The owner of the venue was outside last night at the end of the party (rare big snow storm) putting down salt and instructing his workers to clean the snow off of the guests' cars. I would be remiss in not posting! Bat Mitzvah was super fun, venue beautiful and amazing.... read more

I had a fantastic experience with Steven and Regina. The Bat Mitzvah party was beautiful and they were very easy to work with. I would definitely recommend LIFE for your event! read more

I had my daughters first bday there in March. I was disappointed because a few things were promised to me that never happened. I chose to let this go because i knew nothing would come out of it. Something similar happened to someone else - so I'd rather post this review so people can avoid it. Ps the person i dealt with up to the event was fabulous. That's what the star is for. Everything from service to end was horrific. Also they really need to tel people that whoever they delegate to hand out favors - doesn't exist. I handed out favors because i noticed half of them were there when party was over. read more

They're terrible let me list the reasons: Cleanliness - dirty, rarely or maybe never cleaned, furniture stained, floor dirty with dust and trash Staff - inexperienced, lazy, non attentive, essentially the same as if no one were there mostly. Unprofessional. Food - below the level of any other venue by far, outsourced to the cheapest source possible and bad quality. Price - bad value, a total ripoff is most accurate, they're cheat you out of every cent possible in every way possible to put it plain Note: they were closed for months with no parties going on and I'm not sure they're even doing any new parties or if the owners are changing and the place is being redone to something else from what people have been saying but if they are doing parties now be very cautious about going there unless you literally have to because you're invited for something mandatory. read more

I went here for my niece's Bat Mitzvah celebration and every aspect of this place exceeded my expectations. There were close to 200 guests, 100+ of whom were 13 year olds. The party was catered to the kids, but I had a great time. From the music to the food and the great service, everything was first class and very well organized. The kids danced all night long and the adults all seemed to have a great time too. read more

This is the first time & probably the last time that I am glad that Yelp was wrong . We celebrated the birthday of our child & we were impressed & very grateful from the help we received during the whole process . Chelsea , Alyssa & Abby were all patient & gracious during the whole process . Our party turned out to be a bit bigger than we were prepared for & our room was upgraded without additional charges . We even overstayed by 30 min & we never felt that we were being rushed out . On my case , I will gladly book my next event there again . Thank you again Chelsea & Team . read more

Life The Place To Be - The aftermath of the party - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Ardsley, New York

Review I recently had my daughters Sweet 16 at "LIFE the place to be" in Ardsley NY. After the initial meeting with the owner we were excited to have our party at this venue. Unfortunately, once the day of the party came my expectations were not met. We paid a lot of money for this party and expected more. First, we were obligated to pay $225 for a security guard at the party. He was supposed to make sure all the kids remained in the room and were not getting into any trouble. The owner also said it was to take the burden off the hosts and not make us the "bad guys". He was also supposed to monitor the gifts and the favors to ensure no one took the gifts or too many favors at the end of the evening. This never happened. He stood between the 2 sets of front doors in the dark and never came out. I had to walk around and round up kids, instead of being in the party. More than half the favors were not taken because no one was instructed to take them. Definitely not worth the $225 plus tip that this man received. During setup the one of the staff was walking around with open toe house slippers on. This same staff had no personality when handing out the passed appetizers when the party started. Another staff who was supposed to be helping sat on his phone until I finally went over and said something. I was told during dessert we would get coffee and tea. This was part of the menu/contract. When asked where the coffee was, we were told they don't serve coffee/tea. However, I paid for it. Halfway through the night guests went to bar and asked for water. They were told they ran out of water. For dessert we picked the "Ice Cream Sundae Fun Station" as one of our choices. To say it was underwhelming is an understatement. The ice cream was melting, served in little plastic tumblers and there were 3 small containers with toppings. What screams fun about that. It wasn't even out for the entire dessert time. They just left the station with a few cups of melted ice cream. It wasn't until I made a comment that they brought it back out for just a few more minutes. Again, something that was paid for. I was emailed after the event by one of the employees asking how the evening went. I wound up speaking to her and she was going to bring the issues up to the owner. It is almost a week later and he hasn't reached out in any way. I have to say that I would not recommend this venue. I paid a significant amount of money for this party and not getting what I paid for is very upsetting. read more

