You can’t let summer go by without taking in a street fair or two!
Spanning ten blocks on Amsterdam Avenue from 76th to 86th, the Amsterdam Avenue Street Fair yesterday offered up fun and funky wares, jewelry, arts and crafts as well as a unique selection of delectable street foods: from zeppoles and arepas, to shish kebabs, bubble tea and even Thai food.
Having a double stroller definitely came in handy for us!
The dilemma: You love your yummy frozen treats, but you don’t like feeling it all going to your thighs. Or, maybe you want a vegetarian option to frozen yogurt, and it better be sweet and delicious.
The answer: Simply Peeled, the brand spanking new eatery on the Upper East Side (on 3rd Ave between 78th & 79th), offers “a cool way to eat fruit” with freshly made Fruizo™ that will satisfy your sweet tooth and tantalize even the most discriminating taste buds!
What is Fruizo™?
The brainchild of four pals seeking a healthy, fresh and guilt-free alternative to your run of the mill ice creams and yogurts, Fruizo™ is, simply, seasonal fruit plus filtered water, with a dash of organic cane sugar. 
It’s all mixed together in a few of those soft serve or frozen yogurt machines, and out comes an icy treat that’s just sweet enough with a smooth, deceptively creamy texture.
Fruizo™ is a vegetarian product, but you definitely don’t have to be a vegetarian or vegan to fully enjoy and appreciate this concoction. It’s way more than just frozen fruit.
Fruizo™ is free of: dairy, fat, sodium, allergens, cholesterol and glutens. Sounds like the perfect dessert, sweet snack or even light meal!
>>2 commentsFirst of all, can you say Free? Yup, admission to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in Manhattan is always totally and completely free. Located on Madison Ave between 55th and 56th, this conveniently located interactive play area is the perfect place for children to experience the awesomeness behind Sony’s technology first hand and learn about what makes it all tick.
Fancy a day trip taking a leisurely bike ride on the boardwalk and frolicking on the beach? Make it an all day adventure for your family, and visit Long Beach in Long Island, New York. This city by the sea in Nassau County boasts an awesome boardwalk that’s bicycle-friendly all year long as well as easy access to the local town and restaurants. With the crazy waves Long Beach gets, it’s a big surfer hangout, and you’ll always see folks playing volleyball in the sand.
used under a creative commons license | by t_a_i_s on Flickr
>>no feedback yetWith two locations in Manhattan, Saigon Grill is a conveniently placed restaurant where families can get their Asian on! The Upper West Side location is perfect for daytrippers driving in, because parking is infinitely easier to snag in that nabe, while the downtown spot is best suited for those arriving via subway or cab.
This restaurant is not for those who think that good Asian food comes from P.F. Chang’s or Ruby Foo’s. (Not that the food isn’t good, it’s just not authentic.) If casual dining in national chain restaurants are the closest you’ve come Asian cuisine, you will be pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food is, probably even if you have a foreign food phobia. Plus, the prices at Saigon Grill are quite reasonable, with dinner entrees ranging from about $10 to $20. Everything can be shared family style, so order a few dishes and share, share share!
Gazillion Bubble Show Review
If you’re in the vicinity of New York City and you have any children under the age of ten, then the Gazillion Bubble Show is definitely something you’ll want to put on your to see list.
The Gazillion Bubble Show was created by and features Fan Yang, a world renowned bubble artist and scientist who has broken over a dozen world records and has wowed thousands with his bubble-tastic feats. He even broke the world record for the most people in a bubble LIVE on Oprah! (100 people in a single soap bubble.)
Fan Yang’s bubbly demonstrations and antics are ultimate crowd pleasers. The combination of whimsical bubbles with high tech effects from fog machines and eye catching laser lights keep the whole family excited and wondering what’s next. It’ll put sparkling smiles on everyone’s faces, young and old alike. The show makes you feel like a kid again, and while you watch your child’s smiling face, you’ll remember how blissful it was to be surrounded by bubbles as a child.
>>no feedback yetHave you had a chance to enjoy the Free Summer Concert Series at the Jones Beach Boardwalk yet? Every single evening this summer, you can head over to Jones Beach and enjoy tunes with a different theme every night! You can park at Field 4, and it’s free parking after 6pm! Shows begin at 7:30 every night.
Every Tuesday night is Family Night at the Jones Beach Boardwalk. So head on over, bring a beach chair, some drinks and snack, and rock out with the family with the fresh sea breeze right behind you.
Remaining July 2010 Family Friendly Performances
Nick Jr. favorites The Laurie Berkner Band will be performing LIVE Birthday Party concerts in New York to help support the Soles4Souls charity. These Tickets are $25 and $35 via Ticketmaster.
Bring a pair of new or gently used children’s shoes for donation to Soles4Souls, which provides them to children in need.
“What do you bring to a Birthday Party Concert?
OPTIONAL: Bring a gift for a child in need by participating in our shoe drive sponsored by UMI shoes. We will be collecting pairs of new or gently used children’s shoes (check your closets!) to be donated to Soles4Souls.”“
Darlene Graham performed at our local library, and she was simply wonderful! It was such a blistering hot day and still she was able to get all the kids up and dancing. Her folksy-ish kiddy tunes are light and actually rather soothing yet still bouncy and fun for the juice box crowd. And when she brings out her bubble machine, forget about it! The little ones will simply be enthralled!
In August, she has two free performances at public parks in Queens.
She’s also performing at the Long Island Children’s Museum ($$) and at various libraries (residency restrictions may apply) throughout Long Island, so check Darlene Graham’s website to see if she’s performing near you.
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“Rock songs for kids… that parents dig!”
The super kid friendly Bari Koral Family Band is playing at multiple venues in the New York metropolitan area this summer! The band and lead singer Bari have received rave reviews from the New York Times, Time Out New York and other NY area publications; and she’s even been compared to long time kiddie music top honcho, Laurie Berkner. Don’t miss her free performances in NYC and throughout Long Island.
**Note: her schedule may change, so be sure to check her website or directly with the venue for updates.
There are more performances listed on the Bari Koral band website, but because some of them take place at town beaches and parks on Long Island that many times have residency restrictions, I didn’t list them here. Please check out the Bari Koral website for further information about other upcoming performances and to double check the schedule.
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