Archive for August, 2010

You painstakingly plan for the birth of your DC, his socialization (play dates galore), his educational enrichment and his schooling. Now focus your Type-A efforts on the most important prep work you might ever do.

September is National Preparedness Month. That means figuring out how your family will stay safe after an emergency. Here are some tips from New York City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM):

Determine a meet-up location - Identify two places where your family could reunite after a disaster - one right outside the home and the other outside your neighborhood. Pick an out-of-state friend or relative family members can call if separated. Practice the emergency plan. Go to nyc.gov for more details.

Stock an emergency supply kit - Gather enough supplies for three days. These are some of the items you’ll want to put in a special cupboard: a gallon of drinking water per person per day, canned goods, can opener, battery-powered AM/FM radio, extra batteries, child-care supplies and toiletries. Visit nyc.gov for a full list.

Pack a “Go Bag” - Go Bag items are those you might need in the event of an evacuation. GB items include a battery-operated AM/FM radio, first-aid kid, extra set of car and house keys, flashlight, credit and ATM cards, $50-$100, contact and meeting place information, child-care supplies, non-perishable food (granola and energy bars) and bottled water. Visit nyc.gov for a more detailed list.

Get going. Go plan. Be safe.

Stay informed by visiting OEM’s Facebook page and selecting “Like.” Take advantage of the Get Ready: My Meeting Place Facebook application.

This weekend, check out an antidote to the city’s glut of overrated bakeries, head to Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the US Open and play tennis in the Village.

Eat
Blue Smoke Bake Shop
Blue Smoke restaurant, part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (UHSG), has just launched the Bake Shop. The shop features some of the restaurant’s “greatest hits” as well as heavenly cupcakes, pies, cakes, cookies, bars and breads. The menu will change seasonally, and there will be a special cupcake flavor-of-the-month. “Must tries?” Too many to name.
When: Open daily from 11:30am-9pm.
Where: The Bake Shop is situated inside the restaurant at 116 E. 27th St. (bet. Park and Lex.). Call 212-447- 6058 for special orders. bluesmoke.com/bakeshop.

Do
Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day
The stadium show with the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato is sold out. But you can still partake in the morning events for free: tennis clinics, interactive games, face painting, autograph sessions, storytelling, live musical performances and more. Visit usopen.org for a full list of activities.
When: Sat., 8/28, 9:30am-1pm. Free.
Where: USTA Billie Jean King Nat’l Tennis Ctr., Flushing, NY. Visit usopen.org for transportation info. and directions.

Play
BumbleBee Tennis Block Party
If you can’t make it to Flushing, grab a racket and head down to the Village. BumbleBee Tennis is celebrating the end of summer with a block party. Take a family lesson with your whole brood, get Junior’s skill level assessed and receive a special discount on fall lessons.
When: Sat., 8/28, 12:15 - 12:55pm, Adult Into. to Tennis & 4-7 yrs. Quickstart Tennis. 12:55-1:35pm, Adult Cardio & Family Tennis. 1:35-2:15pm, Adult Games and 7-10 yrs. Quickstart Tennis.
****You must register online in advance. Visit bumblebeetennis.com. Free. (Kids ages 4-10 and parents)
Where: PS 41, Greenwich Village, Greenwich Ave. and Charles St.

Go
Tug & Barge Week
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Free tugboat rides and barge tours are part of Tug & Barge Week at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Docked at Pier 6 are the 1914 Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79, which houses the Waterfront Museum, and the 1907 Tugboat Pegasus.
When: Sat., 8/28, and Sun., 8/29. Barge open hours are from 1-5pm, and the tug tours are at 1 & 3pm. Free. (All ages)
Where: Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park. Visit brooklynbridgepark.org for directions to Pier 6.

