Great place for kids to have fun and get tired!!!

I haven't been to this place yet, but it looks like a lot of fun. If your child is 7 y.o. and older, you can leave him/her here as a drop off and for a $10 fee, your child can stay there for up to 3 hours. Of course, waivers must be signed and all.

Check this out!
Adventure Playground is 31 years old !

   Adventure playground information at the Berkeley Marina

   Directions to the Berkeley Marina         Adventure Playground is one of the Marina Experience programs   and   has been written up as a top 10 playground in  National geographic. It was  voted the Best Creative Play space in Diablo magazine.  YELP has rated us 4 out of 5.  We have been written about in the Chronicle, the Boston Globe and Newsweek as one of the Top 5 play spaces in the country.
To get back into more  Marina Experience web pages click here    CLOSED:if it is raining.Closing earlier on July 20th at 4:00 for staff meeting   Open:  Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Summer hours end Aug 20th. Monday- Friday 9 a.m.-5p.m. 
    Summer programs- Check this link for our Marine bio and boating classes.
Adventure Playground July activity calendar here! Fees: FREE for four  children or less if they are accompanied by their responsible adult . Every adult must sign in on the waiver at the entrance for themselves and their children. Small individual families are invited to play without reservations.
PLEASE- Multiple families and friends who plan to meet and play in the playground, need prior reservations if together the total number of children they bring is 5  or more -you are considered a group.  Weekend days are very popular and the only way to keep it safe  is to limit the numbers.  Supervise your children carefully and ask staff how you can help. Please, No groups from daycare programs, you need reservations and to pay the fee.( see below) Scholarships are available. Scroll to the bottom of the page for group reservations information and costs .
           
History and background 
The Adventure Playground at the Berkeley Marina was opened 31 years ago in 1979.  It is a wonderfully unique outdoor facility where staff encourage children to play and build creatively.  Come climb on the many unusual kid designed and built forts, boats, and towers.  Ride the zip line or hammer, saw, and paint.  By providing these low risk activities Adventure Playground creates opportunities for children to learn cooperation, meet physical challenges and gain self confidence. - Pictures of a fort building project.  The concept for Adventure Playgrounds originated in Europe after World War II, where a playground designer studied children playing in the "normal" asphalt and cement playgrounds.  He found that they preferred playing in dirt and lumber from the post war rubble.  He realized that children had the most fun designing and building their own equipment and manipulating their environment.  The formula for Adventure Playgrounds includes Earth, fire, water, and lots of creative materials. 


Let me know how things work out. I will have to bring my kids there soon!!!!

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

This was a very special trip for us. We had the opportunity to travel to Tokyo, Japan and stay there for a whole month while my husband was working there. This was a major trip for us and for me. As you know, my husband travels ahead of us and so I'm usually travelling with my kids alone. Was I nervous? Yes! My only thought was how in the world do I keep them occupied for a 12 hours flight!!!

Well, first things first. I had to book a flight. I have had many friends and family members who have flown to the Far East via United. After doing my research, which means "asking around" for opinions, it was determined that if we were to fly transcontinental, go with an international airline company. It was unanimous that the "other" airlines were better in service and comfort. Now, I'm not trying to knock down the adage, "Go American all the way", but when it comes to comfort and service for a long flight and by MYSELF with my kids, I had to go with the foreign airline. The recommendations were: JAL, Singapore Air, or Cathay Airlines. Since I didn't want any layover, we chose JAL. I am SO happy we went with JAL (Japan Airline)!!!! When we arrived at the airport, JAL's employees saw that I had children and they immediately opened another check-in desk just for us and took us right away. We had NO WAIT!!! I was thrilled as I had a stroller/carseat, carry-ons, luggage (large since we were away for the month), and my other child holding my hand. It was crazy-making. However, their service was so impeccable it eased my nerves. They noticed I checked off that my children were allergic to nuts. They asked how much and sat us accordingly. Apparently, some children are so allergic to nuts that an open bag of nuts next to them will send the poor child to an anaphylactic shock. Fortunately, my children aren't that bad, but the employees were rearranging the seating to insure safety for my children as well as for them (I highly doubt they wanted an incident up in the air).

Our hotel was already set up for us due to my husband's work. This was nice as I typically arrange that as well.We stayed at the Capitol Tokyu Hotel. It was very nice and as extravagant as it was, it was small. I think this is very typical of Japan and of course, we Americans are used to space. Nonetheless, it was very, very nice. They knew I had a baby with me so they set up the crib in the room for us as well. There was always hot water available to us to make tea. We had a little refrigerator which is always nice. There is an outdoor pool which was really great since we were there in July and it's very hot and humid in Tokyo this time of year. Here is something that I just found out about the hotel....it's being remodeled and will be open in the Fall 2010. This hotel is centrally located in the Akasaka area near the Prime Minister's Official Residence. From the hotel lobby it's directly across the street from the subway/trains. Remember, the trains are ON TIME 99% of the time. If you miss one, have no fear, another one is coming along in a few minutes. The transportation there is extremely efficient and CLEAN.

My next step after booking our flights was to research the places that are children friendly and family-oriented. One of the books I really enjoyed and was most useful was called Kids' Trips in Tokyo.
We went to a lot of places this book suggested and they were all great!!!! We also learned some of the cultural nuances i.e. don't eat and walk (kids can up to a certain age; I don't know what that is, but you use your best judgment), don't blow your nose in public, take a small wet towel and put it in a plastic bag that can be re-used as your "wet wipe" for the day. There are a lot more, but it felt good to fit into the culture AND get a really good feel for how people live day to day.

One of our memorable stops was a day at Kamakura. It's an hour train ride from Tokyo. Definitely a place where you would want to bring your stroller. The strollers aren't great for the hikes up the steps, but I had a Baby Bjorn and my husband had the hiking pack where he could carry our youngest. We would just park the strollers in the stroller parking area and hike up. Our oldest did not tire out. He was so excited to see all the views and met so many other kids, that he didn't get tired. This town had ocean views, temples, and beautiful green rolling hills. The Kid Trips in Tokyo book gave us plenty to see without having to go temple to temple which would have bored our kids. We stopped at the Great Buddha. This place is astounding! The Great Buddha was completed in 1252. The statue ranks as Japan's second-largest bronze Buddha. It weighs 124,478 kilograms, stands 11.25 meters high. It is truly awe-inspiring.

After the Great Buddha, we went on to Hasedera, one of easter Japan's most popular temples, that houses an ancient gilded Kannon. Our oldest met another boy and they became fast hiking friends meandering through the temple and it's views of the ocean and valley.

Kamakura's main sopping street has a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and candy stores. Everything is neatly wrapped and beautiful. Even when cashier bags your treasures, they are beautifully wrapped. Very fun!

Stay tuned for our next day trip in Tokyo!

NY, NY part cinq

A part of our City Pass was to see the Empire State Building. It was a glorious day and so we headed to Chinatown for some Dim Sum and then quickly went over to the Empire State Building. It was great to have our City Pass because we, once again, went to a shorter line; however, it was still long wait. So, you can imagine what the other line must have been like. It's become such a tourist trap with the pictures you are sort of forced to take because it's a part of the line....I know, silly, eh? This is the kind of place where they show you the pictures at the end of the tour.

Once we got through all of that and made our way up, it was busy and beautiful. The sites were gorgeous and we also had the opportunity to get the audio tour as part of our City Pass. The kids were able to re-cap from our trip on the previous day and see Staten Island, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the Washington Bridge and beyond. The audio tour was fascinating and definitely worth it. The last time I was at the Empire State Bldg. it was at night. I thought it was just as beautiful as it was during the day. A lot less people, but mind you I was up there during the colder months. I also bumped into Seal, one of my favorite singers, who was cuddling up to a tennis star (obviously, this is all pre-Klum).

