iKidNY » Events

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

Lara — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:10:26 +0000

SCORE! The Cooking Channel is hitting the road this summer in an Ice Cream truck and giving YOU free Ice Cream! As if that wasn’t cool enough they are bringing some of the network’s biggest stars along for the ride, and coming to a city near you. You and your kids will be treated to a scoop or two of your favorite Ice Cream flavor and will be able to meet the stars of Chuck’s Day Off, Everyday Exotic, FoodCrafters and more!

The kick-off will be THIS weekend in New York City! Here are the details:

Friday, June 25
12 noon- 4pm
Chelsea Market
75 9th Ave. (between 15th and 16th Streets)
Special appearance by Chuck Hughes from 1pm – 3pm

Saturday, June 26
12:00 pm- 10:00 pm
NYC FoodFilm Festival’s “The World’s First Food Truck Drive-In Movie”
Under the Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO
Special appearance by Chuck Hughes from 1pm – 3pm

If you are not in NYC and would like to catch the Food Network’s Ice Cream Truck in your city here is the NATIONAL TOUR SCHEDULE:
(Dates and locations subject to change)

June 25-26 New York
July 1 Boston
July 4 Washington D.C.
July 17 Atlanta
July 19 Knoxville
July 20 Nashville
July 23 Cincinnati
July 28 Philadelphia
July 31- August 1 Atlantic City
September 4-5 Los Angeles
September 7 San Francisco
September 11 San Diego
September 19 Dallas
September 21 New Orleans
September 25 Chicago
October 7- 10 New York

Check out www.CookingChanneltv.com, Cooking Channel ‘s Facebook page and Twitter.com/CookingChannel to see the most up to date tour schedule.

Bank Street Bookstore – An Oasis For Little NYC Readers

Lara — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:26:15 +0000

Bank Street Bookstore bills itself as “New York’s best bookstore for and about children”, and they are not kidding. Bank Street is heaven on earth for New York City kids that love books (and their parents too!). A little two-story space tucked away on Broadway and 112th Street, this charming shop reminds me of what bookstores USED to be like before they all became chains. Bank Street caters to kids of all ages and offers rows and rows of carefully selected and well-organized books, games, DVD’s, and countless learning tools for kids. Bank Street’s very best asset is its amazingly knowledgeable and helpful staff. The staff knows the inventory inside and out and are willing to make suggestions or help you find whatever you need.

Bank Street boasts more than 60,000 titles in 17 languages and offers events throughout each month.

Bank Street Bookstore
Corner of 112th & Broadway
(212) 678-1654
www.bankstreetbooks.com

2010 World Science Festival Street Fair

Lara — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:41:41 +0000

This Sunday, our family attended the 2010 World Science Festival Street Fair and what a great event it was! Free to the public, the fair filled Washington Square Park with family friendly science fun. We were handed a map of the events in the park as well as a schedule of performances for the day – there were over 100! Performances and events ranged from exhibits by various zoos, to math games and labs with science experiments, to book signings and theatrical performances all based on science. The fair was great for kids of all ages and really emphasized how FUN science can be! Our 22 month old was a little too young to participate in many of the games and experiments but LOVED meeting Sid the Science Kid (he’s still talking about how he gave him a high five!) and his purple octahedron ballon made just for him. I have to say we enjoyed it as much as he did. My husband even participated in some of the math games.

Lunch afterwards at kid friendly hit, The Peanut Butter Co., didn’t hurt either. We got our fix of Elvis Sandwiches and I got to share my first milkshake with my son. A perfect NYC day.

WIN a FREE special event at New York Kids Club!

Lara — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:16:34 +0000

WIN a FREE special event at New York Kids Club! The New York Kids Club, now in its ninth season, is a children’s enrichment center renowned for creative and innovative kids classes, day camps and as a place for creative kids birthday party celebrations. Luckily, there are six locations throughout the city!

In order to enter this contest, please post a comment at the bottom of this blog on which event you would like to win and the location you prefer. The winners will be chosen May 7th. Good luck!

