Blog | Things to Do in Lower Manhattan

Ever After Shop Event in Tribeca

October 1, 2017 by Denise Courter

Shopping with kids can be a ton of work. And, not a whole lot of fun. However, we were introduced to a new shopping experience in Tribeca, with the help of Stroller in the City. We attended a shopping event at Ever After, a boutique shop that caters to kids ages 4 to 16.

The shop opened in early 2017 and has been a hit with kids and parents alike. The former owners (and parents) of Intermix opened the store at the former Dean’s pizzeria on Greenwich. The location offers clothing and accessories from various brands for boys and girls.

Needless to say, my 7 year old was very happy to shop, hang out in the large dressing rooms and “oooh and ahhh” at all the fun items in the shop.

Kids were able to decorate backpack chains, enjoy treats and shop to their hearts content. The boutique is a great spot for shopping for kids, absolutely great for gifts and truly has something for everyone. And, if you don’t have time to shop inside the store, they also have a great website to get items shipped directly to your home! The store is 3,500 square feet, so kids and parents can shop in a friendly and open environment.

Ever After is at 349 Greenwich St. (between Harrison and Jay); 212-226-6386; everaftershop.com. Happy shopping!

Share this:

Genius of Play and Play Talk Video Series

August 10, 2017 by Denise Courter

Genius of Play and Play Talk Video Series

Do you let your kids have unsupervised play? It’s a question that was posed by the team behind @Geniusofplay to help raise awareness about how play is a vital role in child development. It is also an important topic in my family, as the parent of a 7 and an 8 year old, both of whom are “spirited” to say the least. I’m the parent of a son, who absolutely must get out of the house by 10am or he goes stir crazy. However, we are city-dwellers, so we aren’t sending our kids out to the backyard to play, we are actually organizing activities and playdates on a regular basis. And, it means, we are always involved in playdates. So, this summer, we allowed the kids to have unsupervised playdates, because we were out of the city and scheduled playdates weren’t necessary. We have spent the summer going to the park, going to destinations and ultimately, getting out of the house.

Check out this video about the subject of “unsupervised play” on their YouTube channel HERE.

In a nutshell, unsupervised play has meant that the kids (MINE) may have been rude to another, had another kid rude to them, words may have been learned that I’m not such a fan of, but at the end of the day, the amount of independence, self-reliance and figuring out how to fend for themselves, in a nice way, has been life-changing. It’s not perfect, but these are life-lessons and so important. So, unsupervised play may come with some hiccups, but giving kids their independence and not having parents hover around, has been a good life lesson.

The Toy Association is focused on increasing awareness of the social, emotional, and physical benefits of play.

The Genius of Play team has released a new video series titled “Play Talk” that inspires important conversations and discussions about play, such as kids and screen-time, playtime at school, and the relationship between sports and play.

The topic of kids and play is an important one to have as parents. And, everyone has an opinion. Follow the team behind #Geniusofplay and the Toy Association for more information, discussion and resources on important parenting topics.

The Genius of Play is a national movement spearheaded by The Toy Association to raise awareness about play’s critical role in child development and encourage more play in children’s lives. Its website offers information about the developmental benefits of play, fun play ideas sorted by age and developmental benefit, as well as expert advice from play and child experts ranging from child psychologists to play community activists.

Share this:

Summer Swimming Safety for Kids

July 24, 2017 by Denise Courter

A child can accidentally drown in 20 seconds and unlike what you see in the movies, kids don’t yell for help. That’s why every pool party should have a designated water watcher while kids are in the pool, and layered safety barriers to keep kids out when parents aren’t around.

Rules for water watchers:

Sit close to the edge of pool
Do a regular headcount of swimmers
Step in when play gets too wild
No texting, reading or watching videos
Don’t leave the pool area without a replacement

Kids never want the party to end, which is why Life Saver Pool Fence also advocates installing multiple barriers to keep kids from entering the pool when parents aren’t around. It’s especially important for toddlers who don’t understand the danger.

To learn more, visit the Life Saver Pool Fence website HERE

Share this:

Seaport Food Lab at the Seaport District

July 23, 2017 by Denise Courter

The Seaport District is being transformed in a multitude of ways. Both creatively from a retail standpoint (Corso Como and Scotch & Soda) and with a nod to dining. They launched a new food concept known as the Seaport Food Lab this summer and it has been received with much praise and appreciation from food lovers everywhere.

