Hi loopers,
So far this week, we’ve survived smoke and torrential rain. What better way to celebrate than NYC Restaurant Week, with prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus for $30, $45, or $60 through August 16. More than 30 Upper West Side restaurants are participating, making it the perfect excuse for a date night—or to finally use that babysitter you've been meaning to book.
Our neighborhood keeps buzzing with Summer on the Hudson and Summer for the City, bringing live music, performances, and family-friendly programming all season long. If you haven't taken advantage yet, now's the time!
As always, everything below is free unless noted, because "What should we do?" shouldn't turn into Saturday morning stress. Don't forget to check out the recurring activities at the end.
Have a friend who wants to sign up? Share the link here and follow @theparentloopnyc for more. Quick tip: Click on the “Read online” (top right) so your reading view doesn’t get trimmed.
Around The Loop: Little shoutouts, local sightings, and meaningful connections from the week.
A second The Parent Loop book club group: Our first book club filled up quickly, so we're starting a second Parent Loop Book Club! A couple of moms have already joined, and I’d love to add a few more. If you're interested, just reply to this email with your phone number, and I'll add you to the WhatsApp group. Love seeing it grow!
Introducing Big Apple Grandmas (BAGs) to our community! Is your mom or mother-in-law looking for more local friends? Share BAGs, a community of grandmothers on the UWS connecting through childcare buddies, bike rides, mahjong, cards, dinners, walks, shows, and more. To join, have them text Melissa at (479) 719-1586. The Parent Loop pick!
Friday - July 24
Kids’ Magic Show @ Le Carrousel, 10–11am, all ages. Magician Mike Patrick performs a free, family-friendly show, followed by crafts at the Kids Creative Corner.
Summer for the City: Juilliard Summer Music Finale @ Lincoln Center (Hearst Plaza), 11am, all ages. Outdoor performance featuring Juilliard Summer Music students.
Tai Chi with Raymond Li @ Lincoln Center (David Rubenstein Atrium), 1pm, all ages. Learn the basics of tai chi accompanied by live traditional Chinese music.
Discovery Tank: Guided Gallery @ Pier 57, 3–6pm, all ages. Explore the Hudson River through interactive exhibits, STEM activities, and live river critters. This month's theme is Crabs!
Summer for the City: Kung Fu Hip Hop @ Lincoln Center (The Dance Floor), 6pm, all ages. Martial arts meets hip-hop in an outdoor performance. The Parent Loop pick!
Hudson Classical Theater Company: The Dancing Men @ Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, 6:30–8:30pm, all ages. Enjoy a free outdoor Sherlock Holmes mystery adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
Summer for the City: MindScape @ Lincoln Center (Hearst Plaza), 7pm, all ages. Outdoor dance performance blending movement, poetry, calligraphy, and live art.
Carnegie Hall Citywide: NYC Ska Orchestra @ Bryant Park Lawn, 7pm, all ages. Bring a blanket and enjoy a free outdoor concert featuring the upbeat sounds of New York’s ska scene. The Parent Loop pick!
Summer on the Hudson: Summer Pops with Calliope Brass @ West Harlem Piers (125th St.), 7-8pm, all ages. Outdoor brass concert featuring Broadway, movie, and pop favorites.
Riverside Comedy Club @ Pier I, 7:30–9pm, PG-13. Laugh the evening away with host Nat Towsen and a lineup of New York comedians. Parental discretion advised, PG-13.
Summer for the City: The Ocean Etched in the Forest @ Lincoln Center (David Rubenstein Atrium), 8pm, all ages. A free indoor multimedia concert featuring live music, storytelling, and video inspired by the Jino people of China.
Summer for the City: Silent Disco - Chinatown Records Time Machine @ Lincoln Center (The Dance Floor), 8pm, all ages. Dance through decades of Cantonese and Mandarin pop classics.
SocRoc's July classes are underway! I’m really enjoying seeing our toddler’s love for soccer grow. Save 15% with code LOOPSOCROC for any July class. Sign up here.
