Today's guest blogger is Yolanda Edwards, the Travel and Lifestyle Editor at Cookie magazine and a main contributor to Cookie's wonderful new Going Places travel blog. She's also a mom who has the lowdown on where to find some serious kid-friendly fun in the Big Apple. Behold five of her favorite free things to do in NYC:

The Whispering Wall in Grand Central Station: Grand Central is a treat in itself—watching the trains come and go, looking at the amazing ceiling, seeing all the hustle bustle, and it also has a huge food court if anyone gets hungry. Located right outside The Oyster Bar (great place to get a bowl of chowder, completely caught in time), one of the most magical things is the Whispering Wall. Here's how it works: You go to a corner of the wall, and someone goes to the opposite corner...and, each of you facing your respective corners, you whisper—and you can hear each other.

Union Square Farmers Market: All year long, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, you can visit this fantastic greenmarket—plenty of room to walk around, and it's right across the street from Barnes & Noble (great if it's chilly, or the kids need a bathroom break), and Whole Foods (good place to grab lunch), plus a playground and dog run in Union Square Park (although it seems to be forever under construction!).

The Plaza Hotel: For the Eloise lovers, it's an exciting indoor activity just to walk into The Plaza (5th Ave. and Central Park S.), look for her portrait (it’s right by The Palm Court Restaurant), and then check out the extraordinary Baccarat chandeliers before going outside to look at all the horses and carriages lined up across the street along Central Park.

Heckscher Playground in Central Park: This playground (West side, near 61st and 63rd Sts) has just been redone, and it is fantastic.  It’s huge—three whole acres!—and has so much for kids of all ages.  I think it’s the best playground in the city.

Books of Wonder: This is my favorite kids' bookstore (18 W. 18th St., between 5th and 6th Aves), and there are plenty of cozy places to sit and read, as long as your kids are respectful of the books. It isn’t as chaotic and generous as Barnes & Nobles can be (I am used to seeing kids just tear through books at Barnes & Noble—and no staff ever reprimands them), but the folks at Books of Wonder are super sweet, and they have THE best selection.  They also have a great bathroom, and a Cupcake Café, and it’s across the street from City Bakery, one of our favorite places to get a coffee or a hot chocolate.