NYC Day 2

For Day 2 of our trip we had some serious sightseeing goals – and I was going to attempt to do most of it by foot…accompanied by a 9 and 11 year old…

First stop for the girls – American Girl for browsing and breakfast.  The store was really nice and it was fun to see all the dolls and clothing in person as opposed to on a website.  It is all crazily overpriced though and there isn’t a sale section like on the website.  One fun thing you can do though is make a custom t-shirt for your doll – which my daughter did.  The real highlight of the visit was the breakfast.  The restaurant is beautifully decorated in pink, black and white.  Each place setting has a pretty pink ponytail holder for you to take home with you.  The service was so great and efficient, we felt like we were at the Ritz!  The food was exceptional, and nut-free so my daughter could eat everything.  They had a gluten-free menu as well for my mother, so all food concerns were met.  The dessert was a little chocolate mousse in a flower pot with a pretty silk flower coming out of it…adorable.  And of course, Rachel’s doll Alexi, had her own seat and dishes at the table too.

While we were enjoying a  very girlie breakfast, the boys were living it up at the Nintendo World Store around the corner.  My son was pretty much in heaven…

After that we went to Rockefeller Centre and went to the “Top of the Rock”.  My only complaint about this was that it was kind of pricey, and there was no signage…once we bought our tickets we roamed around asking people how to get to the elevator for the attraction – a few signs pointing you in the right direction from the ticket booth would have really simplified matters.  The views were absolutely breathtaking from the top and we all really enjoyed it.  It was pretty gusty but so beautiful.  The Central Park view was our favourite.

From there, we walked up 5^th Avenue and saw all the cool buildings and designer stores.  I love the Louis Vuitton store with the Eiffel Tower sketched on the glass – so beautiful.  We stopped in at Trump Tower and took some pictures and had a snack.  Very imposing.  Then we stopped in at FAO Schwarz where my son played on the life-size piano, and the kids perused the floors and floors of toys.  Right beside there is the Apple store which of course my husband wanted to check out.  It was so busy and packed that we didn’t stay long but the entrance and glass elevator was pretty cool.  From there we headed to the Central Park Zoo where we had lunch and visited with all the animals.  What a great little zoo and so reasonable priced!  We all loved it, especially the penguins, polar bears and red pandas. 

 We went from the Zoo to Bloomingdales where the kids and my husband hung out in the visitor’s lounge while my mom and I did some shopping.  It is always just nice to be at Bloomingdales and soak in the atmosphere.  I stocked up on Kiehl’s, and went back to find my kids who looked like they were done for the day.   My son begged me to take the subway home, so we did…it took a kind New Yorker to help us buy our tickets, and then another kind New Yorker to tell us where to go to actually catch the right subway, and then we were home. 

We rested for a while and then caved into the kids’ begging to eat supper at TGI Friday’s…which was kind of scuzzy but the food was surprisingly good.  We finished up with a trip to the three story Toys R Us in Times Square and the kids had a ride on the ferris wheel…everyone went to bed exhausted!

NYC Day 1

We went as a family to New York City last week, arriving at 5pm on Monday and leaving at 11am on Thursday.  We drove in from Vermont, and decided to park at Beacon Station and take the train into the city.  This was brilliant as it made the car ride an hour shorter for the kids, made my husband so happy as he didn’t have to drive a car in New York City, and was a beautiful scenic ride in along the Hudson river.  There were two police stations right beside Beacon Station so it was very safe and parking was super cheap ($4.75 a day) as opposed to paying the hotel $35US a night.  We would definitely recommend this parking spot!

We arrived into Grand Central station and then walked the short few blocks to our hotel in Times Square.  We were staying at the Doubletree Times Square.  I was pretty worried about the hotel because everyone kept warning me about bed bugs in NYC.  There is even a website, The Bedbug Registry where you can check out if anyone has reported them at the hotel you are staying at.  It was not on the list and was happily bed bug free when we arrived.  It is right in the centre of Times Square and so fun!  The rooms were quiet and clean, with plenty of room for the five of us.  When you entered the hotel in the evening you had to show your room key to go up the elevator.  It was well worth the extra money we spent…my only complaint is they did not offer free wifi.  I think everyone should have free wifi!

We decided to have supper at Virgil’s Barbecue, it was just a five minute walk from the hotel and we had read great reviews.  I had ribs and everyone else had a hamburger.  The food was excellent, the prices were moderate and the atmosphere was perfect for a family.  It was a really great meal.

We ended up the night with a visit to Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.   The tickets were frankly astronomical!  It is definitely over priced.  But at the same time we all had a great time, and it was the perfect way to end our first day.  The kids loved seeing statues of Miley Cyrus, Johnny Depp, Diddy, Wayne Gretzky and Madonna.  Some of the wax figures are really fake looking, and some don’t look anything like the celebrity…you actually have to read the name to figure it out.  But…there are a bunch that are truly amazing, and worth checking out.  We had a great time…A perfect first day  in the city.