Maria Haymandou’s latest blog post
Just as quickly as it began, summer is almost over. It’s time for your kids to start actually doing their summer reading, get their school supplies, because in less than a month they’ll be back in class. Yet what are you going to do with that one month left? If you live in or near New York, there are luckily some great final summer activities you can do before it’s time to go back to school. Here are a few suggestions, taken from a great post on the blog Brooklynbased:
Alamo Drafthouse: Theaters like the Alamo Drafthouse and Nitehawk, which deliver food and drink to you while you’re watching the movie from the comfort of reclining chairs, have taken Brooklyn by storm. But it’s easy to spend a lot of money there. Luckily, the Alamo has “Kids Camp”, with special screenings that offer families an affordable way to watch movies together. Choose your own ticket price, buy tickets online, and reserve your seats. 100% of the proceeds here go to Camba, which helps families in need.
DeKalb Market Hall: If the food at the Alamo Drafthouse isn’t for you, then the DeKalb Market Hall is located in the same building, and offers a wide array of options from all sorts of popular New York vendors that range from Ample Hills to Katz’s Deli. If you’d rather not eat out, the market hall also features a surprisingly not-too-crowded Trader Joe’s for you to pick up food.
Central Park: This Saturday, City Parks Foundation will be putting on their SummerStage Family Day, performing with radio show host Bill Childs. Just get there early to claim a good spot!
Robert Mann gallery: Through August 18, the Robert Mann gallery will be hosting an ice cream-themed photo show called “I Scream You Scream”, meant to evoke the feeling of summer. The show isn’t meant specifically for children, but is still a great stop.
Melt: The highline is a great spot to take anybody, and if you bring your children, you can take them to Melt on 30th street for a classic ice cream sandwich. Melt also has a location at Dumbo if you’re in Brooklyn and would prefer to stay there.
Box Art: Summer is all about making memories, whether it’s putting them in scrapbooks at summer camp or uploading them onto a Facebook album. Brooklyn-based Box Art Photos will take your favorite photo and create a 5×5 handpainted wooden box with the original photo adhered to the front.
Puppet shows: If you’d rather your kids experience live entertainment, there’s still time to catch the “Reluctant Dragon” puppet show, based off the 1898 short story by celebrated childrens’ author Kenneth Grahame. It tells the story of a sonnet-loving dragon who befriends a young boy. It might be a good idea to read the story to your kids aloud first; the language is dated for sure, but it’s great for putting them to bed.
Maria Haymandou 