Camping it up in NYC

Go New York:Forget Irish college – show your kids a different side of life by sending them to summer camp in New York, writes AMANDA PHELAN

THE BEST part of the holiday break for my youngster was definitely the daily weapons check.Where? Noo York, of course – there can’t be many other cities where a seven-year-old Dublin boy is checked by armed security guards on his way to meet up with the local kids and enjoy activities ranging from swimming, acting, making a model shark and even sewing.

Rory loved it. “This is my kind of holiday,” he yelled, as he headed off to the Earth School summer camp.

It’s in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a thriving community known as Loisaida because the mainly Spanish residents ran the words together until the phrase entered the vernacular of the Big Apple.

Going on holiday to New York is a fantastic treat for adults and kids alike, and Irish tourists visit every year in their thousands – economic downturn or not.

But there can be unexpected problems when you get there. It’s a city where you have to cover big distances, and getting on the subway with a pram or push-chair can be a nightmare.

I know because I spent two years in New York on a work posting, and regularly got mowed down while struggling with the endless flights of stairs.

We lived in Harlem, a choice made for us by a pitiful rent allowance. But it turned into a real plus, because this is the African-American district and our colourful neighbours loved Rory, who had just turned one when we arrived.

BUT MOSTof Manhattan is not child-friendly – you don't see many kids in Sex and the City. So if you want to enjoy your holiday, and park the kids where they'll have a great time too, a good solution is a kids' camp.

This gives your children a chance to enjoy a genuine slice of New York life – with camp activities ranging from acting schools to free sleepovers in the park or athletics.

A good tip is to go toward the end of summer, when the heat is just bearable, especially when you duck into the water sprinklers conveniently available in most playgrounds.

The Chelsea Piers summer camp on the Hudson River sounded fantastic, with options ranging from basketball to junior gymnastics.

The bonus is that parents get to use the fantastic sprawling sports centre, where you can catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty just outside on the Hudson River.

More than 3,000 “campers” sign up each summer, and if you want to show your youngsters a thing or two, you can avail of a two-day pass for the health club and services including triathlon training and “The Beast” bootcamp.

It’s easy to see why stars from Aussie actress Nicole Kidman to our own Colin Farrell choose to live near this spot when they are in town. But you’d want to be getting paid the wages of a Hollywood star to join up.

The camp costs $690 (€472) for a week, and it’s almost full, even at that price. Welcome to New York, where status-conscious jostling can get so ridiculous that parents battle to get their kids into multi-lingual pre-schools so they know they’re “on the right track for Harvard” . . . at three years old!

Next choice was an acting camp, where guest speakers might include Philip Seymour Hoffman or our own new cultural ambassador, Gabriel Byrne. But this is out of any normal parent’s price range at $1,000 (€683) a week.

So we settle for a summer camp in the Loisaida’s Earth School, on Avenue B and Sixth Avenue. This costs a more reasonable $250 (€170) a week, and my youngster is delighted to be going to a real live American school, full of genuine touches such as a security guard at the door, complete with New York City police logo badge emblazoned on her uniform and ready to check for everything from weapons to photo ID.

It has the added bonus of being in the area where we live, thanks to a kind friend and my boy’s New York godmother (bless you Irene).

The school is in a huge red-brick building, full of friendly staff and teachers. And the area is brilliant for food and colourful characters.

WE START OURday at the Clinton Street Bakery, a favourite with New Yorkers where the biscuits (these are a local version of scones), pancakes and eggs mean daily queues, although we always get in because we're early.

Follow that up after camp with lunch or dinner at the Momofuku Noodle Bar house on 1st Avenue – a cheap eatery we discovered a couple of years back, which is now super-trendy and getting rave reviews from the New York Times.

So my seven-year-old gets to swim (a very rare pleasure in this city as there’s so few facilities for it) in the local park’s small but adequate pool – where kids queue up for their splash, with a whistle blown to signal when your slot is over – make papier-mache sharks and do theatre and singing classes while I wander around the museums and art galleries, and okay, do a little bit of shopping without having him complain about walking for miles. It’s a win-win holiday.

Rory also gets to make friends with the local kids in this fantastic multi-cultural neighbourhood – a refreshing change from some other areas such as the Upper West Side where it can be more mosaic than melting pot.

“We love having all the kids and their day is pretty fun – we keep them busy, and Irish kids are welcome,” says organiser Kinya Trotman. And despite the 8.30am to 5.30pm day, my youngster doesn’t want to come home!

The only flaw is he’s pleading to do week number two in the Empire Camp at the Earth School, where the kids are taken on outings such as visiting the Natural History Museum.

This costs a bit more at $350 (€240) for the week, and makes me glad we’re heading home to his beloved Burrow National School at Sutton in north Dublin, where there might not be a weapons check, but at least it’s free.

NYC summer camps where to . . .

New York Film Academy, 100 East 17th Street, nyfa.edu. Summer camps for children ranging in age from 10-13 cost $1,000 (€683) per week. Topics include film-making and acting.

