Unicorns In The Heights

On May 25th, The Fuentidueña Chapel in The Cloisters will host Magic Tree House series author Mary Pope Osborne as she reads from her book Blizzard of the Blue Moon, which features The Cloisters' famed unicorn. 

There will be two readings: 11:30 to 12:15 and 2:00 to 2:45.  This event is free with Museum Admission (suggested donation).  Be aware that seating is limited

More info here.  

Also, be sure to make time for:

Search for the Unicorn
An Exhibition in Honor of The Cloisters' 75th Anniversary
May 15–August 18, 2013

Have you read this book?  If so, what did you think?

June 1: Hike the Heights!

How well do you know your neighborhood?  How well do you know your city?

 

On Saturday, June 1st, you are invited to join 2,000+ neighbors for Hike the Heights! 

 

From the organizers:

This community event brings together residents of Northern Manhattan to explore the area's diverse parks and to share a (free!) communal meal.

 

There are guided hikes leaving from several locations in the morning (see attached) and a community celebration will begin at 11am in the Sunken Playground at Highbridge Park (167th and Edgecomb).

 

If you are unable to join a guided hike at one of the times noted on the flyer, feel free to walk the trail with your family and friends. Giraffe statues provided by Creative Arts Workshops for Kids will line the path.

 

Please join for the hikes, celebration, or both!

 

Because this is a community event, it's free and open to everyone. If you would like to support the event, or to learn more, please visit: https://ioby.org/project/hike-heights-2013.

It's My Park Day

Each year, the City of New York Parks & Recreation Department helps to organize city-wide "It's My Park Day" events.  You can find the full list of events here.

This Sunday, you have the opportunity to make a difference in two of our neighborhood parks!  This is a great family activity too!

Bennett Park, 10:00AM–12:00PM
(W. 185th Street Entrance)
Join the Bennett Park Community Alliance to plant flowers in the children's garden and paint benches throughout the park.
Contact:  bennettpca@gmail.com

Ft. Tryon Park, 10:00AM–2:00PM

(Jacob Javits Playground & the 190th Subway Terrace)

Join the Friends Committee of the Fort Tryon Trust as they paint the wrought iron fence outside of the A train subway station, clean-up Javits playground and do some weeding and planting.

Contact: mkleinnyc@rcn.com

The Children's Garden in Bennett Park

Are you planning on attending?  

Let us know in the comments section why these parks are important to you!

URGENT: Help the Peel Family!

Dear readers - if you shop at Vines on Pine, you are sure to know the manager, Terry.  Extremely knowledgeable and always ready with an excellent recommendation - I learn something from him every time I visit.  You might even know that Terry is a proud father.  But you may not know that one of his children - 15 year old Colin - is severely disabled.  

Their loving family is being challenged by something that could be so easily remedied: they urgently need a new van that will allow Colin to travel with the rest of his siblings and parents.  Their story was recently featured on the news.

We need to help Colin and his family WIN A NEW VAN!

They are in the top 9% of a contest to win a new van. 

Please vote for them and share this story every day until midnight Friday. Please forward this message to all your contacts.  

WE NEED EVERYONE EVERYWHERE To VOTE EVERYDAY.

Here is how to vote.
1)Click the link below or copy and paste it to a new page
2)Answer the bonus question in the left box.
3)Enter your Name and Email.
4)Complete the math question.
5)Agree to the rules and vote.
http://www.mobilityawarenessmonth.com/entrant/beatrice-mcdonald-yonkers-ny/

LET'S MAKE THIS GO VIRAL!

June 2: 2nd Annual Hudson Heights Spring Clean

via the Hudson Heights Spring Clean Committee!

It is that time again! The 2^nd Annual Hudson Heights Spring Clean!!!!  This year will be even bigger and better than last year! We have already confirmed 2 amazing local businesses will be joining us, Skraptakular will be helping the kids weave trash into art and Sparkle Tiger Face Painting will be offering her face painting services!  Many local businesses will also be sponsoring different portions of the event.

The event will be held at BENNETT PARK on June 2^nd from 12:30-4pm. All volunteers arrive by 12:30, groups depart at 1.  Arrive back at Bennett around 3 for pizza, artwork and face painting till 4pm!

A little history- this is the brainchild of 5 local moms who are tired of what a mess our neighborhood is every spring. So we got together, found a few sponsors, enlisted all our friends and family and started cleaning. Our goal is to take community action to provide a better neighborhood to live in. We plan to do this by taking action! We will divide up into teams and head out with trash bags, pooper-scoopers, bag receptacles, gloves and all the needed equipment to clean our designated areas. Currently we plan to cover all of Hudson Heights – W 173^rd St up to W 192^nd St, all avenues West of Broadway.  We have a meeting next week with Council Member Rodriguez’s office to see if we can expand it to his entire district! If you LOVE that idea, please feel free to contact his office and let them know that this is important to all of us!

