My trip was hosted by Mohonk Mountain House, but all opinions and thoughts are my own.

Have you ever traveled alone with one child?  A few weeks ago, I decided to take my son away for a few days. My other child was actually at sleep away camp, and since he wasn’t having that experience (still a bit young), I thought I’d give him a different type of experience by joining me.  I wanted to review a property in the Hudson Valley and thought about sharing the experience with him. After all, this was one my son could wrap his around: an all-inclusive resort with a slate of activities for all age, food for every mood and picky palette (buffet style) and total serenity in the mountains.  Not only would it be an adventure, but we’d also have some real bonding time.  It would give us both a chance to disconnect and spend quality time together.

I had been to Mohonk Mountain House years ago with my husband but never with one of my children, and I had heard that the resort really caters to families. Rates include all your room charges, three meals, afternoon tea and most resort activities (it’s clear which are not included) and best of all, a kid’s club.  The resort also houses a fabulous spa which happens to be the #1 spa in the U.S. by Conde’ Nast Traveler Magazine this year in their annual Spa Poll (which I was lucky enough to experience).

Mohonk Mountain House is located just 90 miles north of New York City in the Hudson Valley.  The resort consists of 2,200 acres. The property adjoins 6,400 acres of the Mohonk Preserve, which is crisscrossed by 85 miles (140 km) of hiking trails and carriage roads.  It’s a National Historic Landmark resort and Historic Hotel of America that has been running since 1869 when founder Albert Smiley first opened the Victorian-castle resort.  The grounds feature well-maintained gardens, a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, 85 miles of trails for hikes, a skating pavilion, an indoor pool, stables for horseback riding, a kid’s club, boating, fishing and over 40 theme programs including cooking classes, gardening workshops, music festivals and nature programs. The resort is earth-friendly, with a commitment to the protection and enhancement of the environment.

The end result?  Two days of absolute delight for him; two days of absolute relaxation for me.  Our room was decadent with our own balcony with a rocking chair and wood-burning fireplace (which we certainly didn’t need in this heat but it was lovely to look at).  Our room was charming, decked out in Victorian décor with antiques.  Our beds were incredibly cozy.  We loved returning to our room at the end of a long day.  My son was a bit ferklempt that there was no TV, and he didn’t enjoy peeking into other rooms to find that they had a TV and we didn’t, but I was secretly happy that we had time to read and talk to each other, two things we probably don’t do enough of at home.  And he basically forgot about it rather quickly.

At Mohonk there’s something scheduled practically every hour that we both love to do: yoga, meditation, fitness classes, hikes, tennis, horseback riding, golf, mountain biking and aqua aerobics. There are nature program s for all ages including rock-climbing on the Shawangunk Mountain Range.  The resort hosts its own museum in a barn (called the Barn Museum, of course) which contains an array of old tools, sleighs, carriages and other Mohonk memorabilia. We spent our time doing what we liked to do together.  We took a hike around the Eagle Cliff, went boating in the Mohonk Preserve, went swimming in the indoor heated pool (with music for underwater swim, which my son gaped at), took a horse and carriage ride (at extra cost), played in the game room and enjoyed afternoon tea. Whatever we did, we did together, and we grew closer as a result.

When he was ready to separate and experience the Kid’s Club, which is suitable for children ages 2-12 and included. He was hesitant but excited about the day’s activities, which are outlined on a schedule and presentable the day before.  They split the kids into three groups of tykes (2-3 years old), explorers (4-6 years old) and adventurers (7-12 years old).  Their trained staff takes them rock scrambling, boating, to the playground and entertains them with arts & crafts and games indoors.  My son loved playing disk golf, making kites and meeting the other kid staying at the resort.

While he was there, I made my way to the Spa (I actually dance my way all the way there, jumping for joy), where I indulged in a 75-minute facial. With 16 treatment rooms, a salon, mineral pool, solarium, steam room and sauna, the spa is an oasis of relaxation. As soon as I slid my feet into a pair of slippers and my body into a plush robe, I felt whisked away and taken to the moon. After the facial, I laid flat with my feet up staring out the window.  I think that moment will stay with me for a while.  Whenever I get flustered or over-whelmed, I may look back to that single moment.

