29 Rooms, a Fab Kids Review With 8 Tips

Juliet is no stranger to art.  Together we spot and admire street art, explore museums as a family, enjoy mommy and me art gallery days and get invited to the coolest pop-ups. Through it all, we’ve really developed a penchant for finding cool art around the world.  But our favorite art experience thus far has been Refinery 29’s 29 rooms.  What is 29 Rooms you ask?  It’s a multi-sensory, “interactive funhouse of style, culture, & technology.”  The masterminds at Refinery 29 have partnered with global artists, corporate brands, and fashion designers to takeover and transform a grungy Brooklyn warehouse into the most magnificent fantasy world where you get to feel, smell, create and sometimes literally, jump into the art segmented and found in 29 spaces.

29 rooms, nyc art

With only a 3 hour interval to explore 29 rooms, I calculated that left us with just 6 minutes per room including the wait time to get into each room.  Knowing that made my heart race because there were just so many amazing surprises to discover within this cavernous space.  And having seen it all last year (click here for the pictures from 2016), I knew there was something fabulous and exciting waiting for us in each space.  So without further adieu, I’m going to let the pictures do all the talking in this post.  Feast your eyes on this and tell me what your favorite room is!

refinery 29, 29 rooms 2017, turn it into art, #turnitintoart

29 rooms, refinery 29,

refinery 29

29 rooms, refinery 29, pillows

The 3 hours flew by and we wanted to stay longer!  If you want to see more, check out my Instagram story NOW while it lasts for more video and sneak peeks.

Here are 8 tips for those of you with kids:

  1. Only bring kids if you know they enjoy and appreciate art enough to follow directions about when they can or cannot touch artwork.  If they’re the type to run through breaking or tearing everything like a bull in a China store, it’s best to leave them home (obvi).  I only bring Juliet to so many artsy events and galleries because I completely trust and know that she will respect the artist’s (and my) wishes.
  2. Yes there are bathrooms on-site so no worries that you will have to hunt one down.
  3. No f&b is allowed inside and none is sold at the venue.  We made do by sneaking in some snacks in my purse and by purchasing a $1 bottle of water from the random guy on the street selling to thirsty fashionistas waiting in line
  4. The Wall Street ferry from Pier 11 in Manhattan takes you to the N. Williamsburg stop in about 20 minutes (3rd stop).  Tickets are $2.75 each way and kids under a certain height (43″ I think) are free. From the terminal stop at N. Williamsburg take a left on Kent Ave, walk 3 blocks and take a right on N 9th st. and Whythe Ave will be 1 block away but before you get to Whythe, you’ll likely see a line wrapped around the corner at 9th st. anyways.
  5. Dress light.  There is limited AC and no windows from which a breeze could relieve you.  We went on a perfect 70degree weather day and still found ourselves thankful we did not show up in pants/jeans.  Some rooms felt like saunas.
  6. If you’re a die-hard Instagrammer, bring a change of clothes/accessories and study the hashtag #29rooms beforehand.  By now, plenty of bloggers like me have posted reveals.  Check out their posts for ideas and inspiration and plan accordingly.  (See this post on how to achieve the highly coveted, Instagram-able shot!)
  7. Free up space on your phone and bring an extra portable charger.  You don’t want to be stuck missing out on recording these amazing scenes and memories because your phone just died or you’re out of memory!
  8. Download the new and free 29Rooms Interactive App which will serve as your personal tour guide for inside and outside the 29 rooms area.

If you’re a follower of my FB page then you’ve likely seen my alert the day Refinery 29’s tickets went on sale.  Tickets have sold out at this point but Refinery 29 was conducting social media giveaways so I’d follow them on IG and check Craig’s list for scalpers if you’re dying to get in but were too late to the game.

Now go ahead, what was your favorite room?