The concept is simple in nature, but a big undertaking for a destination known for its cobblestone streets and not necessarily as a mecca for foodies. The Seaport Food Lab has brought some of the most well-known and respected master chefs from across the nation, for a five month food experience. Each master chef has been granted a two-week residency at the Seaport Food Lab. The master chefs have their own unique style and spin on food and are giving New Yorkers a chance to really experience food at its essence. Some of the dishes that diners will get to taste are only being offered at the Seaport Food Lab so don’t expect to find all of the dishes on their menus in the future. The family style seating is an intimate and fabulous atmosphere, with great people watching and ambiance, which can be enjoyed nightly at the nightly seating. And, don’t be late – each master chef will revel the crowd with stories of their introduction to their specialty, review the menu and offer a face to face encounter, that doesn’t normally occur in NYC. The dinner begins at 7pm and typically ends by 9pm.

Chef Acheson is a six-time James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southeast and his signature Southern style was on full display.

And, as part of this incredible dining experience, there is also a charitable component, as a portion of ticket proceeds will benefit the South Street Seaport Museum, located across the way from the Seaport Food Lab.

Our FiDi Families team had a chance to meet and mingle with the incredible Hugh Acheson and he did not disappoint. We had become fans of his, while he was a judge on the Emmy award winning program Top Chef. He regaled the crowd with his love of Southern-style cooking, his thoughts on the misconception that all Southern food was greasy and fried and explained his choices on the menu and the excitement he felt at being a part of the Seaport Food Lab. He was gracious and charming and a true authority on the evolution of the culinary industry.

The decor has a very hip and trendy vibe. The staff was affable, fun and extremely knowledgable. There are also signature cocktails and plenty of bubbly, as Veuve Clicquot is one of the sponsors of the food series.

Seaport Food Lab at the Seaport District

Next up is Alon Shaya; this James Beard Award winner will bring his Israeli-inspired menu to the Seaport for two weeks, beginning July 30th.

The full line up, with each of the master chefs, from June through October is listed below:

Paul Kahan, Cosmo Goss + Erling Wu-Bower: June 20 – July 2

Hugh Acheson: July 9 – July 21

Alon Shaya: July 30 – August 12

Dale Talde: September 10 – September 23

Wylie Dufresne: September 29 – October 11

To purchase tickets and to learn more, visit the reservation page HERE

Share this:

Dutch Wonderland – Family Destinations to visit this Summer!

July 5, 2017 by Cari Gelber

Last week, public schools in New York City, celebrated the last day of school! Our FiDi Families Sales Director, celebrated her son’s milestone, as he moves into 1st grade, with a fun, family road trip to Dutch Wonderland. Read her review of their trip and take advantage of a FiDi promo, too.

Dutch Wonderland

We celebrated the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! To celebrate my son’s successful completion of Kindergarten, we hopped in the car and began our roadtrip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to visit Dutch Wonderland.

Dutch Wonderland is the perfect amusement park for families with small kids. My son is 5 1/2 and he was able to go on all of the 30+ “Just for Kids” rides on his own. There definitely is a feeling of independence to be able to hop on and off the amusements without an adult in tow. His favorites were the Wonder Whip which went around in circle on a track and sped up as it made the turns, Sunoco Turnpike, where he got to drive a vintage style car and the Leapin’ Frogs hopping up and down to all heights in a frog- themed ride.

In addition, there are a handful of family rides and we had a blast on the Double Splash Flume (hint – you get wet if you sit in the back!) which climbed up a steep hill and then dropped down with quite some speed into the water. We took a ride on the monorail to get a tour of the entire park and ofcourse, what’s a theme park without a roller coaster!

Duke’s Lagoon, the Water Park section of Dutch Wonderland offers a great break in the middle of a hot afternoon to cool off, go down a water slide and dodge one of the tipping buckets.

This was a really fun way to enjoy the first day of summer!

FiDi Families Insiders: Save $4 off your tickets by visiting the FiDi Families link HERE

Promo Code: FidiFamiliesSBlog17

Location: 2249 Lincoln Highway East. Lancaster, PA 17602

Phone: 1-866-FUNatDW (1-866-386-2839)

FTC Disclosure: FiDi Families received complimentary passes to Dutch Wonderland but all opinions are our own.

Share this:

The Emoji Movie Preview with T.J. Miller (In Theatres on July 28)

June 19, 2017 by Denise Courter

The Emoji Movie is coming to theaters, nationwide on July 28th and we couldn’t be more excited. FiDi Families was invited to a sneak peek of the film, with a chance to meet some of the cast and talk to them about their experience on the film. The cast includes the hilarious T.J. Miller, who voices the main character, Gene, as well as Anna Faris, who is the voice of Jailbreak, with additional characters voiced by James Corden, Sir Patrick Stewart and many others.

