Preschool Art Show

CC with her marble painting

Yesterday afternoon I picked up CC from her tiny financial district school, and she immediately hauled me to her art show. She very proudly showed me the giant sculpture that she and her classmates created from their used yogurt cups and toilet paper rolls. Though CC was far more excited about the cheese, crackers and wine that the school had layed out for the parents. She insisted that I take some wine (this girl knows what I like). After a slight hesitation, I decided to grab a glass of red — this is the school that told me there were separate restrooms for parents and caretakers– so you can understand my timid nature! Luckily none of the administrators glared at me. Whew! CC led me around the room expressing her four-year-old admiration for the other children’s artwork as she noshed on cubed cheese from her fancy little toothpick. This little one is maturing fast and making waves in the preschool art world. Go CC!

The recycled materials sculpture

Boston Day 1

I am not a traveling babysitter. I do not enjoy flying with my cousins while they scream and pinch nor do I enjoy sharing hotel rooms with them and being forced to wander about unknown coastal towns to no avail with babes in tow. Usually my aunt and uncle drag me around with them all summer simply so that I can wake up with the girls in the morning while they blissfully sleep away the am hours. I usually am unbearably bitter on these trips and spiral into a pit of self-loathing brought on by the extra work without the extra pay. However, for this long weekend in Boston – a city I have never experienced full on – I decided to remind myself to breathe deeply and use a little meditation to help alleviate any stress along the way.

This afternoon all five of us (aunt, uncle, little m and CC) boarded our Delta Shuttle sans issues. The flight was a short jaunt lasting only an hour. We piled into a cab and drove through tunnels till we arrived at our swanky Boston abode, The Liberty Hotel. This hot spot was once the site of the city jail, and The Liberty did all it could to maintain much of the original structure in a very upscale way of course. It looks like a medieval tower brought to the 21st century with delightful décor, trendy restaurants and bars, and adorable boutique chambers. Upon arrival we were greeted with champagne – hey anything to take the edge off wrangling mongers.

My aunt and uncle jetted out before we put our bags down to head over to the Red Sox/Yankees game. I got little m and CC settled and we hopped down to one of the hotel restos called Clink. The girls noshed on grilled cheese and spaghetti while I ordered a delicious mozzarella and masculine salad with a side of potato puree. I do love my side dishes. My salad was fancy; there were dark globs of balsamic vinegar dotted along the long rectangular plate. The mozzarella was fresh and creamy and the greens were crisp. The surprise of the night was the puree, which was to die for. The girls and I were lapping it up while ooo-ing and awing at the warm, silky fare. The little ones were surprising well mannered for the hour that we ate and the service was excellent.

Following our delectable spread I took the girls for a post-meal stroll through the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We marveled at the steep streets with sunken doorways and intriguing alleys. The area is picturesque with flower boxes on every window.

Window boxes

After walking for a bit the girls decided they were in the mood for a little ice cream treat. We ambled down Charles Street rather slowly as we truly leche-vitrine-ed as the French would say (window licked). This street is packed with adorable knick-knack shops, clothing boutiques and oddball cafés. I loved looking down onto the petite eaters, ogling the kitchen workers and diners enjoying gourmet grub. It reminded me of the scene in Ratatouille when Remy peers into the kitchen of Gusteau’s restaurant watching all the commotion. Carter and I often watch that movie when we fall into bed late at night.

looking into a kitchen on Charles Street

The girls and I finally stumbled on a small ice cream spot called Caffe Bella Vita. Little m ordered caramel and fudge; CC ordered mint chocolate chip and I ventured to try the coffee brownie. As usual the smalls were far too big, but we suffered through it!

yummy ice cream at Caffe Bella Vita

Upon returning to the streets the temperature had taken a nose dive so we ran back to our hotel. I snuggled the kiddies in bed and took to writing this post.

For the first afternoon/evening in Boston, I had a great time exploring the streets with these tiny trinkets. Here’s to hoping the rest of the weekend is as enjoyable.

It seems The Downtown Babysitter’s luck was up again last night.