Chelsea Piers. 23rd Street and the Hudson River, chelseapiers.com. Sixteen speciality sports camps for children and teens, aged three to 22. "For the past 15 summers, campers have enjoyed world-class athletic facilities, and the most exciting sports curriculum available, without ever leaving Manhattan," says a spokeswoman. That's probably because their parents couldn't afford to leave after forking out the camp fees. Prices from $635 (€434) per week for a basic sports camps to $1,375 (€940) per week for elite activities, such as golf training (I'd pay that not to do golf, but never mind). Contact camps@chelsea piers.com.

Empire Camp at the Earth School, 317 East 67th Street and 111 Columbia Street, empire camp.com. Activities include swimming, theatre, sewing, singing, making videos and crafts. Cost $250 (€170) a week. Ages three to 13. Contact info@empirecamp.com.

14 Street Y, 344 East 14th Street, 14StreetY.org. Camps for toddlers to sixth class pupils. Activities include swimming, hiking 40 minutes away from Manhattan and arts, music and theatre programmes. Prices from $2,915 (€1,993) for non-members.

Useful websitesmommypoppins.com. For a list of camps, including some free activities such as park tours.

kidscamps.com. To find out the range of activities on offer.

US summer camps from Maine to Pennsylvania

In Ireland our experience of US summer camps comes from movies and possibly song – Camp Granadaanyone? But far from being the source of misery outlined in "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh", kids' summer camps these days are so fun packed and activity filled, it's the parents who are likely to feel hard done by.

Forest Lake Camp

This one's been running for 85 years, so it must be doing something right. Certainly the location's a winner, an 800-acre lakeside estate in the Southern Adirondack Mountains of New York. The lake means there is plenty of opportunity to swim and sail. Not strictly co-ed, it's rather a "brother and sister camp", which means boys and girls have their own camps side by side on the same property.

It offers two to seven-week programmes for kids aged between eight and 16, with more than 50 activities to choose from, from archery to wilderness skills and including horse-riding, kayaking, fencing, soccer, fishing and tennis, to name just a few. And, of course, there's a campfire, every Sunday night, with plenty of singing round it. Two-week sessions cost $2,990 (€2,040) rising to $6,590 (€4,497) for the full seven-week session.

forestlakecamp.com

Camp Walt Whitman

What could sound more American than this one, a traditional co-ed camp for seven to 15-year-olds located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, two-and-a-half hours from Boston and five hours from New York.

Sports here are all-American too, including baseball, basketball and lacrosse (okay, but only Americans seem to play it now that Malory Towers has closed). It pays particular attention to tennis too, however, and participants can opt for its intensive tennis programme, as well as private lessons, with ample opportunity for tournaments to help you raise your game.

Located on the shores of Lake Armington, there are plenty of aquatic activities too, including swimming, sailing, windsurfing and canoeing. The camp even has its own Olympic-sized swimming pool. Fees start at $1,000 (€683) a week.

campwalt.com

iD Gaming Academy

For those who think kids don't spend nearly enough time in front of a computer screen as it is, there's always the option of iD Gaming Academy.

It provides those aged 13-18 with a two-week opportunity to find out first-hand how industry professionals create commercial video games. Presumably in recognition of the fact that kids at this age are at the peak of their gaming powers.

There are a number of courses to choose from, including 3D modelling and animation, and programming for Xbox 360. Locations for this camp include Stanford, Harvard and Villanova, which certainly lends it an air of academic credibility. And, for the real enthusiast, if you enrol on one of these camps you get live monthly online tuition for the rest of the year too.

A two-week stay at Harvard University learning about 3D modelling and animation costs $3,299 (€2,252) including meals, housing and tuition. Weekend stays are optional and cost $349 (€238) on top.

iDgamingAcademy.com

Camp Lake Greeley

Camp Lake Greeley in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, 130km from New York, prides itself on specialising in first-time campers. Family-run (by the Buynaks) it has been in operation for 50 years and accommodates boys and girls aged from six years old (up to 15), with a limited enrolment of 275 – half the size of some of the bigger camps.

It allows two, four, six and eight-week sessions. For younger campers the day is fully structured and little ones are given constant counsellor supervision. As well as a range of outdoor activities there are plenty of gentler options too, including arts and crafts classes, pottery and photography. Fees start at $2,200 (€1,502) a week.

lakegreeley.com

Kingsley Pines

This camp is located on Panther Lake in Raymond, Maine, two hours north of Boston.

It offers two and three-week sessions, for both boys and girls aged between eight and 15 years. There are more than 30 activities to choose from here and the emphasis is on non-competitive participation – or fun, in other words. As well as its own water park, there are lessons in waterskiing, wakeboarding, sailing and windsurfing.

Land-based activities include tennis, golf and volleyball. Theatre and dance classes also feature, as do painting, sculpture and jewellery making.

Back outdoors kids get to undertake whitewater rafting trips, overnight camp outs as well as an opportunity to learn outdoor living skills. Invaluable when they're older and coming home after curfew. Prices start at $1,695 (€1,158) for a two-week session in June.

kingsleypines.com

– SANDRA O'CONNELL