Your Guide to Family-Friendly Day Trips in New Jersey, New York…and Beyond
I read Water for Elephants many many years back and enjoyed it. I didn’t see the movie. I couldn’t even remember precisely what happened in the book, other than a guy joins the circus and there’s a love triangle. So if you ask me whether it follows the book, I think it did. But that’s only from memory. Is Water for Elephants appropriate for kids? We’ll get into that later.
Pop songs reconceived as chamber music are piped through the bus speakers as the children double fist sweet tea in travel mugs and miniature chocolate mousse pastries.
My girls, aged 5 years and 364 days, and 11, lounged against a banquet covered with a soft pink throw as the double-decker bus navigated the canyons of Midtown Manhattan. A tour guide shared a few factual tidbits, then broke out into song (and she could actually sing).
I don’t really remember what she talked about, and neither do the kids. The city information seemed beside the point on TopView’s “Tea Around Town” tour bus.
| When you’re down in the Seaport area, or maybe making a specific trip to the Seaport area, make sure the Tin Building is a destination and you have time to explore (and eat). It’s maybe not the best place to take the kids for a meal (it’s pricey) but there is an awesome candy store (also pricey) and it’s gorgeous to look at. |
The Balloon Museum arrived in New York City in late October 2023 and will be in Manhattan at least through mid-January 2024. We went to check out the Balloon Museum With Kids in NYC so you can decide if you want to go too.
While the name is Balloon Museum, it might be more appropriate to say “Inflatables Exhibit that is Instagram-friendly,” but that does not have the same ring to it. When I think of balloons, I think of fragile airy floating things that are ready to pop, and most of the balloons in the exhibit seem more sturdy. Granted, they should be since you can touch many of them. And some are just balloon-shaped or balloon-inspired.
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When Shucked the musical came out on Broadway, I thought it looked pedestrian and corny (yes, a pun!). Turns out I was wrong. Though it IS corny! But is Shucked appropriate for kids? Read on.
I love foreign grocery stores and all the better when they’re in my backyard! After visiting Sojo Spa in Edgewater, we headed to Mitsuwa Marketplace. Unfortunately not everything was open, since it was 7:00 pm. I especially wanted to visit Kai Creamery to get some funky ice cream but they were closed. We still had fun looking around.
I went to Sojo Spa a few times before Covid, and finally got back this spring. Some was the same, but like all things with Covid, some was different. Here’s what to expect if you go to Sojo Spa after Covid!
The largest indoor water park in North America (according to DreamWorks; not independently verified) didn’t disappoint.
Continue reading “Review DreamWorks Water Park at American Dream”“Mommy! Are those real rocket ships?”
Rounding the corner into the driveway of the New York Hall of Science, my preschooler lost her mind. You can’t climb the rockets, but yes, they are very tall, very real, and clearly, very exciting.
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The Edward Hopper exhibit is only at the Whitney Museum in NYC through March 5, 2023. Don’t miss it! You still have a few weekends left. If you want to visit the Hopper at the Whitney with kids, here’s what you’ll find.
Don’t forget to pick up the lovely activity guide for kids to do at the exhibit. The book will keep them more interested, with opportunities to sketch and to look at the artwork with information aimed at their age level. We saw the booklets at the coat check, but I’m sure they have them elsewhere too.
Continue reading “Edward Hopper at the Whitney With Kids”