Amphitheater in Damrosch Park

So my aunt cancelled her plans to go out last night, which meant a free night for me. I quickly decided to check out the Museum Mile Festival. I also remembered that my buddy Carter was still in town. I managed to convince him to stay for just one more night so he could accompany me to the Fest. We jetted downtown to pick up CC from school, and I pushed her home, said hey to my aunt and promptly ran out the door. Carter and I met up with Wildman who works in a demanding downtown office. We all walked up Broadway to City Hall. Wildman needed a little breather after leaving the office environment – he was feeling akin to a caged beast and felt the urge to roam. We hopped on the 4/5 to 86th Street and began to walk down 5th Avenue, which was closed to cars. Children and businessmen alike were crowded around magicians performing sidewalk illusions. Folks were blithely skipping along the avenue, coloring with sidewalk chalk and enjoying street food. The main pulls of the Museum Mile Fest for me were the fact that all museums from the Metropolitan to the Guggenheim were open late and were free. I intended upon browsing the Met’s new Napoleon III exhibit. But alas one mention of the fact that Yo-Yo Ma was supposed to play for free somewhere set Carter and Wildman in a tizzy to find out where and when. I pulled out my trusty blackberry and found that the concert was actually taking place on the other side of the city. We all rushed down the street to catch the cross-town bus and then proceeded to speed walk to Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park. We made the show in the nick of time and managed to scrounge up great seats. The venue was comfortably crowded but not too overwhelming. Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project played a range of songs from around the world. The music was trippy and fantastic. The uber kind Yo-Yo introduced each piece and gave a little background info. It was truly a delightful time.

Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project

Walking away from Lincoln Center Plaza and back into the lusty night air, we decided a quick noodle nosh was the way to go. We stopped by Ollies for standard Chinese food and a bit of Jasmine tea. Carter and I dropped Wildman at his apartment on the Upper East Side and we decided to reign in the evening with a simple nightcap somewhere on 82nd and 3rd Avenue.

Carter and I managed to spend another pleasant night together amongst the misty streets of Manhattan.

A Weekend Off

Michael Arenella and His Dreamland Orchestra

This past weekend was supposed to be completely child-packed, yet nearly all my babysitting plans fell through, which makes this downtown babysitter a happy gal. My on-again-off-again boyfriend was in town this weekend for an interview, so we decided to take the day to catch up.

Saturday morning began by watching The Muppet Movie with little m and CC. These girls have been Muppet-deprived for far too long, so introducing them to the boisterous gang of furry dudes has been on the must-do list for sometime now. Since my aunt was awake and moving and the girls were occupied, fed and dressed, I decided to sneak off to my room to shower and prep for the day. I managed to waltz out of the apartment around noon and jet to the Upper East Side to meet the boyfriend, Carter, for a snazzy outdoor brunch. With the help of my favorite Google app on my blackberry we found Café d’Alsace, a typical French bistro situated at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 88th Street. We each ordered tea: Carter is a sweetened ice tea guy while I’m earl grey, hot with regular milk. The brunch menu is fairly ordinary with a range of croissants, omelets, steak, roasted chicken, and of course des Croque Monsiour et Croque Madame. I’m in a roasted vegetable phase, so when I saw an omelet with goat cheese and roasted tomatoes, I was sold. Carter ordered his typical French fair of roasted chicken. The service was very French, which is how I like it: the waiter left us alone for most of the meal. We also had a rare 20-30 minute wait between receiving our tea and our food. I’m a bit of a snooty restaurant-goer in that I really enjoy luxuriating at restos, whether I am simply sipping tea or coyly crafting bites of creamy goat cheese with masculine salad. So this café was perfect for me. However, Carter is the eat-and-leave type, so we often disagree on the appropriate dinning time; however, on this particularly gorgeous day, he was perfectly content relaxing under sun-soaked trees at this Upper East Side spot.

The goat cheese and roasted tomato omelet served with roasted potatoes and mescaline was yummy, buttery and savory. Carter’s roasted chicken served with mescaline and crispy fries was a bit overdone, but the Provençal sauce saved the dish. We noshed slowly and actually enjoyed each other and the food for the first time in months.

Since the day was still young and the temperate breeze was stimulating our minds with invincibility, we decided to b-line it to the 4/5 for a jittery jaunt to Governor’s Island for the Jazz-Age Lawn Party. Luckily, we just made the 3.30pm boat and took the short ride to the magical isle. I threw on my black flapper hat and bought us champagne cocktails and proceeded to lie in the grass listening to old-time-y jazz from Michael Arenella and the Dreamland Orchestra. Flapper-throwbacks were doing it up on the dance floor, F. Scott Fitzgerald was read aloud, and parasols were held upright as folks dinned alfresco while listening to the authentic 1920s jazz band. It was an afternoon of decadence from yesteryear.

