On Saturday, my family spent the day in Queens with my husband’s parents. To change things up (instead of just hanging around their house for the day and having dinner together), we invited them to the New York Hall of Science. It had been over twenty years since my husband and his family had been there. A lot had changed in the interim. It seemed like every area that we passed (except one!) was new.

(Initially, Sean wasn’t too excited about the trip!)

The Hall of Science really is a great hands-on place to visit. It was amazing to see/think about how science impacts practically every area of our lives. All of us enjoyed ourselves. Michael was like a little bee – flitting from one new thing to the next. Suffice it to say, at the end of three hours, all of the adults were exhausted (but in a good way!). I definitely recommend splitting the visit into two trips – we’ll be back because we weren’t able to cover everything. The highlights from our visit included the following:

-The Preschool Place

(Michael measuring items on a scale at the grocery store in The Preschool Place)

-The Sports Challenge

(Michael “surfing the waves”)

And

-The Bubble Area

(Michael trying to make a huge bubble)

The only thing that I didn’t especially like abut the Hall was its dining area. It had a huge seating area which was great but the food selection was just alright. The hot choices (pizza and chicken fingers) were pre-cooked and in a warmer. With all of that space, I expected to have a larger section and cooked-to-order options. That’s just a minor annoyance though. Overall, the Hall was excellent (bright, clean, friendly staff, HUGE elevators, etc.). Michael is already asking when we can visit again! If you’re visiting the Queens area, I highly recommend a visit.

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This (even more than the various children’s museums) is my son Michael’s favorite museum in the city. So, he was super excited when he found out that we were going there for a Media Family Party last night.

We were there to see The Horse exhibit which was great, especially if your kid is a fan of ponies and horses. In addition to the six exhibit areas, the museum also uses hands-on, interactive computers, and video to make this a multi-media experience. You can see a layout of the exhibit (which is at the museum until 1/4/09) here.

Since we were already at the museum, Michael insisted that we see the Lizards and Snakes: Alive! exhibit, which we had seen on a prior visit. The little boys especially loved this exhibit which was full of creepy, crawly actual lizards and snakes (behind glass, of course). Being on the squeamish side myself, I was totally grossed out by a computer game that Michael kept playing where you make the snake eat mice. Yuck! In any event, you can read more about this exhibit (which is at the museum until 1/5/09) here.

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Saturday’s event at The Little Gym of the Upper West Side was so much fun!  Personally, I had fun catching up with moms from the past and meeting new moms.  I really didn’t get to experience the inside of the gym, but my husband and sons did.  I must say that (because of the nature of my job) my oldest son Michael is hard to impress.  So, it was a pleasant surprise to hear him rave about the gym’s air raft.  My husband was impressed by it too since we haven’t seen it at any other gyms in the city.  (My husband’s description: “kids sit on it; then, the staff blows it up and it rises up in the air; then, the kids get to run or crawl across it; at the end, the kids sit down on the raft; it deflates and comes back to the ground”.)  were the highlights for my sonThe air raft, pizza and Valentine’s day cupcakes by TJ Bakery & Cafe were the highlights for my son.

I also received great input from the other moms in attendance.  The overall consensus was: that their kids had a blast and want to go back; the gym is a great space; the staff was very friendly and attentive; the big air raft/mattress was a hit; and that the Babylegs and Crayola items were the biggest hits from the goody bags.

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New York Restaurant Week is one of the most popular events in the city. This year, the event takes place from January 21–25 and January 28–February 1. During this time, you can enjoy three-course fixed-price meal ($24.07 lunches, $35 dinners) at over 200 top restaurants.

My husband had the 21st off for MLK day, so we went to luch at China Grill - New York, a popular, high-end Asian restaurant. It was great! First of all, the place was beautiful and the service was very attentive. The food was also very good. We loved our appetizer (spicy beef & scallion dumplings) and salad (crackling calamari salad). The family-style servings were very generous. The dumplings were served in a soy ginger sauce that was excellent. The calamari was cooked perfectly (not too chewy/not too greasy) and the lime miso dressing on the salad was so good that I went back for more (and I’m definitely not a salad person). The entree (sake marinated “drunken” chicken ) wasn’t as good as the appetizers (we normally find that to be the case) but it was still good. Our last course, the mango ice-cream dessert was also very good. It came with mango, vanilla bean and raspberry ice cream along with some cookies. It was a great ending.