By the time we were done with the Empire State Building, it was late afternoon and getting close to dinner. The kids were hungry so off we went to a really fun restaurant for the kids. This place is called Mars 2112. It's a space-themed restaurant with a little "ride" before you get to the restaurant. The wait staff were all aliens, there was a little video game room, and the decor was interesting as well. The food was okay. It's a place where the kids enjoy the atmosphere and the adults live vicariously through them. Would we go there again? Probably not, but a good first timer place. It is very similar to the Rainforest Cafe just a different theme. I think the Rainforest Cafe has better food. Another place that was suggested to us was the Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant, but after looking at the website and its description we decided it was a little too scary for our little ones. Definitely a place to check out for adults!

Once again we had a full day and the kids were ready to rest.

Here are some other places that we never got to, but with more time, we would have liked to have seen or experienced.

• Sony Wonder Technology Lab - It's a free interactive museum where sci-tech workshops reveal hidden talents; where feature screening inform visitors, sparking more curiosity all the while.
• Central Park Zoo - 6.5 acre zoo with polar bears, penguins and sea lions. Check out the Tisch Children's Zoo where little ones can pet domestic animals, feed them treats, and explore the enchanted forest.
• New Victory Theater - "NY's Theater for kids and families"; 500 seats and 15 productions to choose from at any given time. Circus acts, puppetry, dance performances, plays, and comedy shows. There are always shows to accommodate every age group.
• Alice's Tea Cup - When children want the royal treatment, head to whimsical Alice's Tea Cup. With quirky cakes and an assortment of teas, this shop is the best place in New York to throw a tea part. The water is twice filtered and boiled to 180 degrees precisely, then used to make international teas, ranging from Grank Keemun to Numalighar. Little pirncesses will never forget the eccentricities.
• Bronx Zoo - The Bronx Zoo’s world-class exhibits such as Congo Gorilla Forest, the Wild Asia Monorail, Tiger Mountain, and our newest exhibit, Madagascar!, get you eye-to-eye with massive crocodiles, majestic tigers, and inquisitive gorillas.

Please report back if you have some new experiences. We're ready to go back!

NY, NY part quatre

Sunday is a lovely to day to just relax. Even when we're on vacation, I like to have one day where we just "hang out". I took the kids walking around Edgewater. We went to the Hudson and had a nice "picnic" on the benches there. The kids loved looking across to the skyline of Manhattan and throwing rocks into the river. My husband was going to meeting up with us after his meetings in the city. My sister was kind enough to take the kids to see a movie and my husband and I made reservations at a lovely restaurant in North Bergen, N.J. called Sabor Latin Bistro. It was very good and the ambience was perfect! Try the plaintain dishes and the yucca fries. Yum!

The next day we went to Ellis Island. This is a part of the CityPass and it was great! Since my sister lives on the Jersey side, she drove us to Liberty State Park where we boarded the ferry from there to head to Ellis Island and then the Statue of Liberty. My suggestion is to get here early. The lines are LONG! Again, CityPass comes through for us. They had a separate line for CityPass folks and it was a lot shorter than the other line. The kids really enjoyed the ferry ride. When we got to Ellis Island, it was crowded!!! First stop, the restrooms. Then we were able to walk around and take a look and read about Ellis Island. We were able to search for my husband's grandfather on their passenger search. It's a great time to share with your children the importance of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty which is a symbol of hope for immigrants entering New York Harbor.

There is a board that states when the next ferry leaves for the Statue of Liberty. I suggest getting in line about 20 minutes prior to that since it's first come first serve. The Statue of Liberty is.......well.......it's just awesome! Seeing so close and being able to walk in front of it is quite spectacular. At the time, the highest portion of the Statue of Liberty was closed; however, they are open now and one can purchase tickets to head up to the top. Not sure if we would have done that since our youngest's legs probably wouldn't have made it all the way up.

This trip took up a large part of the day. It was fun and educational. As we were driving out of Liberty State Park, I saw the Science Center there. It's called the Liberty Science Center. I didn't know about this previously. Because our day was long and full, the kids told me they were tired (happy words to my ears). So, we skipped the Science Center; however, I think next time, we will go there. There were a lot of school buses parked in front. It looks like a great place to go. I read that there were 3 floors of interactive science activities for the kids. How fun!

