Weekly Wrap Up: Neighborhood Spotlight on the Upper West Side, Dekalb Market, Chocolate Show
What a scary week! Last Saturday felt like February (can you imagine if that had been a weekday? NYC schools probably would have been closed—heck, Central Park playgrounds are currently shuttered and many suburbs were totally derailed by the storm). Then on Monday, families dressed up in their creepiest costumes to trick-or-treat for Halloween. (That's me and my family dressed in our Addams Family best.) We're still suffering from a bit of a chocolate hangover in our household. Luckily, we've got lots of suggestions about what to do with all of that leftover candy.
Now that October 31 has come and gone, we're starting to turn our attention to the holiday season. Over the next few weeks, we'll be updating our Holiday Fun Guide and adding new posts, too. We're also highlighting a new neighborhood this month: the Upper West Side. So stay tuned for in-depth posts about things to do and places to play in the area.
And that's just a bit of what's going on. Here's what we covered this week on Mommy Poppins in NYC, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, as well as selected stories from our brand-new sites in Boston and Los Angeles.
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New York City
Since Monday was officially Halloween, we rounded up the best places to trick-or-treat and celebrate in NYC. Bookmark the post for next year!
Now that the weather is getting cooler, we're profiling lots of fun indoor places to play and learn. This week, we wrote about Scandinavia House's totally redesigned play space, Harlem's brand-new family spot Kidberry and the New York Public Library's Children's Center at 42nd Street, which celebrates its third anniversary this month.
Of course you don't have to cease outdoor activities just yet: The Dekalb Market not only features lot of funky wares, it's also got a big outdoor space where kids can run around while you shop.
The Chocolate Show brings all kinds of sweet activities to NYC next weekend. Buy your tickets now: They're more expensive at the door (children under 13 get in free).
We published the first of our neighborhood spotlight posts this week: 30 things to do with kids on the Upper West Side. Even if you live there, we think you'll discover a few things you may not know about.
Best bets for the weekend include concerts by the Deedle Deedle Dees, Suzi Shelton and the Anna Banana Band, and free museum programs.
New Jersey
Our NJ site is looking for a few good bloggers to join the Mommy Poppins team.
Special needs writer Dena rounds up support groups in Burlington and Camden Counties.
Weekend events include a Family Fest in Princeton, Pumpkin Palooza in Vernon and a stage adaptation of Winnie the Pooh in Budd Lake.
Long Island
On LI, we've got a list of wonderful children's theater and drama classes.
Things to do this weekend include the Witch's Cat Family Arts Day in St. James, the annual Rolling River Day Camp Fall Festival in East Rockaway and the Mid-Autumn Children's Festival in Garden City.
Connecticut
Our poor CT editor, Mary Beth, and her family lived without power or school for much of this week due to Saturday's freak snowstorm. So the site's been quiet. We expect Mary Beth to be back in full force by next week, and we send our best wishes to the hundreds of thousands of residents there who are still without power.
Los Angeles & Boston
Up in Boston, our bloggers are profiling preschools. While LA's weather isn't remotely wintry, outdoor ice-skating rinks are still opening for business this week!
Giveaway
Don't miss a chance to win a $250 gift certificate toward holiday cards from Minted! Our latest giveaway is perfect for the upcoming holiday season.