Dancing at the Jazz-Age Lawn Party

Sadly the band, which had been playing since 11am, ended around 5.30pm. We wandered about the island, once a town for military dignitaries, and now a haven for art and entertainment. Gov. Island really is a town pristinely preserved and expertly kept. The trees are in perfect rows, the grass manicured and each house topped with a porch. The Admiral’s house, a 12,000 square foot mansion and built in the late 1800s, was open to the public for the day. There was a wedding in the back yard, which over looks the water. The couple apparently rode off into the sunset on their matching hipster beach cruisers.

As we ambled slowly back towards the boat, we came across a steep hill. Carter leaped and rolled down without hesitation as I stood back and pondered imminent doom for a minute before taking the plunge as well. High from hill rolling and champagne, we boarded the boat back to Manhattan and decided to take a brisk walk up to Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. Our buddy Wildman was about the park doing his daily headstands while we waited on the hour-plus line. Shack burgers and cheese fries were a nice treat after the walk from Battery Park. After gorging on gourmet grease we all headed to Greenpoint to check out go go zo and Stev-o’s new luxury abode near Mcgolrick Park. This little duo’s new digs is pretty amazing! They have giant windows, a huge floor plan, and a marble sink in their ultra modern bathroom. The only downside is the epic walk to the subway. We all became lazy loafs in the central air and comfy sofas while chowing down of an array of fancy chocolates, which I’m sure my buddy go go zo did not appreciate, but hey, we’re young 20-somethings and prone to being jack-asses at times.

As I wandered back home amidst the intoxicating 4am air and with feelings of giddy grandeur flittering around my head, I felt as though I got away with a delightfully decadent day with the part-time boyfriend due to my aunt canceling my babysitting duties. Sweet success! Now if only I could find a full-time job that doesn’t involve watching kids….

*photos from Time Out New York

Loving Starfall.com

The main page of Starfall.com

In search of activities for my 6-year-old cousin to do on her own, whilst I whittled away on an assignment for Time Out Kids, I came across a kiddie website called Starfall.com. This rudimentary site has a wealth of reading activities for the under 8 set. Namely, letter and word recognition games, the ABCs, how-to-read adventures and even online tomes of famous artists. While typing away and tuning out the loud computerized voice reading every preposition, noun and verb that little m clicked on, all of the sudden I heard little m shrieking with joy over stumbling across Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Van Gogh's Starry Night activity

I confess I have taken this bite-sized tot to many NYC art museums and have spent whole days ogling the walls of the MoMA and discussing color, mixed media and such, so I was thrilled she recognized the painting and that she was so excited by it. Starfall may look a little sloppy, but let your little one spend some time clicking through the activities and you’ll be surprised by what they find.

Little m and CC playing on Starfall.com

Summer has arrived in Battery Park City

When I see colorful mats, large toys and toddlers strewn about the grassy Wagner Park, I know summer has official started downtown! This past weekend the Battery Park City parks workers were out and about running their annual free activities for BPC kids.

Pre-school play at Wagner Park, courtesy Battery Park Parks Conservancy

This unofficial start to summer got me a little flustered about all the amazing and free activities offered throughout the city in the summer. Thus I have complied a list of my summer goals. My summer is shaping up to be kid free for at least one month — providing some much needed leisure time for this Downtown Babysitter.

Hanging out near the tire swing park

Take the Summer On!

Shakespeare in the Park
The Bacchae with Music by Philip Glass, August 11—30, 8pm
Tickets are distributed on the day of the performance beginning at 1pm at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park.
Enter: Delacorte Theater at 81st Street and Central Park West or 79th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Subway: 4/5 to 86th Street at Lexington Avenue

Movies with a View
Thursdays, Music starts at 6pm, movie begins around 8pm
The Maltese Falcon, Thursday, July 16
Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park
Subway: A/C to High Street. Exit onto Cadman Plaza West. Go left, toward the BQE. Cadman Plaza West becomes Old Fulton Street as you walk down the hill. Take a right at Front Street. Take the second left at Main Street. The entrance to the Park is one block ahead at the end of Main Street.

Kayaking on the Hudson
Saturdays at 10am through October 11
Riverside Park South
72nd Street & the Hudson River
Subway: 1 to 72nd Street

Yoga: Evening Salute to the Sun
Wednesdays at 6.30pm through September 23
Bring mat
Riverside Park South
The Plaza @ 66th Street
Subway: 1 to 66th Street-Lincoln Center

Brooklyn Flea Market
Fort Greene Flea, Saturdays 10am—5pm
Yummy food, offbeat fashion and perilous yet humorous people watching.
Subway: 2/3, 4/5, B/D/Q, M/N/R to Atlantic Ave.-Pacific St (use Hanson Place exit/elevator, walk up Hanson Place to Greene Ave., then follow Greene Ave. 4 blocks and turn left on Clermont Ave.)

