100 things to do with your kids in NY before they grow up

Hey Mommy Poppins and Izzy's Mama,
Great post!! I can't wait to get started.

Time Out Kids has an awesome list of kid eats. Check it out here:
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/kids/articles/features/10703/best-in-chow

For those of you that take your kids on the Roosevelt Island Tram (#40) try to schedule in some extra time to walk down to Southpoint Park to throw a frisbee around, have a picnic, etc and give your kids a 360 degree view of Manhattan and Queens from one of the few undeveloped pieces of land left in NYC.

And if you come by during the Summer watch for our Saturday Night Summer Movie series on that same stretch of land where you can watch movies with the Manhattan skyline lit up at night. This way you can knock out # 55 as well

http://rooseveltisland360.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-first-southpoint-movie...

The High Bridge sounds really cool. Great off the beaten track tips. Thanks!

Hi There!
I like your site & energy, but have a HUGE suggestion. Because many of us get way too much email, you should TITLE each of your many many emails. That way, no searching need be done. I'd look and see:

Mommy Poppins - 100 Things To Do List

for example and be able to differentiate from the other emails from you I haven't been able to get to yet and may just erase in a clump out of time frustration.

It may take you a couple more seconds, but would be deeply appreciated by your readers. Urban Baby and Daily Candy Kids both do that already.

Happy New Year,

Alyson

Girl, when do you sleep?! This is awesome.

Great idea for starting the New Year. I have wanted to make a list like this (though not quite as comprehensive and with appropriate eats nearby!)

Izzy's Mama,
Yum. I want a where to eat with kids in NY life list. Please, if you ever do that let's cross post!

[...] Popular Posts 100 Things to Do With Your Kids in NY Before They Grow Up [...]

What a great list!! Here's my submission....

Go on the Uptown Treasures Tour!! This is FREE (for the bus that takes you around to 8 northern Manhattan attractions) and offered in the Fall.

101. Climb up the High Bridge Water Tower to the top floor and take in the views of the Harlem River. Just 174 steps up the spiral staircase and great foto opps, esp. of the stairs and views. This is only open on select days, one of them the Uptown Treasures Tour day.

102. Tour the Morris Jumel Mansion. George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War. www.morrisjumel.org

103. Visit the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum on Uptown Treasures tour day and press your own fresh apple cider. www.dyckmanfarmhouse.org

www.uptowntreasures.org

Since I'm only living here for a short time, we've had to fast-forward our visits to the various places on the list and we've seen lots of things in the city that never sleeps. Happy New Year!

Well, 21 off of your list is pretty good with my oldest being 5! Thanks for all the new ideas!

#33-I tried to see H and G's dress rehearsal but it was mis-advertised. They had already given away all seats to school groups....so not sure how doable that one is to the average mommy joe and her kids....do you know any insider info on that?

Alyson,
I know...this has been an issue and a bunch of people brought it up in our reader survey. The service I use doesn't allow this. I've tried. I need ot switch to a different service. I will look into that as soon as I get the site design totally finished. Promise.

Absolutely wonderful list! I'd add (unless I missed it?) take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and have a pizza at Grimaldi's, and an ice cream at the B'klyn Ice Cream Factory.

[...] Popular Posts 100 Things to Do With Your Kids in NY Before They Grow Up [...]

i love everything on this list except the horse-drawn carriages and the circus. i want to teach my children to be respectful and kind to animals, and those two operations do not cut it.

I would love to subscribe to your site. It's awesome. Thank you. Patty

No to carriage horse rides - This is a great list with the exception of #13 going for a carriage ride and #99 watching the elephants come into town for the circus. We need to teach our kids kindness and compassion for both animals and people. They will become better adults. Carriage horses are exploited and kept in their shackles all day long - they do not have the opportunity to be free. You should only see where they live - and it is not in Central Park. All over the country, municipalities are becoming enlightened to the abuse of elephants and working toward banning animal circuses. Again, the public does not see them being beaten by bull hooks or chained up at night. There are so many other terrific things to go to with your kids - please do not include anything that abuses animals.

As a Manhattan resident who loves showing off New York City to my grandchildren from New Hampshire, I read your list with great interest. There are some wonderful suggestions. Including several ideas for activities that I didn't know about.

I would add Alice's Tea Cup to the list. There are three locations (East 64th St, the West Side and one in the east 80s.), with special teas in the afternoon geared to children, complete with fairy dust and sequin-encrusted wings to wear and a great children's menu. The decor is Alice in Wonderland and the staff is unfailingly pleasant.

However, I would never take a carriage ride in Central Park. My grandchildren (and I, and their mother) are opposed to animals being mistreated. We also do not visit zoos or attend the circus. But the carriage horses really have it bad -- we do wish that you would remove #13. And #99 as well.

Really. How CAN you post a picture of a circus elephant in the street? Please teach your children that this is animal abuse and have them learn about the strong family bonds elephants do have. The plight of the carriage horses in Manhattan is so obvious - and so painful to see. Bring a child to Central Park South to point out that the horses there have no shade yet sit out in the broiling sun and have no water. Watch them being pulled into traffic and have to sniff the exhaust of cars, buses, and trucks. Teach them right from wrong.

i agree - horse carriage rides and circus elephants are prime displays of animal cruelty, and therefore should not be promoted to an impressionable child.

i agree - horse carriage rides and circus elephants are prime displays of animal cruelty, and therefore should not be promoted to an impressionable child.

