Katie Nave

Katie Nave is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her wild child daughter and a menagerie of pets. Her writing has been featured in Glamour, Business Insider, and the GoldieBlox YouTube Channel. She has served as a producer for the National Women’s March and the digital lead for the non-profit organization Girls Inc. You can follow her Instagram (@kathryn.e.nave) for a mix of activism, parenting missteps, anxious musings, and hamster photos.

Latest posts by Katie

Peek Inside the New Hunters Point Library in Long Island City

Submitted by Katie Nave on Fri, 10/11/2019 - 11:21am

The new waterfront library at Hunters Point in Queens has lovely views from the children's area.

The highly-anticipated Hunters Point Library in Long Island City is now open to the public, with a lovely waterfront location, a sunny children's section, a packed calendar of family programming, and that delicious "new library smell." (Just kidding. Sort of...)

An estimated 15 years in the making, the $41.5 million Queens architectural marvel is now welcoming visitors of all ages. So if you’re looking for an indoor adventure and the allure of your local library has worn off, here's a peek inside NYC's newest literary jewel box.

50 Cool Things to Do Indoors With NYC Kids on Hot Summer Days

Submitted by Katie Nave on Sun, 08/04/2019 - 2:08pm

The Transit Museum is one of our favorite museums for NYC kids, and a great place to escape the summer heat.

If you’re looking to escape the summer heat, even just for a few hours during an especially steamy afternoon, check out one of these 50 activities to help you and your kiddos chill. We’re all for loading up on the SPF and heading outdoors when the sun is shining, but once the humidity and heat start to get the best of everyone, it’s time to seek out indoor summer activities with air conditioning. So after you’ve hit every playground, zoo, and water feature in town, here's where to take the tribe indoors for some cool fun.

Holiday Light Show Returns to the Bronx Zoo After 10 Years

Submitted by Katie Nave on Mon, 07/29/2019 - 2:00pm

Spectacular holiday lights will shine again at the Bronx Zoo. Photo by Dennis Demello

The Bronx Zoo, one of our favorite places in NYC to visit with kids and visitors, just announced that it will bring back its holiday light show for 2019, for the first time in more than 10 years. It’s never too soon to get excited about the holiday season in New York City, especially when the seasonal lights will be bigger, brighter, and greener than ever before. The Bronx Zoo will welcome families to its walk-through light experience starting November 21, 2019. Read on for more details and photos about the biggest holiday light show to come to NYC since, well, the tree.

50+ Ways to Keep NYC Kids Off Screens This Summer

Submitted by Katie Nave on Sun, 07/21/2019 - 6:20pm

Spend the day at a sprawling spinkler park, like JJ Byrne. Photo by Al DiIngeniis

"Brain drain." "Summer slide." No matter what you call it, the phenomenon of students losing months of math and reading skills during the eight-week summer vacation scares parents and teachers alike.

Luckily, we live in a city that offers tons of opportunities for summertime excitement and learning, many of them FREE. We've put together a list of more than 50 of our favorite NYC activities, events, and even at-home challenges that get kids to exercise their brains, and keep them (and us) off our screens!

So get out there to try some of these ideas for enriching exploration and edu-tainment around NYC with kids this summer. You can find even more ideas in our STEAM Guide, and don't forget to check out our NYC Schools Guide as September approaches.

36 Best Things to Do With Kids in the West Village and Greenwich Village

Submitted by Katie Nave on Wed, 07/03/2019 - 8:40am

Run through the fabulous spray fountain at Washington Square Park. Photo by Shinya Suzuki via Flickr

One of Manhattan's most picturesque communities, the West Village is filled with historic houses on quaint and crooked tree-lined streets. This former countercultural epicenter is now home to many of New York's priciest restaurants, retail stores, and real estate. But there are still plenty of affordable and even FREE attractions for families to discover as you stroll through the labyrinth of this area and its sister neighborhood Greenwich Village.

Beautifully renovated playgrounds pepper the area, including two in iconic Washington Square Park. Treat spots like cupcakeries and candy shops abound. Stretching from 14th to Houston Streets between Fifth Avenue and the Hudson River, this area may be cozy, but it's also packed with so many things to do and places to see, families can spend many days exploring the neighborhoods.

5 Brooklyn Adventures Perfect for Preschoolers

Submitted by Katie Nave on Mon, 06/24/2019 - 3:47pm

It's all smiles at Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo by Megan Newhart

A New York City day with a preschooler is likely to be full of adventure and excitement, but those short attention spans can be downright exhausting. Thankfully, the borough of Brooklyn is filled with non-stop kid fun, even for the most rambunctious little ones.

Of course, there's no shortage of fantastic zoos and gardens, museums, and playgrounds for spending a day out and about in the city, but we've developed five parent-tested, Brooklyn-based itineraries that are perfectly tailored to the younger crowd.

Nature Programs for NYC Toddlers and Preschoolers

Submitted by Katie Nave on Thu, 06/20/2019 - 4:00pm

Kids discover how animals interact with the world around them thanks to hands-on exploration at the Central Park Zoo.

When your city kid has exhausted every museum, show, and playground option in town, it’s nice to be able to get a dose of nature thanks to NYC’s array of zoos, gardens, and parks. And for nature-loving, dirt-loving, mud-loving, bug-loving city kids, the good news is there's no shortage of programming for toddlers and preschoolers in each borough.

We've rounded up our top places in New York City where your toddler or preschooler can marvel at, learn about, and connect with nature. See our guides for even more camps and classes aimed at toddlers and preschoolers.

Morningside Heights is the Latest Hotspot for NYC Families to Live and Play

Submitted by Katie Nave on Fri, 06/07/2019 - 11:00am

Morningside Heights, a homey Manhattan neighborhood steeped in history, is now one of the most desirable areas for families in NYC. Sandwiched between the Upper West Side and Harlem, and running from West 110th Street to West 125th Street, the neighborhood offers an abundance of green space, from the iconic Morningside and Riverside Parks, to the manicured lawns of Columbia and Barnard. Paired with the energy of the universities' students and the area's many family friendly-amenities, it's the perfect spot for both children and adults to live and play.

Adding to the appeal, stunning, classically New York prewar buildings like 30 Morningside Drive offer luxury living in sunny, spacious apartments with large windows, 11-foot ceilings, custom-designed furnishings by Restoration Hardware, and breathtaking park and city views. If amenities such as a 24-hour concierge, a gorgeous garden and roof deck, a gym with sauna, a motion studio, a pet spa, and a children's playroom are calling your name, you might want to consider Morningside Heights your new home.

Keep reading to find out what exactly makes Morningside Heights much more than just a "college town."