24Apr

Spend Mother’s Day at FIG & OLIVE Meatpacking (+ Review)

mothersdayfigandolive

In honor of Mother's Day, FIG & OLIVE Meatpacking in New York City is offering a Mother's Day special on Sunday, May 10th.  My mom and I were recently invited to sample the menu in lieu of the special and  I'm not lying when I say that our mouths were literally salivating at every bite. I had been to the FIG & OLIVE in Westchester near my home but it was my first time at the Meat Packing location. The restaurant exudes glimmers of the Mediterranean, from the spacious, modern, chic decor from the plants on the wall to wicker armchairs, to the Read More

05Apr

Our NYC Staycation

PicMonkey Collage - NYC

This past spring break was an interesting one. After living in and near NYC for a lot of years, I decided it was time for my kids to have a NYC staycation. We stayed in hotels, went to museums on 42nd Street like Madame Tussaud's, took a bus tour, ate in Chinatown and Korea Town, went to the top of the Empire State Building, visited the Statue of Liberty and toured Ellis Island, went to the 9/11 Memorial, explored the orchids at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and had pizza on Arthur Avenue, indulged in cupcakes at Carlos Bakery, strolled through Read More

31Mar

WICKED at The Westin New York at Times Square

wickedelevator

This past weekend was a special one for my tween and I as we stayed over night in NYC in Times Square for the first time. Sure, we've stayed over night in the city before but not right in the heart of Broadway. And for two culture vultures, that meant everything. We were invited by The Westin at Times Square to check out the WICKED Night Out, an exclusive WICKED-themed hotel package.  My daughter first saw the show at age 6 and again at age 10. As a tween, the show holds special memories for her and I knew the hotel would have an appreciative visitor. Read More

30Mar

Review: Catch Me! (Attrape-moi) at The New Victory Theater

flipfabrique

A Saturday afternoon spent at the New Victory Theater is the perfect one for my kids and I, and this past Saturday was no exception. My daughter and I went to see the extremely creative and utterly wonderful CATCH ME! (Attrape-moi), featuring the six young talents of Flip FabriQue, an up-and-coming troupe from Quebec City, Canada, whose members have performed with Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, 7 Fingers and more. We ventured to a 12pm show which we found full of other families with (much younger) children than my tween. But after being an avid Read More

09Nov

Walks of New York Presents: A Walking Tour for the Food Obsessed

pagani

Confession: I'm not a foodie. I don't follow world renowned chefs and I don't eat at their restaurants. My kids watch cooking shows on the Food Network and from time to time, I watch with them. But I do know New York City. I've been living here a long time, and I feel the city's pulse. When I was invited on a walking tour, hosted by Walks of New York, celebrating its culture and history from the perspective of one of the country’s top chefs and restaurateurs, Mario Batali, I didn't hesitate. Batali has his home base in Greenwich Village, and I'd heard Read More

21Oct

The Culture Mom App Suggestion: Explore NYC Parks

parks nyc

I love NYC. I love walking its streets, eating its food, exploring its neighborhoods. When I lived on the Upper West Side, a trip to its public parks was a crucial part of my life to escape the nuttiness of my daily, wonderful life. I would have loved a simple and easy way to navigate the parks all over the city - all 1,900 of them. That was a while ago, before the invention of anything starting with an "i". Today there's an app for everything, and now there's Explore NYC Parks, built by Brooklyn-based web developer Andy Glass. While New York City is Read More

15Sep

Giveaway: Big Apple Circus in NYC on 10/17

bigapplecircus

I took my daughter to see the Big Apple Circus when she was 3 years-old.  We trekked into NYC mid-week and entered the a large tent at Lincoln Center.  I remember it being just like an-fashioned circus with clowns, jugglers, flying trapeze performers, horse back riders, acrobatics, puppies and more.  It was her first circus experience and it certainly left a mark on her memory.  She has never forgotten it…. …which is why I’m excited about its upcoming arrival in NYC. It's making its triumphant return to its hometown from October 17th to January Read More

08Aug

Playing Tourists on NYC’s Circle Line

circle line tour

This past week I joined my son, mother and sister on a tour of Manhattan. Yes, you are wondering why I would do that when I live near NYC and have for many, many years! For one thing, it was a boat tour. I was invited by Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises to go on their Harbor Lights Tour.  Who can resist the city at night? For another thing, my mom is visiting from out of town and I knew she would get a real kick out of seeing NYC all lit up at night, close up and person. In addition, my son is very Instagram obsessed at the moment, and I knew that he Read More

04Aug

Blogger Bash Post Mortem

bloggerbash

  A few months ago, my dear friend, Charlene DeLoach of Charlene Chronicles invited me to a unique event called Blogger Bash. Billed as "10 themed parties that will serve as networking opportunities between bloggers and big-name brands from baby to travel," my immediate thought was 'how would this appeal to me?'  After all, I'm not going to many blogging conferences anymore. After blogging for more than a few years, I feel that I've typically aged out of a lot of the information that is presented at these events. I'm also not much of a Read More

27May

Mother Daughter Night at Residence Inn Central Park

View from Residence Inn

This past weekend my 11-year old daughter and I spent a night at the Residence Inn in Central Park. We had no idea before our arrival that we were headed to North America's tallest hotel! The 68-story building houses some of the best views in the city, without a doubt. The views from our room were simply stunning and it was such fun to point out the surrounding buildings and gaze down at the people and taxis from so far above. You can't feel more New York City than this with such incredible views through windows that surrounded our room facing the Read More