After just two days at Mohonk, we came back not only refreshed, but closer. I absolutely loved traveling with my son and Mohonk was the perfect place for it.  When we talk about it, I wonder what he’ll remember most.  Will it be our 1.8 mile hike (he’s very specific when it comes to mileage) or will it be our horse & buggy ride in the rain? I suspect it will be our two boat rides (where I did all the work and he steered) but it could very well be his time spent at the kid’s club (score for me).  Or maybe it will be the delicious food (chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, the dessert bar after dinner).  I’ll ask him in a few weeks and let you know.

For special offers, please visit the hotel’s site or call 1-800-772-6646.

I wasn’t born in NYC but I became an official New Yorker on 9/11.  I was in the city when the towers fell and from that day on, I was no longer an ex-pat.  My accent got thicker, my roots got tighter and I set down my fort and never left.  Just a few years later, I would bring two children into this world and they would inherit my fierce patriotism to the city we live in.  Our passion for the city is universal and I never have to struggle to get my kids in for a dose of culture.

So, during the February break, I decided it was time to visit the Museum of the City of New York to learn about our city’s history and celebrate its incredible evolution over the years.  I wanted them to understand all the changes NYC has endured since its inception in the 1600s and how grateful we really should be to live here.

Mission accomplished. After several hours of exploring the museum’s exhibits about the past, present and future of the city, I think my children have a better understanding of all the work and love that goes into making NYC one of the greatest cities in the world.  At ages eight and nine, they are able to make more sense of the information they are taking in. They waded through the paintings, sculptures, photographs, theater souvenirs, manuscripts, rare books and clothes from the 1800s and watched the transformation of the city go from farmland to a vast, urban landscape.  My daughter and I gawked at the Stettheimer Dollhouse on the ground floor, created by Carrie Stettheimer in the 1920s, whose artists friends created masterpieces to don the house’s walls. I used to love doll houses when I was a kid, so it brought back memories.

Here is some information about the exhibits we explored today:

Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers, Jan 23rd through Sep 15th

Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers showcases innovative design solutions to better accommodate New York City’s changing, and sometimes surprising, demographics, including a rising number of single people, and will feature a full-sized, flexibly furnished micro-studio apartment of just 325 square feet – a size prohibited in most areas of the city.  Visitors to the exhibition will see models and drawings of housing designs by architectural teams commissioned in 2011 by Citizens Housing & Planning Council, in partnership with the Architectural League of New York. The exhibition also presents winning designs from the Bloomberg administration’s recently launched pilot competition to test new housing models, as well as examples set by other cities in the United States and around the world, including Seattle, Providence, Montreal, San Diego, and Tokyo.

Activist New York, Ongoing

Activist New York explores the drama of social activism in New York City from the 17th century right up to the present. In a town renowned for its in-your-face persona, citizens of the city have banded together on issues as diverse as historic preservation, civil rights, wages, sexual orientation, and religious freedom. Using artifacts, photographs, audio and visual presentations, as well as interactive components that seek to tell the entire story of activism in the five boroughs,

Timescapes: A Multimedia Portrait of New York, Ongoing

Timescapes, an engrossing 22-minute multimedia experience, traces the growth of New York City from a settlement of a few hundred Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans to its present status as one of the world’s great cities. Created by Jake Barton of Local Projects and James Sanders, co-writer of the PBS series New York: A Documentary History, and narrated by actor Stanley Tucci, the film features animated maps and archival photographs, prints, and paintings from the Museum’s collections.

Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s, Dec 5 through Mar 31

Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s showcases six Depression-era expositions that brought visions of a brighter future to tens of millions of Americans. As many Americans still waited on bread lines, fairs in Chicago (1933/34), San Diego (1935/36), Dallas (1936), Cleveland (1936/37), San Francisco (1939/40), and New York (1939/40) foretold much of what would become commonplace in postwar America–from highways and the spread of suburbia to modernist skyscrapers and products such as electric toasters, nylon stockings, and television. The fairs looked forward to an era of prosperity, when ingenuity and innovation would transform not only American cities but also the everyday lives of American citizens. Visitors will see sleek, modern furniture and appliances of the era, vintage footage from the fairs, and futuristic drawings of the New York World’s Fair’s buildings from the Museum’s collection.