What do we need to do this? VOLUNTEERS!!!! AND LOTS OF THEM! Last year we came up short of our goal to cover our whole area. This year we want to get every corner! As a thank you to all volunteers, we will be offering pizza and baked goods after the clean up.

Who we need-

Most important is our cleaning teams! Ideally we would have 12 teams of 7-10 individuals. If you can create your own full team, you can pick your specific desired area to clean!

We are also planning to set up lemonade stands throughout the district. If you have a kiddo who is not yet the age for cleaning, but would be perfect to run a lemonade stand- we need you!

Bakers- we plan to provide baked goods for all the volunteers!

After last years event we got tons of amazing feedback on the impact it had on all who participated. Many requested it become a bi-annual thing. All those bag receptacles throughout the neighborhood to hold dog bags – you can thank last years Spring Clean volunteers for putting those up! But most of all, we saw a difference in the neighborhood!

If you want to volunteer, please email HudsonHeightsSpringClean@gmail.com

Thanks 

- the Hudson Heights Spring Clean Committee!

Dolphin Park Opens on Friday May 3rd!

The sign posted on the gates at Dolphin Park on Cabrini Blvd. just south of 181st merely said: Dolphin Park will open in the spring.  I guess the recent warm temps and budding trees and flowers still didn't get those gates to open.  What a vague and frustrating announcement!

Well, now we have the official opening date: Friday, May 3

This will be the schedule in May (weather permitting):   Friday, Saturday, Sunday:  3:30 - 6:30 pm

Starting in June, there will be a daily schedule.

The park is owned by Port Authority but it's actually the West 181 Street  Beautification Project that funds the parks.  Those funds come from - you guessed it - the community!  And that means you and me.  To get involved, follow their facebook page.  And parents who have photos of their kids playing in the park and are willing to share them are invited to send them to the park director, Jenifer P. Nunez, at jrosario13@hotmail.com


Will you be visiting Dolphin Park during its opening weekend?

Skraptacular Studios Presents: spring classes!

From Skraptacular:

Skraptacular Studios Presents:  spring classes!

Toddler Eco-Art Hour

ages 2 -4 years old

Thursdays 10:30-11:30 am

K-5th grade Eco-Art Hour

Fridays 4:00-5:00 pm

 

Cost: $180 for 6 sessions

March 7th - April 11th

 

Your child will learn how to.....

• Sculpt with trash items--from non-recyclable plastic packaging to corks and bottle caps
• Reuse familiar items(like buttons and insulation wire) to make fabulous jewelry
• Turn scrap paper, catalogs and magazines into precious hand-made journals, puppets, collages and book marks
• Make magical mobiles out of boxes, broken toys and so much more
• The most important lesson students will learn, however, is to be a part of something larger than themselves: a movement to tend and protect our planet

Trashion Fashion Thursdays

ages 11-14

4:30-6 pm

Cost $180 for 6 week session 

March 7th - April 11th

 

• Design garments, jewelry, hair pieces and purses

• Explore with unconventional materials such as fused plastic, shreaded candy wrapper confetti and tyvek envelopes

• work with guest designers in the business

• Showcase your best work in the Beau Monde Society Fashion Show in SoHo on April 20th

Maximum 8 students per class

e-mail or call to register:

 info@skraptacular.org

917 699 8136

 

Skraptacular Studios new location:

      454 Fort Washington Ave #7( just south of 181st St)

at Growing Minds Therapeutics

Local Events for Children & Adults in February

This just hit our inbox!

.................................................

Introducing the:  

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS BRAINERY!

February 9-16
Growing Mind's Therapeutics' first WaHi Lectures Series

  

Saturday Feb. 9

11AM
Keep your Mind Active As You Age 

Cost: $5

            

Sunday Feb. 10

Two sessions:  11-1PM  and 2-4PM (ages7+)

Skraptaculate Valentines 

Cost: $20

  

Thursday Feb. 14

 Heart Healthy Snacks all day

                                

Friday Feb. 15

De-stress your care-giving: Jean Willie PhD 

Cost: $5

                                

Friday Feb. 15

Roar like a lion Puppet making

with William Hubner of LION KING! 

Cost:$25

Space is limited so RSVP at growingmindstx@gmail.com

For more info. Call 212-342-8407

Make Masks with Lion King puppeteer!

We just heard about this really exciting event happening right here in our neighborhood!  If you've got school-aged kids, this is a fun activity and a great way to kick off the weekend!

Skraptacular Studios Presents: "Roar Like a Lion" Mask-Making Workshop

Guest artist: William Hubner - original member of the Lion King Workshop.