If you're looking for a place to hold a wedding venue , wedding reception or just a place to have a great drink, please look no further then here from the amazing staff to the AMZING owners it was everything plus some. The decor my wife & I choose were perfect. Thank you again for allowing my family to celebrate there. If I could give 6 stars I absolutely would. read more

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This isn't a nice place at all. It's not clean the vibe is gloomy and dark. The workers seem lost or maybe new hires.

It's good that they're finally closing down. They were one of the worst places to throw your party at. I mean they literally use throw away paper dishes and plastic forks and cups there. Imagine having a real event for adults with little children accommodations lol that's what you get from these people. I haven't been there in a while but I stopped anyone from ever even thinking of going to Life for any reason even just the arcades. read more

This "business" has become a Ponzi scheme essentially trying to take money from people for future bookings to pay for people demanding money back and for canceled events and to try to keep the place still open while they are trying to sell it to someone. They had no events during the busiest time of the season but they're going around saying they're doing better than ever if you're asking about using them for a party or if you're asking for your deposit back and mention their troubles. read more

Be careful people. This venue is open only by appointment now and hasn't done any parties/events in months. But they're still holding on to deposits and taking new ones......all while trying to sell the business or end operations and close up for good. read more

Life isn't no place to be lol. It's closing now or maybe closed already but I got in there for a party that went really bad. They use plastic forks and dishes that's how trash they are. The food will make you throw up. I guess they never heard of a mop and soap neither because the place was way dirty. Now my cousin told me they're closing up. If they're closing soon I hope somewhere better opens up in its place but y'all need to just let Life go in the grave it's got no chance of surviving. Bad businesses like this need to be taken off the market asap. read more

I've been here once and it was dim and dirty like others have said - needless to say not a good time but I was a guest so I attended. Now people are telling me they had to cancel all the events during the best months this year because they're having operational and financial troubles. I strongly advise anyone considering putting down money for a future party to look elsewhere. Some people are saying that they're planning on closing down for good not just temporarily like they already did and you could lose your money and essentially become a creditor (and good luck recovering your money then). read more

My dear friend had her daughter's college graduation party held there this month. Place was nice but here are my observations: 1) No table centerpieces . Thank goodness my friend provided some candles and very pretty thank you gifts on the table-- but those are hers ! Imagine if she didn't place anything on those individual table !!? 2) Cake was not sliced and served on individual tables -- just placed at the corner so no one knew that cake/ coffee was served later 3) Hors d'oeuvre trays were empty for the most part 4) Main course, except for chicken parm, was not at par. 5) We had to ask for utensils. They don't regularly check it ? The top/ ceiling decoration was great. They didn't do much other than that. I wouldn't recommend this place due to disorganized service. I think you're 're not getting what you signed for. read more

I booked this venue after seeing such good reviews and I can confidently say I do *NOT* recommend it at all. It was horribly overpriced and the service was horrible-- so bad that I made a Yelp account just to leave a review. I booked it for my daughter's graduation party, and we were promised so many things like crystal centerpieces for each table and an appetizer table in the beginning. When we got there, the centerpieces were nowhere to be found, the appetizer table literally had empty trays on it the entire time, and the main food brought out was late. The "included microphone and dock" was not set up when the event started. The only centerpieces on the tables were ones that we had brought and set up ourselves (with no help from the crew). The food itself wasn't even good, nor was it nearly enough for the guests we had (and 10 people cancelled last minute too, so there should have been extra). Our guests told us a few days later that they were too embarrassed to tell us how bad the food was. Our friend who was MCing was told to tell the guests food was ready and the staff said to tell everyone to wait 10 more minutes. When the food was brought out, we had to constantly ask servers to bring out plates and serving spoons, instead of them taking care of everything. Before the event even started, the event manager messaged us asking at least a $1,000 in cash only to tip the staff who was on their phones for most of the time. Maybe this venue is okay for young children but absolutely not for anyone else! read more

