{"id":27423,"date":"2018-08-14T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/?p=27423"},"modified":"2018-08-14T12:27:04","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T17:27:04","slug":"30-affordable-ways-to-savor-the-final-days-of-your-nyc-summer-staycation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/30-affordable-ways-to-savor-the-final-days-of-your-nyc-summer-staycation\/","title":{"rendered":"30 Affordable Ways to Savor the Final Days of Your NYC Summer Staycation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"summer<\/p>\n

With four kids under six years old, I\u2019m often daunted by the freeform weeks of summer stretching endlessly from June through September.<\/h3>\n

I fret about how our family dynamics will shift when we no longer have our own places to be during the day\u2014be that school, playdates, or Moms groups\u2014and attempt to coexist in our 2-bedroom apartment.<\/p>\n

And then I remember: Summer is my chance to reconnect with my kids (those strangers who vanish into school 6+ hours a day) and my city.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love summer,\u201d sighed my contented daughter as she curled up next to my husband for a couch snuggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you love so much about summer?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing with mommy,\u201d my son chimed in. \u201cAnd swimming.\u201d<\/p>\n

In summer, there\u2019s less rushing to drop-offs, meetings, naps and pick-ups and more just being together. Our days are more fluid. We linger at the playground or a museum, stop to chat with a friend on the sidewalk, and enjoy picnic lunches at the park rather than scarfing down a granola bar (aka lunch) on the way to preschool.<\/p>\n

The summer season of rest from school year routines makes raising a family in New York City sustainable.<\/h3>\n

I love how our daily rhythms vary from season to season, breaking up what could easily slip into monotony. I enjoy the excitement of back-to-school and reuniting with friends in the crisp fall, taking ski trips and throwing snowballs at the basketball court in the winter, watching tulips spring up along the sidewalks and Central Park return to green in a matter of days, and crafting daily summer adventures as we set out to explore the city, reminiscent of the von Trapp family in the Do Re Mi scene<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thanks to NYC, we have no shortage of staycation potential. During the school year, we don\u2019t often venture beyond walking distance, but in the summer our radius expands beyond the Upper East Side. It certainly helps that this is the first in six summers that I\u2019m not pregnant, nursing, or protecting a morning nap!<\/p>\n

\"summer<\/p>\n

Gathering Ideas for Your Staycation? Check out Ours!<\/h2>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eat corn on the cob at a 4th of July picnic in Central Park<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learn to swim without floaties at the New York Sports Club<\/a><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Meet old friends and make new ones at the playground<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Walk the Brooklyn Bridge<\/a> to explore the waterfront in DUMBO<\/a> and marvel at the Manhattan skyline<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Max out my library card (50 books at a time!)<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sing Vacation Bible School<\/a> songs<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Score barber shop lollipops after my toddler\u2019s first haircut<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Run around into happy exhaustion at Simply Sports\u2019 free soccer camp<\/a><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Design the city of the future at the Museum of the City of New York<\/a><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0 Scoot to the dollar store to spend tooth fairy money<\/p>\n

11.\u00a0 Chow down on free summer kids\u2019 meals<\/a> by John Jay Pool<\/p>\n

12.\u00a0 Play with Spike the lizard\u2014the science teacher\u2019s class pet\u2014who is making the vacation rounds<\/p>\n

13.\u00a0 Swat around tennis balls at Wagner middle school with New York Junior Tennis & Learning<\/a>\u2014for free!<\/p>\n

14.\u00a0 Make s\u2019mores pizza<\/p>\n

\"summer<\/p>\n

15.\u00a0 Solve puzzles and play with shapes at the National Museum of Mathematics<\/a> by Madison Square Park<\/p>\n

16.\u00a0 Sample complimentary Kids Club snacks at Whole Foods<\/a><\/p>\n

17.\u00a0 Paint, glue, and bedazzle dioramas during Craft Studio<\/a> \u201cSummer Afternoons\u201d<\/p>\n

18.\u00a0 Navigate an aircraft carrier and submarine at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum<\/a><\/p>\n

19.\u00a0 Design a skatepark and play with paint at the Children\u2019s Museum of the Arts<\/a><\/p>\n

20.\u00a0 Transit to the Brooklyn Children\u2019s Museum<\/a> on the new Culture Pass<\/a><\/p>\n

21.\u00a0 Escape raindrops inside at The Playroom NYC<\/a> with Kidpass<\/p>\n

22.\u00a0 Craft at Michael\u2019s Kids Club<\/a><\/p>\n

23.\u00a0 Build a project at The Home Depot kids\u2019 workshops<\/a><\/p>\n

24.\u00a0 Tumble at the Little Gym<\/a><\/p>\n

25.\u00a0 Navigate the 92nd Street Y\u2019s GymMaze<\/a><\/p>\n

26.\u00a0 Ride the ferry to Governor\u2019s Island<\/a><\/p>\n

Bonus points if you clock in some mom time:<\/p>\n

27.\u00a0 Brush up on iambic pentameter with Shakespeare in the Park<\/a><\/p>\n

28.\u00a0 Sketch at free drop-in drawing classes<\/a> at the Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/p>\n

29.\u00a0 Read “Manhattan Beach”<\/a> with the One Book, One New York book club<\/p>\n

30.\u00a0 Take a salsa dance class with Manhattan Ballroom Society<\/a> and stay for the dance party<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve made it through #20 (plus 3 bonus points!)\u2014all without dishing out tons of dough. With unscheduled days dwindling in number, that initial summer dread is long gone. Now I\u2019m incredibly grateful for the resources at our fingertips and even more thankful to have wonderful family and friends to adventure with before jumping back into the school year.<\/p>\n

\n
Kristin Van de Water<\/strong><\/a> is a former journalist and teacher who relies on humor, faith, and her mom crew to get her through the day. Raising four kids in a two-bedroom NYC apartment, Kristin is always on the lookout for life hacks to save time, space, money, and her sanity.\u00a0Check out her\u00a0blog<\/a>, Pinterest<\/a>, and Facebook<\/a>!<\/div>\n

Like what you read? Also check out our latest\u00a0FREE online classes<\/a>,\u00a0parenting advice<\/a>,\u00a0jobs for moms<\/a>,\u00a0events<\/a>,\u00a0childcare listings<\/a>,\u00a0casting calls<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0raffles,<\/a>\u00a0and our\u00a0Parents With Nannies Facebook group<\/a>.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With four kids under six years old, I\u2019m often daunted by the freeform weeks of summer stretching endlessly from June through September.\u00a0And then I remember: Summer is my chance to reconnect with my kids (those strangers who vanish into school 6+ hours a day) and my city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3011,"featured_media":27428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"schneps_byline":"","schneps_post_style":"","schneps_post_source":"","schneps_syndicated_read_more":"","schneps_post_source_sitename":"","schneps_post_source_shortname":"","schneps_post_source_url":"","schneps_post_source_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,45],"tags":[46,48,59],"class_list":["post-27423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dads","category-moms","tag-activities","tag-childcare","tag-entertainment"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/30-affordable-ways-to-savor-the-final-days-of-your-nyc-summer-staycation\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"30 Affordable Ways to Savor the Final Days of Your NYC Summer Staycation","url":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/30-affordable-ways-to-savor-the-final-days-of-your-nyc-summer-staycation\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/30-affordable-ways-to-savor-the-final-days-of-your-nyc-summer-staycation\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/08\/Van-de-Water_Central-Park-1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/mommybites.com\/newyork\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/08\/Van-de-Water_Central-Park-1.jpg"},"articleSection":"Dads","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kristin Van de Water"}],"creator":["Kristin Van de Water"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mommybites New York","logo":""},"keywords":["activities","childcare","entertainment"],"dateCreated":"2018-08-14T12:00:15Z","datePublished":"2018-08-14T12:00:15Z","dateModified":"2018-08-14T17:27:04Z"},"rendered":"