We heart NYC

We’re back, unpacked, and still beaming from our trip with our six year old daughter to NYC. Seeing the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, Mary Poppins on Broadway and more through the eyes of a child is a must-do experience for every parent. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “mom, this is the best (fill in the blank) ever” during the weekend.

Kudos to Uncle Rogan and Uncle Cleve for making the experience so amazing. They literally carried our daughter all over town, encouraging her to close her eyes and open them just at that magical time when the enormous dinosaur comes in to view at Natural History, or the city towers above you (or below you, depending on where you are). They created games for her such as “guess which elevator will open first” and “how many stops before we get off the subway” and “I’ll gobble up your Thai food with my chopsticks” that kept her giggling all weekend long. It was the perfect combination of a family visit and a touristy vacation all rolled into one.

We did do a little shopping along the way. Any parent of a girl who has escaped American Girl Place without shelling out some bucks please step forward and share your secret. We, who managed to go six full months without buying much of anything, found ourselves willingly paying $20 to have Molly’s dreadlocks combed, smoothed, spritzed and braided back into a “proper” 1940’s hairdo at the doll salon (I’m not kidding…this place really exists). And that was just the beginning. There was the brunch (surprisingly tasty food and a table complete with special seat for Molly) and the historical displays filled with costumes and accessories for each doll, and the temptation to purchase life sized American Girl doll clothes (which we narrowly escaped).

The trip exceeded expectations in so many ways. But mostly, we enjoyed some one-on-one time with our big girl and look forward to a day when we can repeat the trip with our son to celebrate one of his special birthdays. Pump-it Up parties may be all the rage, but I think she’ll remember this trip forever.