An afternoon in the Bronx. Not the zoo but in the New York Botanical Gardens, followed up with dinner on Arthur Avenue. Weekends come and I sometimes want to be a tourist in my own city. This is one of my favorite, no-hassle, itineraries for a day in New York with kids. Let them run free and explore in the gardens, with hands-on painting and cooking demonstrations. Leave with a canvas of your own art and with recipes, seeds, and fresh basil! Then relax after all that exploration by taking a 5 minute drive to the famed Arthur Avenue, the Little Italy of the Bronx. Search menus on your phone and pick a place to eat. We chose Zero Otto Nove, where a cavernous space is hiding in the back of the restaurant, behind the bar entrance. A brick oven is at the center of it all, and the service is exceptional. An order of clams, a margarita pizza, homemade baked pasta and an order of Chicken Scarpariello: on the bone sautéed with white wine, lemon juice & rosemary. Good to go.

Clearing Out For Guam – be unplanned, wonder, wander and play!