Uptown Escapes in NYC

By: Carol Cain - NYCityMama

As summer starts to roll in to the delight of New Yorkers big and small, there are a multitude of great places to visit after a cold winter and a rainy spring.

After several months of trying to find things to do in our small NYC apartments, to be able to enjoy some time outside with the kids is a huge relief. And if you are in Washington Heights, than there is no better place to let the kids run free than at Fort Tryon Park. With it's 8 miles of pedestrian paths, wooded slopes, and beautiful scenery, Tryon park is a great place to spend an afternoon. The park has many fields of grass, some hidden for romantic picnics, others more open for a good game of catch or Frisbee.

Make sure to take a stroll in Heather's Garden. The flowers are in bloom, and kids love stopping to smell them, admire their colors, and watch the bumblebees at work.

The park, overlooking the Hudson River, is also the home to the Cloisters Museum. The Museum, a branch of The Metropolitan Museum, tends to scare most parents with kids away. However, it can be quite an exciting place for children to visit. With its medieval surroundings, narrow entryways and stairs, it is a perfect place for a kid's imagination to run wild.

The Museum is also surrounded by beautiful gardens, tours of which are offered every Sunday at 1:00 p.m., no reservation needed, free with admission. Every first and third Saturday and first Sunday of the month, also at 1:00 p.m., the Museum offers special Family Gallery Workshops for children ages 4 through 12 and their families. Workshops in Spanish are also offered every last Saturday of the month.

And if all the walking, exploring, playing, and touring makes you hungry, then just walk a few blocks outside of the park towards 187th St. There you will find a great selection of kid-friendly eateries to appease any palate. Kismat Indian Restaurant, with it's aromatic, fresh dishes, brings us the culinary flavors of India and Bangladesh. It's a great place, with both the best Indian food on this side of Manhattan and a friendly and helpful staff. Ta Cocina, on Ft. Washington Ave., for those feeling like having some Mexican food instead, offers great lunch and brunch menu specials. Up the block on 187th St. is 107 West, with it's varied menu ranging from Traditional American to Cajun/Creole also offers a great, inexpensive, menu and friendly atmosphere.

Otherwise the local Fivo's Pizza is a wonderful kid eatery. Angela's Coffee Shop, open for breakfast and early dinner is inexpensive, however the Hudson View Diner located on 181st St. has a friendlier staff, a more sophisticated brunch menu, bigger space, and is more tolerant of families with small children.

So take a trip outside, and head uptown, where the culinary possibilities are endless and children and their imaginations have space to run free.

Photo credit: flickr cc Alaskan Dude