I'm glad I thought to come here with my energetic 3 year old on a cold, rainy day mid-week. We had the soft-play area to ourselves. He had a blast and got to let off some steam. Glad to know this place is here- winter is coming! For $12.95, we got access to the soft play area, which has a large climbing/play structure with slides, etc. and a small area with ride-on and other types of toys. Think of it as an indoor playground. This place is large,and has different areas - a party/event space, bowling, lazier tag. Can't comment on those aspects of Life the Place to Be, but I would definitely recommend the indoor playspace for anyone with kids. read more

Life The Place To Be - Soft play area. Great fun for an energetic 3 year old on a boring rainy day. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Ardsley, New York

I had a terrific time celebrating my son's birthday at LIFE. The staff was terrific and courteous, everything was as we had hoped and the kids had a wonderful time. Recommend! read more

We attended a bday party for my cousins 2nd bday party here on a Sunday. The place is huge, with many areas for kids and adults of all ages to play. They had a bouncy castle, a huge jungle gym and video games as well as a ping pong table. Appropriate for small children and the private room where we ate after playing was large comfy and accommodating. The management did a good job with the catered food spread and cake cutting. This sitting/eating area served its purpose well. Now, there were ALOT of young (think young 20 yr olds) who were working here and while they were very polite and friendly, a few had just started working there and could not answer some of my questions fully. Overall a good place to hold a bday party for children under 6. read more

they advertise that they're open but you go by and the doors are locked no one there. a lot of people are saying the same thing too. is this business still open or did they close down? read more

Sharon and Steve provided everything we needed for our son's bar mitzvah. They were very hands on and every detail was taken care of. I didn't have to worry about one thing. Sharon took care of all the decorations, which were beautiful. All the guest loved the DJ and MC Delano. I wouldn't think twice about having another event here in the future. read more

Ok, let's cut through some of these less than positive reviews... I hosted my girls' B'Not Mitzvah at Life. I had my choice of every venue and selected Life because it was what my children wanted. This is an unparalleled venue in all of NY, forget Westchester alone. Like many mothers wanting the closest thing to perfection we can get for our kids, I read the reviews and called Steven Zuckerman (owner) about some comments pre signing a contract. Not only did Steven address every concern, I knew I was in the right hands to host our most special party. My standards are high and Life exceeded them. Not only do they care, their team will go above and beyond everything you could ask for. Sharon Zuckerman is sheer class who creates events with care and creativity. If anyone out there is on the fence and serious about hosting an event, have Steven Zuckerman give you my contact and I will be happy to answer questions so you, too, can have the peace of mind that your party will be epic. read more

pathetic place- DUMP -NOT the place for a pageant !!, or anything else with any kind of class.... We went here for the miss Westchester Pageant; the place looks like a dirty old abandoned warehouse, on the shady side of town, just steps off of the parkway...NOT a place for ANY kind of pageant..even too scary for Honey Boo Boo...overall - the place and the whole night was a JOKE.. There was NO organization to anything, NO ONE knew what they were doing, the pageant organizers (nose in the air - stuck up, snobs) and staff were running around with their head up their ass's - like deer in a headlight ! The seating was very disfunctional confusing and too night club'ish, and made NO sense, not at all appropiate for a pageant- could see better if I stand.up - and people were standing up in front of others, blocking thier view, trying to get photos, climbing over others, and sticking their ass in others faces...- there were a few fights breaking out . . Lighting was awful, looks like they took 2 rented scisser lifts and screwed cheap lights to them, and strung christmas lights around for ambiance. The sound was terrible - too much echo, sounded like you were in a warehouse, couldn't understand anything the MC was saying. The line up was all screwed up, the MC announced the wrong names, girls were in the wrong order, and the organizers seemed like they just didnt give a shit..-. The dance rountine was a debockle , the girls were tripping over each other because the stage was too small for all 30 girls at one time. Who ever directed the dance routine should be shot, very child like dancing. Poor training during rehearseals. .The black dresses provided by the pageant look like they were poorly fitted on the girls, and had the Walmart quality to them. .AND $20 to PARK valet or NOT, bullshit........ the parking valets were scary looking punks who you would not trust with your car!!!! AND NO Bar, NO drinks, NO snack bar, nothing, ....... This place better serves its use as a playground for little kids, NOT a VENUE Place. Should be renamed "LIFE, the place to be - afraid of" read more

