Rookie Moms

Karen Solomon, author of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to San Francisco, used to work with Whitney years ago when the Internet was fresh and before they were both mamas (when I still lived across the Bay in San Francisco and dated all the wrong guys *sigh*).

If you’re coming to BlogHer with children next week, we hope you enjoy Karen’s suggestions!

These days Karen shares with us Seven CHEAP Things To Do With Kids in San Francisco (many of them approved by Baby Emmett):

Sunday: Whip Cracking and Juggling Classes at Circus Center
Crack that whip. Juggle that ball. Ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages are welcome not just to watch the circus arts at this full-time school offering a myriad of classes, but also to participate and learn a few tricks. And Sunday evenings, real circus knowledge can be yours for the price of a bag of peanuts. At 6:00pm, anyone is welcome to get their whip cracking skills cracking, and at 7:00, an additional four dollars buys three hours of juggling instruction. Drop-ins are welcome. You may not fly through the air with the greatest of ease, but hey, it’s better than being shot out of a cannon…

755 Frederick St., SF
(415) 759-8123
Sundays, 6:00 and 7:00pm
$4 per class ($8 for both)
info@circuscenter.org

Monday: A Yerba Buena Gardens blowout
Spend a day in penny-pinching splendor in SF’s multifaceted Yerba Buena Gardens area. Picnic or relax on the lawn between YB and the Metreon, making sure to check out the Martin Luther King, Jr. waterfall. A brief stint in the Metreon – the City’s own failed mall-of-the-future, will yield free video games in the Sony Playstation store. If you can pry the kids away, there’s an excellent playground on the rooftop of Yerba Buena – with a nearby ice skating rink and bowling alley if you’re up to a splurge. If not, the $3 antique carousel in front of Zeum is an equally entertaining tryst.

Centered around Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Mission between 3rd and 4th, SF
(415) 978.2700
Mostly free

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All my in-laws live in Washington DC now. They went from being spread out in NYC and Boston to congregating in one city. If I can survive the travel, I’ll test drive this fun sounding week of activities in our nation’s capitol.

Local DC Mamas, do these sound like fun to you? Let us know what’s missing!

This week of action came to us courtesy of Ciao Bambino, a global guide to family-friendly vacation properties (editorial and community reviews for awesome destinations worldwide with cute symbols to indicate baby- and toddler-friendliness).

Monday: It’s monumental
You can’t possibly be in Washington D.C. and not visit the national monuments. But instead of fooling yourself into thinking you’ll pop in and out of all the major landmarks along the National Mall without breaking a sweat, be forewarned that they’re spread so far apart that you’d be better off blending the monuments in as part of a day of fitness. Pack your baby up in a jogging stroller and go for a nice run/walk from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial.

Take a break in the center at the Washington Monument, where the flags will mesmerize your bambino and he can get in plenty of tummy/crawling/wandering-around time while you lick a strawberry shortcake bar from the corner ice cream man. (That’s about the only food you’ll find at the National Mall.)


[picture your baby here]

Tuesday: Get to know George
Georgetown’s vibe is a bit more college than mama, but that’s why you’ll like it. It’s always hoppin’ and there’s plenty of shoppin’ to do with a baby in tow. Clothing shops rule the roost, so come on a day when your body confidence is at a peak. Stop off for lunch at Clyde’s of Georgetown, where they make a mean crab cake and give out cute plastic cars to little ones. Save room for an ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s.

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Sending out a huge Grazie to Michela in Milan for rounding out our wonderful set of activities by the moms from BabyccinoBlog. Michela kept telling us how UN-kid friendly Milan is, but she managed to come up with a fun array of activities for moms, babies, and young children.

We’re all in favor of mama getting a cappuccino break…I hope if I ever make it out to Italy with bambinos, she’ll show me the best spots in person.

Monday:
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.

Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it’s a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco’s cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.

Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid’s shops and jewelery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour.

Tuesday:
Head to Leonardo da Vinci Science Museum, where the highlights are the models of the machines designed by Leonardo and a real submarine. The Toti is a war submarine, built in Italy in 1967 and is over 46 meters long. Its transportation to the Museum took place in the middle of august and during the night to minimise disruption. It was very spectacular! Tickets can be booked in advance or bought at the Museum entry.

Unfortunately the cafeteria is closed until further notice, so you can walk down Via San Vittore and have a sandwich in one of the many cafés or have a slice of pizza or focaccia from one of the bakeries.

After lunch have a stroll around the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio. It’s the quintessential Milanese church, very austere and elegant. Kids can run around in the porch if they still have some energy to burn off after the Museum visit.

Take Corso Genova, a nice shopping street, and walk towards the Navigli. These canals are what is left of the whole canal system that existed in Milan in the middle ages. The neighbourhood is very characteristic, a bit bohemian maybe. If it’s summer the streets along the canals will be pedestrianised and all the bars will have tables outside. You should have an aperitive, this is the ultimate Milanese habit. You get a drink and the bar provides so many snacks that you may as well skip dinner. Try to go early in the evening, so that it’s not too crowded.
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When we started the “week in” section of our site, it was an attempt to not be so Berkeley-focused. If you’re not our neighbors, there are still a ton of great options that are better than wiping someone’s tushy, right?

We’re so happy to share another one in Europe — where neither of us has (yet) been with our children — Emilie from BabyCCINO shares with us her favorite activities in Paris! Emilie has one young daughter, Coco, and is expecting a second baby this month.

As soon as I can get my passport together, I’ve got to get on a plane and meet these fun women.

Monday
Take a walk in the Tuileries Gardens. They have trampolines (for kids over 2), and a merry-go-round situated in the middle of the gardens. Try to go before 4pm as this is the time school finishes and the parks get packed. Go for a hot chocolate at Angelina’s (226 rue de Rivoli). Rumour has it, that this is the best hot chocolate in the Northern Hemisphere….

Tuesday
Treat yourself to a spot of shopping on one of the shopping hotspots of Paris, rue des Franc Bourgeois and rue Veille du Temple in the Marais. Around these streets are numerous little parks (place des Vosges and parc Royale) so you can let the kids have a quick play in-between shops! Go for lunch at Le loir dans la Théière also in the Marais (3 rue des rosiers 75004 Paris Tél. : 01.42.72.90.61).

Ironically all the antique highchairs there are purely for decoration, but it is a really kid-friendly place with big leather sofas. Nobody rushes you, even if there is a huge queue in front of the door (and the lemon tarte is something to behold– its meringue topping must be at least 15 cm high)!
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