I have lived in New York City my entire life (except for college – but I went to school in NJ so I was still home all of the time). There are still soooo many things that I have never done in the City and I love having the chance to check them off my list with JustaBXgirl. We got to do one of those things last week with some friends and it was so much fun.
Central Park is basically every New Yorkers backyard. As a child I remember regularly going to the Alice In Wonderland statue and climbing all over it. If you asked me today where that statue is located I couldn’t tell you (unless I went to Google). As an adult I have taken my niece, nephews, godson and JustaBXgirl to the playgrounds near Tavern On The Green. One place I have passed a million times in the park but had never visited is the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre. I had always wondered about what went on in the quaint little cottage which would on numerous occasions be a landmark for directions.
It always seemed right out of a storybook to me. Something almost magical about the house that seemed to pop-up when randomly walking through the park. Needing a bit of magic in our lives last week JustaBXgirl and I headed there with our friend Panda and her papa.
It turned out that Panda’s daddy had never been to the Cottage either (neither had Panda – she’s almost 2). Can you imagine? Four New Yorkers that had never experienced this magic right in their own backyard?!
The show currently running at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre is Neverland: Peter Returns. JustaBXgirl and I are fans of Peter Pan. Tinkerbell is actually one of my most favorite characters EVER. It was a packed house when we went and EVERYONE seemed to enjoy the show. I believe that Peter Pan stories are great for children of all ages but the show is recommended for those 3 – 9. Panda loved the puppets and was very engaged with what was going on onstage. JustaBXgirl was excited about the story and the way the puppets worked. Us adults enjoyed it as well. There was everything a good story needs, action, adventure, humor and friendship.
I also loved that the puppeteers came out after the show and introduced new vocabulary and experiences to the audience. The children were given a quick run through of how the marionettes worked including the technical stuff like the butt strings!
If you’re looking for something different to do in the City with your littles then this is something to definitely check out. I am sure we will be returning again. Maybe even to catch Peter Pan one more time!