NY, NY part trois

So, it's Saturday and matinee day on Broadway. Remember that matinee days with a Broadway schedule are Wed. and Fridays. Since my husband and I have our ties to Broadway, we HAVE to see a Broadway show with the kids. In the past, I didn't mind paying for my own seat or even my husband and I going together, but times those prices by 4 and it's another story!

Off we to to TKTS, we went to the Times Square Booth. It was raining so my sister took the kids to..........ToysRUs! I think my kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. This store is huge!!! The only problem for parents is to forewarn your kids that this is only a place to put things down on their wishlist. With pencil and notepads in hand, off they went. Nevertheless, this was a good distraction for the kids since I had to wait in line in the rain. That is a recipe for disaster for kids to wait in the rain with a boatload of people. It didn't take too long since I went there before the booth opened (strong advice from me). I tried to get every show that was available for kids and couldn't get all the seats in the same spot. I couldn't let my child sit alone and I don't think they would want to sit next to strangers at their age. After batting zero, I met up with the kids. This is where I learned that you could go to the other TKTS booths the day before and purchase matinee tickets for the next day which I should have done. I never learned this while working on Broadway, but then again, I couldn't always see the other shows since I was working in one with the same show times as the other shows. Now, my kids really love "The Lion King", but these tickets were not available through TKTS.

As I started walking with the kids to grab a bit to eat at Junior's Deli, we walked by "The Lion King". My kids started singing the songs as we were walking and I felt that twang of 'Gee, when will I be back here next with the kids?' I walked into the box office and asked how much the tickets were. They were a whopping $125/seat. I gasped and the cashier just looked at me. Do I spend $500 for next week's matinee? No, I can't. But, when are we back? Think, think, think. My sister states that we aren't paying for room and board and that I just do it. So, in true Nike form with a little NY attitude, I tell the cashier to get me the director's seats (center orchestra). The guy looks at me and just told him I used to work in theater. He smiles and gives me 8th row center. I"m happy and have to say happy that I took the bite!!! I know there are other venues where you can purchase tickets at a discount; however, these are the times, when I prefer to spend my time on just having fun than researching and dragging my kids all over the place for the tickets.

Kids are hungry and I'm craving a good deli sandwich. Typically, I go to Carnegie's, but it's such a touristy place now, that Junior's is perfect. We met up with some friends who were in South Pacific and 9-5 which meant they had to be at work by half hour. It was great to see them. Their kids menu is perfect. Both of my kids have allergies to nuts so it's no joke when I ask if there are any nuts or any possible cross-contamination of nuts with their food. They were very aware of nut allergies and stated that a lot of kids have that allergy nowadays. I had my epipens with me, but really don't want to go through that experience or a trip to the emergency room. The kid portions were large and delicious. My kids ate them up!!! Their deli sandwiches were perfect. What I love the most? Condiments on the side!!! I can't stand it when other delis layer their sauce to the point where you don't even taste the meat. The pastrami was delish! The Reuben to die for! So, so good. My oldest loves cheesecake and there ain't nuthin' like NY style Cheesecake. He was the happiest 7 year old. I couldn't believe that he ate all of his mac n' cheese and then the whole slice of cheesecake. Sundaes are wonderful as well. We were all very happy. So happy that we went back there on another day during our stay.

After our lunch, we headed down to Chinatown. I used to shop there a lot when I was living in Manhattan. Such great deals. However, I have heard that the knock-offs have been shut down. I love the subway and my kids love it too. I think it's so great to get them on public transportation!!! They need to know that it's easy, available, and better for our planet. I have to agree that there were a lot of places with these yellow signs that looked like knock-off places that were shut down by NYPD. However, there were plenty of people whispering to me while I was window shopping what knock-offs they had. In fact, some girls were looking at purses and then some gentleman said something to them quietly and the next thing you know they are following him to the back of the store. Don't you just love this?!! I love NYC Chinatown. I bought baskets of fruits (strawberries, blueberries, and watermelon) all for under $4.00. A place to stop off next time for us will be Joe's Shanghai Restaurant. It's a little place with the most amazing dumplings!!! I promise you. You don't want to skip this place.