Recently had my daughter's Bat Mitzvah reception. The owner and staff were so accommodating. Great entertainment for kids and adults,. The MC, Sam was so great for my daughter. Helped me out when I had a problem. Good food and drinks. Overall, I would highly recommend Life! Thanks again Steven! read more

Exceptional event space. Perfect for an MD-PhD retreat, especially if you just need to escape the claustrophobia of Manhattan's Upper East Side. So why not: Bring your (a) prizeworthy PPT presentation, (b) paper-ready poster, (c) pipettes, and of course (d) your game faces! If you only go to one MD-PhD retreat this year, make sure it's this one! read more

My son recently had his 6th birthday party at LIFE the place to be. The experience with the venue was excellent. It was seamless and stress-free from the first phone call to inquire about the venue to the end, where they helped us load our car. Their level of professionalism was well noted. On the day of my son's event, everything went as planned. Our decorations were set up beautifully and exactly how we wanted them. Everything was done smoothly and promptly, like a well-oiled machine from the kids transitioning to different play areas to the food presentation and cake cutting.  Our adult guests truly enjoyed the ambiance of the venue and the food. The kids in attendance mentioned at the end of the party that they had a blast! We want to extend our thanks to Denise, Regina, Chelsea, Chris, and (Damani, our primary party host), who did not miss a beat. Awesome job. read more

DONT EVEN WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!!! This place is a rip off!! The games don't even work! I have a 2 year old after I told the guy that he made me pay for the arcade cause he told me they didn't have anything for her age then I find an area call the soft play which is designed for little kids needless to say I ended up paying 15 bucks plus an additional 12.50 when I said something his response was oh I thought u heard me!!! Total disgust don't waste ur money read more

Celebrated my son Aidan's 10th Birthday with Laser Tag today!!! Thanks to Betty(party hostess) and Tommy(manager), my son and the whole family had the most amazing time ever!!! Thank you LIFE for being super attentive and making sure everything was just the way we wanted!!! I highly recommend LIFE for a great Birthday party experience...speak to Tommy!!! read more

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This was a horrible experience. We actually won a charity event which included membership and tickets to this place. When we went there half of the games were not working. The mini bowling supposedly did not work. The staff at the front desk was not cooperative. There was a private event going on while we were there and it seemed all the attention was pointed towards that which kinda sucked. The kids were in the bouncy house and the thing collapsed. They were traumatized and didn't want to do anything after that. The extra admission passes we had gotten we just gave it away to a lady with a son. I would not spend a penny coming here the place is not kept well. Unfriendly staff. We asked to speak to the manager and they basically said to fill out a form and they will get back to you. I wouldn't have came here due to all the constant bad reviews but since we won the charity event we decided to give it a try. If i knew this was going to be the outcome of the experience I would have just saved my time and shredded the certificate. They def need to do better than this. read more

