We started our day at Friedman’s again - I told you it was a fave - leaving about the same time we did the day before (around 9:30/10).

We headed down to the Financial District to explore the 911 memorial. It was about a 30-minute Uber ride from our hotel and the weather was sunny but cold. We walked around the memorial for a bit before we popped into a mall that was close by to warm up and get a snack. Our tour wasn’t until 1:00 so we did a little shopping while we were there. I do believe if wasn’t so cold we would have explored more of the area.

At about 12:30 we headed over to get in line for our tour (which took about an hour). If you haven’t done the tour, I highly recommend it. Everything is so well done and while sobering, it was good for both us and the kids to hear and walk through the memorial.

Once we were done we spent some time in the gift shop and then made our way to One World Trade Center where we had made reservations to go to the top. That appointment was at 3:00 and they give you two hours to explore. Going at this time of day was perfect for this time of year because we got to watch the sun set over the Hudson/Lady Liberty! The views are probably some of the best in the city and they also have a snack bar/restaurant at the top if you need to grab a snack (which we did).

Dinner reservations were at P.J. Clarke’s on the Hudson. It was actually in the mall and right off the water. Dinner was great (Doug’s favorite meal) and had something for everyone. We did arrive an hour early for our reservation but they were able to accommodate us (helped that it was like 5:00 p.m.).

I do think if it hadn’t been so cold, the spacing between reservations (from the tour to One World Trade Center to dinner) would have worked because we would have explored more - but it did feel like we were waiting for the next thing a little bit.

After dinner it was dark and we took a short walk on the boardwalk. It was beautiful with all the Christmas lights, Lady Liberty, and looking back at the One World Trade Center. It was probably about 7:00 when we took an Uber back to the hotel.

The kids were beat and just wanted to chill so Doug and I headed up to the bar at the top of the hotel. We almost didn’t go and we are so glad that we did. I love an espresso martini and theirs was the best I had all week. The views from the top are to die for and the bar decor dreamy. And ask for the truffles - they were delicious and come in the cutest box (you know I kept it).

Day four:

Our last day was much more low key. Our flight was leaving at around 5:00 and we knew we would have to head to the airport around 2:00 (we flew out of Laguardia). We still hadn’t been to Macy’s so we grabbed breakfast at La Pain Quotidien and headed down to the iconic store. We explored for a bit and Char did a little shopping.

We headed to our next stop - which was a must for me. Culture Espresso was another rec from a local and I had been once before. They have great coffee and cookies to die for - with a special one just for me - a gluten free peanut butter cookie. Not usually what I would go for (I’m def a chocolate chip kind of girl) but this is worth every bite (and calorie). It’s also just a cute spot - so worth popping in and between Macy’s and Bryant Park.

We actually headed back to the Holiday Market at Bryant Park and spent a little more time there. Charlotte and I both wanted to take something home so I found a beautiful scarf and she found some chic ear muffs.

We were pretty tired and everyone was pretty much done, so we headed back to the hotel and rested for a bit/got things ready before we called our Uber.

It was a wonderful trip and I think just enough time. I kept telling Doug that I want to go back with just him so we can eat all the food, pop into art studios and museums, and walk through various boroughs of the city.

Maybe, one day, I’ll get to share that trip - because once you hit all the touristy spots there are so many other wonderful things to discover in the city that never sleeps!

As many of you watched our little excursion unfold you reached out asking for both our recs and our itinerary. So, as promised, I’ve provided all of that below:

We elected to stay for three nights but flew in early enough to have time the day we got in and we flew out late enough on our last day to enjoy our morning so you will see four days outlined with our recs thrown in:

Day one:

We landed mid afternoon and headed to The Moxy Chelsea. We chose this location because it was walking distance to so many things we wanted to do and see. It’s a cute hotel but be warned, super small. While it was closer to many of the things we did on day two I would have loved to have been a little closer to the Highline.

We grabbed a late lunch at Friedman’s - a location that was recommended to me because of their gluten free options. It wound up being a favorite of our trips with enough options that pleased everyone in the fam.

We decided to rest for a little bit and then headed down to the Highline. It was a pretty straight shot from the hotel. We followed it until it dead ended and made our way to Chelsea Market. We spent about an hour walking around looking at shops. It was super festive with lots of holiday decor and live entertainment - a small five person orchestra playing Christmas carols. It was magical.

From there we headed to dinner at The Mermaid Inn. I received so many wonderful food recs but with a family with varying degrees of adventure (Doug and I being adventurous and the kids not so much), I tried to find options everyone would be happy with. The food and service were great and I think three of the four of us would definitely go back (my pickiest eater wasn’t a fan). It was cold and about 8:00 when we finished so we headed back to the hotel after dinner.

Day two:

I tried to build enough margin in our schedule that we also weren’t rushing out the door. Doug and I grabbed coffee at the cafe in the hotel - a cute little spot that if alone I would have opted to spend some time in. Around 9:30 we headed out and landed at Chick-fil-A for breakfast (the irony, right, but it is one of my kids favorites. Our NYC stores are usually pretty large and they are fun to see if you haven’t been.)

From there we made our way to Bryant Park for their Holiday Market. This was one of the activities that was recommended to me the most by everyone who found out we were going to NYC for the holidays. It was magical and well worth the visit (and on our way to all the touristy things near Central Park).

After Bryant Park we hit all the big areas - Rockefeller Center, Saks Windows, St. Patrick’s Cathedral (go in! It is stunning), The Plaza Hotel, and Central Park along with watching ice skating there (magical even if you don’t wait in the crazy long line to skate). If we could do it again, we would definitely spend more time in Central Park.

We had tickets for Wicked at 2:00 at the Gershwin Theatre so made our way down to Times Square to grab a snack before the play. We landed at Angelina’s, a French cafe that we found quite by accident. Nothing gluten free there but I did indulge in a sour cream croissant which was heavenly. It also hit the spot for the fam as they also had sandwiches and flatbreads and the location was pretty dreamy!

Wicked was everything and more that we were hoping for. None of us had seen the play and let’s just say, the talent on stage blew us away. When asked, it was Douglass’s favorite part of the trip and I’d go see it again tomorrow if I could!

After the play, we headed to dinner. With a little time before our reservation we decided to spend a little time in Times Square. It was already dark and the kids were enamored with everything about it. It was one of Charlotte’s favorite stops. We popped in the M&M Store (which none of us were very impressed with) and then walked to dinner.

The kids had requested authentic NY style pizza and one of my Operator friends at work recommended a place a local NY Operator had taken him to. It felt a little like a hole in the wall but it was probably my favorite meal of the whole trip and it was SO GOOD! I knew we had chosen the right spot when I started to see the lines piling up in the hallway of the stairwell up to the restaurant. Thankfully we made a reservation so didn’t have to wait (recommend if you go - it is a tight spot and definitely popular). They also have gluten free crust and it was delicious. Lazzara’s Pizza Cafe is worth a stop if you are ever in that area of the city.

It was still early, so we made our way back to Time’s Square, walked around a bit, stopped into a few shops, and then three of us tried a decadent hot chocolate from the Hershey Store (which was more impressive to the fam than M&M’s) and we did grab a decadent hot chocolate! We did watch some of the street performers but be warned, the throngs of people are no joke.

We headed back - making the long walk to the hotel. It was still early but we were beat and headed to shower and go to bed. Day two was definitely the favorite day for the entire family!

(stay tuned for part 2)