Two tips in case you plan on going to Restaurant Week:
1. Be sure to ask for the official Restaurant Week menu when you are seated.
and
2. Save yourself some time in finding which participating restaurants are available at the time you’d like to make a reservation by going directly to OpenTable.com. (Our first choice, Tao Restaurant wasn’t available.)

Enjoy!

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On Wednesday, my three year old son Michael took part in a focus group for an upcoming show by Little Airplane Productions, the creators of The Wonder Pets, Oobi and more preschool programming.  Beforehand, I told him that his "job" was to listen to the story and then answer the questions that he was asked.  He did exactly what I said.  He listened intently while the story was being read.  Then when the facilitator asked questions, he was quick to answer…too quick.  Michael is a lot like me in that he processes information really quickly.  As soon as the facilitator asked the question, he was ready with the answer.  The other little kids who were participating just repeated his answers until the facilitator started asking them what they thought first specifically by name.  We’ll have to work on giving others the opportunity to answer questions first before he goes to preschool next September.  I like that he grasps things quickly.  However, I hope that he isn’t like I was in school - I would learn everything really quickly, then get bored and talk for the rest of class, distracting the other students who didn’t learn as quickly - not good.  I never really got punished by teachers for acting that way but looking back, I see how unfair that was to the other kids.

Anyway, it was neat to see how Little Airplane does focus groups for their preschool programming.  They were really great at listening to the kids’ input in order to make the shows great.  I said that I would spread the word, so here’s the info:

"For those who have children ages 3 to 5, they are invited (with their parents or guardians) to the offices of Little Airplane Productions to listen to - and offer feedback on - potential episodes for current or future educational preschool shows.  Each participant receives a $25 travel stipend and a small gift. Sessions run 30-40 minutes and various times and dates are available; call or email Natascha to schedule an appointment. 207 Front Street, in the South Street Seaport. [212.965.8999; email: natascha@littleairplane.com; http://www.littleairplane.com] "

Later, I found out that Little Airplane also offers tours of their studio (all work on their shows is done in-house) for $10/person.  I think that would be fun for the kids to see a "behind the scenes" look at some of their favorite shows, so I plan to go back when the weather gets warmer.

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(Yes, that’s a picture of me!)  I  took a beginner level Flying Trapeze class at Trapeze School New York (http://newyork.trapezeschool.com/).  It was amazing!  Initially, when I saw the school from across the street, I almost chickened out.  “What was I thinking” ran through my head as I hesitantly approached the Pier.  Fortunately, it looked a lot less scary up close and the school had the most beautiful views of the sky and the city.  “I can do this,” I kept telling myself.

When the class began, there was an instant sense of camaraderie amongst all of us first-timers. (Classes are small - no larger than 10 people - so that each person can get individual attention.)  Our instructor Jeff gave us some brief safety rules; demonstrated what we would (try to) do; and tightly put on our safety belts.  After marveling at my pre-baby looking waist, I realized that it was time to fly.

I volunteered to go first, so that I wouldn’t lose my nerve.  I climbed 23 feet up the ladder, jumped off the platform and hung on the trapeze by my hands three separate times.  It was scary to jump off the first time, but once I was off the platform, it was so much fun swinging back and forth and then letting go of the bar in order to fall into the net.  I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to do some of the other options (like the knee hang, flipping dismount or catching), but my goal is to be able to do some of those things the next time.

Overall, I was really excited to step out of my comfort zone…I was flying!  When I asked my fellow class members how they would describe their experience, they used phrases like “liberating”, “natural high”, “it helped me to let go”, and “an amazing experience”.  In any event, I highly recommend this class!

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Yesterday, I took a bellydancing class at Serena Studios (http://www.serenastudios.com).  It was fun, but hard!  I thought that I’d show up with my pedicured feet (courtesy of Kris at Think Pink nails) — since it’s a shoes-off class — and my belly (courtesy of Sean Coleman, my son of three months); shake my hips and my arms a little bit and call it a day.  I was wrong! 