What are horse drawn carriages still doing on the streets of Manhattan in the twenty-first century? And what will it take to get them removed from the streets permanently? More human injuries, or even a death? Perpetuating this “romantic” NYC “experience” is animal cruelty endorsed by the Mayor, the City Council, and the Horse and Carriage Association. Not suitable family entertainment by a long shot.

Why hasn't "Mommy Poppins" removed both the horse and elephant cruelty as "must experience" from her list?

Where is the human compassion for seeing animals mistreated - - never mind a "maternal instinct" to protect one's young for seeing abuse?

"Mommy" should walk her children by the horses for a mere hour and then talk about "romance." Better yet, grab a cab and ride behind the horse being led over 20 blocks south on busy streets towards their shabby stables.

Children should letter to Mayor Bloomberg asking that the horses should only be ridden and stabled inside of Central Park!

Civic responsibility and kindness to animals can be taught at ANY age!

Dear Mommy Poppins,
Please remove both #13 and #99 from your list of things to do with your children in NY.
#13 - Ride a horse drawn carriage - this is total cruelty to the horses. They are made to walk in the blistering heat, not provided adequate water, made to work in a busy dangerous environment and at the end of the day go to a dark stall with concrete floors with no access to grazing or socializing with other horses...the last 2 items are a natural want for horses...they must be able to graze and must be able to socialize. SO PLEASE, PLEASE REMOVE THIS FROM YOUR LIST!!! Children should be taught from a very early age that animals are to be respected and treated with kindness and love. Hopefully the bill will be passed and it will no longer be an option to ride the horse drawn carriages of NY. This archaic practice is banned in the majority of countries around the world.
#99 - WatchElephants march into town - this promotes circuses with animals. An African Elephant will live up to 60 years in the wild and is meant to roam free with it's pack. Circus elephants live to approx. 35 years. They are not always treated humanely travelling in small cramped train cars across country in the heat or freezing cold. They are chained by the leg in stalls and are not permitted to graze and socialize with other elephants. CIRCUSES WITH ANIMALS SHOULD BE BANNED.
PLEASE REMOVE THESE 2 ITEMS AND TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO GIVE THE ANIMALS THE RESPECT AND FREEDOM THEY DESERVE.

Numbers 13 and 99 really do need to be removed. It is amazing to me that people still do not understand or care about animal cruelty. We need to make this world a better place and we can do this by teaching our children right from wrong.

Please do not promote the circus and horse drawn carriages. I know both these items sound kid friendly and fun, yet they are notoriously cruel to animals. I would never take my children to the circus or on a horse drawn carriage. There are so many other great things to see in NYC that don't involve animals being abused for our entertainment. I, like many moms, want to teach my children respect for all creatures, especially those who can not speak for themselves.

Thank you!

That's the list you don't like it don't follow it. I believe the issue of animal cruelty was covered by the first several emails that were sent opposing it. Why do you all feel the need to act like an angry mob and chime in with you stale comments. It's a wonderful list that will surely give many of you and your families great ideas to build lasting memories on. See it for what it is- a list of suggestions not requirements.

Here's a great way to spend time with your kids on Election Day!
This November 4th – Elect To Treat Your Kids To an Election Day Kid's Tour of The Lower East Side

As our presidential candidates anxiously count down to Election Day, our school kids eagerly anticipate a day's vacation.

A great suggestion to frazzled parents everywhere who do not look forward to the upcoming no-school day is to
treat your children to an unforgettable Kid's Tour of the famous Lower East Side – a "Lover East Side" Election Day Special.

Led by Jeffrey Altman, an experienced tour guide with an excellent rapport with kids, the itinerary will encompass a walking tour of this celebrated neighborhood. Your kids will follow the path of Grandpa when he was a little boy growing up in the Lower East Side. They’ll discover where he lived, what he ate and where he prayed. As they retrace his footsteps, their grandfather’s life will come alive before their eyes. Genuine tenement artifacts such as a 1900’s soda “machine”, a coal oven and a set of old-time playing cards from Grandpa’s days, will make old times feel real. They will experience Grandpa’s hardships as he struggles to adapt to the American Dream and taste his joy as he succeeds in overcoming all obstacles.

The tour includes a visit the Chasam Sopher synagogue – the oldest continually operating shul in New York, and a peek into a landmark matzo bakery. This unique experience will stimulate your children's imagination as they actually live history. For info visit www.LoverEastSide.com

You missed The Big Apple Circus. It is the only traditional show like it in town. Here is $30 off of tickets.

http://www.bigapplecircus.org/broadwaymagazine.aspx

The Cyclone will never be gone -- it's a New York City and National Historic Landmark.

Great list. I have a long way to go and my children are getting older too fast.

I found a great game called Neo-Frugality The New Family Game on this website for school age children. You give the kids a calender and let them figure out what they want to do this summer. Check it out I thought it was a great idea. I am going to give it to my kids this summer. www.survive2010recession.com

I have just stumbled across a great local resource. If you are like me and have piles of photos and home movies taking up space in your home, then you must check out Willow Street Films. This Brookyn-based company will take your piles and turn them into a beautiful little film that is basically an edited version of all of your photos and/or video. I just ordered a film of our children for my wife's birthday and am loving the result-so unique! I know they are taking Holiday orders now, so check it out! willowstreetfilms.com