Guide to NYC!

We had family in town all weekend and oh! we had fun. I think we wore them out, traversing almost the entire manhattan island. It was my sister, her husband and their three gorgeous daughters:

Thursday
We hit Josie's for lunch and they hit the Empire State building in the afternoon while I finished up my work day. Then they came over to our place to see our baby girl and get some GREAT NEW YORK PIZZA!

Friday
Oh yes. We did it. The double-decker bus tour! We just had too. And you know what? It rocks. We took the blue one, Citisights. The red ones are way more crowded and a little more costly. It was great fun to see the city from this thrilling perspective. Drove by, under and over almost every great sight of the city, midtown and downtown. Playing tourist is awesome.

We hopped off at Battery park and walked around to see Lady Liberty and Ground Zero. Just so happens, some of the best playgrounds are over there in the North Battery (Rockefeller and Teardrop Parks). I should be a professional NYC family guide!

Hopped on the subway, back to the hotel (we caught "wine hour"!) and refreshed for the evening where my sis and her man went to Tavern on the Green for a nice, romantic dinner while Calvin and I babysat the three (plus our little one makes four) girls. We had a blast. Watched Lilo and Stitch and Barbie Diaries (like the OC for the junior high set) while eating Chinese food picnic-style in our living room.

Saturday
Three little words: AMERICAN GIRL PLACE. Overwhelming and trippy, but oh-so-sute. We walked up Fifth Ave and tried to fit in: Tiffany's, Disney Store, NBA store, Trump Tower, FAO Schwarz ... then Hot Dogs in Central Park. Rode the beautiful carousel. Hula Hooping at Bethesda Fountain. Strolled over the Bow Bridge and through the Ramble. Climbed up the to top of Belvedere Castle. Took pictures on the Alice in Wonderland statue.

Nap time.

Dinner at Virgil's BBQ in Times Square. So good!

Sunday
Brunch on the Upper West Side. Popover cafe would not take us because we had a stroller (our little peanut had to sleep after her breakfast) and they said no way! So we left and found an even better place: The Neptune Room! Great service, awesome food and plenty of room for our sleeping beauty.

We sped through the Natural History museum. Dinosaurs, the Blue Whale, the Giant Squid. Then they were off to see the matinee of WICKED - all except our youngest little niece who stayed with us. We took her to the Children's Museum of Manhattan and had a wonderful time chasing her around the Clifford and Dora exhibits.

We all met up later at our friend's house for more pizza (this time, from NINA'S! - one of the best pizzas ever!) and then tried to hit Serendipity3 for dessert. It must be phenomenal because there is always an obscenely long wait - this time it was 2 to 2 1/2 HOURS! yes. hours. We moved on to Dylan's Candy Bar which I love and their ice cream cones and sundaes did the trick - plus it's just a fun shop to show the kiddies.

Monday
Now they are off to Long Island to see the rest of the family for a few days.

What a great way for us to see and do so many things we don't normally do! And our little baby girl came with us the whole way - barely a peep or a cry. She was a dream. And a trooper. Very adventurous.