THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. Congrats to Erin, lucky number 38! Enjoy your prize!
If you’re heading to New York City, one of things you must do even with kids is to catch one of the many amazing performances on or off broadway. While not every performance is suitable for kids, you can’t miss Voca People – the latest YouTube sensation to hit the stage in New York City. This alien a capella group has landed and will enamor you with their playful renditions of our favorite earth tunes. Your family will love the beautiful harmonies blended with quirky alien humor. The small intimate venue at the Westside Theatre assures you that there isn’t a bad seat in the room and plenty of opportunities for audience participation.
Watch more Voca People videos on their youtube channel.
“This show is a terrific combination of incredible vocals that recreate popular songs of our time, as well as entertaining comedy that often includes members of the audience. It’s an out-of-this-world experience that my family really enjoyed taking part in!” shares MsRigs who recently attended a performance of Voca People with her family.
Read Trekaroo’s full review of the Voca People at the Westside Theatre
The Deal: Family Four Pack for just $179 (45% off)
Regular tickets for Voca People are $79.50 and lower. Premium tickets are $110. Trekaroo families can purchase the special Family 4 pack for just $179 That’s an amazing 45% discount! So don’t miss this performance that is perfect for anyone 5 to 105.
Use this discount code at check out: VPFOUR4
THREE EASY WAYS TO BUY:
1. Click here to buy now at BroadwayOffers.com!
2. Or call Telecharge at (212) 947-8844; (Outside the NY metro area 800.872.8997) and mention code VPFOUR4
3. Or visit the Westside Theatre Box Office, 407 West 43rd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues) and mention code VPFOUR4
Box Office hours are: Monday through Sunday, Noon to 6pm for advance sales. For day-of-performance orders, the box office is open until curtain time.
The Steal: Win 4 Tickets to a Performance of Voca People worth $318
One winner will receive 4 regular tickets to a performance of Voca People.
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN:
Step 1: Share this giveaway by clicking the Facebook “Like” button at the top of this page
Step 2: Leave a blog comment below letting us know that you did.
REALLY WANT TO WIN? YOU CAN ENTER EVERYDAY!
Get extra entries by repeating steps 1 and 2 once a day. But be sure to leave a new comment each time.
Get even more additional entries:
Feel free to do any or all of the following actions. Each action counts as an extra entry but be sure to LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT BELOW FOR EACH ACTION or the entry will not be counted.
- Fan the Voca People Facebook Page
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook.
- Tweet a link to this giveaway via @Trekaroo using the Twitter share button at the top of the page.
- Click on the Google +1 at the top of the page to share this giveaway with your friends
- Subscribe to the Trekaroo Blog
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Post this giveaway on your blog
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
Deadline to enter: Sunday, Aug 7, 2011 at 11:59PM PST
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage and Contest Girl.
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My friends who live in New York City consider the Gramercy Park Hotel a hip and
trendy go-to spot for lunches, drinks after work, dinners at Maialino, spa treatments and
more. If the ground floor (or perhaps the roof terrace) is as far as you venture into this
boutique hotel, the art and eclectic vibe doesn’t scream “family friendly.” However, my 4
year old (experienced in 5 star travel) begged us to stay past the 5 nights we booked, and
even my hard to please husband raved about the experience. We all loved it, and I’m not
surprised that the hotel is also a top choice among celebrities and the jet set.
A Prime Location Away From the Hustle and Bustle
The Gramercy Park neighborhood is an oasis in a big city. There are no skyscrapers and it’s quieter. The subway is right around the corner as are numerous cafes, a wine shop, Walgreens, and other convenience stores. Hotel guests have a key to the exclusive Gramercy Park, a privilege normally reserved for area residents. This is now definitely our neighborhood of choice for future New York City family vacations.