Currier & Ives and Other Winter Tales, Opens Dec 15th, 2012

Currier & Ives and Other Winter Tales presents highlights from the Museum’s exceptional collection of works by 19th-century New York’s preeminent printmakers. From 1834 to 1907, the firm of Currier & Ives produced more than a million prints for the mass market, many of them based on works by the leading artists of the day. Currier & Ives’s iconic winter scenes of skaters in Central Park, along with bucolic scenes of snow-covered small-town life, became the standard imagery for the American holiday season. Other treasures on view from the Museum’s collection bring the spirit of Currier & Ives’s winters to life, with 19th-century skating outfits, old-fashioned ice skates, and a real one horse open sleigh. Completing the wintry scene are notable paintings from the collection by New York artists, including Childe Hassam and John O’Brien Inman, depicting the distinctive light, color, and activity of old New York under the mantle of winter.

The museum is located at 1220 Fifth Ave
 East, Harlem.  Consult their website for details:
 mcny.org.  Opening hours:
 Daily 10am–6pm. Transport:
 Subway: 6 to 103rd St. Suggested donation: $10, seniors and students $6, children 12 and under free.

Disclosure: I am working with the museum on a project and was allowed complimentary admission.

These people feel abandoned.  I saw no sign of FEMA.  A representative from Occupy Sandy Relief showed up and she was like an angel that dropped from the sky. She showed such heart, such concern for these people, and to think she is a volunteer like me is amazing. I wanted desperately to know more about her, but I spent the time that I had helping the people I have been spent nights worrying about.

I had been given a large sum of money to spend on the effort and had stopped at Home Depot en route, picking up mops, brooms, detergent, flash lights, batteries and more.  I am so grateful to my high school friend for collecting funds to purchase much of it, as well as my synagogue whose members have provided so generously to the effort over the last few weeks.

When I arrived at the church, I walked into a room full of stuff – clothes, blankets, sheets stacked on tables.  Boxes of canned food, bottles of water, toiletries that needed to be put out.  And people.  So many people. I noticed people poking through the items and waiting patiently in line with garbage bags in hand for detergent and other scarce items desperately needed. Many did not speak English.  Many are still in shock, even though the hurricane now occurred several weeks ago.

Mama Rose, the woman in charge, quickly sussed me out and put me to work.  I was asked to sort through blankets and sheets and get them on the tables.  The blankets went fast.  Words about the cold, living without heat flew across the table and whipped through my ears.  My co-worker, Emma, kept taking things out of the boxes and putting them in a bag under the table, I suspect for herself, and when people walked up, she pushed them further under so no one would take her stash.

Tensions were running high.  There was a volunteer who had helped me unload my carwho kept yelling at the people coming in to escape the cold.  I heard one of the women in charge tell him to leave everyone alone and mind his own business.  Later on, he would accuse me of swiping two jugs of Pine Sol and I would remember that I was dealing with a crazy.

A fight broke out in the line for the items needed most, which happened to be ones I brought from Home Depot.  People need to clean their homes and they’re desperate.  Two women pulled me aside and asked me to help them obtain some cleaning liquid, but I was helpless.  Apparently, it had all gone so fast that they were going to start to ration it into cups.  I asked if they had children.  They both have several and are living in fear of their future. They need food, clothes, everything.  They had tears in their eyes when I took down their information and swore I’d appear in their lives soon.  And I will.

The last month has been a tough one in the Rockaways— lives and homes lost, people left out in the cold, the uncertain road ahead.  Driving around this morning, it was almost as though it just happened last week.  I drove down a road of homes that were demolished in the storm.  Nothing has been cleaned up.  I wondered about the people who lived there. Where are they now?  What will they do?  Where will they go?

The worst part is that help is slowing down.  The events going on are no longer on the news.  Real estate moguls are coming in, wanting to clean up the Rockaways and turn it into a glitzy beach town, stealing their homes and taking away their history which they won’t let disappear.  Many grew up here and have no intention of leaving. They want to stay.

I saw children today.  I saw children with hopes and dreams we can’t let get overlooked.  I saw their brave parents as I served hot food onto their plates tell them how good the food looked.  I related to parents who said their children wouldn’t eat the tuna casserole or potato salad, but I worried that the kids didn’t have other options.  They needed to eat this food, but even I couldn’t make my own in the most extreme situation.

Why do I keep taking time out of my busy work day to help these people? This is the city I love and people are hurting. I wish I had more time to give, but I realized today that even the few hours I spent with these people made a difference.  Several people told me “God bless you” and smiled when I made them laugh.  They need warmth, they need reminders that it will be okay.  They need a lot more than that, of course.  But if they know that we care, there is hope.

