32 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 21, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com victoria’s secrets VICTORIA SCHNEPS [email protected] A Manhattan staycation Blake and Morgan with their square candles. Raising domestic violence awareness Morgan was mesmerized by the Sesame Street Show. come in for our WINTER specials DYNAMIC DENTAL WORK 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 175-15 JAMAICA AVENUE • JAMAICA $500 OFF $500 OFF I had planned on visiting my daughter Elizabeth in Dallas to celebrate her little Jonah turning four and to attend his school’s annual grandparents’ visiting day. But plans change. Clumsily I had slipped and torn the ligaments in my ankle and the doctor advised me to stay off it and keep it elevated. Very difficult on a plane, therefore no Dallas trip. My husband Stu had invited his son Harvey to visit from Houston with his girlfriend because I was going to be away in Dallas. I decided, since I couldn’t fly, to do my favorite staycation and spend time in Manhattan, and I did. I had invited my daughter Samantha, her husband Spencer and my treasures Blake and Morgan to join me for a fun-filled day. My little ones had their heart set on going to a store called Make Meaning. It’s a bright, colorful, joyous space that the children skipped into as we arrived. They had been there before and adored it. It’s a crafts place for all ages where you can paint, do ceramics, make a bracelet or necklace, or my favorite, create a candle or soap. A friendly, smiling assistant welcomed us to our table and explained how we could create a candle. First a shape is chosen. I selected a heart shape and the two little ones chose squares. We were then led to baskets full of brightly colored wax squares. I selected my color scheme with the idea of choosing ones that Jonah in Dallas loves, since I want to give it to him as a belated birthday gift. The last part of the candle making is to select a scent that will be added to the wax. That was the funniest part because sitting on a table are about 15 different scents with creative names. Blake chose “freshly washed man;” there was my favorite, “birthday cake” and even a scent called “dirt.” Morgan’s choice was “bubble gum.” We had such fun just sniffing each one and helping each other make the “big” decision. Our appetites were building so off we went to another favorite of the little ones, Dylan’s, a super duper candy store and ice cream shop. We made a beeline for the latter. The offerings were 20 different flavors and toppings, even a unique Oreo ice cream cone. We brought our treats to a glasscovered table with an inlay of hundreds of colorful gum balls. The details of packaging candy in a unique way is what Dylan’s is all about. With three full floors full of candy treats of all kinds, this place opposite Bloomingdale’s is heaven for kids! To complete our day we took Morgan to the Theater at Madison Square Garden, where we caught the greats of Sesame Street on stage. She was mesmerized by the actors whose performance was a learning opportunity. I didn’t get to celebrate with my darling Jonah in Dallas, but I did get to enjoy precious Blake and Morgan with their beloved parents Samantha and Spencer. And I was lucky enough to have dinner with the family’s newest addition, Hudson Dean, with parents Josh and Tracey. I spent time with Hudson too. BY ALEXA ALTMAN [email protected] Instead of flowers or chocolates, students at Plaza College celebrated Valentine’s Day by raising awareness about domestic violence. On February 14, students at the Jackson Heights college sold sweets and raffled off prizes to raise money for Safe Horizons, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence by providing counseling, mentoring and assistance with finding jobs and homes as part of VDAY, a global initiative to end violence against women. In the past, Plaza College celebrated VDAY with poetry competitions and performances of “The Vagina Monologues,” a play typically performed on Valentine’s Day that contains a series of stories about the feminine experience. This year, several on-campus organizations teamed up to expand the event. “We have never done it this big before,” said Zahid Razack, chair of the Student Affairs Committee at Plaza College. “We decided to go a little larger so I decided to make it a little better and get a little more involved. We’re trying to raise as much money as we can.” Razack said he hoped the event would raise more than $2,500 for Safe Horizons, which is located in the same building as Plaza College. THE COURIER/ PHOTO BY ALEXA ALTMAN Plaza College’s Zahid Razack; Jonathan Howle and Maria Torres celebrated Valentine’s Day by raising awareness about domestic violence.
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