jerseykids, Author at Jersey Kids

June 14, 2013September 1, 2016

A Day in Coney Island – Aquarium and Amusement Park Rides

It seems each year we make a summer trek to the New York Aquarium. This year was different. We made the trek a week or so after it reopened from Superstorm Sandy. Though normally open year-round, the Aquarium suffered flooding to its lower levels (and even a few week on the upper levels), power outages and equipment damage, forcing it to shut down for an estimated $65 million in total repairs ($7 million spent so far). It partially reopened Memorial Day weekend.

The Aquarium fully reopens in 2016, with a new shark building (Ocean Wonders). Read more about the Aquarium damage from Sandy here (NY Daily News) and also here (NYT) Fees will be reduced while the exhibits aren’t fully opened.

What’s open? Continue reading “A Day in Coney Island – Aquarium and Amusement Park Rides”

June 13, 2013August 29, 2017

Toronto: Distellery District Segway Food Tour

As you saw from my Toronto photo tour yesterday, I was recently in Toronto for the TBEX travel blogger conference. I visited Toronto’s Distillery District with a tasting tour and Segway ride. Next time the Segway people might want to have us ride the Segway BEFORE the beer tasting, but there were no accidents so we’re all good. Thank you to See Toronto Now and the Segway Ontario’s Distillery shop for hosting the great tour.

The brick buildings and cobblestone of the Distillery District. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

The Distillery used to produce 250 million gallons of whiskey a year, and has a colorful history starting in 1831, including the company’s co-founder (James Worts) throwing himself into a well after his wife dies in childbirth. His milling partner William Gooderham recruits Worts’ 13 year old son to help him convert the mill into a whiskey distillery. A distillery that produced lots of whiskey for the Americans during the prohibition.

Some fun sculptures at the Distillery District. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan — A fun sculpture at the Distillery District. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Though the area is now paved as far as the eye can see, it used to be on the water. Garbage thrown into the water was eventually paved over into landfill (kind of like in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, though they didn’t use garbage), and the coastline is now much further away. Continue reading “Toronto: Distellery District Segway Food Tour”

June 12, 2013September 1, 2016

Toronto – a Photo Essay

I recently went to Toronto as part of a travel blogging conference. I hadn’t been before and made the most of my minimal free time. I thought the best way to show you the Toronto I saw was via photo essay.

This was the view from the downtown Billy Bishop airport, during the ferry ride to the mainland. The skyline was gorgeous from any view.

We shared the conference center with a bodybuilding conference and a Yu-Gi-Oh conference. It was not hard to tell who belonged at which! This is Julie Lockhart, who won second place in her class at Toronto’s OPA (Ontario Physique Association) Provincial Championships. She’ll compete next Continue reading “Toronto – a Photo Essay”

June 10, 2013September 1, 2016

Review: Hotel Giraffe in NYC

My daughter and I do a girls’ trip to NYC every summer to see shows and exhibits. This is the first year we’ve stayed over, and we’re so glad we did. We were guests of Hotel Giraffe, a boutique hotel on 26th Street and Park Avenue South, very close to Madison Square Park. Rated number four onTripAdvisor, out of 433 hotels in Manhattan, we had high expectations. And they were met.

Hotel Giraffe on 26th and Park Avenue South, NYC

Hotel Giraffe is part of a family of hotels in the Library Hotel Collection, four unique boutique hotels in Manhattan. I reviewed Hotel Elysee last summer. Hotel Giraffe has 72 rooms in a corner building, each room with a with small balcony. Unfortunately for us it was pouring rain while we were there, but we could still keep the windows open. We stayed in a king suite, which is the type of room I like to stay in when traveling with my kids. The kids get the living room, and my husband and I get the bedroom. It was quite spacious.

The king suite at Hotel Giraffe. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

This place had more closets than Continue reading “Review: Hotel Giraffe in NYC”

May 30, 2013September 1, 2016

Cicadas in New Jersey – part 2

The cicadas have reached a threshold. You can now hear their constant hum outside. It sounds like a constant rubbing of one of these frog instruments.

