"Kidding Around" in Manhattan

If you’re living in Manhattan, you know that children are rare sightings. I’ve gotten so used to seeing adults wherever I go that when I do see a bunch of kids or a baby in a stroller, I’m thrown off! Exaggerations aside, it’s not often that I frequent places in the city with heavy kid traffic. But this past Saturday, I found myself at the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair (organized by the Tribeca Film Festival). 

How did I find myself at a street fair for children, you ask? With my little niece and nephew in town, I knew the usual touristy activities that I recommend to visiting friends wouldn’t do (read: no shopping in SoHo, or visiting a rooftop restaurant or hanging out in the Lower East Side!). Luckily the events calendar on the Yelp! pages came in handy and the Tribeca Street Festival seemed like the perfect place to take the little kids. Upon arriving, it took a moment to adjust to seeing tons of little children running around everywhere. The familiar cobblestone streets of Tribeca, where one usually goes to enjoy a fancy “grown-up” brunch or dinner at a trendy spot, had transformed into bustling street fair. 

 

With numerous activities for children such as face painting, kite making, arts and crafts, acrobatic performances and storytelling, my niece and nephew had a whale of a time. Swayed by the lively atmosphere and the laughter and excitement of children, I soon found myself succumbing to my inner child. If you saw someone going crazy over the “Decorate Your Own Cupcake” booth, that was probably me. And if you saw grown-ups in the “Bubble Garden” blowing giant soap bubbles, I was likely one of them. By the time we left the street fair, my niece and nephew were tired from the excitement of the day but happy. As for me, I thought of how refreshing it was to experience NYC through a different perspective…and to be a kid again, if only for a few hours.

Street performers and cupcake decorating

Acrobat shows, food trucks, and kiddy play areas

Hula hoop lady with mad skills

 What about you, readers? Which children's activities do you enjoy doing even now?

My Shopping Fix

With spring finally here, I’m so excited to shed off the bulky coats and jackets from the winter. Which means it is now time to fish into the depths of my closet for clothes better suited for the warmer temperatures coming our way. It’s also a grrrreat excuse for some spring shopping (do some spring cleaning to get rid of the old, make way for the new!).

      As someone who has had a mixed experience with online shopping, I’m generally a little wary of the whole process. But not too long ago, I learned about this unique online retailer called Stitch Fix. It took me a while to actually try it out from the time I first discovered it but now, I’m hooked. Stitch Fix is a service that offers customers their “fix” of 5 items of apparel and/or accessories in their mailbox upon request. It works like this:

1.  You start off by taking a detailed personal style survey on the Stitch Fix website. 
2. Soon after, a package is sent to you with 5 goodies based on your aforementioned size and style preferences. 
3. You try the items out in the privacy of your home and keep what you like, return what you don’t.

What’s fun about this service is the element of surprise associated with it. I get quite excited when I receive my Stitch Fix box because I don’t quite know what I’ll find in there! But I do know that I will find on-trend apparel and accessories customized to me and within my specified budget. In my experience, their selections have generally been pretty spot-on. Sometimes I’ll receive an item which forces me to give it a second look even though I wouldn’t normally consider wearing it. I also love the tags that are provided with ideas on how to pair each article of clothing to achieve different looks. Talk about an affordable online personal stylist!

Getting ready with spring colors - items from a recent Stitch Fix package

Stitch Fix tags that come with the clothes

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Katrina Lake, CEO of Stitch Fix. As co-founder of this startup along with Erin Flynn, Katrina is an admirable example of female entrepreneurs. Over a delicious lunch in SoHo, a small group of Stitch Fix consumers like me met with Katrina and had a lively conservation about the business. Katrina was keen on speaking to consumers and learning about their experience with Stitch Fix and how to improve it. From my end, I enjoyed learning the concept behind Stitch Fix, how it works behind the scenes, and the challenges of expanding a startup. It was also interesting to learn about the wide customer base, from a scientist in NASA to a writer for the TV show 30 Rock! Well, they can now add me, a medical writer, to their list!

If you’re curious to try out Stitch Fix, here’s the link to get you started: http://stitchfix.com/users/signup/?referrer_id=3004821. Happy Spring Shopping!