My Inner Child is Holding Space
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Who would think that I'd be saying that taking an uber at 7:30am on a Sunday morning is my best life decision of the year so far?!
I am so impressed with Space Club in Greenpoint.
We all know I cannot stand crowds, so I planned our visit strategically - 8am on a Sunday, two full hours of play.
What I wasn't counting on... was that by 10am, I didn't want to leave more than my Little One.
Basically it is encouraged for adults to get in and play... I didn't need much convincing!
The highlights
- Huge bouncing castle to play hide and seek in... I had so much fun
- A big, fun maze to run around in and chase your Little One
- Two big ball pits to play in, with random swings and activities on them
- A hidden piano
- So many 'touchy, feely' installations to explore, including dark rooms
- The pool of beads was my favorite and where we spent a lot of time towards the end making necklaces and bracelets to bring home (yes, that is my Little One 'swimming' in the pool of beads)
It's no surprise that something this good would get crazy busy, so if you're heading there from downtown, you want to make sure it's worth it and I can attest that it is.
The tricks to make it worth it:
- Go as early as you can. By the time we left at 10am, it was already getting crazy. But from 8am-9:30am, it was amazing
- Bring snacks for you and the Little One. There is a cafe, but it wasn't super appealing. There are plenty of places to sit and have a snack outside of the play areas
- Don't forget grippy socks for you. I always have them for my Little One!
- BYO old-school external lock. Necessary if you want to use their lockers. I left the stroller in the locker room but didn't feel comfortable leaving my handbag and it was really annoying to have to carry it around
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Getting there and back
It's not super convenient for us to get there and back, so my recommendation is to uber it over and then walking to the Greenpoint Ferry landing and taking it downtown to Wall Street after.
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What about AFTER Space Club?!
You all know I love Greenpoint. I definitely recommend being prepared to walk by bringing a stroller or scooter for the Little Ones (...they may be too tired from running around to use the scooter though!)
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5 minute walk from Space Club
- โBagel Joint: Super close and also a great place to stop before going into Space Club, if you want some good bagels to eat inside
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15 minute walk from Space Club
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Coffee
- โRhythm Zero: Cute place, not a lot of seats, but the music is fun and my Little One loves dancing around here to the music with a chocolate croissant
- โSweetleaf Coffee: Honestly one of my favorite coffees in NYC. And an adorable spot to stop and sit for a bit
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Sit down and eat
- โTaku Sando: Is it possible to mention this place too much!? I LOVE the kids meal here, they get a sandwich and a cute toy that they get to take out of an old-school toy machine. ALSO, they have a Japanese toilet here and my Little One is OBSESSED with the warm seat and buttons (see picture above)!
- โChez Ma Tante: It's finally open again after the building was closed for renovations. Known for delicious pancakes, I absolutely have loved everything i've eaten here
- โMaman: I mean we have two locations so close to us, so it's hard to recommend when in BK, but it is old faithful and perfect to bring the kids
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Pick-up and eat while walking around
- โRadio Bakery: There's a reason you never see parents with toddlers standing in line outside this place. If you have appetite to stand in line for 45 minutes, the baked goods here are phenomenal. Side note: They opened their second location yesterday and people lined up for 1.5 hours... the baked goods are not worth 1.5 hours of your time, let alone in the freezing cold.
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I try not to repeat our adventure days, but the reality is that I am already planning to go back this week... I'm all for this place taking my money!