Rooms in a Renaissance Color Palate
The rooms are paneled with gorgeous dark mahogany, offset by vibrant red and royal blue. Hand-stitched signature chairs are focal points in each room. Once I removed a silk throw from our sofa, I didn’t feel like a 4-year-old in our Avenue Suite was going to jeopardize anything. Despite the magazine worthy interior design, the room was very comfortable.
The living room completely closed off from the bedroom and bathroom. The sofa folded into a bed so family of 4 would fit in an Avenue Suite just fine. Our bathroom didn’t have a bathtub, though some rooms do. You can check the floor plans online. Amenities are from a “Best Of” collection (I love the wheat germ lotion). WiFi is available for a fee, though our signal was a little weak.
Dine In Or Out: The Choice Is Yours
Gramercy Terrace is on the top floor. It’s filled with lush greenery and gorgeous mix and match patio furniture. The weather was nice enough that they retracted the roof. What an amazing place to enjoy breakfast, lunch and/or a cocktail!
It’s hard to walk by the continental breakfast buffet with kids and not have them ask for it, though I should warn you it’s $29 per person and there is no kids menu here. We did receive a breakfast credit of $80 at Gramercy Terrace. We came close to maxing that each morning, even though my husband isn’t a breakfast eater.
Room service is available 24 hours a day, and if you are flying in from the west coast, you may be grateful for this when you arrive. There are kid friendly options.
One evening, we met some friends in the Rose Bar, where most celebrity sightings occur, for a few early drinks and appetizers. Our daughter was welcome, as it was early.
If you would like to dine at Maialino, the hotel’s popular Roman style trattoria, it’s best to make a reservation in advance, though they have several small tables in the front for walk-ins. I didn’t see a kids menu, but my 4 year old loves parma ham and stinky cheeses so we didn’t need one. Do make Maialino a part of your experience, if you think your kids can handle it. The buzz of conversation in the restaurant will hide the occasional squeal.
There are many restaurants that deliver to the Gramercy Park Hotel, for times when leaving your room would be a giant effort. The beyond helpful Concierge provided us with a New York Pizza delivery option that knocked our socks off.
Kid-Friendly Activities
Children’s Museum of Manhattan: The Children’s Museum is a preschoolers dream with Dora, Curious George, Diego and more to entertain them on multiple floors. Attendees seemed like they were mostly NYC residents who make the museum part of their summer time routine. It was crowded when we went, probably because it was threatening rain outside.
Read reviews of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
American Museum of Natural History: Your kids will be blown away by the dinosaurs. I remember seeing them when I was about 9 and they are still impressive as an adult.
Read reviews of the American Museum of Natural History.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Most of the art is advanced for young kids. However, our daughter enjoyed the Degas Ballet Dancers (thanks to Olivia on NickJr), Monet Water Lilies and the mummies. I bet we could have seen more, if we would have had a stroller.
Read reviews of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Central Park: Grab a hot dog, pretzel or gyro from one of the vendors and walk inside. Weave your way to the little carousel and rest your legs while you ride. Definitely set aside and hour or two to visit the Central Park Zoo. The penguins were a big hit with my daughter and it was a nice change of pace from the city streets.
Read reviews of Central Park.
Top of the Rock: The most spectacular 360 degree view of the entire city is here at the top of Rockefeller Center. Do bring some entertainment for the kids, as we experienced a wait on our way to the top.
Read reviews of the Top of the Rock.
Some Rest and Relaxation at the Hotel For Mom and Dad
Enjoy a facial or massage at the spa or perhaps work off your pizza at the gym. Babysitting can be arranged with a little bit of advance notice through the Concierge.
Gramercy Park Hotel Family Fun Offer
- 4 nights accommodation
- Daily continental breakfast for 4 at Gramercy Terrace
- 4 tickets to the Central Park Zoo
- 4 tickets to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan
- 2 tickets to the Central Park Carousel
- Preferred entrance to Top of the Rock for 4 people
- Gramercy Park Hotel teddy bar
$2,200 for the Deluxe double/double package | $2,600 for an Avenue Suite | $5,400 for a One Bedroom Suite connected to a Deluxe double/double.
