Costco in Harlem!

Here it is, finally, now that Uptown Mom's kids are (fingers crossed) nearly out of diapers. Still very happy to have it. Apparently (relying on reports from the husband -- I was not available to make the trip), parking is about $4.75-ish after tax -- still acceptable when one considers the cost of gas to get to any location coupled with the fact that my time is not valueless (and the opportunities for traffic are way fewer when one doesn't have to leave Harlem, let alone Manhattan!).

Disappointed to report, however, that the bakery at the Manhattan Costco is (rather surprisingly) not kosher. Of course they still sell plenty of kosher bread products made elsewhere, but Uptown Mom is bummed not to be able to stock her freezer with 12-packs of croissants unless she happens to find herself in the New Rochelle, Brooklyn or Hackensack stores.

Voting in small town Harlem

I like the fact that when I go to vote in Harlem, one of the pollworkers asks after my family. Apparently she knows us by sight and by name, even though we don't actually know one another personally, because she used to do the USPS route that delivered packages to our address. In any event, my husband and I took turns voting tonight, and she noticed that neither of us had brought the kids.

(Yes, I know it can be a civics lesson for them, and sometimes we do bring them, but this is the THIRD time we've voted this fall -- tonight we had other things we had to get done with the kids before they went to sleep.)

Kosher cupcakes in Harlem, revisited

I am late with my report back about the cupcakes because the party for which I had ordered them had to be postponed a week due to illness.

So now I can tell you: Tonnie's cupcakes are absolutely lovely. They were giving out samples when I arrived so I got to try a chocolate one, although I didn't succeed in getting a chocolate from the party assortment (a guest got there first). Based on what I saw with the samples and with my baker's dozen, it appears that they don't put the frosting on until the moment of sale. They were absolutely delicious. Uptown Mom is a happy camper.

I also inquired about the kashrut while I was there. The man behind the counter, who seemed to be either the owner or manager, seemed quite knowledgeable about the status. Although the letter evidencing the hashgacha is not yet there, it seems that he is aware of the steps he needs to take to get it, and just hasn't gotten around to it because they've only been open a few weeks. Since the other location is already supervised and he readily recited to me (correctly) the website where I can find information about the supervision of that location (Kosher-NY), I think he knows his stuff and we'll see the letter soon. Will report back when I actually see it (let me know if you see it first!).

Spooky minyan in Harlem tonight....

OK, I don't think it's eally going to be all THAT spooky, but Harlem's oldest independent floating egalitarian minyan is holding Shabbat services tonight, Erev Halloween, at a new location. If you're interested in hearing more, visit www.harlemjews.com.

Halloween in Harlem

Tomorrow from 1:30 to 3, at 121st and Morningside Avenue in Morningside Park, there will be a HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL, featuring a costume parade, balloons and treats. It would be great to see a nice turnout. (Please note that if it rains the event will be cancelled.)

If I hear of other kid-oriented Halloween events in Harlem, I'll be happy to post about them as well (so feel free to let me know).

Uptown Mom is not exactly a baseball fan, but...

... living where I do means living 5 stops on the B-Train from Yankee Stadium, so GO YANKEES!!!

KOSHER CUPCAKES IN HARLEM?!?

As you may have heard, we have a new cupcake shop in the 'hood. Uptown Mom was not looking for a new cupcake shop; she is pretty happy with Make My Cake, which is very close to her home. However, the new shop, Tonnie's Minis, has just told me on the phone that they are KOSHER. I cannot personally vouch for either the hashgacha of the store itself, or the quality of the food -- I haven't been by the store yet in person -- but their Greenwich Village location is under kosher supervision, and assuming the uptown cupcakes are made in the same location, that will suffice for Uptown Mom's purposes. Even better, people really seem to like these cupcakes. And the price point is fantastic -- $20 for a dozen, and they do a baker's dozen on request. (By contrast, I paid $20 the other day to celebrate a family birthday with 5 cupcakes from Make My Cake.) In the holy name of research, Uptown Mom has ordered a dozen of them to supplement the homemade cake and other goodies we're making for a birthday party this weekend. I assume that the cupcakes will turn out to be smaller than those at Make My Cake, but those are enormous, and I'm not fearful that they'll be itsy-bitsy, since it sounds like they make an extra-small size (and I don't believe that's what I've ordered).

Will get back to you on both the deliciousness and the kashrut post-party! And if you already can comment on this new shop, please do chime in.

Life goes on.

I see with chagrin that I have once again allowed this blog to lie fallow for far too long. For that I apologize, dear readers. All I can say is that something must have happened while I was busy making other plans.

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the many new parents and kids of Harlem – some new arrivals, some not, and some newborn! – with whom I’ve become acquainted in the months since I last updated this blog. I look forward to seeing more of you in the streets, parks, playgrounds and shops of Harlem in the months and years to come.

As always, if you know of events or resources for kids and/or parents in Harlem that you would like to see featured on this blog – or you just want to say hi! – please send me a message and I will do my best to oblige. I look forward to hearing from you.

Harlem Tae Kwon Do rocks.

So now I must kvell. My oldest son, after two years of "Peewee" classes, is now old enough for the big kids' classes at Harlem Tae Kwon Do, and he just qualified for his "green stripe", which required learning various kicks.

Harlem Tae Kwon Do rocks. The folks who run it are amazing at what they do and very very warm people. Their kids' classes are extremely reasonably priced relative to just about anything else our son could be doing with his afternoons ($60 for 1 class/week, $80 for 2 classes/week or $120 for unlimited classes), and just a wonderful combination of exercise, focus, discipline, and of course punching, kicking and yelling. (I've also taken the adult classes myself and I love them but find it tough to make them work with my difficult schedule. Working out at home is pretty much the only thing that really works with my schedule.)

R.I.P., Tribal Spears

Tribal Spears, a beloved gallery/cafe near my home, is closing this weekend. We will miss Tribal Spears and its energetic proprietors, who have poured themselves into this community, terribly.