Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

Latest posts by Anna

NYC Easter Parades 2010: Fancy Easter Bonnets and Greek Orthodox Celebrations

Submitted by Anna Fader on Sun, 03/28/2010 - 10:32am

What the Village Halloween Parade is to Downtown, the Easter Fancy Hat parade is to Uptown; a chance to get dressed up and take to the streets in your quirkiest, home-made Easter bonnet. Not so much a parade, people mill about looking for the best bonnets, occasionally breaking into a waltz, swing dance or even song. It's as close as you're going to get to stepping into a classic movie.

Find out about this and other Easter Parades:

PlayDate March 23: New Brooklyn Playground, Hubble IMAX at LSC, Free Goodies, Viking Ship in Times Square, Food Revolution, More

Submitted by Anna Fader on Mon, 03/22/2010 - 8:13pm

What's happening in NYC this week for kids? There's new playground in Brooklyn, a new IMAX space show at the Liberty Science Center, a viking ship has docked in Times Square, and for parents, a revealing new TV series about the food our kids are eating. Plus it's free cone day at Ben and Jerry's and free pastries at Starbucks today only. Get the scoop!

Opening this week:

Brand Spankin' New: Battery Park City Public Library

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 6:25am

A new public library branch opened in Battery Park City this week and is holding opening celebrations today. March 18, 2010. Besides being a beautiful, light and spacious facility, the new Battery Park City NYPL branch was constructed with a focus on environmental sustainability and will be the first GREEN Library in Manhattan.

NYC DOE Bake Sale Bungle, or Why I Am Not Writing About The Bake-In Rally at City Hall

Submitted by Anna Fader on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 9:25am

A few people have asked me to write about the Bake-In Rally that parents are organizing at City Hall on Thursday, March 18th. While I like taking a good jab at the NYC DOE as much as the next guy, I'm pointing my elbows at a slightly different target this time.

Recently, there have been several cases of parents getting up in arms over issues spawned by headlines that seem to be written for the sole purpose of provoking us...and us falling for it. And, thanks to yet another misleading NY Times headline, many parents have been riled up again, in this case, to believe that not only are they not allowed to sell home baked goods at school bake sales, but that they are required to sell packaged goods like Frito Lay products and Pop Tarts. This is just not the case.

Deals, Discounts and Promotions: Free Frozen Yogurt, $2 Car rentals and 30% off Gap Denim

Submitted by Anna Fader on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 8:01am

I've been posting a little bit lightly this week because I was under the weather. My family is a mess, actually. This week has been full of lice and vomit and in the middle of it all my daughter has been taking all her middle school entrance exams, but that's another story. Anyway, I have some fun deals, discounts and promotions to share, but I know some people that get this in their email tomorrow are going to miss the Pinkberry promotion and be annoyed that I didn't post it yesterday, so I just wanted to explain why.

Circus Elephants Walk Across Manhattan March 22, 2010

Submitted by Anna Fader on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 6:20pm

Update: There is no elephant parade in 2014 due to the circus playing in Brooklyn..

Once again the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus is heading into town and since the circus elephants can’t go up the Penn Station escalators, they need to get off the circus train a stop early in Queens and walk through the Mid-Town Tunnel, and straight across Manhattan to Madison Square Garden.

Posting this event is always controversial because some people feel that watching the circus elephants march across Manhattan is supporting their mistreatment in the circus. On the other hand, I get lots of emails every year asking me when it 's happening. My position is that this is a pretty crazy thing that happens in NYC and I'm letting people know. Do what you like with the information.

Cook Your Own Food at a Korean Barbecue Restaurant

Submitted by Anna Fader on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 8:45am

One of the really great things about New York CIty is having all these cultures living here together. And by far the most fun way to experience them is through food. From food carts to family friendly restaurants, dining out on ethnic foods is delicious, fun and educational.

One of my favorite ethnic food experiences, and probably one of the most interesting restaurant experiences for kids is Korean barbecue. Korean barbecue has a couple of things going for it that make it a favorite for both me and kids:

Destination Playground: New Union Square Playground

Submitted by Anna Fader on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 9:23am

When I was a little kid we lived near what we called Abingdon Square Park and is now called Bleeker Park, the playground on 7th Avenue in the West Village. It was a great park and the main feature was a giant concrete boat that we would climb on, tunnel under, jump over and in general inspired many imaginative games. The concrete boat is long gone now and I can only imagine that some kid smashing their face into it one too many times hastened its end.

Now most NYC playgrounds look pretty much the same: generic climbing equipment, slides, sometimes swings or a water feature, but a new playground in Union Square definitely breaks the mold for NYC playgrounds.

Anna Fader

Latest posts by Anna

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