Adventures of our Dimpled Munchkins: August 10

Hello Dimpled Munchkin fans. We recently wrapped up our epic summer vacation so be prepared for several blog posts about our adventures. This summer, we decided to travel to the northeast as our kids have never been to that region of the country. First stop-NYC!

This was our 2nd time flying as a family (the first time was a ski trip to CO over 6 years ago). JD is not a fan of Southwest (to put it mildly) but we flew from Houston to LaGuardia with no issues. We arrived at our hotel in midtown Manhattan and started exploring.

The Big Apple - Day 1

We dropped off our bags at the hotel and our first order of business was lunch. We found a cute Italian restaurant close to the hotel and had amazing food. After that, it was time to explore the city! We were 2 blocks off Park Avenue and headed that direction. We went to Rockefeller Center, FAO Schwartz (Jillian was in awe over the size of the store and wanted to buy literally everything), Nike and the Saks flagship store (that is so big, the shoe department has it's own zip code, no I'm not joking). We also saw St. Patrick's Cathedral, rode the Subway, had an incredible dinner and then found a local ice cream parlor. It was a fantastic way to start our vacation!

Central Park & Broadway - Day 2

Oddly enough, the few days we were in the city were the hottest days of the year with a heat advisory in place. Although the temperatures were not near the Houston levels we are used to, walking around in 100 degree heat is still hot. Especially for kids who are usually outside in pools LOL (JD and I were fine). We found a delicious bakery close to our hotel that became our breakfast spot the few days we were there. After that, we walked to Central Park and went to the zoo. It was a small zoo but absolutely beautiful and they had a fantastic penguin exhibit that the kids loved. The seals were pretty great too. After the zoo, we explored the south section of Central Park. Of course, I absolutely loved all the trees and wished I could have laid under a tree all day reading! We ate sandwiches for lunch and then headed back to the Nike store as Julia's feet were hurting her. Turns out her feet grew from a size 7 to a size 8 and she needed new sneakers (I thought her feet were done growing a few years ago, so this was pretty shocking). We then got ready for one of the best parts of the entire vacation, Aladdin on Broadway. The show was fantastic and we all loved it! Great full day in NYC!

9/11 Memorial

Statue of Liberty & Columbia - Day 3

Next stop, the Statue of Liberty. I should pause to mention here that although I grew up less than 3H from NYC, we never traveled here for vacation or even a day trip. I visited friends here in my 20s and had one middle school trip here with the purpose of climbing the Statue of Liberty, but there was a bomb scare (someone had left a backpack at the base) and we couldn't go up. JD had been to NYC once to visit a friend and didn't do the tourist things either. So it was exciting for all of us to experience the city together for the first time. While the Statue of Liberty ferry ride was quite hot, once we arrived at the island and climbed to the base, the views were incredible. The museum was also fantastic. The line back to the ferry was quite long but we eventually made it back with minimal complaints from the kids. After a late lunch, we split up. JD took Jillian and Luke back to FAO Schwartz, while Julia and I headed to visit Columbia. The campus was very small but beautiful, Julia loved it. After that, we headed to Times Square (Julia really wanted to see some red steps there). Another fabulous day!

One World Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Shopping, Anna - Day 4

Last day in NYC. We started the day off by going to the top of One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the US. The sky was clear and the views were fabulous. Jillian found some international friends and they were doing gymnastics together at the top of the building, so cute. Afterwards, we went to the 9/11 Memorial and the 9/11 Museum, both very sad and powerful experiences. After lunch, we split up again. JD took Luke and Jillian to a board game store, while Julia and I headed to the Strand, a bookstore that has been open since 1927. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the busiest bookstore I have ever been to, it was insane. It was also near NYU so we had a peak at that (NYU is a true school in the city without a campus). We met back up with everyone at the hotel and then I traveled to Brooklyn to see my friend Anna. The last time we saw each other was when Luke was a baby (she then moved to Europe and just moved back to the states before COVID). She lives in an adorable neighborhood called Brooklyn Heights and just had a baby 10 days prior. She was one of my best friends in college and seeing her again was like chicken noodle soup for the soul. No words to describe how wonderful it was catching up.

And just like that, our NYC came to an end. There are many things we didn't get to do (several museums, Empire State Building). I guess we'll have to plan another trip!

Next stop-upstate NY.

Sorry...picture dump!

FAO Schwartz