When I first moved to New York City, I knew I had a whole city to explore. But I don’t think I ever realized the magnitude and size of this city and just how much it has to offer a culture vulture like me. In my first eight years here before having children, I took advantage of every waking moment and explored every nook and cranny of this city and became quite attached to it.

Life has changed somewhat since those days but every now and then, I grab my friend or my husband, or I venture back into the big lights on my own for a dose of NYC.  It’s true.  The city is my drug and a shot of my favorite stomping grounds remains pivotal to my daily existence, when the stars are aligned and I can get away.

Here’s my description of a perfect day in my perfect city: New York City.

Head to Sarabeth’s for breakfast, located at 1295 Madison Avenue, and coffee.  Their scrambled eggs with scallions and cream cheese are to die for or you can opt for their lemon ricotta pancakes or vegetable frittatas.  This NYC landmark uses the best ingredients and your mouth will water for their baked goods long after you leave.

Then take a stroll through Central Park, walking along the east side of the park, all the way down to West 57th Street, to take in the morning air, watch the joggers and gaze at the views of the city on both sides of the park.

The Museum of Modern Art, located at 11 West 53rd Street, is the perfect destination for a morning of art and culture.  Get there just before they open at 10:30 and plan to spend several hours walking through each exhibit slowly, with time to read the descriptions.  Now through April 29th, they are featuring Edvard Munch’s The Scream, and they have ongoing exhibitions including Inventing Abstraction, 1910-1925, painting, sculpture, photography and famous pieces of modern art that will blow your mind. Stay for lunch in either Cafe 2 or Terrace 5 and opt for their yummy prix fix meals.

After your visit, hop on the train down to 14th Street, grab the L train, and ride over to Williamsburg where you can spend the afternoon moseying from store to store. You’ll find vintage clothing, record stores, funky accessories, housewares and furniture and other shops run by creative locals.  When shopping fatigue strikes, head to a local coffee shop with a book and relax.

If you have time after a bit of shopping and are in the mood for a fantastic skyline, hop a cab and head to Brooklyn Heights for a stroll on the Promenade.  Made famous by cameo appearances in movies like Annie Hall and Moonstruck (two of my favorites),  it offers a view of the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline and the  Brooklyn Bridge.

For dinner, catch the subway back to Times Square and head to Dafni Greek Tavern at 325 West 42nd Street for affordable, delicious Greek food.  They also have great wine and a pleasant wait staff. It’s the perfect pre-theater restaurant.

And then head to a show.  You can book half-tickets via TDF in the middle of Times Square or try another option outlined in an article I wrote on the subject on this blog not long ago.

For a drink and an opportunity to hang out with Broadway actors, Joe Allen, located at 326 West 46th Street is a theater district favorite, where you are likely to see the likes of Sam Shephard or Nathan Lane at the bar.

Disclosure: This post is published as part of the 100 cities to home swap before you die initiative from Knok.com.

Many children from low-income Brooklyn families seldom get an opportunity to leave their urban environment. The Camp Brooklyn Fund was created to give these children an opportunity to attend sleep-away camp and have the experience of a lifetime! Just $500 will send a child to camp for two weeks.

Teamwork, loyalty, wholesome health habits, responsibility and personal respect and appreciation for nature are all a part of a child’s education at summer camp.  Intensive camp experiences can truly open up a world of opportunities to young people. Sending young people to camp also gives working parents/caregivers a much-needed break.

Camp Brooklyn was founded by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz in 2002 and now operates as Camp Brooklyn Fund, a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization. They raise the necessary funds through fundraisers, sponsorships, grants for program support and donations from caring individuals.

This Sunday, take your kids to  rock the waterfront and give their less fortunate peers a great summer.

At “Family Fun on the Williamsburg Pier,” presented by Elaine and Norm Brodsky, in-kids and their wannabe parents will enjoy an afternoon of rides, games, food, drinks and music. Proceeds from the event will help Camp Brooklyn send children from low-income families to sleep away camp this summer.

