a cloudy lady liberty.

Our final morning. No one wanted to leave! Since we had an afternoon flight we knew we had time for one last adventure. It meant an early morning packing our bags and leaving our hotel for a quick breakfast before heading to the pier, but it was definitely worth it. 

The kids did such a great job all week. They walked everywhere, ate new foods, slept in new beds and put up with crazy city blocks. 

Lucy was exhausted! Sweet girl just kept cuddling up in bed even after I tried to wake her up that final morning. 

We enjoyed one last view out our hotel window before grabbing another bagel and making our way down to the Statue of Liberty Cruise.

 It was a much cooler, cloudy day but luckily the boat was heated and covered.

 Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty!

 Matt and I tried to get a picture with the Statue of Liberty behind us and of course we completely blocked the view. It turned out to be one of my favorite pictures from the trip though. Us, happy and laughing, taking everything in stride and just enjoying the moment. Love doing fun adventures with him.
And, a cloudy Empire State Building. Luckily we were able to get good views of the city earlier in the week so we just listened to learn more about the history from our boat tour guide.

 And that was it! We went through Times Square one last time on our way to the airport and headed home. It was the best feeling to wake up the next day and get a big squeeze from Simon. We missed him so much and can't wait to do another adventure like this with him when he's a little older.  NYC - you captured our hearts and we can't wait to return! Really, anyone with small children should consider this trip. It was SO fun!!!!

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the market and the met.

 Knowing that we only had 1 full day left in the city we moved our plans around a bit to squeeze in a trip to The Met. But first...Chelsea Market for brunch! This place was incredible (have I said that about every place we visited?!) But really, I love it and wanted to stay so much longer. There were so many delicious food venues, little shops, markets, bookstores. It was amazing!

 We split up and let each person choose what they really wanted for brunch. Carter chose pancakes, of course. Lucy, a baked good, naturally. Vegetarian pizza for me, yum! And Matt got some delicious fig and prosciutto pizza - so good!

 I wanted to buy all the fresh fish and go home and cook a big meal! It looked SO good!

 We left the market and walked through Chelsea neighborhood to a local kids bookstore the kids were dying to visit. Then, off to Max Brenner for a chocolate dessert (disclaimer - while it looks like we ate a ton during this trip we really only had 2 meals a day and both Matt and I lost weight when we got home! We just really enjoy experiencing new cities through food so bare with me).

 A walk through Dylans Candy Bar nearby was fun too. And since we had just had dessert nothing really looked good at the candy store. Win win!

 We headed back to Central Park for a stop at the Met. This wasn't originally planned but we all really wanted to see a few exhibits so we made time in the afternoon. Carter loved all the swords and armor, Lucy was fascinated by the paintings and we all enjoyed the ancient Greek exhibit.

 This picture really doesn't do this painting any justice. It was HUGE, like massively overtaking an entire wall of the museum. Washington crossing the Delaware. So happy we made a trip just for this.

 Even though the weather had taken a turn for the worse we made one last long walk through Central Park on the way home. Kids were exhausted and whined most of the time but we were able to get a few smiles out of them along the way.

 That night we went to a late night dinner at local burger place. I really wanted to go back to Little Italy but a long cab ride just didn't sound fun. This place had all organic, local meat and veggies and was delicious. A great way to end the night. Plus, one last late night walk near Times Square was fun too!

Whew - our longest day yet.

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day 3 in the city.

Day 3 was a long one. And a really good one. First of all, it was a record 78 degrees that day. In February. On the east coast. Crazy! 

We went to a delicious local bagel shop for a quick breakfast before taking a cab down to Lower Manhattan for the day. We started at the Brooklyn Bridge. Such incredibly views of the city!

 After a 30 minute pit stop at the one Starbucks in the city that had a public restroom (aka - super dirty and really long line!) we headed over to the 9/11 Memorial. It was hard to see but so important to share with the kids. Though we didn't want to share scary details from that day we did explain how many people lost their lives, the heroes, the sacredness of this place and what it meant for our country. They asked thoughtful questions, read some names from the memorial and did their best to process it at their own level.

St. Pauls Cathedral was nearby and we spent more time touring the church, reading about the history and remarking at the old tombstones that lined the property. Carter loved that he was able to stand in the exact same spot George Washington once stood many many years ago. This was a really special day for the kids to learn more about our country and how, even in tragic events, we can come together for a greater good.

Then it was off to Chinatown. This little neighborhood was so beautiful. The street markets, building and people were unique and beautiful. We stumbled upon a little restaurant for lunch and while we didn't love our food (it wasn't bad, just a lot more greasy than what we'd usually prefer!) it was fun to try something new.

We walked a few blocks to Little Italy and marveled at how the neighborhoods blended together almost seamlessly. I could have spent an entire week just in Little Italy. I loved, loved, loved seeing all the little cafes, restaurants and gelato stands. We couldn't help but grab some dessert. My favorite place of the week, I think! The original owner was sitting at a table nearby, shirt half buttoned, loud voice, strong accent just voicing orders to his staff. The bakery was so delicious and I almost wanted to ask to go home with him for some truly homemade Italian food! Ha!

After a cab ride back we enjoyed relaxing in our room for a bit before making our way down to the Happy Hour Reception at our hotel (free bottled water, wine/beer, veggies and fruit!) and then another walk through Central Park. It was still over 70 degrees outside so we couldn't help but explore a new area of the park.

The ice skating rink was still up too, so pretty!

One of my favorite days (although I think I said that every day of our trip!)

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