy castle, disco lights, music, fun kids videos, plus free popcorn and juice for the little ones. Heartier food as well as a full bar and Mudd coffee takes care of the grown ups. Admission is $10 “per walking human.”
See the squid and the whale, American Museum of Natural History, 79 Street And Central Park West +1 212 769 5100
Take your young ones to the reconstructed Dzanga-Sangha rainforest, halls full of taxidermic animals, or the biodiversity wall and life-sized whale at the American Museum of Natural History. Stop at the museum’s canteen on the lower floors to relive your own childhood school lunches – done better!
Go Ice Skating
Depending how old they are, your kids will enjoy ice-skating in the winter months around festive rinks fueled by cocoa-filled skaters. Both Central Park and Bryant Park have good rinks: Bryant Park’s rink is half the price if you bring your own ice-skates. The Rockefeller Center Ice rink is on Fifth Avenue and offers private skating lessons if needs be.
Go to a Broadway Show
When the tourist season is over, Broadway tickets are inexpensive and easy to score. Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, Wicked and The Lion King will make them smile. Buy discounted tickets from the TDF (Theatre Development Fund) booth in Times Square or click here to discover more ways to see a good show in New York with the whole family.
Visit the New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St, Queens +1 718 699 0005
If your offspring are all but running on the ceiling, take them to the New York Hall of Science where over 450 hands-on exhibits are arranged thematically, including Sports Challenge, Hidden Kingdoms, and Rocket Park. Whether they like building models or jumping and climbing, there is something here to entertain everyone.
The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Rd, Bronx +1 718 817 8700
The New York Botanical Garden is located in the Bronx just 20 minutes north of the city, and features a sultry Carribbean garden in a conservatory full of orchids, bougainvillea, pineapple, coconut, mango, banana, chocolate and vanilla plants, as well as a Panama hat palm, lipstick tree and autograph tree. For a limited time, tickets are half price: Adults are $10, children are $4 and babies under 2 are free.
By Sophie Ward
