My most fun days in NYC have been just walking around-- particularly Soho, Tribeca, Financial District and of course 5th Avenue. I think that transcends age-- though what catches your interest in those neighborhoods may vary by age, there's plenty to see and experience. Many families go to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate-- I've never been. A favorite starting point for me is Balthazar-- just love the decor and the energy and while the bakery isn't an option there are plenty of gluten-free options. Ellis Island is on my "must see at all costs" list. I've never been but my family came in through Ellis.. and after reading A Fall of Marigolds, I realized how much I do not know. I love the NYPL and the Met-- I agree with Annie that the experience and views from the rooftop are just breathtaking but I am not sure it's open to the public anymore. I did some work at the Met about 10 yr ago and at that time, it was employees (and contractors) only. I would think the average 11 yo would prefer MOMA. So many iconic and recognizable works of art. And I am a bit of a train romantic-- love train stations. Grand Central is just gorgeous. I've never done a cruise or ferry-- but I have added that to my "must do at all costs" list also. A broadway show is quintessential NY but don't discount off broadway. I have seen and enjoyed a wide range of shows-- from dramas to audience participation type performances. Whatever you do-- have fun and hope you have great weather!

Asia! I've been trying to take a decent picture to post here for you since you started what should be a fun thread. I took these last night and they are somewhat disappointing photos. This garden is quite full and will be even better when the hardy hibiscus bloom which will be soon. For now, I have a highly blooming bee balm with red birds in a tree in the background. And I like the combination of this white coneflower with delphinium in the background. Here is a close-up of one of my tropical hibiscus that spends Summers outside. It has many, many buds which makes me very happy! If you can't be in the tropics, you can just pretend! More to come. I just need to take some better pics!

Hi everyone. lavandula8(5B) - WOW! what a great lot of pictures of these wonderful plants and thanks so much for sharing them with us. They obviously have a very knowledgeable horticulturist looking after the plants in that Botanical Garden as they all look so healthy and well cared for. So often you see pictures of collections in botanic gardens where the condition of the plants is less than ideal but these are superb. It must be great to be able to visit this place on a regular basis, and as well as the benefit of free entry because you are "friends of the botanic garden", do you also get the opportunity to volunteer to help with routine work and converse with the person in charge. This is what happens at the Botanical Gardens near where I live as the work is largely done by volunteers with a qualified horticulturist in charge and doing the supervising. Brom mates I know who are also "friends of our local botanic garden" often the tell me of the knowledge they pick up along the way and how its a "two way exchange"; the garden gets the benefit of their volunteer labour and in return they get free entry, pick up more knowledge and learn new skills. Once again, thanks so much for sharing your wonderful pictures and please feel free to post more when ever you are able to. All the best, Nev.

I never heard the term 'day care' until about 1960. The US Funded Universal Childcare During World War II—Then Stopped. When the United States started recruiting women for World War II factory jobs, there was a reluctance to call stay-at-home mothers with young children into the workforce. That changed when the government realized it needed more wartime laborers in its factories. To allow more women to work, the government began subsidizing childcare for the first (and only) time in the nation’s history. An estimated 550,000 to 600,000 children received care through these facilities, which cost parents around 50 to 75 cents per child, per day (in 2021, that’s less than $12). But like women’s employment in factories, the day care centers were always meant to be a temporary wartime measure. When the war ended, the government encouraged women to leave the factories and care for their children at home. Despite receiving letters and petitions urging the continuation of the childcare programs, the U.S. government stopped funding them in 1946. https://www.history.com/news/universal-childcare-world-war-ii Who Took Care of Rosie the Riveter's Kids? Even though quality varied at the Lanham-funded centers and bureaucrats in charge of the program occasionally stepped on each others’ toes, the program, with such a broad base of beneficiaries, changed public sentiment about child-rearing. Until then, daycare had been considered a pitiful provision for poor mothers. Having served families across the socioeconomic spectrum, the centers familiarized the public with sending young children away from the home for part of the day. In fact, the journalism professor Rose Kundanis observes that it was during the Lanham programs’ tenure that the term “day care” was coined. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/daycare-world-war-rosie-riveter/415650/