My only caveat is that if your kids are particularly rambunctious, this might not be the place for you. Also, in line with other 5 star hotels in New York City, you can rack up a whopper of a room service (or bar) bill if you’re not careful. However, the Family Fun Offer is honestly great value for what you receive and we will definitely return.
Katie Dillon writes La Jolla Mom, a lifestyle site covering parenting, travel, cooking with kids, home management and local happenings. After seven years of expat life in London and Hong Kong, she is now grounded in the seaside community of La Jolla, CA with her husband and preschool aged daughter. She is also a 2011 Superoo!
The author received a complimentary night’s stay, a media rate for 4 nights, and the tickets in the family fun offer. Opinions are always her own.
Last month, my family and I spent three busy days exploring New York City. We covered a lot of ground on foot, on subways, and in taxis, but never so much (and in as enjoyable a manner) than when we spent a full morning biking the Hudson River Greenway and Brooklyn Bridge with a fleet of bikes rented from New York City’s Bike and Roll.
Bike and Roll (which has eleven NYC locations) offers guided tours along the Greenway and Brooklyn Bridge daily, but families can also opt to pedal off on their own at any time, which works great with packed travel schedules. We choose to partner our self-guided rentals with New York Water Taxi, experiencing their ‘Bike the Brooklyn Bridge, Water Taxi Back’ package, which includes rentals from Bike and Roll and vouchers for a water taxi ride from Brooklyn back to our point of origin (Pier 84).
A fabulous way to see a large amount of the city without worrying about navigation (and not getting tired feet!), we found this route to be much more relaxing than we’d thought it would be. The kids loved the bike riding, and three-fourths of the time, we were on bike and pedestrian-only paths paralleling the street and the Hudson River. During the stretches we did have to join traffic (in bike lanes), the route was well marked with green bike symbols and arrows.
The route took us south from Pier 84 (next to the Air and Space Museum) to Battery Park, at which point we retraced our last mile to Warren St, where we cut through the Financial District (just a few blocks in a bike lane) to the Brooklyn Bridge. (We could have shortened our route by not continuing to Battery Park, but the views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are well-worth the detour.) Once we’d crossed the Brooklyn Bridge (which was very cool, and again, easier to navigate than we’d thought), we followed signage to Fulton Ferry Park where we caught a water taxi back to Pier 84. The water taxi included a friendly guide pointing out the sights along the way, was not at all crowded, and afforded yet another great view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and downtown Manhattan.
The Details: Cost for New York Water Taxi’s Bike the Brooklyn Bridge package is $49 for adults, $29 for kids, which includes bikes and vouchers for the water taxi. Should you prefer to experience your ride with a guide, you can do so through Bike and Roll for $49 and $35, respectively. Tours depart daily at 2 pm. One perk of opting to do the tour on your own is that you get the bikes all day, so your tour can be as long or short as you’d like. (Your water taxi voucher is not restricted to a particular time, so you could bike half a day before boarding one, or board one earlier on and ride longer afterward.)
Bike rentals are located at Pier 84, where you can join the greenway bike path immediately. Many types are available, including child-sized bikes, baby seats, and ‘tag-along’ trailers and seats (which I recommend for the under age five set, simply so you don’t need to worry about them getting ahead of you on the path and navigating traffic). No need to reserve ahead of time, but because their bike inventory changes as cyclists come and go, any given location may not have every size available at any one time. When we showed up at the Pier 84 location, for instance, they were out of child-sized bikes for our 10-year-old. He made due with a larger one, but we exchanged it at the next location (Battery Park). Allow for at least two hours to complete the tour from Pier 84, or three hours to do so at a more leisurely pace.