We went back to my sister's to make dinner and had a lovely fruit salad for dessert! Time to rest for another busy day tomorrow.

New York, New York part deux

Finally, I get to start down memory lane of our trip to New York. As you know, we stayed at my sister's. It was convenient and economical.

First of all, I did my research (I always suggest you do this first to make your trip less stressful) and found out that citypass was the way to go with the sites we wanted to see. The added bonus was that citypass was offering separate entry lines where the wait was going to be less than the normal entry lines.

First stop, The American Natural History Museum near Central Park. The weather was brisk, but sunny and it was Spring Break for most of NYC and other cities throughout the United States. Was I ever happy to have purchased the CityPass. The lines were incredibly long and with 2 young boys, I didn't want to stand in line while they either got bored, cold, and whiny. We walked right in, did the coat check (well worth it!) and started on our discovery of the Museum. I did have our kids watch the movie, "Night at the Museum". This gave them something to connect to while they were walking around the museum. They kept referencing to the movie and really enjoyed their time there. The planetarium was included in our citypass. The boys absolutley loved it and thought it was the best thing for them in the museum. We started early in the morning and spent over 3 hours at the museum. We did bring some snack, but my kids were hungry so we went to the cafe. It was pricey like most places, but with the money we were saving on room and board, I splurged here.

We then walked across Central Park to the Eastside to hit one of my favorite spots, Serendipidity. Yes, we walked the whole way and the boys got a little tired toward the end, but with a few stops here and there in Central Park, they were doing pretty good. If you haven't been to Serendipidity's, then it's a must. Even when I lived there, I would have cravings for their frozen hot chocolate! I knew my boy's would love their foot long hotdogs. Here's the thing........you can't make reservations there and it's a cozy place with seating being a challenge during meal rush hours. However, they will always say it'll be a 45 minute wait, but 9 out of 10 I usually wait for about 20 minutes and we get our table. I don't know how that happens. Maybe most tourists try to wait it out and decide they can't or if they have kids, they don't want to wait and then leave. The line goes from really long to really short fairly quickly there. Do I chance it with my kids? No!! I always have snacks in my backpack just in case they start getting a little hungry. My oldest, who loves hot dogs, had the biggest smile on his face when his foot long dog arrived. The rest of the menu is good! The desserts are huge so think about sharing. Trust me, you and the kids will LOVE this place!!!! It's a must go-to place.

Central Park is huge! There is so much to do there and you won't cover it all in one day if you want to see the sites within the park. I wouldn't advice to hit it in one day anyways. The kids love to play and run around. Let them do that while you sit and relax with the beautiful surroundings.

We did end our day doing just the Natural History Museum and a small part of Central Park. It was enough and the kids were tired. We headed on the subway back to Port Authority and took our bus back to Edgewater. By the way, I wouldn't suggest taking the bus during commute times. It's crazy and I had to keep an eye on our boys. People are everywhere! One of my boys had to go to the restroom which meant public restrooms (ugh!). Surprisingly, the restrooms here were clean. It kind of reminded me of Japan (Tokyo had exceptional public restrooms...hotel-like by our US standards). The buses fill up quickly. I hope that I am passing this information on to help those of you who decide to use any type of public transportation during commute hours in NYC. The only other time it was this busy was late at night. I couldn't believe my eyes, but people were, once again, all lined up for the bus and it looked like people were just getting off of work. You know the saying, "NYC never sleeps" It's true! I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since I would get off of work from the theater and travel home around 11pm at night.

Onto to part trois next!

New York, New York, a helluva a town. The Bronx is up, but the Battery's....(Part 1)

down! Don't you love that movie, "On The Town"? The music is wondeful (thank you Bernstein) and the lyrics are fantastic (Comden & Green)!!! But......I digress.

A friend of mine is heading to New York (Manhattan to be specific) and asked about places to go and visit with her two kids. Our family had flown there a year ago to visit New York. I used to live there and miss the vibrant energy that blankets this great city.

What did I do to prepare (because you know it's all about the research and preparation that makes your vacation a great one!):

1. Where are we going to stay?
2. How are we getting there and stay within budget?
3. What are we going to do and stay within budget?
4. Food?
5. Weather, which translates to how I pack and how many pieces do I really want to carry and pay for.

#1 - Fortunately, I have the pleasure of having a sister who lives in Edgewater, NJ and so accomodations were taken care of. She only has a 1 bedroom apt, but a large enough living room for us to sack out on her lushes couches and aerobeds. I know some people are thinking...couches? But trust me, her couches are the most comfortable couches in the world. I have been there before with my other cousin and she said the same thing (and she's used to 5star hotel mattresses).
      However, I do have some suggestions when heading to New York if you don't know anyone who would offer you place to stay. I have a large extended family and they have gone to visit New York and this was what was reported back to me. One of my cousin's used her points from her credit card and stayed at the Hilton. It wasn't for free, but it was a significant price-cut which included complimentary breakfast every morning. Since she had a family of four, she thought it was worth it. I realize this is important to some people; however, having lived in Manhattan, I think you can get a decent breakfast at any deli corner for a very reasonable price. 
     I had another cousin who was travelling with her kids and her elderly father. They complained about how expensive Manhattan hotels were so they decided to stay in the New Jersey side and took public transportation into Manhattan. I agree that to stay on a budget, public transportation is the way to go here. Everyone takes public transportation and it's easy. Those of us who live in the West Coast should learn to  use public transportation more often and the government could stand to learn from the New York/East Coast cosmopolitan cities, but that's another blog, eh? The Holiday Inn was the suggested hotel that was easy and affordable. I found two Holiday Inns. This is where you have to do the research and decide for yourself how much you want to spend and how much commuting you want to do. I personally think it's great for the kids to learn about public transportation and to actually use it. One is the Holiday Inn at Secaucus. Great reviews, but a little further out (again remember that people live in these cities and commute into Manhattan daily so buses and trains aren't that bad). The other one is Holiday Inn Express at the Lincoln Tunnel which is literally the connector to Manhattan and takes only minutes on the bus to arrive at the Port Authority. To read some reviews, I have done some research for you. Click on the "reviews" and read for yourself what you are most comfortable with. I always rely on my gut instinct. Once you have read enough reviews you will get a pretty good idea. Another place I like to go to for reviews is TripAdvisor. This site has done pretty good for me. The more reviews, the better the chance that I pick the right place for me and my family.
     At my sister's, we just took the bus that was a block away from her place (NJ Transit). It didn't cost that much, but check out the website for current prices. I think we paid about $3+/- for adults and about $2 for the kids. It took us right to Port Authority (8th and 42nd). The kids enjoyed walking up to Times Square.

#2 - There are some great prices on JetBlue and Virgin America to the Kennedy Airport. This is a place where a car service is just as good if not better than a taxi. I like the car service because the prices are the same as a taxi and they are there waiting for you rather than you having to wait in line with your kids all ancy from a plane ride. Trust me....it's worth it!
     We flew into Newark because my sister lives there. We flew Continental Airlines and since NJ is the hub for Continental, it was quite a nice terminal. The price was decent. It wasn't as inexpensive as flying into JFK, but by the time we would have paid for car service from JFK to New Jersey, it would have cost us the same as flying on Continental. I have flown into Newark Airport before while living in Manhattan during my B.C. days (before children). I really liked it. It was not as crowded, easy transportation to Manhattan, and rarely delayed. It made my travels less stressful and I know now, with a family, that low stress is preferred on my travels.

As you all know, I am a mom or pseudo single-mom. So, I will have to finish up on this trip on my next posting since it has 9 days worth of fun and excitement. My children need me right now.

(Here's the catch with blog about NYC. I have no photos of my own to share on this site. Why? Well, the SD card on my camera acted up when I went to upload the photos. I can't upload any of them and it bums me out since we did a lot of sites with our kids. I don't know if I can get them back. I went to one place and they said it would cost alot to get someone to "fix" it. I know it's been a year, but I'm waffling back and forth on the monetary costs of pictures. I do have my memory of them and I am sharing them on this blog. Any suggestions from my readers? Not sure if I have any readers right now, but thought I'd ask anyways.)