There are a ton of things to do with kids in NYC at any given moment, but that doesn’t make us any less excited about novel propositions—especially when they involve the opening of the first new local kids museum in a decade.

Play Street Museum, a new interactive children’s museum and indoor play area at 805 Columbus Avenue by 100th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, will officially debut on Friday, April 19.

The 19th location of its kind nationwide, Play Street Museum was “purposefully designed to encourage a young child’s sense of independence, exploration and creativity,” according to an official press release.

The destination’s curriculum focuses on kids under eight years old and takes into account the busy lifestyle that many New York parents have to contend with. 

“This is really a full circle moment for us,” said owners James and Kristina Payne, New York parents themselves, in an official statement. “We understand the need and value of having a fun, clean and safe indoor space for our kids to play and learn. We feel privileged that we get to provide the neighborhood with a space that will allow young children to not only grow and thrive, but also allow their caregivers to rest, recharge and experience the gift of community.”

Kids will be able to play pretend in a makeshift, life-size cafe, market, doctor’s office and more. Coloring opportunities also abound.

Needless to say, the space also works as an ideal birthday party location. As mentioned in a press release, potential celebrants can choose from a list of themed packages, including “rocket science,” “donut shop” and “calling all superheroes,” among others.

Check out some photos of the new museum below:

* This article was originally published here

This month, the Mets inaugurated a new gift shop at Citi Field stadium in Queens. Bigger, shinier and with more merch than eer before, the store became a fan favorite of the opening season last week. 

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At 10,000 square feet, the destination in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda is 50% bigger than its predecessor, boasting higher ceilings and a hanging 12-foot sculpture created by Brooklyn-based artist Michael Murphy that changes appearance. It either say “Mets” or presents the team’s “NY” logo, depending on where are looking at it from.

Shoppers will also notice a ton more buying options, specifically within the women’s category. In a space that once had 12 shirts on display, folks will get to gaze at 52 different ones, per the New York Times. 

The 3,000 baseballs exhibited add character and flair to a shop that now boasts twice the number of staff members as its previous iteration. 

The Mets collaborated with some of the biggest sports brands to create the new items, including Nike, New Era, Mitchell & Ness, Pro Standard, Tommy Bahama and many others, per the store’s website.

Also of note is a new, modern self-checkout system that allows fans to get back to the stadium quickly after their purchase.  

Luckily, you don’t have to wait until a game to check out the shopping mecca: the store is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 5pm.

On game days, the hours will vary. Can’t make it in at all? Worry not: you can fill out a form to have items shipped to you.

* This article was originally published here

Giant puppets will parade through the Lower East Side on Saturday, May 11, to raise awareness for a giant issue: Climate solutions.

“Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions” is described as “an urban ecological pilgrimage.” Marchers will stop at more than a dozen gardens throughout the neighborhood showcasing visual art, music, dance, theater, and poetry. Expect to see 500 people in spectacular costumes during this theatrical pageant, along with mobile sculptures and larger-than-life puppets.

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Though the event falls after Earth Month, it keeps alive the important conversations about sustainability, climate change, and climate solutions. 

The event’s organizers highlight community gardens on the march as a way to show the importance of these green spaces within the city. Not only are these green spaces beautiful, but they also offer pollinator gardens, solar gazebos, permeable paths, and trees that improve air quality. 

“The gardens provide a myriad of solutions including sequestering carbon, filtering air pollution and run-off, as well as absorbing flood water from storm surges and sea level rise,” event organizers said in a press release. “Visionary green infrastructure projects throughout the neighborhood include bio-swales, rain and pollinator gardens, solar gazebos, permeable pathways, vertical farming, green roofs, CSA-community supported agriculture/urban farming/environmental food justice.”

They’ll also march along the East River waterfront passing a variety of resiliency practices, like oyster planting, wetlands, and kayak launch river access.

Activities along the route include an eco rap, a song for bioswales, a garden ceremony, and a poetry reading. 

More than 50 groups have partnered with Ecological City to make the procession a reality. Partner organizations include Lungs (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens), Elizabeth Street Garden, East River Alliance, and more. Social action artist Felicia Young leads Ecological Celebrations, a nonprofit collaborative art project highlighting local climate solution efforts. Their efforts have led to the preservation of community gardens and river restoration.

Volunteers are welcome to join in as puppet operators, procession marshals, and more. Sign up to volunteer here. New Yorkers are invited to stop by the route and learn about the environment while enjoying the artwork.

Here’s the procession route and times

* This article was originally published here

Over the last few years, the worrying threat of runaway artificial intelligence has loomed large in many of our minds. Still, it’s hard to imagine a productive way to respond to such a complicated, societal issue. For instance, though I have many issues I’d like to discuss with Elon Musk, he’s not exactly taking my calls at the moment. Thankfully, a luxury resort a few hours north of NYC is now offering an experience to address this ambient anxiety head-on. It also happens to take the form of my favorite coping mechanism: having a few cocktails and pretending something doesn’t exist. As a result, I knew I had to give it a go. 

