We're a British family who keep coming back to New York.

Why this exists

Planning a day out in New York with children means a dozen tabs open at once: the museum's hours, the timed tickets, the MTA's elevator status, the weather, and one of us asking where the nearest restroom is (it's always further than you think). Boroughs & Brood is those tabs, tidied up and checked. The city is brilliant with kids, but it rewards the family that knows which entrance has the ramp and which playground has the sprinkler.

First and foremost, this is the guide we wanted for our own trips. We share it because it helps families who live here as much as families who are visiting.

We come at it as returning visitors, which has its uses. We notice the things locals stopped noticing years ago, like how far apart the restrooms are in Central Park, and we have to check everything properly because we can't just pop round the corner and look. So we check, and we link to where we checked.

We also write two guides to the north of England: Fell & Family (our Cumbria and Lake District guide) and Bairns & Beaches (our Northumberland guide). Same family, same rules, very different weather. Boroughs & Brood is the third, and the only one with a subway.

What we check, and how

• Every listing against the organizer's own page. Every event in The New York Almanac links to the organizer, where you book, and to the page where we checked the date and time.
• The questions parents actually ask. Which subway stop, and is it accessible? Stroller or not? Elevator or stairs? Where are the restrooms, and are they any good? Free or paid, and is there a pay-what-you-wish day? How long with a four-year-old?
• Subway access, carefully. We only call a station accessible when the MTA lists it as accessible, and we always say to check the MTA's elevator status before you rely on one, because elevators go out of service.
• Famous and lesser known, side by side. You already know about the big museums. Every guide also has smaller places most visitors miss: a library with a brilliant kids' room, a neighborhood playground with a sprinkler, a tiny historic house.
• Honest about the hard bits. Lines, crowds, prices that sting, steps with a stroller, and the places that are only good in certain weather all get a mention.
• Nothing invented. If we can't verify a price or a time, we leave it out or tell you to check before you go. Here is how the guide is made.

One email, one calendar

1. The Weekend Brood, Thursdays at 7am. The weather call, one proper day out and the family events worth leaving the apartment for that weekend.
2. The New York Almanac. Everything we have found, updated weekly, with maps, seasonal notes and a link to add it to your own calendar.

Come along

Tell us about somewhere we should try, an event we have missed, or a correction. Messages go straight to our inbox, and you can reach us on the contact page.