This may give some of you nightmares, but it’s a beautiful movie:

The kids were privileged (!) to see two cicadas mating yesterday- at least that’s what I think they were doing – right there in the Bank of America sidewalk in their parking lot. In the 20+ minutes we were in there (exchanging U.S. dollars for Canadian dollars for my trip to Toronto – yay!), they stayed at it, though moving slightly to a different part of the sidewalk.

: cicada sex. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

We’re hearing that some areas of NJ – even some areas of our town – still haven’t seen any. So here are some pictures for those of you who are missing them. Continue reading “Cicadas in New Jersey – part 2”

May 21, 2013September 1, 2016

Brood II Cicadas in New Jersey

You’ve probably heard about the cicadas taking over New Jersey and other parts of the country. It’s part of the 17 year cycle. I read all about their lifecycle on Wikipedia.

Last week we spotted the first few nymphs emerging from the ground. A block away there were reports of massive molting, and a few started appearing on our block. For us, the change was last night/this morning. On the walk to school there was a definite change. You have to look down if you want to avoid stepping on them. They were littering our front walk way. I’ve heard this will get much worse. They aren’t making noise yet and the ground isn’t undulating with the creatures.

The nymph shell. — The empty nymph shell. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Apparently these are called nymph shells. After the bug crawls out of the earth (almost a foot down), they shed their skins and become adults. You can see those skins everywhere, from the ground to the grass, to tree trunks and telephone poles to tires. Continue reading “Brood II Cicadas in New Jersey”

May 17, 2013August 28, 2017

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve

Last summer we had the opportunity to go through Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve on our way from Washington Crossing Historic Park back to New Hope, PA (read all the things you can do with kids in the Lambertville/New Hope area here).

Unfortunately for us it was past the peak spring flower season, which is why I urge you to go now! Even without the maximum number of flowers, though, it’s a beautiful place I’d like to spend more time. The best views for us, ironically, were at the entrance – ironically before we entered to pay. See what’s in bloom before you go.

We saw a ton of butterflies.

Lots of butterfiles at Bowman's Hill Preserve. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan — Lots of butterfiles at Bowman’s Hill Preserve. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Continue reading “Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve”

May 16, 2013March 3, 2015

Review: Washington Crossing Historic Park with Kids

You may have seen the famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware. It’s at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. More about the painting (and its inaccuracies) further down.

You can see the actual site of the crossing at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania. Continue reading “Review: Washington Crossing Historic Park with Kids”

May 10, 2013August 28, 2017

Tips for traveling as an unaccompanied minor

My kids do a lot of traveling, but they’ve never traveled on the plane alone. Until now. I just booked my daughter on a cross-country flight to stay with her best friend for a week.

If you’re considering sending your child on a flight alone, here’s where to start.

Kayak.com has a list of airline fees, which includes unaccompanied minor fees. You’ll see that the fees vary a lot according to the airline, ranging from $25 on Alaskan Airlines (one way), to United’s $150 fee one way. That’s in addition to the airline ticket. Some charge by the kid, some charge by the family, and some change the rate depending on the flight length. Of course you’ll want to confirm the rates with the airline as well.

When you start looking into flights you’ll want to ask yourself these questions: Continue reading “Tips for traveling as an unaccompanied minor”

May 8, 2013November 2, 2019

Review: Pippin – appropriate for kids?

With 10 Tony nominations and a positive New York Times review, I was glad I had tickets to see the Pippin revival the day after its official opening. I’ve not seen Pippin before so I can’t compare how this revival is different, though the circus theme is new, and the lead player is a woman instead of a man. And her arms are so buff that Michelle Obama’s look downright flabby in comparison.

Let’s start with the million dollar question for my family-friendly theater-goers:

Is Pippin appropriate for kids? Continue reading “Review: Pippin – appropriate for kids?”