Being Savvy: Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers and kids in Detroit, MI

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Tuesday Top Five: Navigating Eastern Market with Your Kids

March 17, 2009

Tuesday Top Five--Navigating Eastern Market With Your Kids

Back before we had kids, my husband and I used to smile at the families we'd see at Eastern Market on Saturday mornings, hoping for the day it would be us pushing a little newborn in a stroller or giving a big kid tastes of fruit. And as it turned out, both our kids has Eastern Market excursions while they were still tiny babies.

So, I've gotten pretty good at negotiating the crowds and figuring out which stalls are worth a stop and which ones need a pass, and now I have figured out several good ways to keep little kids entertained while we peruse the stalls to see what's new and fresh.

-- Travel light. You'll be carrying bags, probably pushing a stroller or pulling a wagon, and maybe juggling a bulky watermelon or frozen chicken or something. Stuff a diaper and some wipes, if you need them, inside a pocket or in your smallest possible purse and leave your big diaper bag at home. Because you will hit people with it. Don't ask me how I know.

-- That stroller or wagon? It takes up space. Respect the flow of traffic and if you need to stop and confer with your kids or partner about something, pull off to the side out of the main flow of people. My absolute pet peeve is the people who are all "Oh, look, strawberries!" and stop dead in the middle of the walkway.

-- The best food can be found in Sheds 3 and 1 -- humanely raised meat and pastured eggs in Shed 3 as well as exotic vegetables and good quality fruit. Shed 1 has local and organic produce, as well as the kind of stuff I have felt the market has needed for years-- small vendors just getting started who are trying to build and audience for their products. Of course, everything but Shed 5 is shut down until spring and everybody is crammed in there.

-- Keep your kids fed and they'll be happy. Almost all the stalls hand out samples of their stuff, and a preschooler can happily graze their way up and down the stalls. We also love the popcorn at Yoder's stall.

-- Lunch options abound: Russell Street Deli (they also sell soup in the stalls that is to die for), Supino Pizza (awesome, I cannot say enough good stuff about them), and the legendary $3 sausage sandwiches at Eastern Market Seafood -- $3 for a pita stuffed with your choice of three sausages from a list of anykind you can imagine and some I have never heard of.

Spring is on the way, and Eastern Market is one of the best parts of it. And one of the best parts of Eastern Market is watching the families introduce their children to the delicious sights, smells and tastes.  Read more...

99 Things To Do Before Kindergarten

January 27, 2009

1. Go ice skating at Campus Martius 2. Do the giant slide at Belle Isle 3. Play on the playscape at Belle Isle 4. Have a picnic at Belle Isle 5. Go on a nature walk through the neighborhood 6. Have a two-park day -- go to one in the morning and one in the afternoon 7. Meet friends at Jungle Java 8. Go to storytime at Ladel's Books 9. Go to storytime at the Southfield Public Library in the space  Read more...

Find a Kid's Meal for Free

November 19, 2008

With all this talk of the domestic auto industry on the verge of collapse, foreclosures, recession, and so on, thoughts naturally turn to hiding under the bed and not coming out until things improve saving money. Okay, perhaps you have better coping skills than I do. In any event, we're all looking to save money wherever we can. Eating at home is, of course, one of the best ways to do  Read more...

I Scream, You Scream: Savvy's Ice Cream Extravaganza Tour 2008

July 25, 2008

For me, it's not summer without ice cream. Oh, who am I kidding, it's not, say, Tuesday without ice cream, even in the winter. So I am uniquely qualified to write this post and let me tell you, the research has been lovely. We're looking at some of the best places to get ice cream around town. Let's start with my most frequent splurge: Ray's Ice Cream on Coolidge north of 13 Mile in Royal Oak.  Read more...

Tuesday Top Five: Dinner Table Destinations

July 22, 2008

Like many people, I am curious about other cultures and countries but find I don't often have the resources for a long trip abroad. One really worthwhile way to get a taste of other cultures literally is to seek out authentic restaurants serving the cuisine of the owner's native land. And while we're no NYC around here, we have a great variety of ethnic restaurants throughout the metro area that  Read more...

Three Days In Detroit, Day 1: Museums, Muffins and More

July 08, 2008

First of all, hi! Welcome! We don't get a bunch of tourists around here, so if you mention to the average Detroiter you encounter that you're from out of town, you're sure to get a tremendously warm greeting. When the Super Bowl was here in 2006, the main rap on Detroiters was that we were almost too helpful and enthusiastic. So if you don't pick up the papers (government scandals du jour,  Read more...

Party Town: Cityfest With Young Ones

July 03, 2008

One of the best things about my job is that if I have a concern about something to do locally, you probably do too. One big worry, this year, is navigating my beloved Cityfest with the big scary two-kid capacity stroller. It's crowded, after all, and people aren't always that willing to make way for a massive piece of baby gear. So I called Cityfest's press representative, Peter VanDyke, and  Read more...

Take It Outside -- Dinner, That Is!

June 30, 2008

Although it's been just a tich rainy lately, it's been perfect summer in many ways not too hot or chilly, light breezes, and sun. In other words, summers like this are among the major reason we live in this state! This is the kind of weather that makes me want to eat every meal outside, and we pretty much do. And my fellow Michigander apparently feel the same way even restaurants with mediocre  Read more...

Tueday Top Five: Birthday Ideas

June 03, 2008

This is especially a fun topic for me since I have a birthday this week, and since I have a preschooler who is way, way into birthdays I have a feeling at least one of our activities will be preschooler-focused. It's not a birthday without cake, and my cake of preference (and my daughter's favorite to help me make) are actually cupcakes. Delicious, cute, portion-controlled (unless you eat  Read more...

More of Our Favorite Activities and Things to Do in detroit

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Creatures & Critters:
Our Urban Jungle

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Do, Re, Mi! Places to Hear, Sing & Play a Tune

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Artistic Endeavors:
Our Favorite Art Venues

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Room to Run:
Run, Jump & Wiggle Outdoors

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Rainy & Quiet Days:
Cozy & Crazy Indoor Fun

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A Sense of History:
Our City's Stories

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Tot's Science Fair:
Science & Nature Sites

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Splash, Spray, Play! Local Spots to Get Wet

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The Most Fun in Life Is Free!

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The Best of... Our Top Can't-Live-Without Spots

The Voice of Being Savvy detroit:
Amy Kuras

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