If you have...
120 minutes
Nosh and play If having coffeebars in bookstores is smart, putting playrooms in restaurants is frigging brilliant! Some pioneering lunch spots have figured out that if you give kids a place to play, their moms will show up in droves. Mamalú Play & Munch Ground in Williamsburg (232 North 12th St between Driggs and Union Aves, Brooklyn; 718-486-6312, mamalunyc.com) has an 800-square-foot play area, weekly toddler classes, organic baby food and Wi-Fi—not to mention tasty sandwiches and salads. Hopscotch Cafe (137 Ave A between E 9th St and St. Marks Pl; 212-529-2233, myspace.com/altdotcoffee) has a small playroom for tiny toddlers and sells kid fare like yogurt and juice boxes. And last month Parent Play—best known for its brunches, during which a team of babysitters keeps your kids busy while you eat—launched Drop ’n Dine, an in-restaurant babysitting service (go to parentplay.com for details).
Feed your soul Ever wonder why so many families are suddenly finding religion? Well, yes, there’s that whole getting-closer-to-God thing. But there’s also the fact that at many local churches and synagogues, the kids get whisked away to be entertained and spiritually enlightened at Tot Shabbat or Sunday school. Meanwhile, parents sit in the pews peacefully worshiping (or napping; take your pick). A few to try: The New Shul (272 W 10th St between Greenwich and Washington Sts; 212-284-6773, newshul.org), Marble Collegiate Church (Fifth Ave at 29th St; 212-686-2770, marblechurch.org), Brooklyn Friends Meeting House (110 Schermerhorn St between Boerum Pl and Smith St, Downtown Brooklyn; 212-777-8866, brooklynmeeting.org).
Snooze through a show A dark room, a (somewhat) comfy seat, singing animals teaching important life lessons—it sounds like a perfect recipe for a little shut-eye, right? Of course, you wouldn’t want to blow $110 on a ticket to The Little Mermaid or Mary Poppins just to sleep through the performance, but there are great kid theaters all over the city where tickets cost $25 or less. Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th St; 212-864-5400, symphonyspace.org), the 13th Street Repertory Company (50 W 13th St at Sixth Ave; 212-675-6677, 13thstreetrep.org), the New Victory Theater (209 W 42nd St at Seventh Ave; 646-223-3020, newvictory.org), Manhattan Children’s Theatre (52 White St between Church St and Franklin Pl; 212-226-4085, mctny.org), the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St at Bedford St; 212-924-2817, lortel.org) and the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts (2900 Campus Rd at Hillel Pl, Flatbush, Brooklyn; 718-951-4600, brooklyncenter.org).
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