Saturday - July 25
5K Parent Run Club @ W 96th St to E 96th St Playground along Central Park’s paved running path, 9am, all ages. Hosted by Morning Meeting. Come walk, jog, or run- running strollers, kids, parents, and caregivers welcome. Enjoy coffee afterwards. RSVP.
Moves with Limón Dance @ Bryant Park Lawn, 10am, all ages. Dance with the Limón Dance Company and live musical accompaniment. Open to every experience level; bring water and clothes you can move in.
Nature Walk @ Pier 45, 10am, all ages. Join Hudson River Park naturalists for a leisurely waterfront walk and learn about local plants and wildlife.
Storytelling in Central Park @ Central Park (Hans Christian Andersen Statue), 11am, all ages. Every Sat, ends Aug 29.
Chinatown Records & Dance with Red Silk Dancers @ David Rubenstein Atrium, 12pm, family-friendly. Enjoy a free afternoon of live music and traditional Chinese dance celebrating Chinese Arts Week. The Parent Loop pick!
Big City Fishing @ Pier 51, 11am-3pm, ages 5+. Learn catch-and-release fishing with all equipment provided.
Wetlab Look-ins @ Pier 40, 11am-5pm, all ages. Meet Hudson River wildlife at the Park's research aquarium and join a guided tour.
Summer for the City: MindScape @ Lincoln Center (Hearst Plaza), 6pm, all ages. Outdoor dance performance blending movement, poetry, calligraphy, and live art. The Parent Loop pick!
Summer on the Hudson: Vinyl Nights @ Pier I (W 70th St.), 6-9:30pm, all ages. Outdoor dance party with classic NYC DJs. Get free tickets here.The Parent Loop pick!
Hudson Classical Theater Company: The Dancing Men @ Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, 6:30–8:30pm, all ages. Enjoy a free outdoor Sherlock Holmes mystery adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
Hanggai @ The Dance Floor, 7pm, all ages. Experience the acclaimed Inner Mongolian folk-rock band blending throat singing with contemporary rock.
RTA Summer Sunset Concert Series @ 96th St. Red Clay Tennis Courts, 7-8pm, all ages.
The Ocean Etched in the Forest @ David Rubenstein Atrium, 8pm, all ages. A free multimedia concert featuring live music, storytelling, and video inspired by the Jino people of China.
Star Gaze Saturdays @ Pier I, 8-11pm, all ages. Look through telescopes with the Amateur Astronomers Association.
TAIGA Silent Disco @ The Dance Floor, 9pm, all ages. Dance under the stars to an immersive electronic Silent Disco as part of Chinese Arts Week.
UWS and Morningside WhatsApp community
If you want to join the UWS/Morningside parents’ WhatsApp, just hit reply with your neighborhood and I’ll send the link. One note: this is a peer community group. The Parent Loop is not responsible or liable for transactions, exchanges, or recommendations shared by members. Please use your own discretion.
Sunday - July 26
Open Streets @ Columbus Ave (68th-77th Sts.), 10am-8pm, all ages. Walk, scooter, play, and enjoy the final Open Streets Sunday of the season.
Wetlab Look-ins @ Pier 40, 11am-2pm, all ages. Explore the Hudson River Park aquarium and meet local fish, crabs, and other river wildlife.
Discovery Tank: Guided Gallery @ Pier 57, 3–6pm, all ages. Explore the Hudson River through interactive exhibits, STEM activities, and live river critters. This month's theme is Crabs!
Summer for the City: Qi Yu—Guzheng Meets Jazz @ Lincoln Center (David Rubenstein Atrium), 6pm, all ages.
Hudson Classical Theater Company: The Dancing Men @ Soldiers' & Sailors' Monument, 6:30–8:30pm, all ages. Enjoy a free outdoor Sherlock Holmes mystery adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.
Summer on the Hudson: Amplified Sundays @ Pier I (W 70th St.), 7-8:30pm, all ages. Free sunset concert overlooking the Hudson. The Parent Loop pick!
Ongoing events
Juggling class @ Bryant Park, all skills welcome + equipment provided, 12-1pm, Mon-Sat, April-December.