Tip: Bike and Roll lists an option for an ‘all day pass’, which is similar in price but only includes a discount on the water taxi (in addition to other attraction discounts throughout the city), but as families are given their bikes until 8 pm as part of the Bike the Brooklyn Bridge, Water Taxi Back package, so that’s the better deal. Rentals through Bike and Roll not including the water taxi start at $12 an hour. Tandem bikes, bike trailers, and baby seats were also available.
Water Taxi Tip: In addition to being a fun way to return your bikes at the end of your greenway and Brooklyn Bridge tour, water taxis are a great way to see the harbor. Their hop-on, hop-off passes are $25 and $15, and make for a great way to see the harbor and the Statue of Liberty up close.
To contact Bike and Roll:
212-260-0400
To contact New York Water Taxi:
866-989-2542
Disclosure: The author and her family experienced the Bike the Brooklyn Bridge tour as guests of New York Water Taxi. This hospitality came with no expectation of a positive review.
Amy Whitley is the founding editor of Pit Stops for Kids, a family travel resource covering kid-friendly resorts, attractions, outdoor adventures, and all the pit stops you’ll need along the way. She also writes for a number of print and online travel publications, and is a family travel expert at Best Family Travel Advice. She lives in Oregon with her husband and three sons, where they enjoy backyard adventures when they’re not traveling.
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Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS TO ERIN COOK, RANDOM.ORG PICKED COMMENT #48 WHICH WAS YOURS!
Confession- I am a Gossip Girl addict. There is just something about the fictional world of Manhattan’s elite that draws me in week after week. Its a gloriously addicting combination of fashion, drama and New York City culture and I love every minute of it. This past summer, I had the pleasure of staying on the Upper East Side at the Affinia Gardens Hotel and I found myself constantly looking for Gossip Girl sites as I walked the neighborhood. Unfortunately, I had no idea where anything was and didn’t find Constance or St Judes! I wish I would have known about On Location Tours.
On Location Tours is a company specializing in bringing tourists into the world of New York tv and movies. Trekaroo’s own Liling Pang recently had the privilege of taking the New York Movies and TV Sites Tour with her seven year old and had a great time. During the 3.5 hour bus tour they went from location to location, watching movie clips featuring the very sites they were visiting. Rebecca, their guide, was a walking encyclopedia of information, making the entire experience that much more enjoyable. Liling recommends the tour for any movie buff and suggests that children be at least 7 due to the duration of the experience. You can read her entire review here.
In addition to the tour mentioned above, On Location Tours also features a Classic New York Movie Sites tour, Sopranos Sites tour, and a Gossip Girl Sites tour. We are excited to announce the company has offered a 20% discount on all mentioned tours to Trekaroo readers- simply use the code TREK20 when purchasing tickets.
Now, on to the giveaway….
The Steal: Win 2 Tickets to On Location Tour’s Gossip Girl Sites Tour
Details: One lucky winner will receive two tickets to the On Location Gossip Girl Sites Tour. The tour includes checking out the hotel that is home to the Bass and Van Der Woodsen families, visiting Constance & St Jude’s, seeing the lavish 5th Avenue building that Blair Waldorf calls home, holding court on the Met Steps, getting a treat from the Humphrey’s favorite bakery and more! Tours take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at noon and last approximately 3.5 hours.
HOW TO ENTER TO WIN: Leave a comment.
For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ONE.
- Write a review on Trekaroo and post a link to it in the comments each review gets you 5 entries
- Subscribe to the Trekaroo Blog
- Tweet a link to this Monday Mad Steal via @Trekaroo
- Post this on your Facebook Wall using the Facebook Share link above
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Post this giveaway on your blog
- Subscribe to Trekaroo in your reader
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
Deadline to enter: Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 11:59PM PST
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
As a kid, New Year’s Eve meant one of two things: my parents went out all dressed up without the kids or they stayed home with us and we all had a steak dinner with home fried potatoes, watched New Year’s Eve with Dick Clark, along with snippets of Guy Lombardo’s rendition of “Auld Lang Syne” from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and stood in the middle of the living room laughing together as we screamed out the countdown and the ball fell down the long pole. I loved the family involvement and staying up so late the best.
When my own daughters were growing up, we created our own events where we all got dressed up and made it a very festive evening. I wish I’d known then what I know now – a fantastic family event for all is the Fiddle & Dance Camp in Saugerties, New York. Its appropriately only about ten minutes from Woodstock, NY, which is not only a historically memorable spot, there’s more awesome tie-dyed clothes in Woodstock than anywhere else.
I interviewed Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, performers, composers, and teachers specializing in 19th- and 20th-century American folk songs and dance music, who have run the Ashocan camp for over 20 years. Their story is included in my book, IMMERSION TRAVEL USA, and I knew I had to get there to fully experience their music.
Always looking for a new way to enjoy New Year’s Eve, I attended New Year’s Eve in Ashokan, a yearly event, and literally danced the night away to Cajun, swing and country blues with the Red Stick Ramblers, Swingology Band, and Jay and Molly. I particularly liked the contra and square dancing, and watching the people who really knew how to dance! There were free dancing lessons after dinner and before the music started – smart move!
I needed the classes and learned that one reason my partner and I never seem to be dancing the same beat is because his legs are so long, it takes him longer to move between steps. It was a fun filled evening.
The best part was seeing children of all ages dancing together and with their families. Participation was intergenerational, from very young children to octogenarians, or possibly older. People wore everything from jeans and cowboy boots to vintage lace. What’s really cool is that you can spend the whole weekend there in dance and music workshops or just go for the evening.
For December 31, 2010, the Swingology Band, which specializes in swing, blues and waltzes, features Jay and Molly, their daughter and son-in-law Ruthy and Mike. The Red Stick Cajun Band will play fabulous Cajun and Creole music. Both of these bands will be around for the entire weekend, December 31 – January 3 and there’s a whole list of workshops people can take.
Performing on Friday, New Year’s Eve only will be the Emulsifiers, playing New England contras, square dances, waltzes and more, and Will Mentor and John Krumm, will be calling the contra and square dances and there will be dancing lessons for swing, slow blues, Cajun and Creole.
Ashokan is also a great place to keep in mind for the summer. Then you’ll find the perfect combination of summer canoeing and hiking on 300 acres in the Catskill Mountains and weeks of music and dancing programs. There’s eclectic western and swing, contra, Lindy, West Coast country & western, Cajun, barn dances, square dances, two-step partner dances, and much more. Classes are taught by experts from all over the country who enjoy teaching and jamming.
It’s common to see children sitting knee-to-knee playing tunes with someone decades older, and both absorbed and intent on music-making. From beginners to professionals, people learn new things and build strong connections with each other. And everyone is welcome – all ages, interests and abilities. Many people attend just to listen to the music and watch everyone else while others take part. It’s a great family weekend or on your own – many singles attend and there’s bunk house space that’s rustic but comfy.
For more information:
Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp – summer programs include a full week of all meals, classes, and workshops; weekend events are very modestly priced.
Visiting Woodstock, NY, don’t miss the Museum at Bethel Woods: The Story of the Sixties and the Woodstock Museum.
For great barbecue, stop by the Hickory Barbecue and Smokehouse, Route 28 between Kingston and Woodstock, for great BBQ salmon and brisket. Enjoy everything you do!
Sheryl Kayne’s IMMERSION TRAVEL USA: THE BEST AND MOST MEANINGFUL LIVING AND LEARNING EXCURSIONS is filled with trips to get involved all over the USA working, volunteering, advocating, learning and playing. She is also the author of the book VOLUNTEER VACATIONS ACROSS AMERICA, with an index for family trips. Sheryl would love to hear from you at ImmersionTravel@aol.com or check out her website www.ImmersionTraveler.com.
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Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
