Neighborhood Watch

When we began putting together a guide to the most family-friendly NYC neighborhoods, we decided to call in our greatest resource—our reader families! Here, 10 families share what they love about the areas they call home, from adventures in outdoor markets to diverse playgrounds to memorable museums.

Murray Hill

“Although not the hippest zip code, 10016 has a lot to offer families including parks, restaurants, schools and a very central location,” says Amy Pucciariello, who calls Murray Hill home with husband Alex and son Jake, 5 months.

1) The Barking Dog, El Rio Grande and Christina’s restaurants have great off-street outdoor space, perfect for bringing the dog and the baby.

2) There’s a Gymboree on 38th Street and a soon-to-be Kidville on 34th Street.

3) Madison Square Park is a perfect park for young families, with a big playground, two beautiful fountains and a summer concert series for kids.

4) Scandinavia House—the headquarters of The American-Scandinavian Foundation—has a great playground and tons of educational programs for kids.

Upper West Side
“What’s not to love? Everyone is a little zany, so we all jive together pretty well,” says Heather Chaet, who lives on the UWS with husband Jason and daughter, Tessa, 3. “Somehow, in the largest city in the U.S., the vibe of the Upper West Side evokes a small-town feel.”

1) WeBop at Jazz at Lincoln Center is the best music class in the city—it gets kiddos moving and grooving. No “Wheels On The Bus” here!

2) We have (or will have soon) the food shopping trifecta: Fairway, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, which is opening in August.

3) Belvedere Castle (79th Street, mid-Central Park). Climb, explore, imagine. Bonus: it’s free.

4) The family membership to American Museum of Natural History. The annual fee gives you free admission for two adults and four kids and discounts on special events, movies, food and gifts.

Harlem

“Harlem is a friendly, vibrant, diverse and spacious place to live,” says Jennifer Maslowski, who lives in the neighborhood with husband Bill and daughter Alida, 6. “With great transportation options, we can get everywhere quickly, but are always happy to get back home to Harlem.”

1) Gorgeous parks. To the south in Central Park are the Harlem Meer, two playgrounds, and the Dana Discovery Center. To the west, Morningside Park features a new playground, turtle pond and dog run.

2) Great restaurants. Almost all are kid-friendly, including
newer places like Frizzante (Italian) and Zoma (Ethiopian), and old
favorites like Amy Ruth’s (Southern).

4) Easy parking. Lots cost under $200 a month, and street
parking is always available.

“Tribeca has
everything families could want and more,” says Leah Agudelo, who lives
in this downtown nabe with husband Carlos and their daughters Veronica,
4, and Julia, 9 months. “It’s a welcoming, incredibly family-friendly
neighborhood.”

1)Tribeca
has playgrounds, like Washington Market Park, and large outdoor spaces,
like Battery Park City. I love that my daughter can ride her bike along
the Hudson or scooter around the circle in Washington Market Park.

2)
Plenty of indoor fun, too—living in NYC with kids also entails making it
through the long winters. Luckily, Tribeca has tons of indoor options,
like Kidville, Moomah, Playgarden and a new library in Battery Park
City.

3) Convenient
to subway lines—almost every major subway line stops here.

4) School
options—Tribeca has some of the best schools around, including PS 234,
PS 150, Claremont Prep, Washington Market School and the Park Preschool.

Fort Greene

“We love living in
Fort Greene because of the diversity,” says Sharon Ng, who lives here
with husband Ian and daughter Ella Mei, 2. “We are a Chino-Latino family
ourselves, and a walk around the block becomes a trip around the world
because Fort Greene is home to everyone from everywhere!”

1) The children’s art
classes at Pratt are amazing, and we love exploring the sculpture garden
oasis there.

2) I
love taking my daughter to the sprinklers at Camel Park (formally known
as Edmonds Playground), which is a great destination for babies and
toddlers.

4) Fort Greene has delicious and diverse cuisine—I love the
pain-au-chocolate at Choice Market, the delicious Cuban corn at Habana
Outpost and a glass of bubbly Lambrusco from Olivino’s after a hard day
of work!

The Lower East Side

“The Lower
East Side feels like a small town within the city. People say hello on
the street and in the stores, and we look out for each other,” says Erin
Rodriguez, who calls the LES her home with husband Alex and their three
children, Aurelia, 6, Gabriella, 5 and Elias, 3.

1) The Educational
Alliance—this is a long-standing community institution with a stellar
reputation. All of my children spent two years in its nursery school
program; the neighborhood would not be the same without it.

2) FDR Park—the
amphitheatre has summertime music venues and the baseball fields are
brand new. There’s also a gated soccer field, picnic area and sprinkler
park for the little ones.

3) PS110—the school’s
parent participation level is high, and with frequent school-wide events
(like movie nights and pancake breakfasts), it instills a sense of
community into education.

4) The Essex Street
Market—this is a wonderful place for family shopping, with tons of
vendors selling fresh produce, cheese, fish and more. It’s reasonably
priced and clean and the vendors are friendly.

