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Review: The Muse Hotel in Times Square

I did a post awhile back about family friendly hotels in Manhattan, so I can add this to the list.

Over Columbus Day weekend, we had the opportunity to be hosted at the Muse Hotel in Times Square, a place my parents looked into staying when they visited recently. It’s a Kimpton Hotel, which is a good thing in my eyes. We’ve stayed at Kimpton Hotels in San Francisco and recommended them to friends who were visiting when we lived there. Kimpton Hotels have an off-beat style, with complementary wine hours and other fun amenities. Plus their decorating is awesome.

While the hotel has special kid-friendly options, it does look and feel like a sleek corporate hotel for men. The coloring is browns and tans, with lots of geometric shapes. Continue reading “Review: The Muse Hotel in Times Square”

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How to Fight a Driving Ticket in New Jersey

What are your options if you get a traffic ticket (moving violation) in New Jersey?

A caveat in this post is that each courthouse operates separately and differently. Each traffic ticket comes with its own set of circumstances (previous violations, the specific violation, etc.). This is not legal advice, and you should not rely on it or expect that your experience will be the same. A lawyer can advise you of your rights and the best way to handle your situation.

When you get a ticket, you have two options:

Continue reading “How to Fight a Driving Ticket in New Jersey”

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Treat of the Day: Dylan’s Candy Bar

I had so much fun looking at pictures of the Robot Candy Company, that I thought I’d do another candy treat of the day. This one is Dylan’s Candy Bar – have you been? More than just edible candy, they sell candy-decorated clothing (cute PJs and rain boots), fudge, chocolate-covered fruit, candy-inspired bath treats, ice cream and more. Three floors of sugar goodness.

I love the logo.

The top floor is the ice cream area. The floor where you enter (street level) is mostly candy by the pound (around $10.99/pound), plus some lollipops and hand-dipped graham crackers or marshmallows from the chocolate fountain. My favorite floor is the bottom floor. There, they have the fudge counter (free samples!), an M&M bar with various colors, retro candy, and the bath area. Plus more. Continue reading “Treat of the Day: Dylan’s Candy Bar”

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Treat of the Day: Robot Candy Company

Okay, so this treat of the day you’ll have to travel to. It’s the Robot Candy Company in downtown Charleston, SC. We were there recently (by recently, I mean the day Hurricane Irene came through there, and two days before it hit the New Jersey/New York area). We were killing time before our plane ride, and happened upon this awesome candy and toy store.

Candy fried eggs. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Continue reading “Treat of the Day: Robot Candy Company”

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Coming Up: Smithsonian Free Museum Day

Have a great family day at a museum – for free! Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day made is possible, and they are doing it again on Saturday, September 25th. Download an admission card here, and get into New Jersey museums like the Newark Museum, the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, the Stickley Museum, and others. In New York, you can go to the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of the Barrio, Historic Richmond Town, the Intrepid (that’s a big ticket one), the New York City Fire Museum, the Jewish Museum and others

The card is good for you and one guest – one card per household. Find participating museums here:

New Jersey

New York

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What to Do on September 11 in New York City

copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

This year, the 10th anniversary of September 11, falls on a Sunday. Given that the kids won’t be in school, it’s a good chance for the family to reflect on what happened, its impact on our lives, remember those whose lives were lost, and join with with the community. I posted some events here which you can consider attending. NYC.gov has a list of activities on its calendar.

9/11 Memorial Site – official opening is on 9/11/11 for families who lost someone in the attacks.  The ceremony for family members starts at 8:30 a.m. and all the names of those lost will be read after the city-wide moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. There will be a second city-wide moment of silence at 9:03 a.m. and then affected families will be allowed to access the memorial to see their loved one’s names in the bronze plaques.  Continue reading “What to Do on September 11 in New York City”

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Treat of the Day: Je and Jo Ice Cream

My daughter and I were poking around the Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market on a day when it felt like, well, hell. You remember that 100 degree (plus) day? Oh yeah, there were several recently. Well we were sweating buckets while looking at crap used items, and we came upon a very sweaty vendor with an adorable sign and tiny ice cream cart. It was Je and Jo’s organic ice cream. We had the good sense to stop and fork over $4/each for a scoop. Well, I forked over $4 for both of us ($4×2=$8) so we could each have our own.

Here’s what we had to choose from:

it’s tough to choose just one. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Continue reading “Treat of the Day: Je and Jo Ice Cream”

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Lakota Wolf Preserve – With Kids

Did you know that those magazine photos of wolves in the wild usually aren’t taken in the wild? They’re not, because wolves can smell you a mile away and they want no part of you. Those photos are usually taken at a wolf preserve, like the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia, NJ.

We stopped by there recently for a tour, chock full of interesting information not only about wolves, but bobcats and foxes, which they also have there. I thought the 1.5 hour tour might bore my 10 year old daughter, but she paid rapt attention, possibly because the caretakers told us interesting stories and facts about the animals, and she got to watch them being fed.

Lakota Wolf Preserve. Copyright Deborah Abrams Kaplan

Continue reading “Lakota Wolf Preserve – With Kids”

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