Special Event options:

FRIDAY FUN FOR EVERYONE is an exciting opportunity for families to come together for a fun, social and enriching experience. Held every other Friday from 3:30-5:30pm, Friday Fun for Everyone events feature beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres for adults, and supervised Open Play, special entertainment, and a pizza dinner for children.

PJ PARTY is held every other Friday 6:00-8:00pm, pajama parties are a one-of-a-kind thematic “after hours” celebration for children 2.5 – 6 years and 7 – 12 years featuring gym exploration, art, story, cooking, games, relays, and more. All parties culminate in a disco dance party, and dinner is provided.

One FREE special event will be given away at each location. Here are the six New York Kids Club Locations:

169 Amsterdam Ave
601 Amsterdam Ave
219 E. 67th St.
38 E. 22nd St.
393 South End Ave
182 Henry St.

New York Kids Club
(347-706-4700)
www.nykidsclub.com

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – It’s not your ordinary circus!

Lara — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:54:05 +0000

On Sunday, our family attended a matinee of “Funundrum”, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s circus’ latest and greatest three-ring spectacular. It was my 20 month old’s first circus experience and the first time in a long time for my husband and me. It was simply amazing and a far cry from the sawdust and clowns that we remember as youths. “Funundrum” did not disappoint – it was a huge elaborate extravaganza fit for Madison Square Garden! My son, although still young for the circus, loved every minute of the over 2 hour show. The highlights for him (and us!) were the elephants, of course, who are just amazing standing, sitting, or doing tricks, the glow-in-the-dark motorcyclists driving around in a steel cage at high speeds, and all of the dare-devil trapeze artists. The music and theatrics were larger than life and nothing other than “The Greatest Show on Earth”! We can’t wait to go again next year!

For half price tickets through March 31st click here.

Are You Indispensable?

Lara — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:28:50 +0000

I recently attended PSFK’s Good Ideas Salon with Seth Godin at Soho House. Seth presented ideas from his new book, Linchpin, in a dynamic atmosphere sorrounded by some amazing minds. Seth described historic changes in the economic landscape, specifically the advent of the Linchpins, employers/employees who are independent thinkers and passionate creators. These Linchpins own their own means of production, and, according to Godin, will be the only truly indispensable professionals in the future. Linchpins create “art” regardless of what they do, and they go out of their way to generate a human connection with their customers. To create “art,” Linchpins are challenged to overcome their ever-present “lizard brain,” which promotes safety, security, and adhering to the historical professional role of working as a cog in a business machine. Godin urged everyone to seek out and solve interesting problems and to keep “shipping” (i.e. creating), sometimes for free, in the quest to become a Linchpin.

Seth touched all of us in the audience. He inspired me to continue to create “art” and personally challenged me to expand my business with or without the necessary funds. I sincerely thank him for that.

Margaritas and Guacamole San Antonio-Style

Lara — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:41:52 +0000

I was thrilled to be a part of the launch of “The Gift of San Antonio – 15 Days of Holiday Gifting”, tonight at Tolache Mexican Bistro, in midtown Manhattan. With flowing and picante (ay! caramba!) margaritas, fantastic food (think guacamole, ceviche, and churros), and an amazing all-female mariachi band, we were charmed, San Antonio-style. The event was to kick off The San Antonio Visitors and Convention Bureau’s “15 Days of Holiday Gifting” where they will be giving away trips to San Antonio and local style gifts. Tomorrow, San Antonio will be the main attraction on Good Morning America as they unveil their first holiday window for 2009 in Times Square. Fittingly named “Pride, Passion, and Pinatas”, San Antonio’s window, designed by Jill Giles, will highlight the city’s deep culture and ethnic pride. The major of San Antonio along with the all-female mariachi, Mariachi Las Altenas, will be along for the festivities. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting San Antonio’s young (35) and charming major this evening, Julian Castro. I was honored that he took the time to speak with me and tell me about the brand new performing arts center they are building to draw more arts and culture to their great city. I also had the pleasure of speaking with Scott White the head of the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau about kid-friendly things to do in San Antonio. I learned about The River Walk, The Institute of Ethnic Culture, Sea World, The Children’s Museum, and of course The Alamo! Right then and there I decided we need to take a family trip to San Antonio! I was surprised to hear that San Antonio is now America’s 7th largest city. With it’s walking streets and deep cultural roots, San Antonio seems like a great place to explore with kids! Now that’s what I call a learning vacation.