The West Village

“Living in NYC allows
us to offer our children the most diverse and rich elements of life, and
the West Village is our home base,” says Leona Casella, who lives in
the WV with husband Max and daughters Mia, 4, and Gioia, 2.

1) One of our favorite
local parks is Bleecker Park. My girls love it for its climbing
structures, huge sandbox, swings, and, after Memorial Day, water!

2) In the winter we
spend our Saturdays at the Hudson Park Library. The second floor is
dedicated to children and offers music, story telling, drawing, and,
along with books, toys and imaginative play-things.

3) Chelsea Piers is
another favorite; with a Toddler Gym for running around, a wonderful
carousel, ice skating, wall climbing and bowling, it’s an indoor/outdoor
paradise.

4) We frequent Chelsea
Market year round. Whether it’s for fresh
produce for dinner, a look at the magnificent art work along the rocky
walls or to greet Santa or the ghosts around the holidays, everyone in
our family loves this outing.

5) Our family loves
music, so in the summertime we especially love Hudson River Park, which
has live concerts between Pier 40 and Pier 62. These evenings remind me
of my small town summer nights, with the benefit of being in the most
amazing city!

Park Slope

“We love living in
Park Slope because of the tight-knit sense of community here,” says
Meredith Lopez, who lives here with husband Carlos and son Gabriel, 1.
“No matter how young or old your kids are, there is always a fun place
to take them to, an activity they can participate in, or a group of
parents happy to have you around.”

1) The YMCA—The Armory
Sports Complex on 15th Street now compliments the regular 9th Street
location, so there are activities for the kids every day of the week.

2) Plenty of
playgrounds—Little ones can crawl around the Tot Lot (just inside the
Garfield entrance of Prospect Park), while toddlers can run amok at any
of the several playgrounds designed for the under-5 set, like JJ Byrne
at 5th Avenue and 4th Street, Slope Park at 6th Avenue and 18th Street
and Harmony at Prospect Park West and 9th Street.

3) Family-friendly
dining—most restaurants will happily set you up with a highchair or
booster seat and some crayons. Some neighborhood spots even offer “Kids
Eat Free” nights, when you get a free kids’ entree with the purchase of a
regular adult entree!

4) Museums—North Slope is a short bus ride from the Brooklyn
Children’s Museum and steps away from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and
Brooklyn Museum. South Slope is 20 minutes by train to the New York
Aquarium and Coney Island.

The Upper East Side

“The Upper East Side is so family-friendly,” says Robin Saks
Frankel, who lives on the UES with husband Adam and sons Max, 2 and
Gabe, 9 months. “Everything I need to keep my kids happy and busy is
right around me.”

1) Parks and
playgrounds—we go to Carl Schurz Park almost every day. A day at Central
Park with the kids is a great and easy way to enjoy being outside
without too much structure.

2) Kids’ classes—The 92nd Street Y has some of the
most amazing new mom, baby and toddler programs. Other favorites include
Parkbench (a pre-pre school for little ones), StoryTime by Design and
Three Little Birds.

3) Great schools—The UES has more preschools and preschool
alternatives than any other neighborhood in Manhattan.

4) Retail
shops—Planet Kids, Gap Kids, Children’s Place, Kidville and plenty of
mom and-pop apparel, toy and gift retailers.

Forest Hills

“Forest Hills is NYC’s best-kept secret for a
family friendly, affordable neighborhood,” says Harmony Skillman, who
lives in this Queens quarter with husband Gavin and son Connor, 2. The
sidewalks are littered with strollers and the parks filled with kids.”

1) The best of both
worlds. In FH, you have the R, V, F & E trains, which can get you
into Manhattan in about 25 minutes. You’re also close to the LIE and
Grand Central Parkway, and can be in Nassau County in the same amount of
time. Parking spots are a fraction of Manhattan rates, and street
parking is often a viable option.

2) FH playgrounds and parks have amenities for all
ages, plus water sprinklers and grassy areas. Some of our favorites are
Yellowstone Park, Austin Street Park, PS 196, Russell Sage Playground
and Hawthorne Park.

3) Activities Galore. There are three Music Together locations, a
Gymboree, every class imaginable at the Central Queens Y, Forest Hills
Little League and Young Chefs Academy, to name a few!

4) Austin Street. Every
kind of restaurant, café, ice cream shop, bookstore and boutique can be
found on Austin Street. Looking for family-friendly dining? Hit Nick’s
Pizza or Cheeburger. Date night? Try Aged or Bonfire Grille. Mom’s Night
Out? Check out Jade or Moca.

5) Great Parents. This is the community where parents
strike up a conversation in Starbucks, where you see the same faces at
the playground each afternoon. FH parents care about this neighborhood
and keeping it safe, warm and inviting.

Photo: Sharon Ng, with husband Ian and daughter Ella Mei, 2. Photo taken by Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick.