New York is the greatest place for kids. When my daughters were a little younger I would buckle them into the double stroller, pack up a couple of sippy cups, hard boiled eggs and rice crackers for lunch and go see the sights. We would do the playground hop, stopping at every playground on our way across town. My destination was either City Bakery (for a chocolate cookie) or the Cupcake Cafe across the street in Books of Wonder (for a cupcake). It was a dilemma, cookie or cupcake - which one to consume? I never had to worry about it being fattening because pushing the double stroller was such a work out. I always tried to time my expedition to coincide with the farmers market in Union Square so that I could purchase my groceries and tie them onto the stroller. The only thing I had to be careful of were the moments when my daughters would charge towards the swings, leaving my ... [more]
New York with Kids, Victoria Kann
Theater District
The Theater District has good bones but it’s a bit shabby and uneven--our euphemism for "don’t go it alone after dark". The famous old theaters are gorgeous from the inside, and some from the outside as well, and they share their sidewalks with neon and glittering storefronts. Many fine restaurants wedge themselves behind small entries to offer theater-goers quickly delivered meals pre-theater, and a relaxed evening for post-theater diners. Recently the area has welcomed big business with grand shiny new buildings, most notably Reuters and The New York Times. Consequently, we suspect, the area will soon be posh: even the Port Authority, which in the 1980s was home to a large number of the city’s homeless men and women, now has a restaurant with linen service.