Top 5 Trendy Asian Ice Cream Spots to Hit This Summer in NYC

There’s no better place to find your new favorite ice cream than NYC.  And surprisingly (or not), the most trendy ones today happen to be Asian-owned!  I know, you may not equate Asians with ice cream at first, but we Asians love taking photos so when it comes to picturesque treats, it’s no wonder the cutest, and most Instagram-able ones are Asian-owned!  We’ve done the taste-testing, and have rounded up the top 5 that NYC has to offer.  New summer bucket list, anyone??

nyc ice cream, ice cream, ice cream shops ,

 

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Store: Justin Tea

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Location: 69 Mulberry (Chinatown)

Trains:  J, N, Q, Z to Canal

Open: 10am-12am, yes people, you can have your late night ice cream binge here at midnight!

Most Instagram-able must trys:  There are tons of creative desserts to try including liquid nitrogen ice cream (watch them make this from scratch and feel like a scientist eating your smokin’ cold scoop), mango tower drinks, pop rocks toppings etc. but we opted for the cutesy teddy bear waffle cone and my little one was NOT disappointed!

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Store: Soft Swerve NYC

 

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Location: 85B Allen St (lower east side)

Trains:  B, D to Grand st.

Open: 12pm – 12am everyday except Sunday 12pm -11pm (gotta love these Asian-owned places for staying open late!)

Most Instagram-able must trys:  What’s special about this place are the exotic flavors such as black sesame, matcha, or the ube (purple yam) will beg you for a try! If your kid is like mine and loves the color purple, ube will be the best pick, (get it with the red cone for an extra vibrant pic) and watch as your kid’s tongue and mouth turns Barney-purple!  I took this shot right outside the store in front of a grafitti covered love wall.  They do a cute job with the mochi sprinkles by adding a ring around the base of the ice cream, making for a super cute cone – next time I’d get that too!

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Store: Milk & Cream Cereal Bar

 

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Location:  159 Mott St (border of Little Italy and Chinatown)

Trains: J to Bowery, B,D to Grand, 4,6 to Spring St.

Open: 12pm – 10pm everyday except Fri & Sat (open til 11pm)

Most Instagram-able must trys: With 4.5 Yelp stars and almost 200 reviews, you know you can’t really go wrong here.  Specialties include birthday cake and matcha flavored cones plus an endless selection of all the nostalgic cereals from your childhood.  Pick your favorites and they’ll crush and mix it into your ice cream!   Also, the store is so cute, you’ll wanna stay and take shots of your tasty cone from all angles!

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Store: Taiyaki NYC

 

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Location: 119 Baxter St

Trains: J, N, Q, Z, 4,6,N,R to Canal

Open: M – Th 12pm – 10pm, Fri 12pm -11pm, Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm  (so confusing by changing it up so much..)

Most Instagram-able must trys: Let’s start by mentioning the over 1050 reviews and 4.5 stars..that is a mighty feat!  It’s a tiny store with hardly any space to sit and enjoy so plan on taking your shot by the quote wall or out in the city for a cool street shot.  Beautiful presentation includes a unicorn option (not pictured here).  The fish cone with red bean inside is served warm making for a tasty contrast to your soft serve of choice!

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Store: Cafe Bene’ (don]’t let the French- sounding name fool ya, this is truly a Korean chain..one that we frequent both in K-town and beyond)

Location:  www.caffebeneusa.com

Trains: so many locations to choose from.. K-Town, Tribeca, Brooklyn, East Village, Union Sq, Times Sq. etc

Open: see website Most Instagram-able must trys: This all – in – one coffee/gelato/bubble tea/ waffle/sandwich/ice cream shop is a must-stop for anyone who loves a shaved ice (with ice cream).  Our favorite is the matcha one with green tea ice cream, matcha sauce, almonds and whipped cream but the cutest one for pictures is the choco devil.

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So there you go!  It’s National Ice Cream Day today.  Time to start checking off that list!  Leave a comment to let me know which one takes top priority for you to visit or if you see that I missed something, please let me know!

Here’s to summer!

 

For tips on how to get those coveted Instagram-able photos, click here! 

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