Friday, February 15th from 5-7 pm

$25 per person

Ages 7 and up 

Location: Growing Minds Therapeutics 

454 Fort Washington Ave # 7 ( just south of 181st St.)

Space is limited

To Register for Skraptacular Workshops, email: info@skraptacular.org or call 917 699 8136

 

If you go to this workshop, leave us a comment and tell us how it was!

Hanukkah Happenings in the Heights

Hey everyone!

Hanukkah / Chanukah is upon us! Here's a quick round-up of neighborhood events for the Festival of Lights.

Breuer's Yeshiva PTA Annual Chanukah Boutique 

Sunday December 2nd

10:30AM-2:30PM

90 Bennett Ave @ 186th Street

There are many vendors selling wares including all your Chanukah candle and oil needs, Judaica, jewelery, toys and games, giftware, cookbooks, clothing and much more! Support a local school while buying all your Chanukah needs.  Free Parking is available in the public school yard on 186th and Broadway.

 

From 1:00pm-3:00pm there will be a Chanukah Family Fun Day.  Come watch a menorah ice sculpting demonstration while sipping hot cocoa.  There will be moonwalks, bouncy houses, sports activities and Chanukah crafts for children.

For more information contact Aviva aviva.gh@gmail.com

 

Hot Pstromi Concert

Saturday, December 8th @ 7:30pm

$18 ($10 for students/children).

Beth Am, the People's Temple presents our 12th annual "Khanike in the Kheights" klezmer concert. This year we'll enjoy an all-acoustic performance, in a more intimate setting: the Community Room at Castle Village (110 Cabrini Blvd., enter through iron gates at driveway). 

 

For more information: 646-315-2305 or BethAmWaHI@gmail.com 

The Annual FTJC Hannukah Party
Saturday December 8th @ 6:30PM
701 Fort Washington Avenue (Just north of 190th Street)
Food, fun, camaraderie and even some skillful challenges to the traditional twist of the dreidel. You can’t be crowned the Extreme Dreidel Grand Champion if you don’t come.

Price: $10/person, $20/family, plus at least one item donated towards our food drive to benefit JCC-WHI. Items must bear a kosher certification, and be unopened, unexpired, undented, and not junk food. The best items are tuna, peanut butter, canned fruit or vegetables, pasta, and small boxes of Parmalat milk.
 

The schedule for the evening is:

6:30 — Food and children’s activities (face painting, crafts, and games)
7:30 — Community candle lighting
8:00 — Kumzitz (singalong and storytelling) and 1st Annual Extreme Dreidel Competition

9:30 -- after-party at Buddha Beer Bar (4476 Broadway, at W 191 St). Try 8 different beers, one for each crazy night of Hanukkah! Additional cost is $12/person

Hudson Heights Holiday Tree Lighting

The Fort Washington Collegiate Church is lighting up the holiday season this weekend!

We're setting up a very big tree in the church yard and we're covering it with lights this week…Because it's that time of year again!

Our TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY will be held on Saturday December 1! We've got a fun party planned starting at 3:00 so children can come see Santa and get a picture taken with the jolly old elf. There will be fun kid's games and popcorn and various other goodies. Then at 5:30 we'll all gather around the tree outside with a hot cup of cocoa and sing some carols and LIGHT THE TREE!

Last year was a great success!  Join in the fun this weekend.

Sunday Best Reading Series -March 4

Sunday Best: Readings at Hudson View Gardens

March 4th, 2012

FESTIVAL OF THE WORD IN NORTHERN MANHATTAN: A DOUBLE-HEADER

1:30-3:30 P.M.: Cake Mix: Instant Theatre

A workshop for youngsters 12 and up by Mino Lora and Veronica Liu

4:00 P.M.: Readings by 2012 Literary Grantees of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance

Lola Koundakjian

Veronica Liu

Paquita Suárez Coalla

Sunday Best is hosted by Patricia Eakins

The Lounge @ Hudson View Gardens

116 Pinehurst Avenue @ 183rd Street

$7 admission for adults benefits Voices/Voces, a theatre and writing program for teens co-developed by People’s Theatre Project and Seven Stories Institute

For more information call 212-923-7800 x1342 

Winter Activity for Kids at Ft. Tryon Park

Hat tip to Zaida Grunes for bringing this awesome program to our attention! Yet another fun local activity for kids on winter break.

Conifers of Fort Tryon Park
Wednesday, December 28, 2011, 10-11AM 

Come learn about the abundance of conifers and evergreens in Fort Tryon Park.  Educator Julia Attaway will lead a workshop for kids to learn about the types of conifers in the park, how to identify them and how they differ from other types of trees and shrubs.  Appropriate for children ages 4-7.  Children must be accompanied by an adult. 
 

