Raven Snook

Raven is a writer, editor, performer and mom, who was born and bred in NYC, just like her husband, her mother and now, her daughter. As a writer, she's contributed articles to New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice, the New York Post, TV Guide, Better Homes and Gardens, iVillage, AOL TV and Moviefone, Parents.com, and worked as an in-house editor for ParentsConnect.com and TimeOutKids.com. As a performer, she's appeared on many downtown stages (sometimes even for pay!), a couple of obscure films and TV shows, and The Maury Povich Show as a female drag queen. She's also the founder of Hot Mama Burlesque, the world's only all-moms burlesque show. After being the NYC editor from March 2011-March 2015, she is now happy to just be a blogger as she pursues additional writing opportunities.

Latest posts by Raven Snook

This Week: Bronx Zoo Dinosaur Safari, Vintage Carnival Rides at Fete Paradiso, Best Manhattan Park You've Never Heard Of

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 07/18/2013 - 1:00pm

With the city constantly texting me about heat and air quality advisories, I'm starting to feel like I have a second overbearing mother. (For the record, my mom still calls me on an almost daily basis to ask if my daughter and I are dressed appropriately for the weather.) My family and I have been attempting to keep cool by trying some of the picks in our Water Fun Guide like great public pools and popular water-filled playgrounds. If you just can't bear to be outside, our Inside Activity Guide has many fun indoor options including drop-in play spaces, and there are lots of kid-friendly exhibits in our Museum Guide.

For the most part though, we haven't let the high temperatures slow us down. This week we explored a couple of new must-experience summer attractions: the Bronx Zoo's awesome Dinosaur Safari and the absolutely magical Fête Paradiso on Governors Island. Meanwhile our Long Island peeps put together a list of the top 25 things to do on the North Fork with kids, our Connecticut bloggers shared the best places to go blueberry picking in New Haven County and New Jersey highlighted the state's best water parks and offbeat summer festivals, including next weekend's Hot Air Balloon Festival at the Warren County Farmers' Fair.

And don't forget to enter our current giveaway, which is aimed at kids and parents: a pair of OnBroadway Performing Arts Training Program master classes for four (two children and two adults). We think moms and dads deserve to win something, too.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

Free & Fun Things to this Weekend for NYC Kids: City of Water Day, New Museum Party, SummerStage Queens Family Day July 20-21

Submitted by Raven Snook on Wed, 07/17/2013 - 2:00pm

Looks like the heat wave is going to break just in time for the weekend. And even if it rains that will be a relief! Regardless of what the weather brings, my family and I are excited to go on a FREE boat tour on Saturday as part of the City of Water Day festivities on Governors Island, and we plan to stick around to hit the rides at the awesome Fête Paradiso.

Other fabulous FREE fun this weekend includes the art-filled New Museum Block Party on the Lower East Side, top-notch entertainment at SummerStage Kids Queens Family Day in Long Island City and TheatreworksUSA's brand-new educational show The Civil War in the West Village.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide, including our favorite FREE places to cool off like public pools, beaches and water playgrounds. And if you're craving air conditioning, check out our Indoor Activity Guide for great ways to beat the heat.

This Week: Free in NYC Guide, Drop-off Summer Playdates, Things to Do in Fort Tryon Park, Jedi Classes for Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 07/11/2013 - 1:00pm

Every year around this time I start to feel like I'm the only New Yorker left in NYC. I was on a Fifth Avenue bus yesterday and it sounded like the Tower of Babel (even more so than usual). My family and I actually love sticking around the city in the summer because there are so many wonderful things to do, many of them FREE. And I was reminded of that as we put together our Free in NYC Kids Guide this week. This brand-new guide lists no-cost things to do and places to go in the five boroughs throughout the year, but the section on free summer fun is particularly robust. So the next time you're trying to plan a no-cost NYC outing, you know where to look.

Of course I can't deny the appeal of a quick summer getaway. In addition to checking our NYC Day Trips Guide for inspiration, it's worth perusing our regional sites for ideas. Our Westchester site just rounded up 25 things to do in Pelham; our New Jersey site profiled the Watchung Reservation; the annual Sailfest hits the water near New London this weekend, Connecticut and blueberry picking is on at farms throughout the tri-state area. If you do go out of town, be sure to download a few of these apps to keep preschoolers busy in the car, on a plane or even if you just need a few minutes to yourself at home.

And a quick shout out on behalf of our Long Island site, which is on the hunt for a few good bloggers. If you're an LI expert who fits the bill, we encourage you to apply!

Here's what else we covered on our NYC site this week, including details about a new drop-off summer playdate program by Project Playdate that Mommy Poppins is co-sponsoring.

This Week: Best July Events for NYC Kids, July 4th Weekend Fun, Focus on Washington Heights & Inwood

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 07/04/2013 - 12:00pm

You know the worst thing you can do to someone right in the middle of a four-day holiday weekend? Give them a really long post to read. But don't worry: We'll be brief today since it's been a pretty quiet week for all of us at Mommy Poppins as we transition from school to summer, and enjoy our four-day 4th of July weekend.

