By Alice Perry 5/24 6:49pm

Art

Playground (Ailanthus Altissima), 2013

Playground Art at the Arsenal and Julie Saul Galleries

City playgrounds are every parent’s savior and every kid’s kingdom, as design critic Kim Birks reported for Scooter in 2011. And they are also the muse and inspiration for two art exhibits on view now.

Erik Benson’s show The Park at the Arsenal Gallery depicts playgrounds as both an oasis and an eyesore. Inspired by the playgrounds in his Bushwick neighborhood, Benson’s paintings focus on how playgrounds fit in or stand out in the urban landscape. In some of the works, florescent orange domes of jungle gyms jump out against Soviet-gray buildings in the background. In others, a construction fence blends seamlessly with playground equipment. Read More

By Neesha Arter 5/07 5:54pm

Smalltown NYC

Raise your kids in… Upper Museum Mile

There’s no doubt Central Park is the center of the city, and you can’t put a price on living across the street. For children living along Upper Fifth Avenue at the top of Museum Mile, the most exotic corner of the park is their front yard.

Relative affordability has made Fifth Avenue below Central Park North an enclave for growing families hoping to put down roots in Manhattan. Whether it’s a mom converting two apartments into one or a nanny pushing a stroller through Central Park Conservatory Garden, the atmosphere has an undeniably familial air to it. Read More

By Benjamin-Emile Le Hay 9/13/12 1:23pm

Scooter Weekend

Photo: NYRR

Ready, Set, Go!

Get your running shoes out folks, this Saturday marks Fitness and the New York Road Runners family races in Central Park. Before you reject the notion of running a marathon, there are a few options for every family member. For the older set, there is a 4-miler on East Drive and 68th, which we predict will be competitive. Afterwards, NYRR will send the kids out dashing for a short version intended for toddlers up to pre-teens. Those people who just don’t delight in running, there are free Pure Barre total body workouts and the awesome SurfSE wave-surfing simulator to try out. Read More

By Benjamin-Emile Le Hay 7/31/12 4:33pm

Center Stage

"Into the Woods" at Public Theater/Delacorte Theater. (Photo: Joan Marcus)

…And Home Before Dark!

New York’s Public Theater has announced a special family matinee of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony award-winning musical Into The Woods, on Wednesday, August 22 at 3 p.m. as part of its Shakespeare in the Park series at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

“This matinee is designed to engage younger audiences and to serve families unable to attend evening performances,” read a statement from The Public. The 95-minute production will be squeezed into one act—perfect for those young thespians that might not last through the later 8p.m. show. Read More

By Benjamin-Emile Le Hay 7/05/12 3:26pm

Scooter Weekend

belvedere-l

Belvedere Castle Awaits You

Ever wanted to know more about Central Park’s picturesque Belvedere Castle? Many may not know it, but tours are available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer.

The castle derives its name from the Italian bel vedere or “beautiful to see” and was built in 1896, offering views of the Great Lawn. Designed by Central Park creator Calvert Vaux, it eventually ran into disrepair, but was renovated in the ’80s. Today, the National Weather Service uses the location to take weather measurements and the castle provides information on the flora and fauna that lives in the park. Read More

By Jennifer Wright 5/17/12 4:12pm

Memories

Waldorf Astoria

For One Girl, The Waldorf Lobby Was Heaven On Earth

The happiest I ever was when I was a child was at the Waldorf-Astoria.

Now, I don’t think a hotel is supposed to be the happiest place in anyone’s childhood. Unless you are the heroine in a Kay Thompson story, in which case I wandered into the wrong hotel. I think I should be able to fudge my happiest childhood memory a bit, and say that I was happiest at F.A.O. Schwartz or in Central Park—though I don’t recall spending much time at either of those places.

But I can go back to the first time I walked into the Waldorf. I was 4, accompanying my parents, who were in New York for the Canadian Society Ball. (We lived in Chicago.) As soon as we walked into the lobby my nanny said, “Well, this is heaven.” Because I was 4, I took her literally. I was sitting on a chair by the H. Stern jewelry shop, and there was a necklace in the window that was a rainbow of gemstones. In the lobby was a flower arrangement I still remember as the largest and most perfect I have ever seen. Someone mentioned that there was never a night when there was not a party in the ballroom. Read More