Plan
Bringing Sexy Back!
Divalysscious Moms’ Event: Outsmarting the Sexless Marriage
Attention parents of young kids - learn how to make sure sex doesn’t become a “chore.” Sexologist and author Logan Levkoff, Ph.D. will be leading a discussion on this topic. This Diva Moms‘ event also includes a pole dancing lesson, a mini seminar on sexy yoga poses, a lingerie pop-up shop and a glimpse of the one-woman play “Sex in Mommyville.”
When: Tue., 8/31, 7-9pm. $40 per mom.
Where: Elahi Yoga Studio, 130 E. 65th St.

Aside from the New York City Marathon, there’s no event more New York (we’re not talking mere tourist stuff) than the US Open. And there are still a few tickets left for Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, which kicks off the Open this Saturday.

This year’s show features the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and David Archuleta plus exhibition matches and skills competitions with Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Kim Clijsters and Novak Djokovic. The morning portion of Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day - with tennis, live music and other attractions - is free and doesn’t require tickets.

Now to secure those coveted tickets for the real matches …

Tickets ($10-$20) for Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day are available at usta.usopen.org.

Do some jianzhi. Take advantage of your last chance to dumpster dive in 2010 or just go fly a kite …

Go
FlyNY 2010 - 2nd Annual Kite Festival
Head to the West Side for kite flying, kite making, a design competition and live musical performances. New York City’s Parks & Recreation Department and Architects for Humanity are co-hosting the event. Take flight.
When: Sat., 8/21 (rain date is Sun., 8/22), 10:30am-4pm. Free.
Where: Pier I, Riverside Park South, 70th St. & the Hudson River. flyny.org.

Do
Chinese Paper Art
Discover the ancient art of jian zhi - Chinese paper cutting. Kids can create their own folk art to take home.
When: Sat., 8/21, 1pm. Free with museum admission. (Ages 3 and up)
Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave. at St. Marks Ave. (718) 735-4400. brooklynkids.org.

Learn
Dino Parade
Scholastic celebrates the release of Dino Parade, a vibrantly colored pull-out book that unfolds to reveal a four-foot-long parade of prehistoric faves on die-cut pages. Kids can learn about dinosaurs and make a fossil craft.
When: Sat., 8/21, 3pm. Free. (Ages 2 and up)
Where: The Scholastic Store, 557 B’way (bet.Prince and Spring Sts.). Stroller entrance is at 130 Mercer St.
scholastic.com.

Trek
Summer Streets - Weekend #3
Trek from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park sans cars. Lafayette St., 4th Avenue and Park Avenue are closed to cars again from 7am-1pm for the final 2010 Summer Streets Saturday. Check out nyc.gov for a full list of activities at the rest stops along the route, including dance classes, dumpster swimming and live performances.
When: Sat., 8/21, 7am-1pm. Free. (All ages)
Where: From the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park via Lafayette St., 4th Ave. and Park Ave. See nyc.gov for Summer Streets route.

Nothing can strike fear in the hearts and minds of New Yorkers quite like the school admissions process. The stress and frenzy surrounding school admissions has been ramped up in recent years because more families have decided to stay in the city rather than flee for the burbs. And with stiffer competition for those coveted spots in preschools and ongoing schools, we’ve seen a new crop of expensive school advisory services burst onto the scene. Time for perspective. Time for The Parents League.

Consider The Parents League your real-world school admissions app. It’s a non-profit organization made up of parents and schools. (Practically every NYC private school you’ve heard of is a a member.) It was founded almost a century ago, the brainchild of none other than Clara Spence and Maria Bowen Chapin (yes, that Spence and that Chapin), as a way to coordinate vacation and school time.

For a $130 membership fee, you get access to the association’s seasoned advisors, who have all served as heads of preschools or in an ongoing school’s admissions department. You can also attend any of the League’s workshops. Members receive the Parents League’s fab school guides plus other publications.

And perhaps the piece de resistance - they’ve got the inside track on spots that open up (because of under- acceptance, families that leave the city, etc.)