And that was how Mama Rose ended the dispute over the much needed cleaning items.  She reminded everyone they were in a house of God and he is looking over us to get us through the hard times. When they heard her words, they all whispered “Amen” and their prayers ran through my soul.

A side note: I am collecting money for the two women who so desperately need help.  If you are interested in helping me fund their needs, please email me at info@theculturemom.com.

Research indicates that attending a Jewish summer camp is a key factor in the creation of a Jewish identity.   I have wanted them to have this experience for some time, and now that they are ages 7 and 9, and I have more time on my hands than usual, it was time to sign them up.  They attend town camp at home, primarily because camp in the Northeast is hugely expensive and we take really big trips abroad every year.

However, my kids weren’t as excited about the prospect of going to a camp in another city/state as I was.  I’m actually from Atlanta, but we live in New York.  They don’t know a soul here, except for my mother and childhood friends.  For months, I think they thought I was humoring them when I declared that they would be going to MJCCA Summer Day Camps right after school ended.  The only glitch is that even though I knew we would be going well in advance, it took me a while to get my act together to register, and we didn’t make the yellow bus that I so fondly remember being dropped off at it.  It was a singing yellow bus.  We sang camp songs all the way to camp, down the 85 highway.  Instead of my kids hopping on that bus daily, I’d be the designated chauffeur.  The other glitch: the camp is 30 minutes away from my mom’s house – without traffic.  It’s a haul.  But in my mind, a worthwhile haul.  I wanted my kids to have this experience more than anything.

So, here we are.  Day #3 of the camp I spent my youth at.  How is it going? Well, it depends on the minute.  To date, it’s been hard to decipher their reactions.  Here’s the chain of events:

Day #1: After dropping the kids off right on time, we found out they are going to the camp in a trolley (fun, right?).  They found seats between kids they didn’t know, obviously, and proceeded to look straight ahead, not at me.  When I caught a glimpse of my daughter, there was a tear going down one of her cheeks.  Reality sunk in that my kids were not really into the idea of going to my childhood camp.  Seven hours later, after my return trip going 45 minutes back on the highway but not sick of the journey yet, my mom came along for the ride.  After 10 minutes of what seemed to be all positive feedback about the camp, they launched into a tirade of “how could I send them to a camp where they don’t know anyone?” There was no talk of Boker Tov (how they welcome the kids to camp) or Lehitraot (their send off) or the Jewish camp songs they sing while the flag is raised.  It was all, “How could you do this to us?”

Day #2: After waking up at 7am to make them breakfast, lunch, get their bags ready and push them out the door, we went back to the trolley awaiting their arrival.  My son informed me he was going to break into tears again.  I had told them camp is like a date, give it one more chance.  That afternoon, after driving back through Atlanta traffic, the response was better.  She had gone fishing and played tennis, and even made latkes in Kosher Cooking.  He had gone on a scavenger hunt and had gone up and down the water slide for what appeared to be hours.  We went for a frozen yogurt to celebrate.  I even got a few stories and heard the names of their fellow campers while looking at photos taken at the camp on Shutterfly of my seemingly very happy children.  Things were looking up.

Day #3: My son would not leave the house.  He declared he hates camp. It’s the worst camp ever!  Yet he got dressed, ate breakfast and got in the car.  Upon arrival we missed the first trolley and had to wait for the second. Seven hours later, after making the long drive back to camp through what appears to be 405 traffic, I picked them up, vowing not to ask about the day. And the words came pouring out.  We did this, we did that, I get to do this tomorrow, if I could only be here next week I would get to do this. Then as the evening progressed, I heard my son sing Hebrew songs.  We checked out tomorrow’s schedule together and discovered even happier photos posted by camp.  There are photos of my son with new friends, with their arms wrapped around each other.  My daughter has a smile from here to the moon, posing in what appears to be a lovely group of girl.  Now she wants to come back here next summer and to go the camp for two weeks….as long as she can bring a friend from New York.

Oh, and get this, he proudly wore his camp shirt home.

Whatever the case, this was an experiment with a good ending. As their mother, this was something that I wanted to do for them.  I knew in my heart that it would work out.

But now about the commute I’m putting in twice a day to get them there and back?  It’s just what a mom who loves her children does.

Last weekend I finally managed to visit a place I had been longing to explore: Storm King Art Center, located at Old Pleasant Hill Road in Mountainville, NY.  It’s a short ride from NYC (1-1/2 hours) and makes a day trip from the city or from other parts of the Tri-State region.  If you’re a modern art fan, you’ve probably been to the Dia in Beacon.  It’s an equally satisfying visit and we met many NYC natives up for a visit.