Rock Fest, hosted by the North 6th Street rock ‘n’ roll play space, will feature non-stop live music and entertainment from an exciting line-up of popular family bands and rock artists: Little Rock-its by Frolic! with Tim Kubart of Tim and the Space Cadets, AudraRox, Suzi Shelton, Larry g(EE), Topsy Bonsai and the Tangs featuring Tracy Bonham, Maracatu NY and DJ Wyllys.

“Family Fun on the Williamsburg Pier,” will take place on Sunday, June 3rd, from 12PM – 6PM, at CitiStorage headquarters, at 5 North 11th Street. For more information about Camp Brooklyn, including how to donate or to apply for a scholarship, visit www.campbrooklyn.org.

The following is a letter written by two very good friends of mine, a couple, living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  They sent this to me tonight, along with these fantastically poignant photographs.  For those of you not living in NY, I thought you’d really appreciate an honest look at the slight over-reaction – thus far, anyway – made by everyone, from media to the authorities, on Hurricane Irene.  Of course, we may wake up to an utter disaster tomorrow morning, but today was something very different.  Read on.

Dear Irene,

Leave it to my Brooklynite sister to introduce us to FARMACY, the most amazing old-fashioned, but very hip, soda fountain in Carroll Gardens (513 Henry St., at Sackett St., Carroll Gardens; 718-522-6260).  It’s total nostalgia – everything from egg creams to milkshakes and ice-cream sundaes, to the counter and leather seats where you can sit comfortably, to the girls wearing white hats, aprons and old-fashioned glasses.  You feel like you’ve gone back in time, but you can’t help but remember what decade you’re in with all the hipsters in the room.  They’ve put very careful attention into the decor and you really feel like you’ve gone back to the 1950s/early 1960s.

Let me tell you about some of the items on the menu.  I had a coffee egg cream ($3.50). They also have chocolate and maple flavors.  They have floats, sparkling sodas, sundaes, red velvet twinkies, ice-cream sandwiches.  I liked the touch of free stick pretzels on the counter, which we dipped into our egg creams.  They use syrup from Brooklyn’s P&H Soda and Syrup, as well as Adirondacks Creamery ice cream and Hudson Valley Fresh whole milk, and you can taste the difference.

Best of all, it’s completely kid-friendly.  Kids will love the $4.50 sundae and a trip to the back of the cafe where they have old-fashioned type-writers and tons of board games.  I can only imagine that this place is full during the day with moms and children.  They even have “No Tellin’ it’s Vegan” cupcake, which are dairy and wheat-free and great for kid’s allergies.

I also liked the music, a real throw-back to a time long gone.  Apparently, they have live music now.

Clearly, I like this place.  I only wish we had a place like this where I live.  The waiters behind the counter are actually called “JERKS” and they treat you like you’re a friend.  My sister and I were talking about the playwright, Wendy Wasserstein, and the Jerk waiting on us joined in our conversation and started to tell us how she just finished Wasserstein’s novel. She did not hesitate to join in and the vibe in the place is such that you kind of expect her to.  It’s inviting and definitely a find.

Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this review and all opinions are my own.

The DUMBO Arts Festival returns this year to showcase local, national and international artwork amidst the spectacular backdrop of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and the New York Cityskyline.  The multidisciplinary Festival will include visual and performance art, open studios, music and literature, family programming and more.  The Festival runs from September 23-25, 2011, in the DUMBO neighborhood ofBrooklyn, New York.

The Festival, currently in its 15^th year, will present artwork in DUMBO studios, galleries, storefronts, performances venues, parks and even on the East River.  Multimedia performances, which will include projected videos onto DUMBO’s bridges and buildings, make the DUMBO Arts Festival a “must-attend” fall event.  Visitors can meet and interact with artists working in their studios or making murals on the streets, participate in literary events and listen to music of many different genres.  The Festival will feature free programming for children of all ages.

This year, AT&T joins Two Trees Management Company as major sponsor of the DUMBO Arts Festival.  AT&T will be integrated into various aspects of the festival, including sponsoring a signature installation that will be a cornerstone of this year’s artistic programming.  Dozens of guides, with Wi-Fi-enabled tablets and spread out across DUMBO, will direct, teach and interact with festival-goers using the robust AT&T network.  The festival will include a new lounge with amenities powered by AT&T, including charging stations and AT&T Wi-Fi-enabled products featuring an interactive festival map.

