Parties

Custom baked children's birthday cakes, using all natural ingredients, feature shaped cakes with Elmo, Dora the Explorer, and Spiderman themes, among others. You can also opt to have a special photograph reproduced in icing.

At Alice's Tea Cup, the winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Family-Friendly Restaurant in New York City, lovely little tea sets adorn the "shop" area around the cashier, in addition to teas, mugs, and Alice in Wonderland themed tchotckes. You can also order and pick up a special picnic box to take with you to the park.

In the restaurant, you'll find scones, soups, sandwiches, and a full morning or afternoon tea. Breakfast is served daily from 8am-11:30am and includes egg dishes, pancakes, specials, fresh coffee and, of course, tea and scones. Saturday and Sunday Brunch (all the breakfast options, plus crepes and French Toast Bread Pudding) is served from 8am-3:30pm. High chairs are available.

The Children's Menu features sandwiches of granny smith apple slices and peanut butter or nutella, grilled cheese, home made graham crackers, and pureed baby food.

Parents can customize kids' parties at Alice's Tea Cup, choosing from fairy dress-up parties or an Alice-themed party where Alice does tells stories and paints little faces... or try a magician's party with the Mad Hatter! Party favors, cakes, and more can be concocted. Call to consult. Parties may be held Mon-Thu during restaurant hours, and on Fri, Sat, or Sun after 3pm. The charge is $20 per child, which includes a Wee Tea for children under 10 years of age or the Nibble Menu for children between 10-15 years old. Adults are required to order the Mad Hatter tea service, at $27 a person.

On the birthday (and unbirthday) cake front, Alice's bakery can whip up a sheet cake or theme cake confection for off-site parties, too. Prices start at $55; check the website for photos and more info. Order at least a week in advance.

The single bathroom is sparkling clean and easy to keep an eye on, if the kids want to go on their own.

Sugar Mama NYC creates custom-designed birthday cakes and other special occasion cakes at reasonable prices. Cupcakes, cookies, and brownies in a variety of flavors are also available.

Magician Magical Dave provides party entertainment in the form of a comedy-magic show or magic lesson workshop which center on audience participation and feature his live rabbit, Marshmallow, and live snake, Fluffy. Options include party favors for all guests, levitation - the birthday child can "float" over three feet in the air! - balloon animals, and more.

Magical Dave and his assistant are both full-time NYC teachers with Master's degrees in education.

Performer and educator, Gina Samardge, plays your child's favorites while she gets the kids playing instruments, dancing, and singing along. Gina leads sing-a-longs and teaches early childhood music classes
in Brooklyn at various locations. A complete schedule of appearances and her CD, Sing With Me, are available on her website.

Award-winning NYC-based face and body painter Derrick Little provides face painting for birthday parties and other special events. He also paints banners, murals, custom decor, and... bellies - a unique way to celebrate a pregnancy.

Derrick's face painting talents were featured on the Martha Stewart Show and he has won trophies and recognition in various face painting competitions.

Derrick is fully insured by The Clowns of the US and uses only FDA-approved face and body paints.

New York City baby and child portrait photographer Paloma Sendrey specializes in whimsical, playful images of childhood; capturing moments that are alive with a child's unique personality and endless curiousity.

Sessions are done in the home, the park, or on location.

Ms Sendrey also has considerable experience (and rave reviews from parents) when it comes to party photography. Rates begin at $575 and include two hours of coverage, film, and all the 4x6 prints presented in sweet Photo Boxes.

Pre-party portraits of the birthday/Bar-Bat Mitzvah child can be requested as well.

January Stewart specializes in capturing the best moments of a child's birthday party. Rates begin at $250 and include two hours of party coverage, 4x6 prints, and a CD with hi-res files of digital images.

January is also available for child and family portraits, usually at the location of the family's choice; indoor or out.

New York City baby, child, and family photographer Mary Jane of Mary Jane Photography specializes in artistic and natural images shot on location, outdoors or in the home. She also photographs parties, weddings, and other special events.

A photographer for 15 years, Mary Jane's work has been featured on the Discovery Channel's hit show, Runway Moms, as well as in numerous publications, including the The Big Book of Babies.

For a look at her portfolio, a list of clientele, and more details, visit Mary Jane's website.

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the Best Indoor Playspace/Partyspace for Little Kidsin New York City, Creative Dream Parties offers an all inclusive themed party facility - 2900 square feet surrounded by a stretch of the East River. Parties, built around a child's birthday wishes, run from one and a half to two hours.
A wide variety of party themes are available including carnival, swimming, petting zoo, science, pajama, princess, pirate, disco, spy, cheerleading, karate, jewelry/beading, stuff-a-pet, tie-dye, glamour (hair, nails, and make-up) - and more! Kosher parties can be arranged as well.

Creative Dream Parties can also bring the party to a client's home.

Camp Create Dreams, a summer day camp open to children ages five through 10, is offered weekdays from 9am to 3pm. Campers can enjoy a private playground with sprinklers, indoor swimming (with optional swim instruction three days a week), arts and crafts projects, dance, and Friday Theme Days. The cost is $450 per week or $1350 for three weeks (a discount is available for early sign-up). Early drop-off and late pick up options are available for an additional fee.

Mars 2112 is still the theme restaurant to end all theme restaurants, and children definitely clamor to eat here, just for a chance to take the "spaceship" ride into the restaurant proper.

If you arrive at a busy hour, you may have to wait in line to enter the restaurant, though the management has made big strides in speeding up the process. Diners are shuttled through a queue to elevator doors, which open to reveal theater seating around a large screen.

When the doors close, the screen simulates a trip from Earth to Mars, and the "spaceship" jiggles convincingly. At the end of the trip, doors on the far side open to release riders into the Martian-landscaped restaurant, which features occasional visits from "Martians" who happily pose for photographs and ask about weather and distant relatives back on earth.

The service is very friendly and generally very fast - our meals have, on occasion, arrived in literally two minutes. The children's menu includes chicken wraps, burgers, mac and cheese. The adult menu offers standard American fare: steak, burgers, salad, and the like.

The kids' menu offers a nice selection: 11 items, ranging from $6.95-$8.95. Every child gets a Kiddy cup, balloon, and $2 free game card, regardless of what they order.

The restaurant also runs a fairly comprehenive arcade area for older kids; game cards can be purchased in any denomination (most games cost $1 or $2). Adults can linger over coffee while older kids battle the pinball and Pacman machines.

A small shop with space-related items, including cuddly versions of the strolling martian characters in the restaurant, is accessible as guests enter and exit the restaurant.

Parties: If you have a group of 20 or more, it is possible (and necessary, for your own sanity) to make reservations. It's a great setup for partying, as the arcade games can be added to the package.

Note the restaurant sometimes closes for no apparent reason, and is often closed on Monday and Tuesday nights during the winter months. If possible, call before you go, or have a back-up dining choice in mind.