David Michael Perez can’t quite pinpoint how he came up with the idea of a literary journal for dads, but like a lot of his creative endeavors, Kindling Quarterly started off as a side joke. Like wouldn’t it be funny if there was a magazine about dad… Read More »

One of my favorite dresses for my girl when she was two, was a batik rose printed on a super soft, charcoal gray cotton dress. It turned into one of my favorite tops for her as a three-year-old, because it was durable enough to last a year of constan… Read More »

After shopping around for photographers in Brooklyn to take a portrait of my kids, I was shocked at the going rates, which can add up to $700 or more when you get the CD of images after the shoot. Because the CD, and the dozens of photos on it, is wh… Read More »

You’ve already got your favorite neighborhood playground, but every now and then it’s fun to visit some sprinklers, swings and sand boxes you haven’t seen a thousand times before. These five playgrounds in Brooklyn (and Queens) are worth traveling to for their cool factor-either because they’re literally in the shade of towering trees, or they have enough water features to justify some direct sun.

The Kid Wash
Third Street Playground is a gem of a playground in Prospect Park, located off 3rd Street and Prospect Park West. While all the other suckers are sweating it out amidst the chaos at the huge 9th Street playground, parents in the know are relaxing at Third Street. The playground layout is a large, bench-lined circle with several play structures, tire swings, a circle sandbox and two water features all in the middle. Parents can drop anchor at practically any bench and easily keep a watchful eye on the kids while catching up with friends or working on a knitting project from your perch.

A bit off the beaten path, this playground reaps the benefits of heavily wooded Prospect Park, giving parents and kids plenty of shade. (When we asked Heather, a mom and a regular at the park, what she loved about the playground, she said, “At all the other playgrounds you have to stand, so I have to say the best feature here are the shady benches.”) The coolest water feature at Third Street is the huge red coil that is reminiscent of a kid wash. Children can run through one end and come out the other end sparkly clean-great for a long sessions in the sandbox.

Third Street Playground located inside the 3rd Street/Prospect Park West entrance, next to Litchfield Villa. Read More »