Originally conceived and produced by the DUMBO Arts Center in 1997, and known as the “Art Under the Bridge Festival,” the Festival has grown and evolved with the changing neighborhood to include more artists, more disciplines and now new media.  In 2010, Two Trees took over as the main sponsor of the event and the DUMBO Arts Festival expanded its arts base with the participation of hundreds of artists, 100 studios, 50 galleries and stages and 100 programming partners.  Last year attracted more than 200,000 visitors

Festival hours are:

Friday, September 23: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Saturday, September 24: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Sunday, September 25: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

All outdoor projections are open from 6:00 PM – Midnight on all three nights.

For more information including an up-to-date list of artists and programs, visit http://dumboartsfestival.com.  To get the latest updates on artists and exhibitors, follow the festival on Facebook and Twitter (@dumboartsfest).

Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post.

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The June full moon brings two special moonlight storytelling nights with stories under the stars.  On Wednesday, June 1, folk tales from Guyana will be featured outside St. Stephen’s Church from 6:30-8:30PM while Thursday, June 2, the Prospect Heights Community Farm provides a special garden backdrop for Carribean ghost stories and legends of the sea from 7-9PM.

Then, it is a full weekend of story-centric events from June 10 – 12.  The weekend begins with Garifuna tales Friday, June 10, at the BIKO Transformation Center on Bushwick Avenue.

On Saturday, June 11, The Great Brooklyn Storytelling Event will take over Grand Army Plaza by the Brooklyn Public Library from 1 – 4 pm.  The event will feature all manner of traditional storytelling told by raconteurs from all over the borough including George Davidson, Tammy Hall, Winston “Jeggae” Hoppie, Kid Lucky, Irka Mateo, Aeilushi Mistry, Professor Louie and Fast Eddie, and more.  The audience will have their own chance to spin a tale in Sabrina Artel’s specially-equipped Trailer Talk trailer.

And, on Sunday, June 12, from 3-4PM Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park will be the setting for Lenape Indian tales and stories from Trinidad.

For a full schedule of events, visit http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org.

The Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC), a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 1966, serves Brooklyn artists and arts groups in all disciplines and provides residents with affordable access to the arts. BAC supports Brooklyn’s independent dance, music, film and visual artists, and independent arts organization.  BAC also works to preserve the arts in Brooklyn schools, after school programs and community centers.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN BROOKLYN: TRADITIONAL STORYTELLERS AND THEIR TALES.  The borough-based story festival will bring traditional storytelling including folk tales, ghost stories, legends and myths from cultures around the world, to venues all over Brooklyn.  Presented by Brooklyn Arts Council.  June 1 – 22, various locations.  Tickets: Free.  Visit www.BrooklynArtsCouncil.org for schedule and venues.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 6:30-8:30PM

FULL MOON STORYTELLING NIGHT: FOLK TALES AND TELLERS FROM GUYANA

St. Stephen’s Church, Corner E.28^th St and Newkirk  Avenue

This special event outside St. Stephen’s Church will feature Guyanese folk tales told by the light of the full moon.  FREE.

Presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council in cooperation with Guyana Cultural Association

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 7-9PM

MOONLIGHT STORIES IN THE GARDEN

Prospect Heights Community Farm, 256 St. Marks Avenue (Prospect Heights)

A special evening in one of Brooklyn’s community gardens featuring duppy (ghost) stories of the Caribbean presented by Caribbean Cultural Theater and tales of the sea with New York Harbor diver Lenny Speregen and Adam Brown.  FREE. (Rain date: Thursday, June 9)

Presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council in cooperation with Prospect Heights Community Farm, a fiscally sponsored project of the Open Space Institute

FRIDAY JUNE 10, 7-9PM

GARIFUNA WONDER TALES

BIKO, 1474 Bushwick Avenue

A traditional uraga (storytelling session) with Garifuna  artists of Belize and Honduras and special guest storytellers. Traditional food will also be served. FREE.

Presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council in cooperation with BIKO, the Garifuna Transcendental Center

SATURDAY, JUNE  11, 1-4PM

THE GREAT BROOKLYN STORYTELLING EVENT

Brooklyn Public Library Central , Grand Army Plaza, Eastern Pkwy and Flatbush Avenue

Highlighting all manner of traditional storytelling, the event features raconteurs from all over the borough and plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in by recording their own Brooklyn stories in Sabrina Artel’s  specially equipped Trailer Talk trailer. FREE.

Presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council with support from The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation in cooperation with Brooklyn Public Library

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 3-4PM

STORIES IN THE PARK

Lefferts Historic House, Prospect Park, use Flatbush and Ocean Avenue entrance

A story session for the whole family, featuring Lenape Indian tales and stories from Trinidad. FREE.

Presented by the Brooklyn Arts Council in cooperation with Lefferts Historic House in Prospect Park.

On Saturday, April 9th between 11am and 1pm, rain or shine, PS295: The Studio School for Arts & Culture will host Brooklyn’s first Touch-A-Truck street fair.  At this exciting family event – also a fundraiser to help support arts programs at PS 295 – kids will have a chance to climb inside, touch and explore some of the working trucks and vehicles they see in everyday life.

Tickets are $5 per person (no charge for children under two years old). The fair will run the length of 18th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, next to PS 295, which lies at the intersection between Park Slope,Windsor Terrace and Sunset Park.  The following vehicles are scheduled to take part in the event, along with their drivers/operators who will also be on-hand to explain how these automobiles work and what purpose they serve in the community:

• FDNY fire engine
• NYPD police car
• DSNY Garbage truck
• Ambulance
• Airstream trailer
• Concrete mixer
• Dump truck
• Moving van
• Vintage ice cream truck and other vintage autos from the Brooklyn Antique Automobile Association
• The Truck Farm, a traveling garden and CSA that brings a rural experience to urban kids
• Brooklyn Public Library Bookmobile
• And many more!

Some of Brooklyn’s famed gourmet food trucks will also be selling savory treats on-site. Families can purchase amazing burgers and fries from Frites & Meats, some of the best tacos in Brooklyn from Country Boys/Martinez Taco Truck (of Red Hook fame), and delicious sweets from The
Treats Truck. All proceeds from Touch-A-Truck Brooklyn will be used to help fund and sustain PS295‘s arts programs – programs facing budget cuts –specifically music, dance, drama, and visual arts. Several local businesses have already shown their support for the local elementary school by signing on as event sponsors: Target, Union Market, Park Slope Plumbing, Stomping Ground Photography, Quadrozzi Concrete Corp., Greschlers’ Hardware, Paul Signs, Sidecar, Eagle Provisions and Astoria Federal Bank.

About P.S. 295 The Studio School of Art and Culture
PS 295 (http://www.ps295.org), located at 330 18th Street in Brooklyn, is a
community that embraces diversity by nurturing strengths and talents to educate
the whole child socially, academically, culturally and artistically through
differentiation in all facets of learning. In recognizing that all children learn in
different ways, the school believes that an arts integrated curriculum cultivates a
more meaningful discovery of self, enhances prior knowledge, supports content
and language development and encourages a strong respect and appreciation
for the arts. The school’s strong professional development program provides
ongoing learning and leadership opportunities for all members, while offering
students an exemplar for becoming lifelong learners and leaders of the future.

If you are a new or expecting parent, this is an event you’ll want to put in your diary, A Child Grows in Brooklyn Baby Expo. This very well organized event will have mini demos and mini seminars on everything from setting good sleeping habits to learning CPR and making baby food, product testing of carriers, strollers, organic mattresses and more, and demonstrations. Moms will be pampered with mini-manicures, blow-outs and yummy food from Brooklyn Fare.  Children will have their share of fun, too: baby yoga, first lock cuts, or playing in a fully stocked play room.   All activities are free with admission ($35 per ticket or $60 for two tickets. Tickets at the door are $45 each.)  The first 250 to register get a special swag bag with a value of $120, so register now.

Here are the event’s details:

Sunday, March 13 from 11am to 4pm
Location: Downtown Brooklyn’s LEED building, Toren, (150 Myrtle Ave).