Location

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Heather Garden
Cabrini Boulevard & Ft Washington Ave.
Directions to this location

Cost
Free  

Contact Number
(212) 795-1388 x305

Contact Email
info@FortTryonParkTrust.org

 

 

 Also of interest: Wiggles & Giggles' Winter Camp.

Winter Camp at Wiggles & Giggles

Looking for a fun winter activity for your kids?

Wiggles & Giggles is hosting a Winter Camp from 12/27-1/2.

The camp is for ages 2-5 and will feature activities, free play, games, art, gym, circle/storytime and more.  You can book by the day or the week, so it's not too late to sign up.

Wiggles and Giggles is located at 875 West 181st Street(corner of Riverside Drive and 181st Street). You can reach them at 212-543-2393.

Chanukah Happenings in the Heights

Celebrate Chanukah on Sunday 12/25 with Beth Am, The People's Temple, hosted at the Hebrew Tabernacle (551 Ft. Washington @ W 185th).  The event starts at 3:30PM. Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for kids & students.  Hot Pstromi is a klezmer band and it's bound to be a fun-filled afternoon!

You can learn more about the artists here.

Storefront Science to Open in the Heights

All too often, when a new business opens on the 181st Street corridor, it's a cell phone provider or laundromat or hair salon or something of that ilk. That's why we were very pleasantly surprised by the low-key arrival of Storefront Science.  

Located at 728 West 181st Street between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave and founded by Dr. Leonisa Ardizzone, a Washinton Heights resident, "Storefront Science engages children through inquiry and exploration.  Utilizing wonder, discovery and the process of science, we encourage children to "explore outside your door" with concepts that promote questioning, gathering information, co-operation and critical thinking." (from storefrontscience.com)

On Monday evening (when this photo was taken) several families were taking advantage of Sneak Peek Week, December 18-21, from 3-5PM.

Sample Class:

Let there be Light! It's the Electricity and Energy Club (K-5)
Times: Tuesday 4:30 - 5:45 OR Wednesday 3:00 - 4:15

If you've ever wondered how the light switch works or been interested in harnessing a new energy source for your laptop, join this club to explore electricity and energy. We'll design circuits and experiment with ways to conserve and transfer energy.

We've recently written about science education (or lack thereof) in the public school systems in NYC.  Given the recent announcement by Cornell to build a high-tech graduate school on Roosevelt Island, slated to open by 2017, we're curious if this new focus on science education is a trend we'll see more of.

Photo of the Week: Tree Lighting Ceremony

Families gather around the Christmas tree on Sunday night (12/4) at the Fort Washington Collegiate Church for the first annual Washington Heights B.I.D. Tree Lighting Ceremony.  (The event was sponsored by the Business Improvement District).

Carols were sung, hot chocolate was consumed and little kids took advantage of the balmy December evening to roll around on the lawn and hang out with reindeer.

Mother Cabrini / St. Elizabeth's Parish Italian Food Festival

While taking a fall foliage walk up Ft. Washington Ave, we were enticed by purple balloons outside of Mother Cabrini (St. Elizabeth's Parish). We wandered into the enclosed driveway area to find a mini-Italian food fest! Yum!

This event will continue TODAY, November 13 from 9AM-4PM.

Sausages!

mmm....zeppoles!

The perfect accompaniment for a walk: a coffee and a bag full of warm zeppoles!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

While out for a walk this morning to take in some of today's delightfully balmy weather, I was pleasantly surprised to find this scene:Children & adults playing at the Fort Washington Collegiate Church lawn

While the view of the iron gate might seem imposing, it's actually a great luxury that there's a secure place for children to play, run around, roll in the grass and have fun. There was also an area set up with chairs for kids & caregivers/parents to sit and listen to a guitarist singing traditional folk songs.

What a great way to spend such a sunny and beautiful morning in the heights!

Harvest Festival - October 22 @ Ft. Tryon Park

The Harvest Festival is back!! When I saw that recently Bennett Park had closed for (year-long!) renovations I was both excited for the neighborhood improvement but also disappointed because I thought that meant no Harvest Festival this year.

I was wrong!

On Saturday, 10/22 from 1-4PM the festival will take place in the New Leaf Cafe lawn in Ft. Tryon Park. Added bonus: awesome views of The Pallisades' fall foliage across the Hudson. (Rain location: Fort Washington Collegiate Church on 181st Street.)

Last year, we had a fortuitous visit from some young nieces & nephews and it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon....there are craft projects galore and games, snacks - last year there was even a talent hour for kids!

Festivities also include the famous pie-baking contest. Make sure to get your submission in by 2PM!

The festival is also hosting a canned food drive so visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate.

We are looking forward to crisp walks outside and hot cider.....

What do you like best about autumn in Hudson Heights?