Family Fun: BONMi and the Big Apple Circus

My family recently had the pleasure of attending the Big Apple Circus in New York City.  I won the tickets from Kerri @ Raising Three Savvy Ladies and we saw the circus last Thursday.  My son was super excited, as this was his first trip to the circus.  Our last circus trip was to see the Big Apple Circus at the Palisades Center, when our almost ten year-old daughter was only two years old.  So she was as excited, since she didn’t remember the trip.  My husband was already working down in the city, so I took the train with the two kids and he met us at Grand Central Station.  With a quick subway trip on the 7 and then the local 1 uptown to 66th St./Lincoln Center we were there.  (We all got to enjoy the “lovely” experience of being jam-packed in the subway car during rush hour.)  By the time we got into the city and arrived at Lincoln Center it was close to 5:30 PM.  We wanted to eat dinner before we saw the show.  While the Lincoln Center area has plenty of restaurants, most of them seemed pretty fancy (aka- pricey), not family-friendly, and unlikely that we’d sit down, eat and be out in time for the show.

While walking down a side street, we noticed BONMi.  This is a fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant that was a perfect dining option for us!  They have customizable menu options and are reasonably priced.  Our family shared an 18-hour Beef Bahn-Mi sandwich (which the kids even ate and enjoyed with spicy mayo and chili garlic sauce!) and a Pork Belly Hot Noodle Bowl with BONMi sauce.

The food was super tasty, the staff friendly, and as a parent, I have to note the nice, clean, spacious restroom!  If you are seeing the Big Apple Circus in NYC, I highly recommend dining at BONMi.  It is located directly across the street from the circus.

Now, on to the circus!  The Big Apple Circus is performing at Lincoln Center until January 10th.  The theme of the circus is “The Grand Tour,” set in the 1920’s, complete with costumes and tent decorations to fit the theme.  When you first enter the tent there is a quick bag inspection.  They also have a free stroller check.

As you make your way to the show tent, the “Grand Tour” theme is carried throughout all of the tents with props and posters that provide many photo opportunities.

Before entering the show tent there is a food concession tent that sells hot dogs and the circus requisite cotton candy and popcorn, among other things.  There is also a merchandise stand where you can purchase souvenirs including t-shirts.  We had great amazing seats and were only 4 rows from the ring.  However, the tent is small enough that even the last row of seats isn’t more than 50 feet away from the ring.

The show is accompanied by a live band and begins with a number that includes the whole cast.  In between acts, the ring master and clowns Brent and Joel entertain the crowd.  There is plenty of audience participation as well.

In this circus show you will see lots of acts including hula hoops, acrobatics and juggling.  One of our family’s favorite acts was The Wheel of Wonder.  After the show, children up to 65 pounds can ride a pony for $10.  My son was able to enjoy one of these rides.

We don’t want to give away all the surprises though and highly recommend that you go see the Big Apple Circus for yourself!  Like I mentioned, the circus is at Lincoln Center until January 10, 2016.  It then moves to Bridgewater, New Jersey, Boston, Massachusetts and then to Queens, New York.