Shop Till a Mama Drop

Lara — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:58:13 +0000

I often marvel at all of the resources available to new and expectant moms in New York City. Lucky NYC mommies can take an endless variety of pre and post-natal fitness classes ranging from Aquamom to Physique 57, they can visit specialty boutiques like Yummy Mummy for everything breastfeeding and Rosie Pope Maternity for the utlimate in chic maternity gear, they can consult sleep experts like Dream Team Baby, and they can even take classes on how to make their own baby food right in the comfort of their own home with rosaberry. I must say, though, the one thing NYC is lacking, is a Mommy Superstore (new business idea?)! I’m talking a one-stop “mama experience” – a place where moms can browse, test, and buy everything baby, get massages, join social groups, and take prep and educational classes all under one roof. Luckily, every once in a while, NYC mommies can experience all of this, even if just for an evening.

Last week, iKidNY, was fortunate enough to be a part of a terrific event called “Essential Products & Tips for New Moms” presented by babybites, an educational and social group for moms and moms-to-be. A long list of first-rate vendors showed off their products for hundreds of pregnant ladies wandering from booth to booth. There were representatives from The Bump, Destination Maternity, and Planet Kids, just to mention a few. I, personally, was especially pleased to find out about some newbies: MMMunch, Baby Bodyguards and Sugar Sweet Baby. Moms were able to get great discounts, find out about new products, enter raffles and leave with generous gift bags.

Now, all of this shopping makes a mama’s feet tired, so the evening was topped off with some sit down events. These included a short seminar on essential tips for new moms given by Pamela Weinberg, author of City Baby, and even a “mommy” comedienne.

Shopping, learning, socializing, and fun… Now that’s what I call a mommies’ night out.

Hand It To Hands On Small Business

Lara — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:01:59 +0000

On Monday night, I attended a class called Hands On Small Business. These “hands on” sessions are absolutely free and directed towards small business owners. Offering practical advice on social media, and tutorials on Microsoft Office Live and Kirtsy (yes, they are the sponsors), this class teaches you how to use these technologies to advance your business. I especially enjoyed learning about what Microsoft Office Live was all about, since up until now, I have been using its competitor, Google Docs. It seems that MOL may even be easier to use and better organized. I love the idea of having a virtual workspace that can be accessible from anywhere you are. And… I don’t have to worry about losing my hard-drive anymore! It is also so useful to be able to share documents with others rather than having to send emails with attachments back and forth. Your share buddy can even leave you a note on the changes they’ve made so you know what’s been done! It seems that MOL will be perfect for working on just this – my new blog!

The second half of the HOSB class was about Kirtsy, a sort of Digg for women. Using Kirtsy, you can upload a web link of choice or rate/browse articles that others have found interesting. Kirtsy is a great place to find out about cool new things and catch up on what’s popular on the web. Lastly, HOSB gave great advice on how to use Twitter as a tool to build your business and create brand awareness. The two instructors, Carol Cain, aka NYCityMama, and Mariah Bruehl, founder of Playful Learning, were outstanding. Even the other attendees were impressive: Laura Mayes, one of the founders of Kirtsy, Danielle Maveal of Etsy, and Maggie, writer of the NYC health and fitness blog, The Fit Post.

Microsoft Office Live and Kirtsy sure got their money’s worth with me – I look forward to trying them both out. If you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner, I highly recommend you attend one of the HOSB sessions between now and November 22nd if they are in your city. It’s free.