You can read more about it here: http://www.achildgrows.com/expo/

Disclosure:  I’ll be there covering the event and running the Ruckus Media booth.   If you have an interest in kids and technology, please stop by my booth, or even to talk about NYC culture.  I am a contributor for A Child Grows, but I was not paid to promote this event.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music is having an encore screening of *National Theatre Live’s FELA! on Thursday, February 10th at 2pm.  This production (filmed live in HD at the National Theatre in London and then broadcast around the world via satellite) sold-out it’s first two screenings in January at BAM.
The screening will be on in two theaters, one theater will be for the general public and the other theater is reserved for new parents/caregivers and will feature a host of baby-friendly amenities including stroller valet, raised house lights, lower volume, and changing tables.

A provocative and wholly unique hybrid of dance, theatre and music, FELA! explores the world of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies), FELA! reveals Kuti’s controversial life as an artist and political activist. Featuring many of Fela Kuti’s most captivating songs and Bill T. Jones’ visionary staging, FELA! comes via Broadway to London and the National Theatre.

Here is the info:

BAM Rose Cinemas
Tickets: $23; ($21 for Friends of BAM and BAM Cinema Club members)
Children under the age of 2 are free!

*Please note that while there are special baby-friendly amenities at these screenings, the show is not rated and may contain some content not suitable for children. BAM encourages parents and caregivers to use their discretion accordingly.

Now on the Culture Mom, you can enter to win two tickets to FELA! At BAM. Here is how to win:

1) Comment here and leave your contact information (Twitter handle preferred or email) and name of blog (if you have one).

2) Become a fan of  The Culture Mom’s Facebook Page. Then leave a comment on the wall telling me why you want to win the two tickets.

3) Tweet “I hope I win tickets to see National Theatre Live’s FELA! at @BAM_Brooklyn via @theculturemom”

4)  Post a link to this contest on your blog (and then leave a comment on this post with your link).

Contest ends midnight Eastern time, February 9th, 2010 at 4pm EST. You will have 24 hours to claim the tickets.

Disclosure: These tickets are being given to me for promotional purposes for this giveaway.  All of the opinions expressed above are my own.  In addition, I was not paid to promote this show.

I’ve written about Angelina Ballerina a bunch of times on this blog.  My daughter was obsessed with her when she was 3, 4, maybe even 5.  When she left that phase (she’s 7 now), I was kind of sad myself.  The sweet, innocent mouse introduced my daughter to ballet.  Her books taught her valuable lessons and morals.  Even though we have moved on, I am very keen on the Kids Club 13vent we are going to this Sunday at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.  I am sure that the experience will move my daughter to think fondly back on dressing up in tutus and imitating Angelina Ballerina at dance class.

Kids Club Thirteen is heading to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum this weekend with an Angelina screening, live dance performances and goodies. The event is free if you are a Kids Club Thirteen member. If you don’t belong yet, don’t worry, you can join in time for the event.

The dance party is this weekend, Sunday, December 19th and here is what’s going on:

• Featuring  Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps Nutcracker Suite-themed episode screening
• Vital Theater Company performer from Angelina Ballerina: The Musical will give a dance workshop and chat with fans
• Angelina Ballerina goodies*, plus crafts & activities
• Enjoy ongoing festive multicultural holiday explorations at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Here is the event Schedule

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ongoing holiday and dance-themed crafts & activities in Member Zone

10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps Nutcracker Suite-themed episode screening

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Dance workshop led by Angelina Ballerina: The Musical performer.

12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Explore Challenge scavenger hunt led by Brooklyn Children’s Museum volunteers

1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Multicultural Nutcracker Suite performance by Brighton Beach Ballet

Suggested Member Activities:

1:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Multicultural Nutcracker Suite performance by Brighton Beach Ballet

Visit the Brooklyn Children’s Museum website for more information about the museum.

One of my uber favorite bloggers, Amy Oztan from SelfishMom, is greeting Kids Club members.  She’s a fellow Kids Club 13 ambassador!

Details:
Event RSVP here
Sunday, December 19th, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11213

Disclosure: I am a Kids Club 13 Ambassador, which means I got a free membership.  But I do attend most Kids Club 13 events and really, really love them!