*As anyone who has traveled through the nation’s busiest airport knows, “T as in Tango” refers to the Concourse T stop on the airport train.

So the kids and I bum-rushed hubby’s business trip to New York and had a week vacation in our old stomping grounds. It was fun visiting our favorite places as former residents and tourists at the same time; we had the best of both worlds. We were familiar, yet excited to be there. My daughter is finally at an age where she can really roll—no snacks, no juice, no stroller—so I could really enjoy this time with them.

We stayed at a hotel on 55th between 6th & 7th—a perfect location as we could walk around Midtown, hail a taxi easily or walk to the corner for the subway. While The Blakely is a boutique hotel, it is old-school style with real furniture and polished wood (the logo is a bowler hat), not a modern/hip/trendy hotel. We had a suite, large by NYC standards, with 2 flat-screen televisions, 2 queen beds and a daybed, a mini kitchenette with a fridge, dishes and microwave and a large overhead shower. The staff was very accommodating and present to help in any way. The included continental breakfast in the attached restaurant was skimpy at first, but got better everyday.  After we arrived and checked in, we walked a few blocks to Burger Joint. This place is one of those “hidden” NYC gems—if you don’t know, then you don’t know.

It is tucked inside the lobby of Le Parker Meridien hotel, sort of behind the check-in desk and there isn’t a sign, just a small neon burger. When we walked through the curtains my daughter asked, “Why are we going backstage?” The restaurant—or “joint”, as that is what is it—is a stark contrast to the beautiful, spacious hotel lobby. Dark, tiny and walls full of graffiti, the place is always packed and they only take cash. The burgers and shakes are good (not the best that I have had, but good), but really go for the experience. Very cool, very Manhattan.

Next we all got an unlimited Metrocard ($25 per person) that allowed us to ride the subway or bus as many times as we wanted for 7 days. My son particularly enjoyed
mapping out our subway route everyday (since he now wants to attend NYU for college). A few stops and we were in The Village where we wondered around NYU’s campus, ate some delicious gelato at Grom and watched basketball at The Cage. After a terribly long walk in the rain to the East Village, we tried Pom Frites, a tiny French fry joint famous for dipping sauces (Pomegranate Teriyaki was the best). Cool place, good fries, but not worth the hype (or a long walk in the rain). The highlight of this day was our next stop at the New Era flagship store in SoHo. My son, normally pretty tight with his money, brought plenty to spend on this trip and his first purchase was a very cool Mets hat (he isn’t loyal to the Mets or Yankees, just fashion).

The next day, Sunday, we ate breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast spots, Cafeteria.  It was great as usual. This was a day for visiting family in NY and friends in NJ. We rode the Decamp bus out to NJ and back again and when we disembarked at Port Authority at 11:00 p.m., we thought that it would be fun to walk back to our hotel through Times Square and show the kids—wrong! It was a complete zoo, even that late on a Sunday night and in some places, downright scary. I had a death grip on my daughter as we pushed through the crowds.

From this point on, it was just me and the kids for most of the week, as someone had to work to pay for this trip (poor husband, he thought that he would have had more time with us). We met some friends at The Museum of Modern Art, one of my favorite places.

Besides all the breath-taking art by my some of my favorite artists like Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, there was a special exhibit on the art and films of Salvador Dali, which my son particularly loved. Dali, I like in small doses; a massive exhibit was a bit much and gave the rest of us the creeps.

After the MOMA we took the subway to Dylan’s Candy Bar because my daughter was going to lose her mind. She had been hearing us talk about it forever and doesn’t remember going there as a toddler. To say that she has a sweet tooth would be an understatement and I knew that she would go crazy in Dylan’s. She did. They were renovating the first floor, so everything was squeezed into the lower level, but we still had fun and bought way too much candy.  

Later that night we tried the Hershey store in Times Square; that was a big disappointment. We met Husband and a friend for dinner at Ruby Foo’s, which is totally touristy, but has special memories for us.

 We heart New York!

To read part 2 of our adventure, click here.

*As anyone who has traveled through the nation’s busiest airport knows, “T as in Tango” refers to the Concourse T stop on the airport train.

I don’t miss much about New York, but Central Park I miss terribly, so it was the next thing on our Must Do list. On that day we went to the Dairy, the Carousel (celebrating its’ 100^th birthday), and the Chess & Checkers house where my son proceeded to kick my butt in checkers.

On the way to the zoo we stopped at Billy Johnson playground to take a few spins in the huge granite slide built into the ground, my daughter was more interested in climbing every rock that we passed; it made for a very slow trek through the park, but a great view.  Central Park Zoo is small—easily seen in an hour or so—but inexpensive and worth a tour just to see the polar bears, who were in a playful mood that day and put on quite a show. The penguin house was great too because it was very cold and a welcome retreat from the humidity.

Leaving Central Park we walked down 5th Ave to FAO Schwarz, another place my daughter was eager to explore. It was as big and inviting as it had been in the past, with a few modifications. There is now a huge candy section on the first floor (no doubt trying to compete with Dylan’s Candy Bar) and the Big Piano has been moved upstairs to its own room.

While an orderly line manned by an employee gave visitors a chance to dance for quite a long time alone, and mandatory shoe-less feet no doubt helps to keep the piano in working order, the experience was less fun. Part of the magic of the Big Piano used to be the spontaneous discovery of it in the middle of the store. However, FAO is still a very hands-ontoy store; my kids had a ball playing with everything. The newest thing seemed to be custom-designed toyswith design-your-own-doll by Barbie and design-your-own car by Hot Wheels. 

