Now that it is officially wet, sloppy, slippery and gross outside, it’s time to come in from the cold. Sure, sledding over the weekend was fun, fun that is thankfully over. And by now, with the new year, the snow day and one epic feeling weekend, we are all ready to get these kids off our backs. You may not have the luxury of school-aged kids (don’t worry, you’ll get there) and you may have exhausted the kindness of the good people at the Y, and if you go around the track at the Armory one more time you will have beat Sisyphus’ record. So you are on the hunt for new indoor entertainment, the kind that is exhausting for them and restorative for you. And until we start our spa with childcare (patent pending, ACGIB), you have to settle for some indoor play spaces. You can find a handy list here. But maybe what you really need is even more of a break, where someone else cooks and cleans and the kids get to play. You need a restaurant and play space, but without the animatronics to cause night-terrors or induce flashbacks.
Try The Moxie Spot, on the line between cobble hill and the waterfront, open from 10-3 Monday through Wednesday and 10-8:30 Thursday through Sunday. For the $2.50 “play fee” your kid has access to two floors of activities including blocks, foos ball and board games. During the day they have sing-a-longs, storytimes and “dance-a-longs.” The evening entertainment ranges from movies to Wii to discos and bingo. And, yes, they have beer and wine. The food will satisfy the kids, if not you. For the grownups, it’s less like dinner and more like drinks and diner appetizers. But, that means it’s the perfect place to host a play date when your apartment is too messy for the general population. Which, for some of us, is all the time.