sarah's blog

I love a big meal, and I love to cook one too. In fact, I'm on the hook this year, but I also love the idea of an elegant Thanksgiving meal at a cozy inn, with someone else doing the dishes. So, if you prefer being thankful for restaurants, servers, white tablecloths, bottomless buffets, and artisanal, palm-fed, organic, pea-brained heritage turkeys, instead of your own holiday organizational skills, we’ve put together a list of places to take your brood. You can thank us later.

Culture. We all want it — and not just in our yogurt. We live next to one of the best museum cities in the world, but our dear NJ also has much to offer in the 'get smart' department. From the wonderfully curated Newark Museum, to lovely small spaces like Monmouth Museum, there's an array of exhibits and activities for the whole family. And NJ museums don't take all day, so get cultured up until lunchtime, then go for a hike, have a picnic, or hit another gallery. You'll be more interesting by dinnertime. 

Home sweet Hoboken. You're very small, with wildly uneven sidewalks, but it's hard to beat your warmth, your people, or your mutz. Here's 25 fun, and mostly FREE things to do in my favorite small town urban area. 

1) Visit a park or playground where you and the kids can meet up with the great friends that make Hoboken such a pleasure to live in; run through a sprinkler, or just burn off some energy.

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, when the children go back to school and everything on the menu is apple, squash, pumpkin or fig. (Yes, figs are in season now, too!) I can't say I won't miss those drifting, lazy days that sneak up on you, only to deposit a more fully grown child in September, and all that 'where did the time go'-ness and memory-making quickly turns into busy school days and early rising. Of course, as a nostalgist, I find melancholy in all seasons, so let's move along to the food. I love a good fall recipe, and despite sitting in traffic for 50 hours to get there, I also love the bounty from a day spent apple picking. If you don't feel like cooking, we've got some crafts and leafy fun for you as well. Very good for the memory-making.

The truth is, I love a rainy day. It's stressful to have to think of something to do every single sunny day, and I'm running out of chairs to hang bathing suits on. Of course, after a few hours inside listening to the storms and wondering if my car has floated into the Hudson, it's nice to get out and take advantage of some of the great indoor adventures that NJ has to offer. Here's a bunch of our favorites, with a few at-home ideas thrown in.