Storm King is a 500-acre sculpture garden that includes works from very famous sculptors and artists such as Henry Moore, Roy Lichtenstein, Mark di Suvero, Alexander Calder, David Smith, Sol LeWitt, Alexander Libermann, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi and Magdalena Abakanowicz, amongst many others.  The landscape is breath-taking and tranquil.  You can walk from masterpiece to masterpiece, or take a 35-minute shuttle ride around, complete with an audio tour (which is what we decided to do with our kids in tow as there is a lot of land to cover), and gaze at the art with mountains and fields of waving native grasses and woodlands in the foreground.

Founded as a public nonprofit museum in 1960, the park has expanded the collection  and acquires them carefully, with attention to the interaction of sculpture within the existing landscape.  The result is a very serene experience.  The art is VERY minimalist and you do need to have a taste for this type of art, but seeing them outside with the sky as its backdrop is extraordinary.  They are spread out and located in various sections of the park.  The focus of the collection is on monumental sculptures by these famous artists.  Our favorites were “Adonai” by Alexanader Liberman, “Frog Legs” by Mark Di Suvero and the “The Three Legged Buddha” by Zhang Huan.

Storm King is a really good day out for the family.  My children were intrigued by the size, shapes and positioning of each piece.  We followed along with the map and navigated our way around the park very easily.  There’s a small indoor museum that we quickly explored before we left.  Next time I’d like to take a picnic and spend a longer time there, but our visit enabled us to experience the beauty of Storm King.

Parking is free. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for students.  They do have a cafe but you can pack a picnic.

If you’re looking for a truly unique and relatively inexpensive adventure this summer for you and your family, look no further than 1000 Acres Ranch Resort.  Located on the banks of the Hudson River just over 200 miles from NYC, in the heart of the Adirondacks, this 70 year old resort is bringing back the traditional dude ranch and staying faithful to who they are.  For my kids, who have never experienced a real cow boy, never experienced horse back riding, never experienced a real bonfire, there was much to fall in love with at this simple, but action-packed resort.  We went with very little expectations, only because we had no idea just what were going to get out the experience, and left fulfilled and craving more time on the ranch.  We are all dude ranch converts.  As you read about our visit, you’ll find out why.

As soon as pulled into the parking lot, we felt as though as were far from home, in a world we had yet to experience.  There were cowboys walking around, we could see the horse stables from across the street, we saw families everywhere.  The first thing we did was buy our kids cowboy hats to get in the western spirit.  Then we went to a buffet deli lunch.  Just like on a cruise ship, 1000 Acres seats you at a table with people you don’t know.  The meals are plentiful and cooked on the premises.  We then went to put our things down and check out our cabin, which was a spacious suite with two big beds and a sitting room.  There is no TV, quite intentional, I am sure, which seriously benefits a family like ours.  We were forced to unplug.  There is Wifi but reception was not always accessible and I was grateful to be cut off.  We were really able to engage with each other and enjoy the amenities of the resort.  There were other families from all over New York, Connecticut and New Jersey for us to get to know.

And did we have fun. The resort has so much to offer.  Every which way we turned, there was something new to do.  It was a weekend of firsts for my kids – the first time….

…they roasted s’mores by a bonfire.  The first time…

they rode a boat and paddled their way to shore.  The first time…

they went horseback riding…on trails over the Hudson River.  We had two group lessons each over the course of the weekend.  The first time…

we have ever been to a pig barbeque.  The first time…

we have ever played shuffle boarding.  The first time…

we have ever participated in a human rodeo.  The first time…

we joined a few other families for a very tough hike straight up a mountain.  The sense of achievement when we call came down two hours later was HIGH.  The first time…

my kids have ever stayed up with 20 other kids watching a movie, while we were enjoying country music at the Red Dog Saloon.  The first time…

we played table tennis to our heart’s desire.  The first time…

we ever played water volleyball …for hours! They have two outdoor heated pools, one indoor heated pool and a jacuzzi. In the middle of the afternoon, the staff brings out a frozen drink bar.  We were busy but we also made time to chill out and relax.

And there were other firsts I didn’t capture on camera: an egg toss, a water balloon toss, a sponge race, cook-outs.  From the moment we woke up to the moment our heads all happily hit our pillows, we were fully engaged.  The staff is extremely helpful and dedicated to ensuring that everyone enjoys themselves. They offer other unexpected surprises throughout the day: cheese and crackers and half-price drinks before dinner, pizza and other snacks in the bar late in the evening, hay rides in the afternoon.

1000 Acres offers a variety of packages throughout the year, and they are all quite affordable options for a family, single, couples or just to celebrate a long holiday weekend.  Most of these weekends feature an array of the activities mentioned above – horse drawn carriage rides, country line dance lessons, wine and cheese affairs, pizza parties, our private Adirondack golf course and much, much more. In the fall, you can experience the foliage on scenic Adirondack horse trails.

Call  (518) 696-2444  for more information, or make your reservations today.  My daughter wants our visit to be an annual tradition, so book your trip for next Memorial Day and you may find us there.

Disclosure: I was given complimentary accommodations to facilitate this review, but all opinions are my own.

It just so happens that Dan Zevin lives in my hometown and his son is my daughter’s 3rd grade class.

He’s an author with a new book coming out, Dan Gets a Minivan, a coming-of-middle-age tale told with warmth and wit, It provides the one thing every parent really needs: comic relief.

We were there to check out their American Girl Family Package.  It makes sense since they’re located so close to the American Girl Doll store just a few blocks away.  They’ve incorporated a trip to NYC into the American Girl Doll line in a very creative way.

We took a complimentary tour to check out the package.  Upon entrance to the Junior suite included, we encountered a complimentary American Girl gift bag which includes an exclusive American Girl doll-sized travel bed, pillow and blanket for a doll that the guest receives upon entrance.  There were two dolls laid out on a bed in their travel beds (pictured on the left).  It was pretty darn cute, and my daughter’s eyes lit up, especially when the hotel manager offered her the chocolate (“sweet treat”) set up on the beds.  The package also includes continental breakfast for two children served in the Club Room, a complimentary viewing of American Girl movies in the Club Room, as well as complimentary milk and cookies.

Guests can also choose from other amenities like cribs, dinner reservations, kid-friendly snacks and admission tickets to local attractions.  They can take advantage of the 20% discount offered by the Children’s Museum Museum of Manhattan to Affinia 50 guests.

The Club Room is terrific.  My daughter played complimentary Wii.  There are board games, and I had a glass of wine.  It was full of guests happily taking a break from their busy days in Manhattan.

Affinia 50 is centrally located in midtown at 155 E. 50 Street, close to many of New York City’s most famous attractions: Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Central Park and much more.

In addition to the Affinia 50, the chain includes conveniently located hotels around Manhattan plus hotel in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

For more information about this package, visit http://www.affinia.com/Special.aspx?name=Affinia-American-Girl-NY.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post.  I did receive a tour of the hotel, but I was not asked to convey any particular opinion.

It was the right choice.  It was one of the larger orchards that we’ve been to, and it offers a unique kind of experience.  Once we got through the crawling traffic to the parking lot ( I admit my husband was getting anxious and did consider turning around, but I said that there must be a reason so many people want to go to this place, so let’s stay with it), we purchased a half bushel bag for $25.  Then we started heading up the hill of the orchard.  It was about a 10-15 minute walk.  Ahead of us were higher apple trees than we’d seen before, so we were grateful when someone offered us their apple-picking pole to help maneuver the apples from the trees.   Then we got right to it.

We all had a ball picking apples.  My husband is really tall, so he managed to raise the pole quite high go get the roundest and juiciest ones.  Outhouse has a good selection, but Cortland apples were in abundance.  We managed to get a good variety, in any case, filled our bags and then went back down the hill to see what else the orchard was all about.  My son recently lost his two top teeth and could not bite into an apple while we were picking them, so he made me promise to get a knife as soon as I could to cut it into slices for him to eat.

We had no idea what kind of treat was awaiting us.  Across the street, we headed into the food area, where they have vendors of all kinds that makes their own scrumptious food including pumpkin cheesecake (out of this world!), turkey legs, pie, funnel cake (a hit in my family), BBQ, pizza, curly fries, ice cream and some kind of donuts that a zillion people were standing in line to buy.

At the market, you can also buy home made jams, jellies, fudge and cider or pick up fresh flowers  direct from their farm.  They also have a store that was selling Halloween items.  It will turn into a Christmas store in early November.

After we filled up on goodies, we headed toward the rest of festivities and found ourselves in an enormous pumpkin patch.

There was also an animal farm, a bouncy pumpkin ($3 each), a duck pond, a playground and hayrides.  This was a real apple-picking experience for us all, that is for sure.

So, now I have a bag of 50 apples waiting for me to cook them in a pie or some other type of apple dish.  Here is the first apple dish I plan to make below.  I watched my sister-in-law make this when we were last in England and I didn’t always write down the measurements so you may have to make an estimated guess for certain ingredients.  It serves 25 people and uses a lot of apples.

APPLE CRUMBLE for 25 people

You need:

20 baking apples
12 ozs or 1-1/2 cups water
8 ozs. or 2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons lemon juice

Drain apples and divide between dishes available about 2-3 inches deep.  The apple should be about 2 inches deep.  Scatter with sugar mixed with cinnamon and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Topping:
3 cups white flour
1-1/3 cup porridge oats,
2-1/4 cups soft brown sugar
1-1/2 cups margarine

Put all ingredients in mixer – margarine in chunks-and rub together until crumbly.  Divide this crumble between the dishes, putting a thick layer on each and patting it down well.  Bake at  350/180C for 1 hour until crumble is a rich brown color and crisp to the touch.

For directions, go to the Outhouse Orchards site and head to the directions tab.  They’re located in North Salem.

So today after a weekend buzzing with 4th of July activities, I turned to my husband today and declared it a day to visit City Island.  After recently reading an article in “Time Out New York Kids” on a day out in City Island by my fellow PBS Kids Club Ambassasdor, Alison Lowenstein, my interest peaked and I was dying to return for a day trip.

We started with lunch at Johnny’s Reef Restaurant at 2 City Island Avenue.  It’s a real throw back to how you might suspect eateries ran on the seaside 50 years ago.  You order off the menu boards, pick up your food and find a table inside in the extremely busy restaurant.  We chose to sit outside, despite the smoldering heat.  You can’t beat the prices, and the quality.  It’s mostly fish: scallops, fried cod, clams, oysters, squid, broiled shrimp, trout, lobster.  You order your food, then grab your drinks at a separate counter.  The food is really greasy, but that’s part of the experience.  The average price per meal is $10.  We actually shared fish & chips, salad and watermelon which came to $16 and it was enough for the four of us.  It’s quite a scene.  It reminded me of the Varsity in Atlanta, where I’m from, which is another greasy joint that everyone flocks to (including every U.S. President).  Johnny’s is very family-friendly.  If your child doesn’t like fish, they have chicken, french fries, something for everyone.

Seeing that it was nearly 100 degrees, we headed right to cool off with some ice cream at Lickety Split Ice Cream on 295 City Island Avenue, also recommended by Alison.  Another throw back to old times, this little ice cream parlor serves delicious ice cream, gelato and sorbet.  I had read some reviews about the high prices on Yelp, but our total was only $8.50 for the four of us.  My daughter really liked the hula hoops available outside to play with after she finished her cone.

Right across the street is a row of shops (where our beloved Alice’s Tea Cup used to be located) and we discovered The Snug at 302 City Island Avenue, a lovely pub restaurant that offers Guinness and fish & chips.  On Saturday nights you can get fish & chips at buy one, get one free.  I think my hubby and I will be venturing on an upcoming weekend to get our fill.  With salt and vinegar, of course.

Alison’s suggestion to visit the nautical park at Ambrosini Field was an excellent one.  Thankfully, I had packed my kid’s bathing suits in advance, as they needed some cooling off.  The playground is a big ship surrounded sprinklers.  Fortunately, there were some other kids running around the playground and they gave mine water balloons and water guns.  All the kids instantly bonded over the water fight and burnt off some much needed energy.

Needless to say, my kids were having a ball and we couldn’t tear them away to do some much needed shopping at Fairway, just minutes away in Pelham Manor.

City Island is full of great restaurants on the water, and of course, Orchard Beach is within minutes away.  It’s a great beach, the only one in the Bronx.  Admission is free, but you pay $8 for parking. It has picnic areas, food stands playgrounds, basketball courts, volley ball courts and more.  We like going there off-season when it’s less crowded.

We drove by the the City Island Historical Society and Nautical Museum at 190 Fordham Street, but it was closed for the July 4th weekend.  It saves something to do on our next trip.  The Bronx Zoo is also just a short drive away from City Island.

I can’t wait to go back and experience more of City Island.  I’m so glad we rediscovered it.