Since it's a new month, we posted a new NYC Go List, highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout July, including three awesome picks for this weekend. If you're going out of town for the holiday, be sure to visit our regional sites since Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut and Westchester all published July Go Lists, too. Even if you're planning a 4th of July holiday staycation, you may want to check the posts out: After reading about the Hudson Valley Balloon Festival on our Westchester site, I'm thinking of taking a last-minute day trip with my family. And if you're on the hunt for a proper vacation, our Travel site rounded up a bunch of midsummer getaway deals.

We're also giving away four tickets to one of our July Go List recommendations: Monkey: Journey to the West. The multimedia show is best for tweens and up so consider your child's age before you enter.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

This Week: 4th of July Fireworks in NYC & Beyond, Free Things to Do All Summer, Vintage Carnival Rides on Governors Island

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 06/27/2013 - 11:00am

It was a week of happy endings and exciting beginnings! Our kids finished up at school and are all now enjoying summer break and camp. (My daughter sang and danced all week at TADA! Youth Theater which, coincidentally, is doing a great giveaway with us this week.) Public pools opened for the season and—thanks to supportive readers like you—our Mommy Poppins App IndieGoGo campaign was fully funded! We're putting the finishing touches on the app as I type, and we'll have more info about the rollout later this season.

Right now all of our sites are in full-on July 4th mode. We've got posts about explosive Independence Day celebrations on Long Island, in Westchester, New Jersey and, of course, Macy's 4th of July Fireworks right here in NYC, which you can watch for FREE from land or, if you're feeling flush, on a Hudson River cruise. Whatever you do over the holiday, there are lots of NYC staycation activities in our Summer Guide and ways to keep cool in our Water Fun Guide.

Meanwhile, if you're looking to get away for the holiday or anytime this season, be sure to check our Travel Guide for vacation inspiration near and far. We just added a roundup of six spectacular family resorts in Virginia, and the site has lots of other posts about family travel in the U.S., the Caribbean and Europe.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

Free Summer Robotics, Arts and Sports Programs for Middle Schoolers in Tribeca

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 06/23/2013 - 10:00am

Summer truly is the season of FREE NYC fun, especially for families. So far we've told you about free film screenings, free kids' concerts, free play streets, free sports programs and even free camps. Now we've got a new summer freebie to add to our ever-growing list: free classes for middle school students through the Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center in Tribeca.

While these programs—which run the gamut from performing arts to sports to science and math—give priority to students at I.S. 289, the organization believes there will be space for children from other NYC schools. Read on for details about all the FREE activities on offer, and how your rising sixth to ninth graders can apply for a spot.

This Week: Join Mommy Poppins on a Fun-Filled NYC Cruise, Day Camps with Half Days, Photos of Coney Island's New Carousel

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 06/20/2013 - 4:00pm

Water was our theme this week in NYC—specifically sailing on it. We posted about this weekend's FREE North River Historic Ship Festival in Tribeca, where you can tour and ride on vintage vessels. For landlubbers there's the new Shipwreck! exhibit at Discovery Times Square filled with interactive stations that give kids a peek at historic life on the high seas. And of course we're particularly excited about the very special family cruise we're hosting next Saturday, June 29. Join the Mommy Poppins gang on the Clipper City Tall Ship as we sail through New York Harbor and enjoy songs and stories by Bill Gordh, an eye-spy scavenger hunt led by educators from the DiMenna Children's History Museum and other nautical activities. Space is limited so book now. Bonus: If you buy your tickets by Monday, June 24, you'll be automatically entered to win great prizes like passes to the Liberty Science Center and a family four-pack to Wanda's Monster the Musical.

Outside the city, we were all about summer fun. Our brand-new Westchester site posted about a series of FREE summer block parties in Mamaroneck, while our Long Island site uncovered cool kid-friendly activities at grown-up destinations like the Belmont Racetrack and South Fork Wineries. Of course you can find plenty of other seasonal inspiration on all of our sites and in our NYC Summer Guide.

It's your last chance to enter this week's giveaway, which is particularly awesome: Four orchestra tickets to A Christmas Story the Musical at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. I saw it with my seven-year-old last year and it's great fun even if you've seen the movie a million times. And there's just a few more days to contribute to the Mommy Poppins Kids' Activities App. We're 60% funded and, if everyone who reads this contributes $2, we will make our goal. Donate more and you'll earn some really cool rewards like brand-new Mommy Poppins T-shirts and tote bags.

Here's what else we covered this week on the NYC site:

This Week: Father's Day Fun, NYC Summer Camp Deals, Free Outdoor Movies for Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 06/13/2013 - 4:00pm

Father's Day was the theme this week on all of our sites with posts about the best ways for families to celebrate in NYC, Westchester, Long Island and beyond. Our Boston site also shared four easy-to-make treats kids can prepare for dad. Moms don't have the monopoly on dining in bed, you know.

If you're still searching for the perfect NYC day camp, our summer deals post has a bunch of great options, including discounts to chess, language and circus programs. And we've got the exclusive scoop on how to snag a coveted spot in the NYC Parks Experience Summer Day Camp which, at $500 for the entire summer, may be the best deal around.

Our crowdfunding campaign for the Mommy Poppins Kids' Activities App hit the 31% mark! You've got two more weeks to contribute $2 to help us make this app FREE for all. Donate more and you can earn some really cool rewards. There's only one more day to enter this week's giveaway: a Shark Sonic Duo Floor and Carpet Cleaner, a $250 value. (Getting someone else besides you to use it: priceless.)

Here's what else we covered this week on the NYC site: