Back in the fall, when Eliza’s friends began turning 13 and having parties, I asked her what she would like to do for her 13th birthday. Her first response was, “I’d like to go to New York with just you!” “Not dad?” I asked. “Nope, just you!” “You sure you don’t want to bring your sister?” “Nope!” (Insert protests from Louise!) “Ok, so just you and me in NYC?” “Yep! That is all I want!” Well, again, knowing how quickly time is zooming and how I actually have never done a one on one with any of my children, I agreed to this request, and immediately began planning our girls’ trip!

New York can be overwhelming when planning because there is so much to do, there are so many resources out there, and there are so many opinions on what you should and should not do. We took the children last December, but mostly focused on Christmas activities, so this trip would allow us to hit some other spots we missed out on, which gave me a good start for the planning process. And when you only have two people travel, you have a lot less opinions to deal with on what to do or who to try to please, so the planning began to take shape.

The one thing I detest when traveling is to be completely over scheduled. Yes, there is a lot to see. But, everywhere I go, especially if I am traveling with my children, I go in with the mentality that there is no way to see it all and that is ok! I also like to keep plans specific to areas, so minimize the back and forth of transportation, because you lose a lot of time if you book something in one part of town and have to rush to the other side for something. So my plan began with having day one be a really touristy day and focusing on things in midtown, then the second day, allowing for time to wander and see a different area of Manhattan. I will pat myself on the back because the timing of everything worked out beautifully. We were busy enough, but never felt rushed or like we had overexerted ourselves.

The night we arrived, I made a late reservation at Serendipity in Times Square. Serendipity is known for its famous frozen hot chocolate, and I felt like this would be a good place to grab a late night snack and dessert once we arrived. Like all the touristy places in NYC, Serendipity was fun to see, and the perfect thing to do the first night, but it is overpriced and the food is mediocre for what you get. However, you know that going in, so just embrace that experience, especially when traveling with a tween or teen, who thinks it is amazing.

Our first day focused on “touristy” things, so what better way to start the day than breakfast at Ellen’s Stardust Diner!? Everyone I have heard from said this was a must do. I was between Ellen’s, which everyone is familiar with, or Gayle’s Broadway Rose, which I read was similar, but you could make a reservation. Since we have not done Ellen’s, and my main focus was hitting the tourist spots we have never hit before, we chose Ellen’s. Our plan was to get there early, in order to avoid a wait. And that plan worked brilliantly. We arrived around 9:30 and while it was busy, it was not packed, and we were able to immediately get a table for 2. In a nutshell, I am glad we did Ellen’s, but I could take it or leave it. The food was mediocre, and while the singing was entertaining, I would prefer to have had a nicer breakfast someplace else. But, I’ve checked the box the next time Ellen’s comes up in convo, and I am glad to have experienced it.

Since we got in and out of Ellen’s pretty quickly, we had some time to kill before our reservations at Rise NY. We walked around Times Square, grabbed a coffee, and popped into Sephora. Then we hit up Rise NY, which again, is a good “I’ve checked the NY box and done this touristy thing.” The museum part was pretty good, but I will say, the ride at the end was worth the ticket price! It was a virtual reality, where you feel like you are flying over all the highlights of NYC. It was amazing! And I loved that it showed the hotspots because it was a good intro to the city for the weekend!We left Rise NY and since we had time before lunch, walked all around Rockefeller Plaza! No matter how old you are, FAO Schwartz and even the American Girl store are still fun to walk through!

On the recommendation of some guys I met a few weeks prior to our trip, we ate lunch at a cozy little ramen spot called Kin Ramen. It was in midtown, so it suited our first day itinerary perfectly. And I will say, it was definitely worth it! I actually don’t think I have ever eaten at an actual ramen place, so the menu was a little tricky for me. But I ordered what the waitress recommended and it was divine. I would highly recommend this spot!

I knew we may be a bit tired this first day, so I booked a matinee for our first show. Eliza has never seen a Broadway show and even commented, “I have never seen a play before with adult actors!” Wow! I guess up to this point, I have only taken her to children’s theatre type shows. Big mom fail! In all honesty, I forgot how much I LOVE a Broadway show until we saw “&Juliet” on this trip! This show was incredible! It was written as if Juliet had not died at the end of Romeo and Juliet, but told through pop songs by artists such as Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, etc. It was unbelievably creative, funny, and so much fun! I got so tickled when Eliza whispered to me, halfway through the show, “Mom, do you think these actors are hoping they will make it one day?” I was like, “Ummm….they have made it! This is Broadway!” Haha! I remember not understanding that Broadway was not like, one specific place, when I was around her age, so I bet that is what she thought too!

I am glad we did the afternoon show, because it gave us a little more time to walk around. We hit up the NY Library, which I have never been inside before, and some time to walk through Zara, then head home to shower for dinner. On the recommendations of many people in a NYC Facebook group I sought advice from, we chose Patsy’s Italian for dinner. It was within walking distance of the hotel, which is something I really wanted on that first day. It is right by Carnegie Hall, so it would be a great spot to grab dinner if you were ever up there to see a show there. Patsy’s was the perfect, old school NY Italian restaurant I was hoping for. In fact, when I was talking to mom and dad, dad told us it was his favorite spot when he used to go to New York for business. That made me love Patsy’s even more! After a delicious dinner of veal parmesan and pasta, we tucked it in, and fell asleep watching Phantom of the Opera on the Broadway channel.

Our plan for the second day was to explore the lower part of Manhattan. We grabbed breakfast at Broad Nosh Bagel (only about a 10 minute walk from the hotel) then hopped in a cab to the 9/11 museum. On our last trip to NYC, I did not want to do this with little Laurence, and I even felt like Louise was still a little young. I also was not sure I was emotionally ready for this experience yet. However, I am not sure when I will get back to New York, and after a lot of thought, decided Eliza was the perfect age for this experience and I was right. I am really glad we did this. It took about an hour and a half and I cannot get over how well done this museum is. It really brings honor to so many people who lost their lives that day, as well as the many many people who were impacted that day. It also brings a sense of love of America, which I sometimes feel has been lost as of late. It was beautiful and I would highly recommend going with children who are older.

After the 9/11 museum, we walked the one mile it took to reach SOHO for lunch at Balthazaar. Walking is my favorite because it gives you a chance to really see the city. Balthazaar, as one would expect, was delicious! Very buzzy, very packed and very cozy. Mary Katherine sent Eliza money to go have a drink at The Crosby Hotel, which was right by Balthazaar. I am thankful for people like MK, who know these cool spots that I would not have had on my radar. The Crosby is a swanky boutique hotel, with a really cool bar. They also do an afternoon tea, which I would recommend over a place like The Plaza. We did not do the tea, but got a seat in the bar area, where I got a cocktail and Eliza got a dessert. We then wandered through the West Village, towards Chelsea Market. There were SO many shops that I would have loved to stop in in the west village! Why does there never seem to any time for shopping when you are in the shopping capital of the world?! We breezed through Chelsea Market, then hit up Lulu Lemon, where Eliza had some gift cards to spend. We then walked the Highline, where it was snowing and so cold, but really pretty to see, and ended at Hudson Yards, for a quick breeze through of those stores. We grabbed a cab back to the hotel, where we dropped our bags and did a quick change before our final NY activity!

When I originally planned our itinerary, I planned to go to Tavern on the Green for dinner. However, since we had had SO much fun at “&Juliet” the day before, we decided to cancel dinner and book another show. This flexibility and last minute plan change was probably my favorite part of the trip with my girl! We grabbed a quick bite of pizza at a place across from the theatre, where we bought tickets to see “MJ.” This was by far the best decision of the weekend! MJ was incredible! The actor who played Micheal was spot on. The music was, as one would guess, so much fun. In fact, we sat near a lady who I think truly thought she was at a Michael Jackson concert and whooped and hollered the ENTIRE show. But I actually think her energy made the show even better!

We tucked it in that night, fulfilled with two incredible days in NYC! I booked a mid day flight the next day, which was perfect because it gave us enough time to grab a quick breakfast before heading to the airport, which note for next time, is cheaper to get to by Uber than by a cab!

I could not be happier that Eliza suggested a one on one trip to NYC for her 13th birthday. I look back at pictures from the last 13 years and get a gut punch of how in the world has this happened so quickly?! I do sometimes miss that precious baby stage, and I do sometimes miss her as a feisty little toddler. But as each year passes, and I get to experience each stage with Eliza, as well as Louise and Laurence, I know that each stage is laced with its own wonderful newness and joys. I know that it’s ok to miss the past, but I also know it’s ok to get excited about the future, as I get to watch in real time, my children grow into the people God created them to be. It’s a miraculous thing to experience. As we enter this “teen” stage, I may go out on a limb here and say, so far, this may be my favorite time with Eliza. This trip was the perfect time to spend with just her and I cannot wait to do more in the future with her, as well as Louise and Laurence! What a gift!

Our Itinerary in a Nutshell

Friday, January 17

-Arrive at LGA at 8:15 and take Uber to Warwick hotel 

-10:15 p.m. reservation at Serendipity 3 for a birthday dessert.

-Walk through Times Square and home before midnight. 

Saturday, January 18

-Ellen’s Stardust Diner for breakfast. Less than 10 minute walk from hotel. Left hotel a little after 8:30 and we had no wait! Food was mediocre. I am glad we did it to say we did it, but I won’t be rushing back. 

-Walked back through Times Square and grabbed another coffee.

–10:30 a.m. RISE NY tickets (Took exactly 1 hour.) The museum was ok, the virtual reality ride was incredible…that made it worth the ticket price. 

-Walked to Rockefeller Plaza. Went into FAO Schwartz, American Girl, etc. 

-12:30- lunchat Kin Ramen 129 West 56th Street (No reservation. Short wait and easy to get in at the bar with the 2 of us. It is a small place, but has an upstairs. Whole party must be there to be seated.) Incredible ramen and cozy atmosphere.  Quick stop back at the hotel after lunch.

-2 p.m. Tickets to see “&Juliet” Stephen Sondheim Theatre 124 West 43rd Street (approximately 2 hours) Less than 10 minute walk from the hotel. We arrived at 1:50. LOVED this show! I’d rate this a PG-13, so would not take little ones, although there were a lot of little kids at the show. 

–4:45-Walked to the NY Public library to look around. Made a stop into Zara. Back to the hotel around 6:15 to shower. 

–7:30 p.m.– Dinner at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant 236 West 56th Street Less than 10 minute walk to hotel. Loved the old school atmosphere! 

Sunday, January 19

-8:45- Breakfast at Broad Nosh Bagel. So good and very quick. 10 minute walk from the hotel. Got an Uber to 9/11 museum right at Broad Nosh. About a 15-20 minute ride. 

–9:30 a.m. 9/11 Museum (Spent an hour and a half. Could have spent a little more time, but left at noon.) 

12:00- Left 9/11 and walked to SOHO for lunch reservation. Only a little over one mile walk from 9/11. If we had more time, we could have walked through Chinatown, but we did Chinatown last trip, so not priority to see this time.

-12:30 p.m.- Lunch at Balthazar (reservations) 80 Spring Street

-1:30 p.m.– Popped into the MOMA shop across from Balthazar. Lots of cool trinkets to look at. 

-2:00 p.m.- Drink and dessert at the bar at Crosby Street hotel. SUPER cute! Bar is first come first serve, or you can make a reservation for tea. We did not want to do the tea, so a dessert was perfect. Kids cannot sit at the actual bar, but there were small little tables in the bar area that were first come, first serve.

-3:00 p.m.- walked from Crosby Street Hotel to Chelsea Market. A little over a mile, but walked through the West village, with lots of cute shops. Walked through Chelsea Market, got on the High Line and walked to Hudson Yards. A little more shopping at Hudson yards. 

5:45 p.m.—Cab back to hotel, quick change.

-6:30 p.m.- Left hotel at 6:30 and grabbed a slice of pizza from Angelina’s, across from the Neil Simon theatre. Nothing spectacular, but we needed to eat before the show, we were on a time crunch, and this was quick and easy.

(Originally I had reservations at Tavern on the Green for dinner, but we had so much fun seeing a show on Saturday, so we canceled dinner when we woke up on Sunday and booked MJ instead! Best decision ever!)

–7:00 MJ the Musical! Amazing!

Monday, January 20

8:00 a.m.-Coffee and pastry for breakfast at Ground Central coffee shop. Nothing spectacular. Close to hotel. I should have researched this a little more and found a better breakfast place, but I was not sure about time.  

9:00 a.m.- Cab to airport. Cab was a little more expensive than Uber. 

11:30 a.m.- Flight home!