New York Philharmonic in Central Park
Tuesday July 14 at 8pm
Friday July 17 at 8pm
On the Great Lawn
Enter: East 79th or 85th Streets at Fifth Avenue
4, 5, 6 trains to 86th Street at Lexington Avenue

MoMA’s Summergarden 2009
Sundays, July 5 through July 26
Sculpture Garden opens at 7:00 p.m. Concerts begin at 8:00 p.m.
Enter: Sculpture Garden gate on West 54 Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
In the event of rain, concerts will be held in The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, and the Museum’s 54 Street entrance will open at 7:30 p.m.
4/5 to 51st Street at Lexington Avenue

Ernesto Neto’s anthropodino is a must see

Time Out Kids recently sent me to check out this incredible art installation at the newly renovated Park Avenue Armory. Follow the link to read my review and to see a cool slideshow of pics. Catch this awesome show while its in town.

Ernesto Neto’s anthropodino is on view at the Park Avenue Armory through Jun 14. Hours: Tue-Fri noon-8pm; Sat-Mon noon-6pm. Tickets: $10; ages 18 and under free.

iphones replace Crayola?

Remember coloring in restaurants? Your parents would stuff a coloring book and pack of Crayolas in their bag to keep you entertained throughout dinner.

This was not the case a few nights ago. I went to Otto with my aunt and uncle and little m and cc. First of all Otto is Mario Batali’s less expense pizzeria. It’s a fairly hip downtown grub hub, popular with the NYU chic and the after work cocktail set and apparently small children. Little m and I arrived at the restaurant first as my aunt is typically late. I was told we could not be seated until our entire party arrived and was motioned to sit on a bench near the bathrooms. Fine, I thought. I’ll read my New Yorker and little m can color. Well after about two minutes of scribbling, the kid was bored and squirming around so much that the hostess kept shooting disparaging glares at me. After waiting 15 minutes, I decided to try to get a table again. This time I was told we could be seated, but I would have to order appetizers for the whole table. An interesting rule but whatever. Little m and I sauntered on behind the hostess and squeezed into a table in the back by the kitchen. Looking around I could tell this was the kids’ section. Several families with small wide-eyed mongers were happily hunched over the wooden tables munching on breadsticks. The rest of the lot arrived just as little m was finishing off her bread. My aunt plopped cc down next to me and handed over her iphone. My jaw actually dropped! I would never hand over my blackberry or ipod or anything else I valued to a four year old. I watched as cc slid through the pages, looking for the games. She touched her little finger on a matching game and proceeded to play until food was ordered. My aunt handed her ipod touch to little m and she scrolled through photos and listen to music. They girls were so occupied we all sort of forgot they with us. Gone are the days of scribbling on paper tablecloths and neatly coloring in the lines of princess coloring book. Now its load up the iphone with toddler friendly games and let them have at it.

An American Girl Birthday

So little m turned 6, and boy what a fun age! She celebrated with an intimate birthday party at the American Girl Café with 6 of her best friends. When I received my invitation, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to post it to my icalendar. I was sort of hoping to just forget about it. However, little m (and her mother) insisted that I be there to partake in the mini tea service.

As a child I was left out of the whole American-Girl-Doll loop. My mother always told me that the dolls were too expensive and too pointless. When I received the large magazine every few months, I would lie on my bed gazing for hours at the true-to-life centerfolds of each doll: imagining what the doll would feel like, smell like, what I would do with her, and where she would live in my room. Now that I think about it; it was rather perverse. One year I held an all out campaign for an American Girl Doll. I stated firmly, “I want a dog or an American Girl Doll and nothing else!” My parents reluctantly folded after months of pleading, pestering and begging. Christmas morning rolled around and I tore threw the large rectangular box. There was my Kirsten Doll starring up at me. I’m sure there’s a home video somewhere in the abyss of storage in my parents’ house of me rolling around on the floor with glee hugging my Kirsten doll. I was excited, but like all things, the excitement surrounding the gift faded. I was 10 when I got Kirsten, which is on the verge of being too old for those dolls. Plus, my mother was right – the doll was pointless. Her hair was a mess within a week, and I simply grew bored of her.

