summer

uh...ok. thank you for sharing that with the class, columbiacounty. please go back to your seat.

If her daddy's rich, I'll take her out for a meal. If her daddy's poor, I'll just do what I feel. Her mamma's good looking.

In my breeder nabe, it's camp, camp, camp. Or seeing grandma/grandpa. Or vacation. Or all of the above.

are you doing camp in the city or busing them somewhere? going away at all? just curious. we're doing half day camp for kid #1 while i do story time/activity/playdate with kid #2, rest of day at pool, weekend day trips to beach. a few times we'll stay over night at a hotel, and a few houseguesting weekends sprinkled in. little gremlins can really cramp one's style. my kids are destructive, no one wants us around except bored relatives.

you sure it's about your kids?

yes. i'm actually a great houseguest and am very good at singing for my supper.

you have a kid, wbottom. what are you doing with it?

they do with themselves
one will study, one has a fellowship, both on other continents

Right, Wbottom has 2 kids and a "girlfriend in Brooklyn".

Summer's too short. I don't know if your kids are in elementary yet, but our summer is only 10 weeks long. Between camp and grandparent/relative visits and traveling, we're down to one free week. I feel like summer vacation should have started last week, with the warmer (and drier!) weather.

not yet. #1 is turning 4 and just starting prek in september. she's too little for real camp so i signed her up for this pre school adventure half day thing i found out here.

my high schooler is out 6/3, returns 9/9

absurdly long vacation/small number of days in school, given the amt of work kids these days need to get done to get into a decent college

you get what you pay for--haha

in the city
all summer
camps
no vaca
this is my life

lucille- i think i know which one your 4 y.o is going too. we looked into it. looked fun.

going to.
4 hrs of sleep isn't good for anyone...

was it at LF?
have you ever tried going to brighton beach on the subway? it's about an hour from where you are, you'll have to switch at times square to the Nor whatever still goes out there. it's not bad, there are restaurants/cafes on the boardwalk, they're russian, but the waiters speak english, and people sell cold coronas on the beach.

if you go during the week after rush hour, the train ride should be fine

When I had 2 kids, we didn't do camp - hung out most of the summer + vacation.

With 3+ kids, it's hard not to do any camp.

Ditto field trips to Brighton Beach + other beaches - okay schlep with 1 or 2, difficult with more. Not complaining, but day camps make life much easier.

Uwsmom: you might find that a full-day or half-day camp has a wonderfully soporific effect on kids :)

hmm, no. what is LF? i was thinking of another (thought you were UWS).

not for a while. renting a house in nj while we ponder the state of the cosmos

uwsmom, i know 2 people who joined a pool out here and they plan to drive out everyday, that's why i asked.

uwsmom, LF is Little Felons, an instructional day camp for the younger set.

I've heard that there is a reasonably priced pool "club" in north NJ. I don't really like being out all day away from home, so that's not for us.

That's *exactly* why your children need to go to LF. Pool sounds innocent enough, but along with it in north NJ comes cigarettes, cigars, whiskey -- and gambling. And along with gambling comes arguments and gunfire. Your loved ones need to learn the right skills in LF so that they're not at the receiving end of the gunfire -- just the trigger side.

i'll regret oversharing this, to be sure.

http://clubs.lifetimefitness.com/Family-Programs/16316/

This summer I am going to hang out with my fellow gang members/slaves and think of ways to protect our master.

MidtownerVirgin, are you sure you'll still be able to get paralegal work if you associate with gang members and slaves?

someone please post about the super sexy european vacation that you're planning. this thread is depressing me.

oh yes, please tell us about how many villas you've rented.

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/23611

"post about the super sexy european vacation that you're planning."

planning? or actually taking? i may get back to you on this.

No Europe here, but I was going to post about my deep admiration for Jose Reyes until this thread got all camptastic.

ali

I will be changing diapers, doing 2 am feeds, and wishing I had rich relatives that had a place by the water

JM - congrats on #2.

jm, you didn't always have to be "rich" to have a place by the water, just like you didn't always have to be "rich" to have a place in the city. you may notice that's a common point of discontent among bitter former locals.

It's not an NYC-centric problem. Worldwide.