Labor Day and those preschool application calls are just around the corner. It’s not too late to join and get help for the upcoming season. Events to program into your BlackBerry/iPhone/Android phone:

Preschool Admissions Workshops
When: Wed., 8/18, 5:30-7:00pm & Tue., 8/24, noon-1:30pm
Where: Parents League office, 115 E. 82nd St. (bet. Park and Lex. Aves.)

Independent School Event - Day Schools
When: Tue., 9/21, 4:30-6:15pm
Where: Loyola School, E. 83rd St. (bet. Park and Madison Aves.)

The Kindergarten Admissions Process, A Panel Discussion
Representatives from The Chapin School, Friends Seminary, Riverdale Country School and St. Bernard’s School will serve as panelists.
When: Tue., 9/21, 6:30-7:30pm
Where: Park Avenue Methodist Church, 106 E. 86th St. (bet. Park and Lex. Aves.)

Kindergarten Child Interviews: What You Should Know and What They Should Know
Representatives from the 92nd Street Y Nursery School will be speaking.
When: Wed., 9/29, 6:30-8pm
Where: The Diller-Quaille School of Music, 24. E. 95th St.
Visit parentsleague.org for a full list of events.

Just your typical weekend in the city - dumpster swimming, hip hop dancing and virtual sailing aboard a historic ship …

Work It
Lincoln Center
Out of Doors
Centrifugal Force: Hip Hop Generations
Catch this site-specific work where 75 dancers lead the audience from the fountain plaza through pathways to the grandstand steps in front of Alice Tully Hall. You and your brood can bust the move during the freestyle portion of the program.
When: Sun., 8/15, at 5pm. Free. (Ages 5 and up)
Where: Josie Robertson Plaza, main plaza of Lincoln Center, fronting Columbus Ave. bet. 63rd and 64th St.

Go
Aboard the Peking
South Street Seaport Museum
Check out the historic Peking ship and discover what life was like at sea back in the day. Kids can learn how to raise a sail and tie a sailing knot. They can also visit the museum’s Living Harbor Wet Lab for hands-on activities with sea life found in New York’s harbor.
When: Sat., 8/14, noon-4:30pm. $15 admission, $12 for seniors and students with a valid ID, free for kids under 2 and museum members. (All ages)
Where: South Street Seaport Museum, 12 Fulton St. (bet. Front and Water Sts.)

Do
Summer Streets
Hike, bike or run from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park sans cars. Lafayette St., 4th Avenue and Park Avenue are closed to cars again this Saturday from 7am-1pm. Check out nyc.gov for a full list of activities at the rest stops along the route, including dance classes, dumpster swimming and live performances.
When: Sat., 8/14 (and 8/21), 7am-1pm. Free. (All ages)
Where: From the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park via Lafayette St., 4th Ave. and Park Ave. See nyc.gov for Summer Streets route.

Watch
“Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure” & Dora the Explorer 10th Anniversary documentary
Sunday Nickelodeon is going all out to honor a decade of Dora. The new primetime TV movie “Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure” airs at 8pm (ET/PT). Guest stars include Rosie Perez, Hector Elizondo and John Leguizamo. A 12-minute celeb-filled Dora “documentary” will follow the movie.
When: Sun., 8/15. “Dora’s Big Birthday Adventure” at 8pm, followed by the documentary at 9pm.
Where: The Nickelodeon channel.

When Mercedes-Benz Fashion week moves to Lincoln Center this September for the spring 2011 collections, it won’t be any easier to score tickets to a show. Time for Plan B.

Check out designer Lisa Perry’s collection for the upcoming fall season at a back-to-school, mother-daughter fashion show on September 10th, which coincides with the Lincoln Center shows. Divalysscious Moms and The New York Observer Playground are sponsoring the event at Perry’s UES boutique. Kelly Rutherford and Celerie Kemble are just a few of the Divalysscious Moms slated to grace the runway. Perry’s pieces (both her women’s line and kids’ clothes) are known for being simple, mod and marvelous. And Perry recently created quite the buzz with her Andy Warhol photo dresses.

