Here’s an interesting email that we found on the BoCoCa Parents group concerned what the writer alleges are dirty conditions at a local spot for kids called the NY City Explorers located at 388 Atlantic Ave. Here is the email:
This has been bothering me for quite some time since I emailed the owners to inquire about the cleaning schedule and standards at NYC Explorers and got absolutely no response.
I had been there for a birthday party once before and had fun, so I recently purchased a 10-pack play pass. I took my son over a month ago on a weekend to play, and a childless girlfriend of mine tagged along. The place was absolutely filthy, so much so that my friend commented on it. You could feel the grainy floor beneath your bare feet, which felt like it hadn’t been swept/Swiffered/mopped/whatever in weeks. Needless to say our feet were black with dirt when we left! There were a ton of broken toys (including 2 out of 3 strollers), dolls, pillows and carpets that looked completely ragged and dirty, and stained chair upholstery in desperate need of a shampoo.
A lot of their toys and accessories are from IKEA (I know this because we have a lot of them in our home) so clearly they are not designed for commercial wear and tear, which is probably why they break so easily and look so “used.” But broken toys are completely unsafe and I was shocked to see anything of this nature out on the floor for children to use.
I emailed the owners to explain my experience and ask about their policies and never heard back…I am by no means a neat freak, my son eats Cheerios off the floor and loves to play in the dirt. So for me to be this bothered by what we saw, it had to be bad. We’ve been to NYC Kids Club and Apple Seeds, and in both those places you could eat off the floor.
Their website notes they’ll be closed from August 31-September 6 and have a “grand re-opening” on September 7, so perhaps they are cleaning and re-tooling the place.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Boerum Hill // Aug 27, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I walked by here on Saturday night / Sunday morning around 1am and was surprised to see a line stretching down the block. As I got closer I could hear dance music blaring and passed a bouncer checking ID’s at the door. What kind of parties do the kids have here? Perhaps that’s why the floors are so dirty?
2 Ivy // Jan 17, 2009 at 10:33 am
Is your apartment any cleaner?
Instead of trashing local business publicly, why don’t you give the business owners some private and constructive feedback? NYCityExplorers is a wonderful destination for children, and a relief for parents and caretakers who want to see children stimulated and entertained in a safe environment. Don’t like the space? Stay home.
3 Cat // Mar 11, 2009 at 9:48 pm
I agree with Ivy. My 4 yr-old attended summer camp there all of July and August 2008 and I have nothing but praise for the two amazing women who own the business, one of whom had a baby last August which may explain the communication issue. I am impressed that they use only non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products (mostly bought from Go Green Brooklyn – 485 Atlantic) and maybe the floors don’t emulate the faux-shiny suburban floors we see in TV ads, but we live in NYC for goodness sakes! I live near the second location, in Prospect Heights and it works for me. We’re going back for camp this year and I plan to eat off the floor.
4 Liza // Mar 24, 2009 at 11:54 am
I’ve been here several times and have not seen anything other than clean conditions, un-broken (and nice) toys, and a staff that really cares about the kids. They do a “green” clean a few times throughout the day. This is a great spot!