Dads don’t do playdates

Illustration: Brendan Leach

Michael Zorek has a mission. The Upper West Side stay-at-home dad wants his kids to grow up to be consummate New Yorkers who know every nook and cranny of their city. So each chance he gets, the former publicist takes his son, Jeremy, 6, and daughter, Diana, 2, on a spur-of-the-moment adventure. “Sometimes we just pick a subway stop and explore what’s around it when we get off.”

When Jeremy was younger, Zorek would pack up his son, head to midtown and “look for a crowd.” Since this often led to a celebrity sighting, Zorek was able to photograph the youngster with Kirsten Dunst, Billy Joel, Jamie Foxx, Robin Williams, David Duchovny and other stars, and he posted the pictures on his website, whoisthatwithjeremy.com. Zorek encourages other at-home parents around town to take a similarly open-minded approach. “We have an amazing opportunity here in the city,” he says.

Not all of New York’s at-home dads are as intrepid as Zorek. Still, many prefer bundling up their kids and taking them on unplanned expeditions to scheduling playdates with other families.