Urban Cowboy Lodge is a 26-room boutique hotel spread out across cabin-style buildings on a large hill. Outside, there are lovely views of the surrounding Oliverea Valley wilderness. Inside, you’ll find a maximalist, “mountain lodge” aesthetic with antler chandeliers, bold tribal prints and numerous pictures nodding to the region’s history. The lodge recently unveiled a new digital detox initiative called the “Unplug & Play Anti-AI package.” Upon receiving a reservation email, guests can opt into the program and trade their smartphones for a Polaroid camera and a list of screen-free activities. How hard could it be to live without a phone for a few days?

My husband and I arrived at the property on Friday evening. Stepping into the resort’s main lodge is like stepping into an Instagram filter you want to live in. Giant tree trunks, comfy antique leather furniture and cozy blankets surround a central fireplace. The lobby bar is seemingly made entirely of wood and trees, like a mirage you’d encounter in a forested grove if you were especially thirsty. After getting our room key, I was asked to hand over my phone and was unexpectedly hit with a sudden wave of intense panic. Still, I tried to exude an air of nonchalance as I watched my only connection to the outside world get locked into a box for three days. I was then handed a Polaroid camera and my screen-free activity guide.

After receiving our complimentary welcome drinks, our first stop was the lodge’s lower floor where you’ll find multiple shelves of board games. (Resort guests can even request board games be delivered to their rooms which feels like an amenity every hotel should have?) Also located on the lower floor is a small private screening room that you can reserve to watch movies. Technically, this probably qualifies as screen time but it feels too classy to count so I think it’s allowed. 

Outside of the main lodge, the resort’s rooms are spread out across a few buildings: a cabin and chalet—both available for larger parties—the elevated “Alpine” building with stunning views of the nearby mountains and claw-foot tubs and the “Walden” building with cabin-style rooms and outdoor cedar soaking hot tubs. Our room was in the Alpine building at the top of three flights of stairs. (Those traveling with a lot of skiing or hiking gear may want to think twice about hauling everything up to a top room. Trust me.) 

The room was exquisite. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a clawfoot tub as I did to the ornate copper one found in this room. It is a vision. That was lucky because it turns out one of my main screen-free activities for the weekend was, in fact, bathing. They take soaking very seriously at Urban Cowboy. Next to the tub was a bathtub “menu” with a number of available items such as soaking salts, bubble bath solution, a scrubbing sponge and even a rubber ducky. (It’s always nice to encounter local wildlife.) I took a Polaroid of the tub and hopped in.

After a light soak, it was time to head down to the resort’s on-site restaurant which is appropriately named The Dining Room. I’ve been to many hotels in the Catskills and this was some of the best food I’ve had in the region. Chef Daniel Weiner has created a menu that combines Italian and Jewish culinary traditions, utilizing fresh, local ingredients, to create dishes that are unique and delicious. I especially loved the Grilled Challah with pickled cipollini onions. What I did not especially love was not being able to immediately shazam the Bonnie Raitt song playing during dinner. This led to a brief spiral regarding my tech-free existence, but after coming to terms with the lingering mystery, I skipped the lobby DJ dance party and called it a night.

The next day, it was downpouring outside. It was the type of gloomy weather that cries out for a long morning spent in bed passively falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole. This was not in the cards for me, however, so I spent a few hours reading the novel that I brought along as an inclement weather back-up. After that, I decided it was time for another soak. After that, it seemed there was nothing else to do but venture out into the damp outside world. 

With my plan to complete a hike on the property’s sprawling 68 acres thwarted, I pivoted and made a reservation for the on-site Estonian sauna. If, like me, you have no idea what an Estonian sauna is, I can now tell you that it’s like a normal outdoor sauna but better. Rather than the small outdoor bubble saunas that now seem ubiquitous at Catskills resorts, this sauna is a substantial structure with three separate spaces: an entry, a middle room and the main sauna. It was thrillingly hot, and I spent almost 30 minutes reveling in occupying a space that was already not appropriate for cell phone use. I left feeling refreshed, relaxed and with a mental clarity that I felt could be the start of my digital detox pay-off.

After that, we got drinks from the lobby bar (I had a smoky old-fashioned) and sat down to play some checkers. Here’s a question: You probably think that you know how to play Checkers but do you? I thought I did, but it turns out that was an illusion and I embarrassingly had to read the instruction booklet twice. (I still won. And yes, I took a Polaroid of it.) We had thought about going out for dinner that night at a restaurant in Woodstock before being confronted with the harsh reality that we had no way to contact the restaurant, read the menu or do comprehensive online reviews research before venturing out, so we booked another table in The Dining Room.

The next morning it was time to check-out and retrieve my phone. First, we grabbed breakfast from an adorable take-out window and enjoyed an egg sandwich on a mouthwatering buttery biscuit. (The food here is really good!) Then it was time to turn in the key and retrieve my smartphone. On the third day of my digital detox, I was surprisingly not eager to get my phone back, so I suppose in that regard the detox worked. It helps that the resort has plenty of engaging activities for analog adventuring, from saunas and bathtubs to hiking, yoga, game boards, drinking, dining and—yes—talking to strangers. It was almost enough to make you appreciate living in the present.

