Your Guide to Family-Friendly Day Trips in New Jersey, New York…and Beyond
The Edelman Fossil Museum & Park opened up March 29, in Mantua, NJ. Not just for kids, this museum will intrigue even adults (I know because I went alone to review it for Newsday – read my article here). That said, the museum did a great job making it accessible and interesting to all ages. The display information was aimed at earlier ages, but still had lots of intriguing education for those of us who aren’t in school anymore. I spent a long time reading all the placards.
We had a double in New York, seeing Operation Mincemeat one night, and Oh, Mary! the next, solely for the purpose of answering your questions: Is Operation Mincemeat appropriate for kids? Is Oh, Mary appropriate for kids? Read on.
Operation Mincemeat, a British show, is about a farfetched plot to divert Nazi troops from Sicily to Sardinia, so the Allies could invade and take it back. It’s a comedy and musical, and it’s shockingly a true story. I won’t get into many details, so as not to spoil it.
I can’t believe it took us this long to get to the Morgan Museum and Library. I can’t wait to go back. Have you gone to the Morgan Library with kids? The residence on the left is part of the complex, along with the Renzo Piano building in the middle and the annex on the right of it. The library is behind all this, in the far corner.
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The Macy’s Flower Show runs today through Sunday, May 18, 2025 at Macy’s Herald Square. If you’re in NYC, stop in to check it out.
Continue reading “Macy’s Flower Show”I highly recommend the Jewish Museum’s The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt. It’s at the museum through August 10, 2025. I learned a lot. Turns out the book of Esther was popular during that era, in the 1600s. She is not only a heroine in the Jewish tradition, but also for Christians.
In the 1600s, immigrant Jews living in the Netherlands had religious freedom and could celebrate Purim more openly than they could in previous homelands (Portugal, Spain, Central/Eastern Europe). The exhibit explained that this holiday became symbolic of freedom and of the Jewish presence in Amsterdam.
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Spring in Central Park! It’s that time of year and Central Park is in bloom. You haven’t missed it yet! These are pictures from 2 days ago. I walked from the bottom of Central Park up to 105th street and back down again (meandering) and captured these.
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I can’t remember a time I felt so much audience energy. The Buena Vista Social Club has struck a chord. Why? People love the music and also there’s representation on that stage that’s not always there. Cubans and other Latinos are coming to hear their music and see their story up on stage. And they’re loving it. And should you take the kids to Buena Vista Social Club? Read on.
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My youngest loved Meow Wolf the first time she went and said we had to go when in Santa Fe. I describe Meow Wolf as an escape room meets art installation meets climbing structure. It was heavily funded by George R. R. Martin, of Game of Thrones fame.
One thing that surprised me was just how big it was. You can see the white building in the background, but it goes far back – a former 20,000 SF bowling alley. It seemed endless inside – a good thing, but easy to get lost.
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There’s plenty to do in Santa Fe with kids, or just go as adults. Here are some of the highlights.
The Georgia O’Keefe Museum is a manageable size with kids. They say to expect to stay for 1 hour – which is about the amount of time we spent. They have devices you can borrow to listen to commentary on certain pieces you choose or you can pull up their website and listen on your phone. They will give you earbuds to use – but probably better to just bring your own. Kids may like the movie which shows her development through time.
There’s an exhibit that shows what she wore, painted in and painted with.
I went into Sunset Boulevard cold. My husband saw it in the West End 30 years ago with Patty LuPone. I didn’t know the story, and I only knew a little of the music. While he was eager to tell me about the differences between the shows at intermission (and after), he didn’t need to tell me much. The staging, which I knew ahead of time was different, was totally obvious.
Should you see Sunset Boulevard with kids? I’ll share more at the end.
Read on only if you don’t mind spoilers.