CPDSA Skate Circle Events w. Live DJs @ Skate Circle (middle of Central Park, 69th), music starts 2:45pm-6:45 pm, all skills and ages. Bring your own skates and helmets required for 14 and younger. Most Sat, Sun, and holiday weekends. Ends in October.
Model Yacht Club Races @ Central Park (Conservatory Water, East side, between 72nd&75th), 10am-1pm, all ages. Every Saturday, ends in November.
Boating, make sure to confirm holiday hours. Usually first-come, first-served; free unless noted otherwise:
Manhattan Community Boathouse @ Pier 96 at W 56th St, Sat and Sun, May 23–Oct 11, 1-6pm
Downtown Boathouse @ Pier 26 in Tribeca, Sat and Sun 10am-4:30pm
Central Park Boathouse @ Central Park at E 72nd St), $30/hour rental
Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse @ between Piers 1 and 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Wednesdays + Thursdays 5-7pm, Saturdays 10am-3pm, kids and family paddle Sundays 12-2:30pm through August. And you can volunteer. Or learn how to play kayak polo. Yes, it’s free! More info for ages and specifics; limited walk-ins and reservations open 2 weeks in advance here
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood @ The Bronx Zoo, ages 2 and under free, ages 3 and up +28, prices vary, ends Sept 7.
Storm King Art Center @ Hudson Valley, ongoing events for kids and families, children 0-4 free, ages 5 and up +$15.
Brooklyn Cyclones game @ Maimonides Park (Brooklyn), $16-61, times/dates vary, all ages. Don’t forget to hit up the Original Nathan’s Famous nearby. Check out the know before you go here for more info and make sure it’s not an away game.
Coney Island @ Brooklyn (1208 Surf Av); Check out the museum, the shows, and Luna Park (exact times/dates vary; no fee to access the amusement park but rides/attractions prices vary $49-$90).
Always check the NYC Ferry schedule (New York City Ferry Service) before you go, especially on holidays and weekends.
From the East 90th Street landing by Carl Schurz Park, families can take the Astoria Route or the Rockaway-Soundview Route for an easy ride with skyline views.
From Pier 11/Wall Street, you can connect to Governors Island on summer weekends and holidays, or take the South Brooklyn Route to Atlantic Ave/BBP Pier 6 for Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Water Lab playground.
Conservatory Garden @ 104th/106th East Side of Central Park, 8am-dusk.
Romeo & Juliet’s @ Shakespeare in the Park, ages +5, ticket info is here.
Indoor favorites for rainy or hot days
Storytime @ The Strand (81st & 82nd), Sundays, 12pm & 3pm, ages 0–7.
Storytime @ Book Culture (2915 Broadway & 114th St), Sundays, 1pm, ages 0–7.
Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre @ 81st and CPW, in Central Park, tickets +$12 for ages 2 and up, for ages 3-7, various times.
The Met’s 81st studio @ The Met (on the bottom floor; a state-of-the-art space), stroller parking, 10am-5pm, ages 3-11.
Hands-on-activities (Discovery Room ages 0-12, Climate Learning Lab ages 8+, Human Origins Learning Lab ages 8+) @ American Museum of Natural History, NYC residents pay-what-you-wish. Note: The Discovery is moving from a first-come, first-served to a registration-based approach so make sure to sign up when you get to the museum.
Libraries are open Friday and Saturdays, closed Sundays: Bloomingdale Library (99th st), Riverside Library (66th st), St. Agnes Library (81st st), Columbus Library (51st st).
Bookstores, times vary: Book Culture (@112th, @114th), The Strand (81st & 82nd on Columbus), Barnes and Noble (@82nd st).
Because parenting is better when we share the good stuff.
The Parent Loop
I’m always looking for great sponsors and partners. If your business would like to sponsor or connect with parents, contribute to a swap, or be part of a future The Parent Loop event, just reply here and let’s grab coffee!
Disclaimer: Event details, dates, prices, and links are subject to change — please check with venues before heading out. Some product links may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share items we genuinely use and love. The Parent Loop and its admins are not responsible for member posts, recommendations, transactions, services, or arrangements made through WhatsApp groups. Participation is voluntary, and each member is responsible for their own decisions, screening, and interactions.