Then, I typed in h-o-m-e on Google Maps, selected the helpful automated suggestion and began to follow the detailed directions back to Brooklyn.

* This article was originally published here

It’s a busy season on Broadway with nearly 20 new shows opening by April 25th, the Tony Award eligibility cutoff date.

With so much to choose from on stage, Time Out New York put together a guide of some of the best theater district pre-fixe menus to help get you to the theater on time. From fine French dining to steakhouses, most restaurants offer a three-course meal that rival restaurant week menus.

Tip: At most restaurants, you’ll need to carve out at least 90 minutes before curtain time. 

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Le Rivage

Le Rivage’s prix fixe theater menu has been a staple on Restaurant Row (46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues) for decades. Its staff knows how to get diners in and out on time to make their show while still allowing a calm, leisurely and elegant atmosphere for dining. From 4:30 to 7:30pm, the French bistro offers three courses for $70 with many choices for an appetizer, entree and dessert. I always get the bisque, gambas le rivage and the peach melba. Other huge hits are the trout almondine and the French onion soup burger. There’s also a lunch pre-fixe for $46. 

The Lamb’s Club

Enter the dining room for The Lamb’s Club and feel like you’re far away from the bustle of midtown. If you look around closely, sometimes you might spot a celebrity or two before showtime. It’s been a hot spot before Merrily We Roll Along, which is across the street. In cooler weather, a table next to the fireplace makes the reservation even cozier. Choose from an $85 two or a $95 three-course pre-theater menu but allow about two hours before your curtain for a higher quality dining experience. Options for appetizers include tuna tartare, steak tartare, honeynut squash, red snapper crudo, or romaine caesar. Entrees offered are pan-seared salmon, ’nduja carbonara, seared scallops, or roast duck. 

Cafe Un Deux Trois 

The 3-course prix fixe dinner menu at Cafe Un Deux Trois can’t be beat for $48 from 4pm to close. It even comes with coffee or tea. The waiters here will get you in and out in a breeze if you’re crunched for time before a show. And from experience, I know sometimes they will let you choose options that aren’t even on the prix fixe menu. Soup of the day, mixed greens salad, and pate are on the online menu as appetizers. Bowtie pasta, stuffed chicken breast and grilled salmon are the entree choices with cheesecake, mouse and sorbet for dessert. The lunch pre-fixe option is $30 and is offered from 11:30am to 3pm.

Rosevale Kitchen

The Rosevale Kitchen’s Broadway prix fixe offers a 3-course dinner for $52, which is one of the best deals in midtown. Just let the server know you have a show to catch, and they’ll alert the kitchen staff accordingly. Tuna Tartare, burrata and shrimp cocktail are some of the first course options. Choose from rigatoni pomodoro, sautéed branzino, steak au poivre and pan-roasted Amish chicken as a main course. Then choose from vanilla panna cotta or gelato for dessert. 

The restaurant is located inside the new Civilian Hotel. If you head up the windy staircase to the second floor, you can also check out a mini Broadway museum full of props and set pieces from Broadway shows. 

The Terrace and Outdoor Gardens

The Terrace at the Edition Hotel is a hidden gem of the Theater District. Located on the ninth floor, you’ll feel whisked away from the noisy and busy streets of midtown. Available from 5 to 10pm, the $64 “Broadway Express” prix fixe lets you choose from a Caesar salad, burrata, or trumpet mushroom carpaccio as a starter. Entrees have a few vegan options too. They offer whole roasted maitake mushroom, broccoli cacio e pepe, grilled dorade and skirt steak frites. Dessert is tiramisu, lemon torta caprese, or coconut tembleque. 

STK Midtown

STK’s 43rd Street midtown location offers theatergoers an elevated three-course meal—including a side dish—starting at $69. Appetizers are baby gem Caesar, blue iceberg salad, tuna tartare or six oysters on the half shell. Entrees offered are a surf & turf combo, salmon and chicken. There’s chocolate cake or cheesecake for dessert. The steakhouse is also partnering with the musical, The Great Gatsby, offering themed cocktails like “The Old Sport” and “The Gatsby.” Plus, if you show your ticket for a same-day performance, you’ll receive a complimentary glass of bubbles along with your meal. Allow 90 minutes for your reservation. 

Bobby Van’s Grill

If you’re looking for a really good deal on steak, check out Bobby Van’s Grill. From 5 to 10pm, Monday through Saturday, the 45th Street location offers a three-course meal for $49. Choose from a Caesar salad, mixed greens, soup of the day, skillet meatballs or sweet chili calamari to start. There’s chicken parm, grilled salmon, Argentinian steak, linguini primavera and braised short ribs for the main meal. If you get the filet mignon, it’s an extra $5. There’s cheesecake, brownies and sorbet for dessert. The best part is if you get there before 6pm, order drinks from the happy hour menu. 

* This article was originally published here