Clare Lambe

Zoe Hansen has got it made. Home is a two-bedroom rent-stabilized Mitchell-Lama apartment in the East Village shared with husband Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba and their son, Jake. Zoe is a writer, and Richard—lead singer of punk band The Dictators—owns nearby bar Manitoba's and has a program on Sirius Radio. But things weren't always so good. In 1984, 17-year-old Zoe left England and landed in NYC with $200 and a heroin habit that led to stints as a drug dealer, prostitute and madam. Clean since 1996, she's working on a memoir, My American Dream, Going Down in Gotham. Was it easy morphing from edgy scenester to playground regular?ZH When I first had Jake, it was so intimidating to go to the park and have to meet parents. Initially, people weren't terribly friendly. Maybe they were a bit wary of you...ZH When we show up, people can be intimidated: I have tattoos and piercings and Richard looks a bit like a biker, but he's the sweetest, softest guy. Jake will have to rebel by wearing Brooks Brothers suits.ZH Ha! He'll probably grow up to be a real square. We do take him everywhere with us—art openings, rock concerts. He sees his daddy perform and meets famous people, so our "cool" lifestyle is normal to him. What's your parenting style?RM Figuring it out as we go along. [Laughs] We have no shortage of wonderful friends to bounce stuff off of.ZH My parents were distant, cold even. Happily, I find it easy to be the opposite. I do believe in good manners. It's important that J

You're a New Yorker through and through, but is the city really the right spot to raise a family? Is it time for the dreaded retreat to the burbs? We think not! This is the best city in the world, and we all know it. Our list will have you re-thinking your reasons for moving...after all, who can say no to top-notch family restaurants in NYC, super cool children's museums and the best family attractions in NYC?

We love a good cider mill! And now that fall is upon us, bringing with it shorter days and the gnawing fear of interminable winter, we're even more motivated to visit one. Before you move into your nearest indoor play space, there’s still time to get out of town and enjoy some folksy autumnal fun as your rosy-cheeked kids hit the farms to learn how rosy-cheeked apples are pressed into delicious fresh cider. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in the fall with kids Many spots are also located in the orchards themselves, so there's plenty of opportunity for apple picking. Be sure to check times and availability before you set out and also browse our list of the best things to do in the fall with kids and our pick your own guide.

You're allowed to like kids and cocktails. Our roundup of kid-friendly bars in NYC is here to make your lives as parents just a little bit easier! Whether you're in the mood for a frosty beer and some games, a brewery tour or some outdoor cocktails, the stellar bars on our list certainly have you covered. (P.S...we'd consider this yet another reason why NYC is the best place to raise kids!) For more family fun, be sure to visit our favorite family attractions and guide to the best 101 things to do with kids in NYC. Anything we missed that should definitely be on this list? E-mail us with the details at kids.ny@timeout.com! **Please note that children are not welcome to sit at the bar itself, but at tables within the bar space. Please see below for the rules of individual venues. In most cases, it's also a safe bet that children are not welcome after dark. 

My rudimentary mom skills made me a camp counselor’s worst nightmare and ruined my child’s summer camp experience time and time again. Years later, I’m finally starting to get the hang of it—and my kid is doing just fine despite me.

Ronen Glimer and Amy Abrams love to shop. Having browsed souks, bazaars and arcades all over the world, the husband-and-wife team decided to create a market of their own. In 2003, they founded Artists & Fleas, the Williamsburg hub where local creatives hang out and sell art, jewelry and other handmade works. Now the parents of two girls, Ruby, 5, and Noa, 3, the Prospect Heights couple is hosting the market's first family day, complete with workshops and activities for kids, on April 9 and 10. Are Ruby and Noa regulars at Artists & Fleas?RG They've been coming since they were born. Any vendor that has a dog is generally their favorite. Or that has food.AA They're like little mayors! They know the vendors, they can try on shoes for hours, they love playing with jewelry—and they've learned some valuable principles about commerce. Such as?AA Well, Ruby got $5 last Hanukkah. She sorted out what she could afford and chose very carefully. Since then, she sets up her toy cash register, lays out her things and tells you how much they cost. I see a lemonade stand in her future...RG She's already done that!AA Last summer. The only drawback was the sanitary issue surrounding Noa sticking her fingers in the ice and then in her mouth and then in the cup. Ruby was funny. She offered fresh mint, which she picked from our garden, but she wasn't very generous with the pours of lemonade. I think she lasted about 45 minutes and made about $15. Nice! Amy, given that you also run In Good Company,

Caribou Baby Besides selling infant essentials—nursing bras, baby clothes and carriers—this Greenpoint spot serves hot tea and support to new parents. Mom groups, baby boot camps and developmental movement classes meet in the serene skylit studio in back, but as hormones surge and exhaustion sets in, mothers may appreciate Beyond the Big Push: Meditation Practices to Nourish the New Mom (Jan 22 2--4pm, $40). The two-hour workshop offers ways to relax, focus and even meditate during a hectic day. 272 Driggs Ave between Eckford and Leonard Sts, Greenpoint, Brookyn (347-460-2229, cariboubaby.com) Child'Space NYC Leader Dan Rindler plays guitar and sings throughout these Feldenkrais-based sessions, in which parents learn how to boost their child's budding motor skills and reluctant tummy-timers get comfortable on their bellies. Choose from three different groups: precrawlers (ages five weeks to five months), five months and up, and mobile crawlers and cruisers. At every level, the combination of soothing music and gentle touch induces squirmy tots to melt into cooing bundles of baby pleasure. Locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn (347-406-4464, childspacenyc.com). Ten classes $250--$300. Little Hearts CPR No sooner can babies raise their chubby little hands to their mouths than they are inhaling Cheerios and scaring the beejeebers out of parents. Luckily, the Infant CPR workshops at Little Hearts are held most weekdays, with weekend and Spanish classes, too. In two and a half hours

Wait—it's already April and you have yet to find a spring break 2014 camp that will keep your child enriched, enthralled and just the right amount of exhausted when the kids are off school from April 12 to 22? Worry no more: We've found the camps that will keep your kid acting, shredding, cooking, dribbling, gardening and experimenting—all have open seats, at press time—until it's time to hit the books again on Wednesday, April 23. RECOMMENDED: Spring break 2014 for NYC kids

From the city's best new sports hub for little athletes to a beer-garden in Brooklyn that's extremely kid-friendly, our best of 2013 list has something for every New York City family. Read on to see which attractions, birthday party entertainers, restaurants and other things to do in New York City our editors named the best of 2013. Plus, find out who took top honors in our best of 2013 readers' choice poll!