The film is geared towards kids, but there is adult humor that the grown ups will get a kick out of and simply go over the heads of kids 10 and younger. We loved the exploration of the tech world and how it fits into every day life. And, the idea that Emoji’s have feelings, other than the one that they have been assigned, was ingenious. The impact of electronic devices has been felt by millions and I loved the thought provoking conversation that the film created.

The official synopsis of the film:

The Emoji Movie unlocks the never-before-seen secret world inside your smartphone. Hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis, a bustling city where all your favorite emojis live, hoping to be selected by the phone’s user. In this world, each emoji has only one facial expression – except for Gene (T.J. Miller), an exuberant emoji who was born without a filter and is bursting with multiple expressions. Determined to become “normal” like the other emojis, Gene enlists the help of his handy best friend Hi-5 (James Corden) and the notorious code breaker emoji Jailbreak (Anna Faris). Together, they embark on an epic “app-venture” through the apps on the phone, each its own wild and fun world, to find the Code that will fix Gene. But when a greater danger threatens the phone, the fate of all emojis depends on these three unlikely friends who must save their world before it’s deleted forever. The film is rated PG 13 and directed by Tony Leondis.

To check out more trailers and to follow along the Emoji journey, follow them on social media:

Twittter: @EmojiMovie

Facebook: TheEmojiMovie

Instagram: EmojiMovie

Share this:

BLACK+DECKER™ Holiday Hints Showcase with FiDi Families

June 16, 2017 by Denise Courter

We were invited to a BLACK+DECKER™ showcase and had a chance to test out some great new products. But, did you know that the company was started back in 1910? And that Black and Decker is the inventor of the first portable electric drill?

BLACK+DECKER™ is known for its tools and functionality. But, they have stepped up their game with the introduction of the new POWERSERIES™ Pro. Essentially, the new line of cordless vacuums offer a cordless option for their upright and can also offer a detachable canister for hard to reach areas. The omission of the cord is a great enhancement and we loved the 60 minutes of runtime. We also appreciated the introduction of their big reveal of the new PET version of the POWERSERIES™ Pro. This model integrates an ant-tangle beater bar with bristles to pick up pet hair around the house. As someone who is considering adopting a pet, this is really appealing. And, they have announced an allergy version of the product, with a HEPA filter. The bells and whistles include AutoSense™, BatterySense™, and FilterSense™ to help make cleaning more efficient.

BLACK+DECKER™ Holiday Hints Showcase with FiDi Families

They also put the spotlight on their kitchen appliances, such as the slow cooker (we are doing a giveaway), the coffee maker and a series of scrubbers. These caught our eye, because we have tons of tile in our bathrooms that are always filled with grout, so excited to try these tools out at home.

BLACK+DECKER™ Holiday Hints Showcase with FiDi Families

We also had fun with the new 3 in 1 VACPACK™. This cool outdoor 12 amp tool allows the user to do some serious leaf blowing and clean up. It functions as a leaf blower, but also has the capability of vacuuming up all of the leaves and then mulching them and leaf collection is done seamlessly wit the bag’s zipper-free opening prevents leaves from getting stuck as its being emptied.

BLACK+DECKER™ Holiday Hints Showcase with FiDi Families

Our final product that we had a chance to test and learn about was the GoPak™ System. It’s a new line of tools that are all powered by one of the smartest ideas I have seen in a long time. The tools are powered by the GoPak™ battery, which basically doubles as a power source to charge mobile devices on-the-go. This is possible because of the integrated USB port, built within the tool. How many times have you been working on a DIY project or simply putting up picture frames or something simple and the drill or other hand-held tool isn’t charged or the outlet isn’t near where your work station is? This new system and power source eliminates all of that hassle. The four-tool combo kit includes a drill/driver, jigsaw, detail sander, LED work light and of course, the GoPak™ battery. We will confess that the battery may become our new favorite cell phone charger!

BLACK+DECKER™ Holiday Hints Showcase with FiDi Families

We hope you will visit their website to check out all of these fun tools. They are great for Father’s Day gifts, housewarming gifts and the new vacuum series is perfect for a college freshman or a graduate.

Don’t forget to visit our Instagram page HERE for a chance to win the BLACK+DECKER™ slow cooker! Perfect for family dinners, football season and cold winter days!

To learn more about the BLACK+DECKER™ products, visit www.blackanddecker.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

FTC Disclosure: We did not receive compensation but did receive product. All opinions are our own.

Share this: