By Marlene Hassen

My first trip to New York was on an Air Jamaica Nitebird flight. I was just old enough to be travelling alone and I was intrigued by the wicked mystery of flying at midnight. I was also aware of the unaccompanied minors on the flight, all of whom who would soon drift off to sleep, waking up later to be in the eager arms of their parents they had not seen for a long time. Children flying solo on long-distance flights is a function of our yen to pursue the American dream. So, in honour of all those families who will be reunited in NYC this summer, and in tribute to the return of the beloved Nitebird flights, here’s a guide to ….A BIG FAT, FREE (OR CHEAP) NEW YORK CITY ADVENTURE. Neighbourhood Watch Everybody’s thinking about getting more bang for the buck, and while travelling with kids can easily become a money pit, nothing saves the day like strategic planning. First up: get a calendar of events for your neighbourhood and borough. Summer was made for New York City and you’ll be astounded and befuddled by the world of things to do for little or no cash. New York City Skyline

Take Brooklyn, for example. With its vibrant Caribbean population this is the perfect base from which to discover the best of New York. After all, we have our own street party with 2 million people fêting at the West Indian Day Parade on Labour Day. There is a welcoming familiarity Brooklyn from the plethora of patty shops on Flatbush Avenue to lilting accents rising above the din at the subway station. Brooklyn’s big buzz can be found in the area surrounding Grand Army Plaza where eight world-class experiences are within your reach: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and Prospect Park Zoo.

Full disclosure: having visited enough times to become jaded, I am not. I looove Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Its 52-acres is home to 11,000 different kinds of plants and several specialty gardens, including the beautiful Japanese-Hill-and-Pond-Garden, and the equally astounding Children's Garden. The art and wonder that goes into creating the displays at the Garden should serve to inspire West Indian children to treasure that which we take for granted. This summer there’s “Wicked Plants” exhibit, and the inside joke is that quite a few of the plants featured are found right at home in the Caribbean where we don’t give them a second look. “Get back you scary philodedron.” The other four boroughs also have neighbourhood attractions that most times include a zoo, a botanic garden, and a children’s museum, so it’s easy for you to avoid a dreaded mall run. You can also keep a check on your wallet with admission specials, like Wednesday’s pay-as-you-wish at the Bronx Zoo, the Staten Island Zoo and in the city at the New York Botanic Garden. There’s also free admission on Tuesdays at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturdays.

Hit the High Notes
Lucky for you New York City understands the principles of summer: excellent use of the time on your hands while keeping the money in your pocket. And one of the best ways to do this is at the any of numerous free summer festivals. Celebrate Brooklyn, which takes place at the lovely Prospect Park Bandshell is one of the biggest and the best of all summer festivals. Without getting too preachy, you can expose the tweens to a range of music that does not include “rump shaking” and “rolling on 24s”. For example, take Yerba Buena’s vocalist Cucu Diamantes who appears here solo and except for her too oft-repeated “Rico, rico…” during her set, offers up a G-rated sassy groove that will test the kids’ second form Spanish and their ability to bust a Latin move. Burning Spear is also appearing, and it will certainly rev up some Caribbean pride to see the certain adoration that will greet this reggae master. You can also totally embarrass the older ones at the ultimate old-school throwdown: the Purple Rain Sing-a-long to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film. Best part Further in the city, Lincoln Centre also has a great free summer performance series. Win points by taking the kids to the Hip Hop Generation Next, featuring multicultural groups popping and locking and crunking and krumping. But if you really want make them know that you “get” them, the City Parks Concert series features a host of legendary hip hop acts like Slick Rick and the Sugar Hill Gang. It’s been 30 years since you first sang, “I said a hip hop, the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, a you don’t stop ...” but it will be priceless to show your kids that the music now digitized into their Ipod earbuds, has its roots in the soundtrack of your own life back in the day.

Museum, Shooseum
There is absolutely no excuse to add a little learning to your vacation. With such an outstanding museum culture in New York City it would be a shame not to treat the kids to some of the best interactive learning on the planet. And speaking of the planet, Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History has a new 3-D space show, Journey to the Stars, and nothing smacks the cheekiness out of a 10 year-old like a trip 13 billion years into the past. It’s called “context” and the stirring experience of understanding the Universe is a great way to say, without saying, “The world does not revolve around you, little man.”

Peace Lily at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden "Wicked Plants" exhibit

The hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History

Retail Without the Therapy
Big kids and little kids will be tickled by a trip to the Apple store, and you’ll be over the moon knowing you don’t have to spend a dime. Hopefully your kids will already be equipped with their Ipod. Never mind if it’s not the newest: if they’re young enough tell them Apple will soon launch a newer one anyway so it’s bet to just wait, and if they’re older, remind them that weekly chores will earn enough to buy the latest incarnation when it does come out. After your little parental chat you can relax knowing that they are quite welcome to touch, see and even do in this shrine to the 21st Century’s greatest gadget. But here’s the best part: Apple’s in store Youth Workshops cover everything from composing a song in GarageBand to building a photo album with Keynote presentation and it’s free. Music to your ears, I am sure. The Fifth Avenue store is open 24 hours for, every day of the year. Another retail treat that doesn’t grab your wallet is right at the Scholastic Store in SoHo. Aside from thousands of books, toys and puzzles, there are hands-on activities and even a movie theatre. Larger than life displays for Harry Potter and Captain Underpants, as well as kids science icon, the Magic School Bus, are certain to deliver bragging rights for September. This summer, the store’s Camp Klutz will host free activities on Saturday afternoons on everything from window decorations to origami.

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