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: Discounts on Fall Classes, Family Travel Deals for Columbus Day Weekend, Best New Museum Exhibits for Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 09/20/2012 - 4:00pm

Fall has officially arrived, which means cooler weather, colorful foliage and our seasonal class deals post. We've got awesome discounts on some really popular programs, like 25% off classes at the Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos, and up to 61% off at Chess NYC. Speaking of classes, we also updated our list of free kids' enrichment programs with info about a new no-cost art class at Upstairs on the Lower East Side. Every time we hear about a new free class, we add it to the post, so it's a good one to bookmark.

Fall also brings Columbus Day, and our Travel site has a wonderful roundup of family travel deals for the holiday weekend and beyond, plus lots of great suggestions for where to go. You don't necessarily need to travel far: Our New Jersey site has a list of 25 fun and mostly free things to do in Hoboken, and we just shared our favorite apple picking places in Eastern Connecticut and Hartford County. You can find posts about apple orchards throughout the tri-state area in our Pick-Your-Own Guide.

We also added a new culture post to our Fall Fun Guide: The best new museum exhibits for kids opening this autumn, including interactive installations at three of NYC's children's museums. Here's what else we covered this week on our NYC site:

Great Deals and Discounts on Fall Classes for NYC Kids

Submitted by Raven Snook on Mon, 09/17/2012 - 10:00am

We've been working hard on our Classes Guide, updating old posts and adding new ones. Reading about awesome and enriching kids' classes is always fun... until you get to the prices. That's why we reached out to some of our favorite programs and asked them to extend deals to our readers. The result is seven excellent offers for kids that you won't want to miss, from babies through tweens. Save big on classes like chess, music, animals, animation and more. Act fast! These deals are too hot to hang around long.

Find Out How to Bring a Free Play Street to Your NYC Neighborhood Next Summer

Submitted by Raven Snook on Sun, 09/16/2012 - 10:00am

Back in July, we wrote a post about Summer Play Streets, blocks that are temporarily closed to traffic and opened to fun in neighborhoods throughout New York City. Play Streets are a great way for kids to get out there and run around, especially in communities that don't have easy access to high-quality parks and playgrounds.

Play Streets are sponsored by various nonprofits like the Police Athletic League and the NYC Parks Department. Transportation Alternatives—an organization dedicated to reclaiming urban streets from cars for cycling, walking and playing—helps residents request Play Streets for their communities. This week, T.A. is holding free info sessions with everything you need to know to get a Play Street in your area for summer 2013.

This Week: Best Fall Kids' Theater, NYC Harvest Festivals, Family Guide to the Poconos

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 09/13/2012 - 4:00pm

We spent the week filling up our Fall Culture Guide and we're very excited about the season ahead of us. In addition to our roundup of the best family concerts that we published last week, we added posts about cool kids' shows and awesome harvest festivals right here in NYC.

Of course, if you want a truly authentic fall experience, considering hitting one of these huge harvest fests in New Jersey. Combine it with a trip to a NJ pumpkin patch and you've got the makings of a great fall day trip. If you're planning on going apple picking this season, we shared some easy apple recipes and crafts (better than letting them rot in your fridge).

With a four-day weekend because of the Jewish New Year and Columbus Day weekend on the horizon, be sure to check our Travel site, which just launched a comprehensive Family Guide to the Poconos with posts about the best restaurants, attractions and things to do in the area. Or how about Long Branch, New Jersey? Our NJ site posted about this often overlooked beach town that boasts lots of fun for families.

Here's what else happened this week on the NYC site.

This Week: Fall Festivals, Apple Picking, Best Fall Kids' Concerts, Focus on the Upper East Side

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 09/06/2012 - 1:00pm

Most NYC kids went back to school this week, including all of ours (that's my daughter and her long-time pal in the pic, both going into second grade). The energy in our schoolyard was palpable today. We hope your kid's first day was equally exciting.

Although quality family time is harder to find in the fall, there are still lots of great ways to come together on the weekends. Autumn brings fun festivals, cool kids' concerts and apple picking outings. We recently updated our roundups of the best pick-your-own-apple places on Long Island, in New Jersey and Connecticut, and we even have a post about low-spray apple farms.

Even though school has started, we continue to add handy posts to our Back-to-School Guide, like money-saving supply tips and more do-it-yourself fashion and supply ideas, perfect projects for a rainy day.

And if you're already planning your next family getaway (hey, NYC public school kids have a four-day holiday coming up next weekend!), our Travel site is doing a series of posts on the Poconos in Pennsylvania, including a Bushkill Falls Waterfalls Hike, a slide show of the adorable residents of Claws "N" Paws Animal Park and a look at the lovely Skytop Lodge.

Here's what else happened this week on the NYC site.

This Week: Labor Day Weekend Travel Deals, Apple Picking Near NYC, Last-Chance Summer Fun

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/23/2012 - 12:00pm

The end of summer always makes me feel like we're racing against the clock. My daughter and I have been running all over town enjoying last-chance summer fun like hitting local beaches and pools, and checking out soon-to-close exhibits and public art displays, like the awesome interactive Pet Sounds in Madison Square Park. (That's my kid in the photo, caressing one of the installation's funky blobs to make it vibrate and "sing.")

Lots of families are heading out of town for these last few weeks of the season. Our Travel site has a roundup of Labor Day travel deals and a list of the best things to do in Richmond, Virginia. Of course you don't have to stray too far from NYC to leave the urban jungle behind: Our Long Island site has a post about all the family fun to be had in Riverhead and over in New Jersey we've got the scoop on things to do with kids in Jersey City. Plus we rounded up 11 pick-your-own apple farms near NYC, all about an hour or less away.

We continue to add to our Back-to-School Guide. New this week: Five creative school lunches and four expert tips to start off the school year successfully.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

This Week: Back-to-School Guide, County Fairs Near NYC, End-of-Summer Getaways

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/16/2012 - 1:00pm

We soaked up a lot of sun and cool culture this week (that's my daughter posing on a giant arachnid at the American Natural History Museum's awesome Spiders Alive! exhibit). But we also started to prepare for the new academic year. We just launched our Back-to-School Guide, which includes healthy breakfast and lunch ideas, cool kids' clothing websites and even do-it-yourself back-to-school fashion and supply projects.

If you're still in vacation mode, our Travel site continued its focus on Brattleboro, Vermont with a roundup of the best things to do and places to eat and stay with kids. Closer to home, our New Jersey bloggers took a fun-filled spin around the Pole Position Raceway in Jersey City while up in Connecticut we spent a day at the New Britain Youth Museum. And if you're looking for a great end-of-summer weekend getaway, consider a last-minute trip to the Jersey Shore or hitting one of the many New York State fairs happening this month.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.

This Week: Best NYC Views, Cool Summer Destinations Near NYC, Focus on Long Island City, Queens

Submitted by Raven Snook on Thu, 08/09/2012 - 4:00pm

We've been having a wonderful NYC staycation. That photo may look like it was taken in the country, but it's actually the Arthur Ross Pinetum, one of many hidden treasures in Central Park. This week we also spent some time exploring our neighborhood of the month, Long Island City in Queens, and we shared our favorite places to see incredible views of New York City.

On our Travel site, we featured some great family destinations in Southern Vermont including 40 Things to Do in Brattleboro with Kids, Brattleboro's Retreat Farm where kids can get up close and personal with the animals, and Bromley Adventure Park, which recently opened a brand-new Aerial Adventure section.

Closer to home, our Long Island site has a fantastic profile of Shelter Island, while our New Jersey site's got the scoop on Shark Fest at Camden's Adventure Aquarium. You can also head to the Delaware Water Gap for fishing, boating, swimming, hiking and camping. Or you can plan your own local adventure with our NYC Summer Fun Guide.

Here's what else we shared this week on our NYC site.