New York City Archives - The Culture Mom

05Aug

Theater Review: Transport Group’s “Three Days to See”

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I grew up quite infatuated with the life and story of Helen Keller. Her intelligence, her accomplishments, and the obstacles she faced. I read and re-read the story of her studies with Anne Sullivan and when her story was captured on film in The Miracle Worker with Patty Duke, I was riveted. So when I received an invitation from Transport Group to see a performance of Three Days To See, conceived and directed by Jack Cummings III, based on the words of Helen Keller, at Theatre 79, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue, I immediately Read More

31Jul

Indulging the Kids on Broadway with Sugartooth Tours

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I've been living in the NYC metro area for a long time now, but I've never fully experienced the sweeter side of the city. So when my kids and I were invited to join Sugartooth Tours on their newest tour, Bright Lights & Broadway Bites, I was intrigued. Broadway + desserts + a guide who's an actual Broadway performer = right up my alley. If you read my blog regularly, you probably know I'm theater obessessed and I love taking my kids all over NYC, so this tour was an excuse to indulge my Broadway fixation and their sweets obsession. When I told my Read More

29Jun

Guest Post: The Berenstain Bears LIVE! in Family Matters, the Musical Review

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Guest writer Liat Ginsberg is a mother and former journalist for the Israeli newspaper, Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media Department at Hunter College. How many of us have to deal with our kids constantly nagging us for unhealthy snacks? It’s a non-ending battle, and as a parent you know that there is no perfect solution that fits all. If you want to feel good about your everyday battle, take your young kids to see The Berenstain Bears LIVE! in Family Matters, the Musical. The musical combines three books, Bears Learn about Strangers, The Read More

10Jun

Edible Brooklyn: Pazzi Pasta in Carroll Gardens

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Pasta is one of my kids' favorite foods, but I generally try to limit their intake due to its high calorie and high carb content. However, since it's usually on the top of their list, I'm always looking for ways to accommodate their request and I recently found one. It's called Pazzi Pasta, a Southern Italian restaurant in Carroll Gardens, one of my favorite parts of Brooklyn. "Pazzi" literally means "crazy" and I'm not kidding when I call their food crazy delicious! It's rare to find a restaurant that is so intent on using organic, locally grown, Read More

02Jun

Guest Post: Paper Planet at The New Victory Theater

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Have you ever had this arguement with your husband? A medium size box comes in the mail and he wants to throw it out. You say, "No way! The kids will love playing with it. It’s big enough for three kids to go inside.” He replies, “I do not want junk in my house!” But you refuse to give up, he gives in and the kids play with the cardboard box for hours. Then every time he passes by them playing with it, he says, “I told you not throw it out!”. The New Victory Theater believes in the theory of playing with junk and is trying to change the way we think Read More

25May

Review: Finding Neverland

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This a guest post written by writer Lisa Gerstel-Zach: A diverse and seasoned executive who has spent her career in Children’s and Family Entertainment via Publishing, Live Events and Broadcast before stepping back to take a much earned reprieve from the Corporate world in order to reinvent herself and remember why she moved to New York. She lives in the latest hip neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her husband and daughter. We seem to be in the midst of, or maybe just emerging, from an overload of reconstructed/deconstructed children’s Read More

12May

Guest Post: Pinkalicious the Musical Teaches Kids Tolerance

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Liat Ginsberg is a mother and a former Journalist for the Israeli newspaper Maariv. She taught at the Film and Media department at Hunter College. If you have read the book Pinkalicious to your children and are sure that you and your kids know the story by heart, you can add one more layer to the story, after watching the play Pinkalicious. The play gives legitimacy to boys who choose pink as their favorite color, legitimacy that society doesn't give very easily. I have 6 year old twins, a boy and girl, my boy always liked the color blue Read More

09May

Week 6: Middle-Aged Personal Training at Encore Fitness NY and a Giveaway

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If you've been following my mid-life crisis fitness blog posts, you may have noticed a lull. I wasn't avoiding my routine, but trips do seem to knock me off my momentum a bit. However, since my weight gain from week 4, I've been more determined than ever to keep everything I'm learning at Encore Fitness NY up, particularly while traveling. I've also managed to challenge myself to a few new forms of exercise to keep my body moving and my keen interest up. So, when I walked into Encore the other day for my sixth session with Robert, I felt confident and Read More

05Apr

Our NYC Staycation

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This past spring break was an interesting one. After living in and near NYC for a lot of years, I decided it was time for my kids to have a NYC staycation. We stayed in hotels, went to museums on 42nd Street like Madame Tussaud's, took a bus tour, ate in Chinatown and Korea Town, went to the top of the Empire State Building, visited the Statue of Liberty and toured Ellis Island, went to the 9/11 Memorial, explored the orchids at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx and had pizza on Arthur Avenue, indulged in cupcakes at Carlos Bakery, strolled through Read More

16Apr

YMCA’s Touch-a-Truck Street Fair on May 22nd

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One of my old stomping grounds in the city, the West Side YMCA, will hold its annual Touch-A-Truck Street Fair: A Hands-On Street Fair & Fundraiser for Kids on Saturday, May 22nd. Billed as an event to benefit the Strong Kids Campaign, it features NYFD fire engines, NYPD police vehicles, UPS trucks, bouncy castles, arts & crafts, food vendors and live music performances by AudraRox (who I adore). The West Side YMCA’s annual Touch-A-Truck Street Fair & Fundraiser will be held from 10am – 4pm (rain or shine) on West 64th St. between Read More