Lil Kid excited to rack up points at Modern Pinball – the amazing pinball mecca in Manhattan’s Kips Bay neighborhood.
Featured in The Wall Street Journal, NBC’s Today show, Fox News, and CNN and named one of the Best of New York 2014 by New York Magazine, Modern Pinball is the place for gamers, families, and anyone looking to have a ball with the huge selection of pinball machines from the 1970s to the present.
The best part? No need to bother with quarters or tokens! Instead, Modern Pinball’s machines are set for unlimited gaming and play. Visitors are given wristband passes that entitle all guests to unlimited gaming, for an hour – or a day, depending on your package!
Steve Zahler, pinball enthusiast and owner of Modern Pinball, is on a mission to bring back this beloved artform. His goal is to make pinball accessible to all – and he does this by focusing on clean, safe and fun environment for everyone!
He encourages children and families to connect and spend quality time together while learning about the wonderful world of pinball. Additionally, Steve works with teachers and educators on specialty museum classes and learning experiences throughout the year.
Training to be a pinball wizard!
The arcade is very kid-friendly, and offers plenty of step stools for children to stand on, and even one-on-one lessons if needed. The staff was super friendly, and engaging.
While pinball is challenging to rack up high scores, the game itself is quite easy to play. Our lil guy grasped the concept right away, and fell in love with the game itself.
As a parent, I loved that he was learning about the mechanics or the game – seeing how the ball bounced from side to side through the machine, and how his trigger movements effected the way of the play. Pinball is also an amazing way to practice hand-eye coordination (without sitting in front of a computer or television!).
Lil Kid playing the silver ball!
Our Pinball Wizard loved the Tommy themed pinball machine best (featuring the band who made the Pinball Wizard song famous from their rock opera).
With over 30 pinball machines, the choices seem endless! The arcade doubles as a showroom as well a museum – and includes vintage and brand new game models – making it fun to discover how these incredible machines have changed over time.
With each machine having its own unique sound, light display, and novelty – its fun to walk around the arcade together looking at the differences, and similarities between all the models.(Our favorite novelty – the spinning prize wheel on Wheel of Fortune!)
Your child fall in love with a game? New and beautiful refurbished games are available for purchase. The arcade also hosts many Birthday parties and special events.
A tale of another fun experience with Kidpass! Thank you Modern Pinball – can’t wait to come back!
Class: Pinball Arcade – Unlimited Play
Location: Modern Pinball NYC 362 3rd Avenue (Between 26th and 27th Street)
Ages: All ages!
Kidpass bookings include admission for 1 Adult and 1 Child to Modern Pinball and includes 1 hour of unlimited play with all games on free play! (No coins! No cards to recharge!). The staff are true pinball wizards – just ask and they’ll show you how to play.
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Lil Kid having a kicking time with SocRoc Soccer!
The goal of SocRoc is to encourage kids to be physically active, learn social skills, and gain confidence – all while having fun! The class is specifically created to help students develop core strength, flexibility, balance and coordination – with an emphasis on conditioning.
And the kids will be learning from a pro! Owner James Christie, before becoming a personal trainer, played professional soccer with the Baltimore Blast for three years. He combined his two areas of expertise when creating the youth class.
A special class, and our Lil guy couldn’t wait to get started.
No weather concerns here! Offering indoor and outdoor options to choose from, SocRoc classes are located throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens in numerous locations.
The space for todays class at Congregation Adereth El was large, bright, and airy. It was nice to be inside – a welcome reprieve from the summer swelter outside!
The class starts with stretching and warm ups. The teachers lead the children through a series of stretches to wake up the muscles such as the bicycle move and more.
Coach Marco was fantastic with the kids! He asked if anyone had been watching the Olympics – and what their favorite sports and athletes are. Loved how engaging he was with the children, and that he was helping to spark interest with the children on active lifestyles and sports.
Having a ball! There was more then enough equipment for the children to share, which kept the class with little down time, and no waiting.
Footsie Fun!
The next drill – the cone flip! The cone flip exercise was great for children to practice agility with their feet. They needed to flip each cone straight forward, without the use of their hands! A bit of a challenge, but such a great exercise in coordination. The teachers made it fun by assigning a color to each child.
Coming in for the goal! After each goal, high fives and positive reinforcement was given to all students. Loved how they helped to boost Lil Kid’s confidence with praise and encouragement.
A cute team friendly chant “3-2-1 SocRoc!” ended the class.
Thank you SocRoc for fielding us with such an awesome experience!
Class: SocRoc Soccer
Location: SocRoc Soccer (at Congregation Adereth El) 135 E 29th Street
Ages: Offering classes for age 1.5-3 years, and age 3 -4 years
The adventure continues! We’ll be posting about our fun experiences with Kidpass on the blog, all summer long.
New to Kidpass? Sign up today and receive a special discount! Use LILKID50 at checkout for an amazing 50% off discount for your first month of membership, exclusive to Lil Kid Big City followers.
Happy Exploring!
