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New Orleans and Absinthe

This not your typical Jersey Kids post, as absinthe is not a typical kids’ drink. To say the least. If you’re in New Orleans, visit the Museum of the American Cocktail, which is part of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. The museum is kid-friendly – the cocktail part is too (if kids are interested in learning about alcohol – there are some fun glasses, including tiki glasses there).

Museum of the American Cocktail – copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

A sizable portion of the cocktail area is devoted to absinthe, a liquor not so common in our lives today. But it was very popular in the 1800s – artists and writers especially loved it. Think: Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe. There were coffee houses/cafes that specialized in the drink.

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2024 NYC Holiday Windows

We made our usual trek into NYC on Thanksgiving weekend to check out the 2024 NYC holiday windows. I have to say, other than Bergdorf Goodman, they were a disappointment. I’ll start with Bergdorf Goodman’s, and then share Macy’s and one from Bloomingdale’s. I’ll share at the bottom more about Sak’s Fifth Avenue’s windows.

AND, scroll down to see the Louis Vuitton scaffolding – which is UNREAL. A highlight of the day.

Bergdorf Goodman – Toast of the Town

Bergdorf Goodman – Ricky Zehavi Photography
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Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour With Kids

I’ve been to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty a handful of times since I’ve lived in New Jersey Each time I learn something new. But after taking the Ellis Island Hard Hat Tour with kids (have you even heard of it?) I now know even more. This is a great tour to take with kids – though the official age to go is 13+ (more on that later). You see a whole different side of Ellis Island – literally and figuratively.

One of the Ellis Island hospital wards for contagious men. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan
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Robbinsville Temple With Kids

I’d been wanting to check out the Robbinsville Mandir (technically the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir) in Robbinsville, since it opened in 2023. It’s been a year now, and my in-laws were coming in town. A perfect time to visit. Though it turns out they had already been on a previous trip with another family member. Oops!

Going into the Robbinsville Hindu temple complex. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

So this post will be less about the actual history and more about what you’ll see there. Note that on weekends, national holidays and Hindu festivals, you need a (free) reservation. They do check those before you enter the complex. Of course going to the Robbinsville temple with kids is easier on a weekend or holiday!

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Mercer Labs With Kids

If you haven’t heard of Mercer Labs, you’re not alone. Formally Mercer Labs Museum of Art and Technology opened in March, a collaboration between Israeli artist Roy Nachum and real estate developer Michael Cayre. The idea is to be a “place where the traditional hierarchies between art, architecture, design, technology and culture are dissolved,” the New York Times quoted from a news release (I couldn’t find the news release).

In the Limitless exhibit in this 36,000 square foot space, you’ll visit 15 rooms with multimedia and sensory experiences, climbing up and down stairs between the floors (of course there’s an elevator if needed). In the initial space, which was one of the least interesting, you’ll put on shoe covers and look at a digital moving object that looks like of like a space rock.

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Weekend in Vermont: Barr Hill Distillery Drinks

When visiting Vermont without kids, we spent a fantastic late afternoon and early evening at Barr Hill in Montpelier. We took a tour of the distillery and then settled into a table indoors to enjoy Bar Hill Distillery drinks and food service. In short, it was amazing. And with 4 of us, we got to try a lot of what they had (we need to go back to try some more, though).

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Weekend in Vermont: Visit the Barr Hill Distillery

Barr Hill Distillery – the garden out front. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

If you’re ever in or near Montpelier, Vermont, visit the Barr Hill Distillery for a tour/tasting and their award-winning bar. They’re open year-round and have outdoor spaces and indoor. The facility was opened two years ago, after being operated elsewhere.

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