You didn't have to be "rich" to:
1. Pay for privates, live in a "top" suburban school system.
2. Pay for kids' college tuition + expenses.
3. Pay for sleepaway camps.
4. Have domestic help.

Some blame (simplistically) the two-wage family, the rising costs of unskilled labor, price-fixing.

Thanks, 10023. Not there yet but very close.

"someone please post about the super sexy european vacation that you're planning. this thread is depressing me."

Europe in the summer? That's for tourists. Out in Europe right now. Summer is for the house on the ocean.

Aboutready, your reply?

Wow the stories of life with little ones are scaring me. Mine are all grown, son is 26 and daughter 23, damn time flies. And it looks like I am starting again, re-married to a younger woman, blissfully happy for almost 7 years now and we just went what we call around here "OTP" (off the pill).

Both kids went to sleep away camp in Connecticut, I think it was Camp Sloane? They loved it. We also spent a lot of time at the beach, I surf, kids boogie boarded. I was also crazy enough to buy 10 acres in Summit, NY for $5,500 dollars and we built a small cabin ourselves, both kids loved that. We traveled a lot with them as well, when my son was 3 we camped across the US and then Mexico in a VW camper van, we were a bit bohemian lol.

I hope I have the same energy now for what may come to pass...

To the OP's original question. Me, wife and daughter will spend July in Costa Rica, if you can get that kind of time off, its less expensive than a week at the Jersey Shore or Long Island. Otherwise we take day trips every weekend and occasional overnighters to Ocean Grove, NJ.

For those without a car, you can take a train to Asbury Park then a 10 minute walk to Ocean Grove, cute Victorian town, beach showers and a few decent places to eat. Ocean Grove also has at least 75 B & B's with rates from about $75 to $250 a night. Great for the kids, you can also do Point Pleasant boardwalk at night and have a great dinner at Moonstruck in Asbury Park.

We went to Warwick, NY last weekend for an overnighter, really great little town and we had a blast at the Warwick Winery & Distillery. Fun live music and some really tasty food. Wines were so, so, but taste good with a fresh artisinal pizza or one of their cheese plates. The cafe is in a barn with a surprisingly sophisticated menu, real farm to table. Their hard apple cider is actually very good, though I prefer the unfiltered type, they also distill their own gin and a variety of Brandy's.

This is why I have a blog...blah blah...

Best of luck, Keith. I know IRL a few in your position, and they seem to be coping very well. Things are a lot more $ now, starting with getting a private room when you give birth (if that isn't the default). Everything child-related is more $. Some claim the world is more complex - I dunno when I was a kid, some kid fell to his death trying to be like the Greatest American Hero. Just heard of a few kids setting fire to a playground to copy some stunt. Plus ca change.

Inonada -economics are funny. Beach house within a good distance of NYC with a modicum of good eats and diversions cost as much as a furrin vacation.

Huntersburg/buyerbuyer will spend the summer creating multiple user names and trolling. Wait, that's every day.

KeithB,
thanks! lot's of good day trip ideas as always! doesn't sound like your energy levels should be a problem. good luck with the babymaking!

just wanted to share something with the se peeps who are looking for easy and fun daytrips. the nj botanical garden is a lovely place for both an easy stroll and a little hike. could easily spend a few hours there in the morning before the sun gets too hot, then drive around the corner to shepherd lake for the rest of the hot day. very nice. the address on that website is not ideal though, you want to plug in the address for skylands manor 2 morris st ringwood nj. saw a few zip cars with ny plates, so some people are already hip to it i guess. woman at the gate told me they're seeing larger crowds this year because of all the staycationers. garden is $5/car on wekeds, free during the week. lake is $10/car weekends, $5 during the week. helpful hint, they don't have trashcans, you have to take your trash with you when you leave. hope someone here enjoys it, we sure did!

http://njparksandforests.com/parks/ringwood.html

Excellent advice and don't forget Ringwood Manor for the museum and picnic grounds. That could be another trip and very close to the city. Nothing like row boating on Shepard Lake, but the Botanical Gardens are amaxing, not to mention the mansion there. Beautiful area.