Little m has two American Girl Dolls with all the trimmings – books, movies, clothes, furniture, the works! I resent the way she is showered with presents at Christmas, her birthday, and all holidays – it’s absurd. I tend to get physically ill watching the over indulgence. But I tried to put on a joyful, pleasant face for her party. I arrived at the store early and decided to pop over the Sephora for a little pre-party make-up sesh. After circling the make-up counters several times, I decided to suck it up and head to the American Girl store. Little m and her mother were late – as per usual. I wandered around the store trying to feign interest in the merchandise, but I just couldn’t help but loathe the whole premise. The fake history behind each doll and endless accessories and various merchandise just rubs me the wrong way. I ended up just starring out the window on to 5th Avenue –when I spotted them: the whole gaggle of 6-year-old girls walking hand in hand up the street. I felt an immediate feeling of drudgery and repugnance. I actually hid from them when they walked in! I just wasn’t ready to face the symphony of shrieks and giggles. These little Manhattan princesses coming for tea on a Tuesday afternoon from their over-priced prep school made me want to bolt. I calmed myself down and went up to the café. All the mothers were fussing over their daughters as my aunt (little m’s mother) tried to encourage the mothers to leave and assured them that she would be fine on her own. I mean I was there to be a helper.

After the parents trickled out, servers began placing plates and plates of cookies, jell-o, tea sandwiches, and scones on the table. The food wasn’t bad: the brie and ham sandwich was delightful, and the kids couldn’t get enough of the jell-o molded into orange peels. Waiters also took drink orders for the girls – they all ordered fancy hot chocolates while I stuck to a nice cup of hot earl grey tea. Once my tea arrived, I settled into the booth next to a rather spunky gal with sugar and chocolate outlining her lips. We had a conversation about how much she adored High School Musical. The party was fairly quite as all the girls were buzzing and fussing over their dolls and all the doll-sized accoutrements: tea cups and saucers, treats, and even special booster seats, so the doll could sit next to the child. This ended up being one of the most pleasant and peaceful kiddie parties I have attended. The girls remained seated in a wrap-around booth for the entire 90-minute soirée. I would certainly recommend having a girls birthday party here on a weekday afternoon. The store was quite, the café was virtually empty and the girls just loved it. I even enjoyed myself, a little anyway. Certainly the stress of past parties was no where to be found.

My aunt opted for the simple Cafe Party. It’s $33 per person and includes invitations, thank you cards, food and goodies — not a bad deal.

The American Girl Store
609 Fifth Avenue at 49th Street
New York, NY 10017
1-877-247-5223

Skyscraper Museum | Saturday Morning Family Programming

little m and CC's interpretation of the Woolworth Building

On a recent Saturday morning while babysitting little m and CC, and I decided to try out the little known Skyscraper Museum. This petite gem is tucked inside the massive Ritz Carlton Hotel in Battery Park City. The museum is easy to miss: it blends perfectly with the hotel. But don’t fret, it’s there at the back corner of the Hotel.

This museum has a children’s program nearly every Saturday morning. We took part in the Skyscraper Skeletons program. We arrived at the museum at 10.30am on the nose and were greeted by a lovely woman at the front desk who motioned for us to head up the ramp. There were a few other families with young children, all under 6 years old. My cousins immediately jumped in with the other kids who were jumping up and down on the patterned carpet. I chatted with the other cheery parents while we waited for the program to begin. Polina the Education Manager arrived and asked all the little ones to take a seat on the carpet. She read a story from the book Sky Boys about the construction of the Empire State Building. She did a wonderful job engaging the kids and explaining all the details in the book. Little m — ever a daddy’s girl — had worn her Pittsburgh Steelers shirt and when Polina began to talk about where the steel for the Empire State building came from little m had no problem shouting Pittsburgh!

After the story, the kids were herded over to tables adorned with bowls of gumdrops and toothpicks. Handouts of the Woolworth Building and the Empire State Building were given to the children, and they were told they could construct either one. Little m and CC decided on the Woolworth Building — our grandmother works in the building so it seemed fitting. After a quick demonstration on how to construct the skeleton, little m and CC took the reins. They created quite a monster of a building, which almost resembled Woolworth. Both girls took away a lot of new info about the Empire State Building and couldn’t wait to tell their dad about the steel for the building coming from Pittsburgh.

This event was a lot of fun for my cousins. Polina who ran the program did a great job engaging all the little kiddies and was very nice and patient. There were only about 5 families, so the workshop felt intimate. This is a great way to spend a Saturday morning. So take the trek down to Battery Park on a Saturday and check it out.

Family Programs at The Skyscraper Museum | 39 Battery Place | New York, NY 10280. Registration is required by Friday at 5 PM and the Suggested Donation is $5 per child.