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Do NOT BOOK THIS PLACE for your party . I had attended my niece's bat mitzvah here a while back And the family encountered problem after problem dealing with this guy . 1) the DJ was around 1 hour late according to the contracted time so the guests just milled about for the first hour with no MC or music for 25% of the party. He blamed traffic and the owner backed him up and said it was no big deal. I've never heard of a DJ being late to a party! My sister tried to book her own professional DJ but the owner put up so my obstacles that he made it impossible to use an outsider so she went with his LATE unprofessional DJ, who late, then couldn't operate the video projection to show the bat mitzvah montage . 2) their video system did not work so they were unable to play the video montage that my sister commissioned and which was also in the contract that it would be played . 3) the waitress DROPPED THE CAKE that cost over $500 . Yes she dropped the cake on the floor on the way to the candle lighting ceremony rendering it useless for eating and for candle lighting . They did not even offer to provide a replacement cake and even tried to serve it to the guests AFTER IT FELL ON THE FLOOR. Yes they plated the floor fallen cake and tried to serve it until my sister said ABSOLUTELY NOT. When my sister talked to the owner manager he basically said "tough luck sue me". When she said we might have to, then he offered my sister a $100 refund for a party costing several thousands of dollars. After a few weeks of trying to negotiate more he offered $150 so we cut our losses and took it but my brother in law had to call many times to get this "refund" check, the owner had excuse after excuse why he didn't mail it and eventually he stopped answering the phone yet BIL for the party had paid many thousands in full and in advance according to the contract . WARNING WARNING DO NOT BOOK THE PLACE . The place is a horror and the owner is even worse just read his other reviews too Update: this owner is denying this happened yet he saw it with his own eyes and did offer and give an insubstantial refund check after making us call him a dozen times and him insulting and lying to us during the times he actually answered At this point this happened several years ago and everything was documented The contract , call log , the refund check . As well as Pictures and video of everything stated above. Also the video system was inoperable although in the contract it said they would show a montage video that we commissioned from a professional, the kind that you see at this type of party But they couldn't play it although it was in the contract . I have PROOF of everything and this self proclaimed easy going owner is everything but - as well as being a bad liar and a poor businessman in the hospitality business . Just for us to get $150 an inadequate refund check he didn't accept most calls , never returned called and offered $100 for a party that costs-many thousands. These are The type of people you NEVER want to do business with. She has proof of everything and he has "I don't remember anything ". Well he wrote the $150 refund check to Ms. ..... so he can figure out by that in his banking statements Who this is and then provide her with a substantial refund Just look at the other reviews the TOTAL is hovering between 1-2 when any legit good places you would WANT TO book would be a 4-5 . BUYER BEWARE stay away. Terms of a contract means nothing to this guy after he gets paid read more

I had the best experience having my son's 1st Birthday Party at Life the Place to Be! Thomas, the kid's party manager, was so pleasant, helpful and organized the day perfectly! Our host, Gabby, was also terrific and helpful! Great service, food and activities for the children! I highly recommend if you are looking for a staff to help run your party, entertain the kids, serve guest and help with the clean up process! read more

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These bad reviews could not be more wrong! I had my daughters' 4th birthday party in one of their soft playroom and it was AMAZING! I couldn't believe this huge space was reserved for only us! It had the jungle gym, a huge open space, couches for the adults, our own bathrooms, a rock-climbing wall, toy cars for the kids to ride on and a section for smaller toddlers/babies! Not to mention, everything was super neat and clean! Then, we had a party room for cake and food in a separate room within that humongous room! The staff was great and very attentive! When they opened up the rock climbing wall they had staff to supervise the kids. The food was great...my daughter is not a super fan of pizza so I asked if I could have chicken fingers and fries for her and they accommodated at no extra cost! I dropped off the decorations a few days before and they did a fantastic job with setting it up. I worked with Chelsea and Alyssa when planning the party and met Alyssa the day of the party! The entire staff was so nice and greeted each guest! Lastly, the owner Steven is so professional to work with and came to my party to greet me and my fiance. He knows how to run his business! 5-star place and staff! I highly recommend! I would definitely do another party there any time! I wish I took photos of the actual space but we were having too much fun! read more