Fashionistas of all ages are welcome. Bubbly will be on offer for the moms, fluffernutters and snacks for everyone. Space is limited so RSVP now.

At least you won’t be in danger of losing your seat to a “Jersey Shore” or “Gossip Girl” cast member.

“Lisa Perry Mother-Daughter Fashion Show,” Lisa Perry, 976 Madison Ave., Fri., 9/10, 5:30-7:30pm (6pm Catwalk). rsvp@divamoms.com. Shopping until 11pm!

Shake Shack opens on the UES, Park Avenue (up to 72nd St.) closes for a few hours of recreation, dragon boats race in Queens and Dora the Explorer heads to Wall Street …

Go
Summer Streets
Hike, bike or run from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park sans cars. Lafayette St., 4th Avenue and Park Avenue are closed to cars from 7am-1pm this Saturday. Check out nyc.gov for a full list of activities at the rest stops along the route, including dance classes, dumpster swimming and live performances.
When: Sat., 8/7 (8/14 and 8/21), 7am-1pm. Free.
Where: From the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park via Lafayette St., 4th Ave. and Park Ave. See nyc.gov for Summer Streets route.

Do
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Head to Queens for the 20th Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. In addition to the boat races, the weekend’s festivities include dance and acrobatic performances, a progressive Chinese rock band, traditional Chinese craft-making and more.
When: Sat., 8/7 - Sun., 8/8
Where: Meadow Lake, Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, Queens. Check hkdbf-ny.org for a full schedule of events.

See
Lincoln Center
Out of Doors
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors summer festival celebrating theater music and dance. This Saturday’s Family Day features “Pride and Prejudice and New York Real Estate,” a new puppet pageant with original music, colorful masks and costumes. The show is presented by Puppeteers Cooperative, Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center and Red Hook Community Center.
When: Sat., 8/7, 4-5pm. Free. (Ages 1 and up)
Where: Hearst Plaza (north of the Metropolitan Opera House, in front of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and Lincoln Center Theater.)

Eat
Shake Shack Upper East Side
Finally! The beloved Madison Square Park eatery is opening this Friday on East 86th Street. The UES location has a fab garden plaza. All your old faves are on offer - burgers, fries, frozen custard - plus a selection of “Concretes” inspired by the Shack’s newest nabe.
Where: 154 E. 86th St. (bet. Lex. and 3rd Aves.)
When: Open daily from 11am-11pm. shakeshack.com.

Play
Go, Go Bananagrams!
(with Curious George)
Join Curious George as he learns the banana dance, does the banana cheer and partakes in a few games of Bananagrams. Hey, while you’re at Bryant Park,visit the restroom. It’s a finalist in the America’s Best Restroom contest! Vote at bestrestroom.com.
When: Sat., 8/6, noon - 1pm. Free.
Where: Bryant Park Reading Room, north side of Bryant Park. bryantpark.org.

Watch/TiVO
Dora the Explorer
Rings the Closing Bell at the NYSE
Dora the Explorer will ring the closing bell on Monday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her white-hot show for preschoolers.
When: Mon., 8/9 at 4pm.
Where: CNBC TV.

Let’s face it, even you, a die-hard city girl, can get lost in the American Museum of Natural History. All those dioramas can start to look alike after a while …

Enter the American Museum of Natural History Explorer. It’s an app that’s part navigator, part educator and part social media tool. Available from the Apple Store for free, AMNH Explorer works with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and uses WiFi to function as an indoor GPS.

Want to find the giant blue whale? No problem. Explorer pinpoints its user’s location and offers turn-by-turn directions through more than 500,000 square feet of museum space, covering 45 permanent exhibition halls, restrooms, cafes and gift shops. Explorer also provides additional information on 140 specimens and objects, offers a fossil treasure hunt and enables you to comment about an exhibit via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.

Helpful for mapping your “escape route” back to Central Park West after schlepping with your brood through the museum for three hours.