Last weekend I went on last minute much needed girls trip! No, not a trip with girlfriends, just me and my little Caroline and Olive. We went up to Yew Nork, as Caroline calls it, and visited a friend whose husband was gone for the weekend. She has two darling children that are exactly Caroline and Olive's ages so we were all very entertained the entire few days. It was a great change of scenery for Olive who has perfected the lovely art of being two.
The drive up was memorable for me because as the girls fell fast asleep within 30 minutes of the ride, our little 22 week old little girl was extremely active inside. I had turned off the B-I-N-G-O music and was listening to actual tunes that I enjoy belting along to, and I just felt our newest little one wriggling around.
I wasn't running around missing all of her action, I was able to just sit and smile as she poked and jabbed, it was wonderful.
The funny thing about the trip was that everywhere new we went I kept telling Heidi, "Oh I wish Adam could try this or see this!" So I guess instead of leaving anybody home, we will just have to stick together as a family because it's too sad for anyone to miss out!
Friday night was so great because a sitter was with the kids and we went and explored free of strollers, diaper bags and worn out kids. I was in awe right when I walked into the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There was a live orchestra playing music in the lobby. I could have sat down right there and been content for a couple of hours. To add to the ambiance there were also live blossom branches placed all over which were so inviting. The museum is open late on Friday and Saturday nights so it's perfect for a girls night or a date night.
After soaking in the art, we scouted out an incredible hidden restaurant called
Hudson Clearwater. The front looks like a store front that is closed for the night, but then you walk around the side and there is a green door that was open and you walk through a charming little patio with twinkle lights.
And then you come to a quaint little restaurant with a dessert menu that had our mouths watering.
To list a few they have a Butternut Squash cake with Cinnamon Buttercream and Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Brownie with Raspberry sauce and fresh fruit. There is a whole list of charming little places to eat that look like the food is incredible
here. I can't wait to try some of the others when I go back someday with Adam.
(Pictures from Cup of Jo: NYC Guide)
Eating was pretty much the theme of the trip. I think I consumed about 50,000 calories over the course of the weekend. There are too many new and tempting places to eat, so we indulged.
On Saturday morning we hit a place that I had heard rave reviews about
last summer while we lived there.
Max Brenner absolutely lived up to all the hype. Basically we had dessert for breakfast, but it wasn't crowded at all and the toffee banana crepe with caramel drizzle was devoured in no time.
We passed on the 50mL syringes filled with purely chocolate that you can by which I think was a good choice being 10 a.m.
We stayed around Union Square and hit the Rocky Mountain Park as C calls it. There is a slide that you climb up some rocks to get to and therefore she dubbed it the Rocky Mountains.
Another hidden little park that looks amazing is
Teardrop Park . Who knows how many clever little secrets New York has to offer, but it sure is fun to find them!
Some of the shops in Union Square are to die over. This store is Anthropologie's home section on steroids. They thing I was dying over was the selection of chandeliers because I would love to put one in the girls room someday.
I don't have good pictures of Fishs Eddy, but this place I was in love with everything! They have everything from small dainty cake platters to cool trays of New York. I ended up with some small orange patterned bowls for different toppings when we have Cafe Rio salads at home.
They had endless amounts of perfect party details as well. Pure L.O.V.E.
Heidi and I took turns sitting outside with the four kids because taking kids in here is just disaster waiting to happen!
After a much needed rest back at the apartment, Heidi's husband arrived home and sent us out again sans kids. We did some shopping and then ate more healthy dessert at a tiny little cafe
ChocoBolo.
I could have just sipped the hot cocoa all night, it was rich and so creamy.
Not only is the food and dessert worth stopping by for, but the atmosphere is unique somewhere you just want to take your sweet time eating.
The painted brick walls and the detail in the woodwork and mirrors blew me away.
And the bench to sit on is like a vintage seafoam colored sofa. It was the perfect addition to this little cafe.
The little girls had a tea party for just about every meal and it was so fun to see dear friends that we have missed!
Just look at their dainty little hands, 4 is the sweetest age.
I couldn't get a decent picture of these two busy bodies this trip, but you get the idea of how darling they are together. Or how forward Olive is :)
I loved that it felt really good being there for a weekend and not long term, I admire New Yorkers so much for their stamina. I enjoyed that it is winter and that the humid stench of New York was actually neutral this time around.
Traveling with the girls was so delightful. Caroline had great city legs and walked everywhere, and I just used a tiny umbrella stroller which was so easy. They continued their normal routine of singing just about the entire time and a New Yorker on the subway smiled and asked regarding Olive, "Does she ever stop singing?" I answered no over Olive's rendition of "Tomorrow" from Annie.
I want to take advantage of the ease of this time with the girls. I just don't quite know what to expect when we have a third in the mix!