we also went to the wurst festival in the poconos yesterday, but i would hesitate to recommend something like that to you guys. i liked it because i like german food and beer, and i get REALLY EXCITED about things and pretty much like everything unless there's something wrong with it, but you're a long way from home out there. and i'll leave it at that. no i won't, big people, lot's of tatoos, super nice though! also, lots of bikers in leather for some reason. didn't really connect those dots though. they have a garlic festival coming up at some point.

http://www.shawneemt.com/sumfall.html

at the poconos thing they had a main stage with ethnic music and dancing in national costumes (german, polish and hungarian) they had a kids stage with a show every half hour, magician, juggling, other stuff. they turned the main lodge into a bierhall with a little area where people watched whatever sporting even everyone was watching yesterday. supposedly there was a pig race, which we didn't see, but we did see the adorable dachshund race and some of us got glitter tatoos and their faces painted. they had a very sorry excuse for a moon bouncy so we didn't do that. so if you were interested in the next event, they do put on a fun day for the family. fyi.

right, thanks Bill7284. i also understand that pets are permitted on the grounds of the ringwood manor and surroundings, but not the botanical garden call to confirm though.

http://www.nynjtc.org/park/ringwood-state-park-4?gclid=CLiC0euTi6oCFZBS7AodLDNP0w

Here we go! I have made it there from the UWS in way under an hour in daytime or weekend travel.

Whatever happened to MidtownerVirginEast? Probably working overtime at the paralegal job, either afraid of being laid off because of all the unemployed lawyers in NYC, or saving up to move out of that "smallish 1 bedroom" in midtown east.

hi guys. wanted to share another day trip idea with the bored caretakers out there, or people who don't take care of anyone just like to do things. if you were planning to do any apple/peach picking in the next few weeks while it's still hot as hell, i would like to recommend eastmont orchard in colts neck because it's a cute place as pick your own farms go and it's right next doord to serisouly the best kept secret in all of nj - dorbrook park. it's a huge free park with a very nice playground, trails and basketcall courts and all kinds of other park things but greatest of all, it has the SPRAYGROUND, which is exactly what it sounds like. it's a playground where you wear your bathing suit because it has spraying water!!!! here is the link for it

http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2503

it's free, there are bathrooms in a building (no portapotties), they have a small swimming pool that is not open for free swim but only for lessons and parties, and it's just a very pretty park in a very pretty part of the garden state. driving up to it there are farms and stables on both side of the road as far as the eyes can see. i would bring my own food though or make sure i knew where i was going to eat in the area ahead of time because that town is d-e-d DED. it's country out there. i found one pizza joint in the "downtown" which is a lonely strip mall. it was ok. i suggest it along with the farm because it's pretty far from civilization and probably not worth the drive out from the city alone, but if you were making a day of it, it might be worth the smartcar. enjoy!

on the off chance someone out there didn't have plans for today yet, but wanted to get out of the city on this lovely day, there is a free jazz festival in morristown on the green, where you can take the train from penn station. downtown morristown is a cute area with lots of restaurants and shops. there's also a century 21. just puting it out there. if you wanted to take a zip car, there are also free kids activities at cooper gristmill and frelighuysen arboretum, but you do need a car to get to those.

http://www.townofmorristown.org/vertical/Sites/%7B0813EA2E-B627-4F82-BBB0-DDEE646947B5%7D/uploads/MoTownJazzBlues_%28Posterfinal%29.pdf

always leave something out. must work on that.

1:00pm Industrial Metal Crafts DayWhenSat, August 20, 1pm – 4pm

WhereCooper Gristmill (map)

DescriptionSee demonstrations of tinsmithing and blacksmithing. Make a tinpierced ornament to take home.
Time: 1 pm - 4 pm
Location: Cooper Gristmill
Cost: FREE
Donation appreciated.

1:30pm Noth Jersey Dahlia Society Dahlia ShowWhenSat, August 20, 1:30pm – 3:00pm

WhereFrelinghuysen Arboretum (map)

DescriptionRegional Dahlia growers fill the Haggerty Education Center Auditorium with Dahlias of all sizes, shapes and colors.
Time: 1:30 pm - 3 pm
Location: Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Cost: FREE

there. my good deed for the day. enjoy the day whatever you end up doing today.