It was not “easy” and as one of the teachers said, “It’s not supposed to be.”  There were specific body positions and 8+ basic dance moves that were learned in this Basic Beginner class. I heard “drop your tailbone; lift your chest” so much that it’s now a mantra in my head.  Although the teachers were firm, they were also friendly and kind.  They said that I did “good” even though I didn’t (I’m an optimist, but I’m also a realist.) 

Word to the wise - if you want to get into Serena’s classes, arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to get a good space.  Serena is a great bellydancer and she has a very calming, gracious personality.  Speaking with the various students, I learned that there are different instructors to fit different personality types/ goals (i.e. some have hard abs while other have more stereotypical bellydancing "bellies").  In any event, my class was a great workout…there were lots of arm, stomach and hip movements.  It was also a great feminine bonding experience (despite the student who pushed me out of her way, instead of just asking me to move!).  There were moments when we were all shimmying our hips and floating our arms in unison…I felt so feminine and strong, thinking “I am woman. Hear me roar!”  All in all, I highly recommend this class…especially for those who have the time to “master" the body positions and basic dance moves.

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One of the last things that I wanted to do before giving birth was go to one more high/afternoon tea (one of my favorite things to do).  That’s exactly what I did last Saturday with a close friend of mine.  We went to the St. Regis Hotel.  It was a little pricier than other teas in the city ($45+ per person before tax & gratuity) but I figured that it would be a really good tea.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.  The interior was nice, but since we were seated near the door we received a blast of cold air every time someone entered the area.  The tea selection was pretty minimal….I ended up with chamomile tea.  We received an assortment of bite-sized sandwiches which were fine, but nothing exceptional.  The scones and cream were good though, so that made me happy. None of the assorted pastries looked especially appetizing, so I (and my friend) skipped that portion.  Also, the presentation was confusing…it was a combination of English and Asian looking.  (The finger sandwiches and scone sides were served on long, narrow rectangular dishes?!)  The best part of the tea (besides catching up with my dear friend) was the attentive service.  Our waiter was great…it wasn’t his fault that the meal wasn’t great.

In any event, I would not recommend the St. Regis for high tea.  My friend and I rated our favorites (thus far).  Her favorite is Alice’s Tea Cup.  My favorites are The Plaza (I hope that they still have high tea when they reopen in the Fall!); Alice’s Tea Cup; Tea & Sympathy; and The Harlem Tea Room in that order.  If you’re a tea person, you can also find pretty accurate reviews of NY tea places at http://www.teamap.com/states/state_NY_Name.html.

If anyone else knows of any great tea spots in the city, please drop me a line at kcoleman@mominthecity.com.  (I’ve also heard that Lady Mendl’s has a great high tea…I’ll try them next.) 

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We’re back from our much anticipated Sesame Place trip.  It was a lot of fun for the most part.  My son’s favorites:
-Elmo’s World: Peek-A-Bug
-Cookie Mountain
-Grover’s World Twirl
-Monster Maze
-The Slide

Least Favorites:
-Elmo’s World: Blast-off (it made his - and my - stomach drop!)
-Rock Around the Block Parade (he loved the characters from afar, but was overwhelmed when they touched him!)
-Breakfast with Elmo (same reason as above)

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I’m a foodie. Now that I’m pregnant (probably for the last time), I’m a (justified, in my mind) foodie. Tonight, my husband, son and I were walking through Madison Square Park and we noticed the Shake Shack. I had read a couple of articles about the kid-friendliness and good food AND I had a French fry craving so we all went there for dinner. At first my husband was hesitant because the place recently had been written up in the paper regarding health code violations. The smell of the fries and the long lines convinced us (ok, especially me!) to give the place a try. We had a hot dog, a cheeseburger and the French fries and we were all pleased. The hot dog is exceptional and my husband loved it until the last bite when he noticed the green sauce on it (it’s a visual thing). The French fries were great and well-priced for the portion size. The cheeseburger was really good too, but it was a little small. All in all, we really liked the restaurant and we will be back again. (I already have their cheese fries and crème brulee custard on my “food treat” list!)

Lastly, I checked their website (http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/) and they have passed their health re-inspection…

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