Brought the boys I babysit here over the summer for a day of fun. A lot of the games were broken and we kept having trouble finding someone to help us. It was also pretty pricey just to play some arcade games. Might be great for events, I know someone who went to a party here and loved it, but I wouldn't recommend if you are trying to kill sometime or a rainy day with kids. read more

we had so much fun here! the arcades, ping ping air hockey were a lot of fun and laser tag was a blast! I would definitely book a party here! read more

I was very disappointed with the place. I brought my young kids to the play area on a rainy day. I thought it was relatively new but the kids play area is dirty and needs to be better maintained. The toys are mostly broken and the rest needs batteries replaced. The space has lots of potential. read more

We recently had our 6 year old twins birthday party at Life, the place to be. My twins chose an arcade / soft play party. Our entire experience from booking the party to the actual party date was great! The staff was very helpful and friendly, the party choices and add ons included everything we wanted and most importantly a great time was had by all. The "all inclusive" party included cupcakes, pizza, drinks, favors and a tshirt signed by all the guests for our twins to keep! We literally only had to show up. The party staff catered to our every need and were super fun and energetic. This place is truly a unique and fun place for a kids party! read more

I was looking for a place where I could do some work as a freelance graphic designer while my kids kept busy. "Life the place to be" turned out to be perfect. My children had a blast playing in the kid's section, while I was able to get lots of work done (which is rarely possible with the kids at home). I highly recommend visiting Life with the kids. In addition, I happen to know Steven (the owner) and his family and they are some of the nicest people you'll meet. read more

We went to a Bat Mitzvah this past weekend and it was horrible. The volume was so loud we couldn't speak to other people at our table. My ears are still ringing 36 hours later. Even if we went out near the rest rooms, the echo from the other room was so loud we had to yell to be heard. The food was horrible. The main course was cold and my meat was basically all fat. I went away hungry and miserable. There is one positive I would like to mention, though. Once I posted the above review, the owner of the venue responded to me and promised to discuss the volume with the DJ and to look into the food issue. It is good when an owner takes that kind of pride in his place that he accepts feedback such as mine and looks for ways to improve. read more

Life, definitely NOT the place to be. Brought my two year old daughter to the open play area...FILTH!!!!!! The play area has a no shoe policy, the amount of adults stomping on the foam tiles with shoes was alarming with ZERO staff enforcing the rule. Not only were they not enforcing the rule, they broke it while wearing shoes on the mats themselves. Mats were blackish gray colored instead of bright rainbow colors. . Dirty and filthy. The dust bunnies under each play piece was horrifying. Patents and caregivers say at the majorly-used couch areas with their FEET (with shoes) on the tables and couches where toddlers take breaks to rest, drink and maybe even eat. Disgusting on so many levels. And why staff doesn't d force good hygiene is perplexing. So disappointed in myself for bringing my daughter here during flu season, a germ breeding factory, and for especially not reading prior reviews. Please, parents and families, do not bring your children here. And if filth doesn't bother you....let's talk about the dangerous rock climbing which completely impedes upon the toddler play area with no staff supervision. Older children were swinging on dangerous harnesses parallel to and on top of two year olds. How this place is still open for business is beyond me? We walked out without paying only because ZERO staff was on site. No one knew I was there or not. I saw young children playing underneath the open play place structures. There must be holes and gaps in the play area allowing children to play in unsafe and unsupervised zones. SCARY!!!!!!!!! Now, I have to hope my child didn't catch the flu from this place, YIKES!!!!!!!! I'll have to refrain from editing this review over and to share my dismay and disgust with such an establishment. Beware! read more

We had a school graduation party at Life. It was amazing. Steve and the team were well prepared for 150 8th graders. Everyone was safe, happy and entertained. The DJ and MC kept everyone engaged in the party. All over a great experience I highly recommend this venue. read more