After a quick dip into the coolest Mac store ever

and a wave to Eloise at The Plaza Hotel, we met Husband and friends for dinner at Primehouse New York for the best steak —or so I heard from my husband and son because I don’t eat steak. My choice, the sea bass, was excellent and the décor was very fabulous. My son particularly enjoyed viewing the aging beef on the way to the restroom.

On Wednesday we started our day at The Metropolitan Museumof Art, one the best museums in the world and impossible to see in one day, so we got a map and planned our adventure. And what an adventure it was because we were perpetually lost, dazed and confused. Some of our highlights were the musical instruments, the Temple of Dendur, the suits of armor, Degas’ ballerina statue and the bed that Claudia and Jamie used in From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. There is actually a museum publication that helps you find all the art mentioned in the book; it is not displayed but if you ask at the information desk, they will give you a copy.

In addition to the regular galleries and exhibition halls, there were two special exhibits at the museum. An installation of sculptures by Jeff Koons was displayed on the Roof Garden with a gorgeous view of Central Park and surrounding Manhattan skyline. The sculptures looked like big mylar balloons and the kids loved them.

My favorite exhibit was Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy. As explained by the Met: The symbolic and metaphorical associations between fashion and the superhero are explored in this compelling exhibition. Featuring movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, and high-performance sportswear, it reveals how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for fashion and its ability to empower and transform the human body. Objects are organized thematically around particular superheroes, whose movie costumes and superpowers are catalysts for the discussion of key concepts of superheroism and their expression in fashion.

I do enjoy superheroes (what little girl didn’t pretend to be Wonder Woman) and loved looking at original superhero movie costumes, but I was particularly fascinated by how the fashion designers captured the essence of the superhero in their designs. The social commentary that accompanied the costumes was thought-provoking and analytical. The exhibit was spectacular and a MUST SEE by anyone living in or visiting New York. But go quickly as the exhibit ends on September 1^st. Since I don’t have a cape or will endure strange looks wearing one, I got this great tee shirt in the gift shop instead. Don’t mess with me or

Sans superhero strength to walk anymore, we took a bus down 5^th Ave to Saks Fifth Avenue for afternoon tea in the Café. When I lived in New York with a new baby, this was often a refuge for me—lovely, yet baby-friendly. While it is not the best afternoon tea in the city—certainly not The Plaza or St. Regis—it has a nice view and real food if you are hungry. More importantly, it gives you an excuse to walk through the gorgeous shoe department.

I managed to escape going to the American Girl store right next to Saks (whew!); instead we ducked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a bit and continued down 5^th Avenue stopping at my favorite stores. We looked for gifts in Takashimaya and not finding anything (although just being in there is a treat), went to H.Bendel’s. Here I must stop for a moment of wistful sighing…..I just love Bendel’s. When we lived in NY/NJ, my girlfriends and I frequently went to tea at the St. Regis and then shopping at Bendel’s. Many of my great make-up discoveries were made in Bendel’s (Laura Mercier, Tarte) and I always found fabulous accessories from young, new designers. Since I had kids in tow, I couldn’t linger as much as I wanted but I managed to buy a little something for myself. As for the kids, they had a good time taking photos in the Ray Ban Confessional Booth:

I wanted to take one these adorable “Bendel Girls” home, but restrained myself—too cute! As much as I love Bendel’s, sometimes the ladies pushing the latest beauty products can be a little over-the-top. As we were leaving I stopped at a Tarte display. As I said before, I love Tarte make-up, so a hard sell on me was not needed. One of Tarte’s newest products is Inside Out Vitamin Lip Gloss and the representative was eager to tell me all about it. She went into a monologue about the antioxidant, anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties of Inside Out (“anti-acid too” my son whispered). But she really lost us when she started spouting statistics about the amount of lip gloss women consume in a year and—seriously—suggested that instead of taking my vitamins, I can just eat the lip gloss.  Huh?

We left the store laughing and ended this full day at GoodBurger “Home of the Good Burger”. It was a good grilled burger, sort of smallish, but very tasty. Good shakes too. We were disappointed that besides the name, it didn’t have any ties to the movie Good Burger. That movie is hilarious.

Manhattan is a blast! We certainly took our bite of the big apple and we’re still not through; to read part 3 of our adventure, click here.

*As anyone who has traveled through the nation’s busiest airport knows, “T as in Tango” refers to the Concourse T stop on the airport train.

Thursday was Teen Shopping Day; we took the subway to SoHo so my son could burn some cash. (I’m just happy that within the past year he’s gotten some fashion-sense; he used to dress like a bum.) Getting off at Canal and Broadway, we hit the jackpot for teen fashion. Our first stop was Stardom, a sneaker heaven, where The Boy (yeah, we affectionately call him that) bought some very sweet Adidas. My husband called at this time and was so jealous—he is complete a sneaker-head. Right next door to Stardom is Volcom, one of The Boy’s favorite brands. I sprang for a new Volcom backpack for school. Broadway has way too many stores to list, but it is a good shopping jump-off for both teens and moms: Daffy’s (love it!), Scoop, Old Navy, H&M (so over-rated), Bloomingdale’s, Z Gallarie and CB2 are just some of the stores.

Our next destination on Broadway was one of our favorite stores, Pearl River Mart. This store is just so much fun! I could stay in there forever and we did stay a long time looking at the toys, clothes, dishes, candy and all sorts of Asian stuff. We finally left with parasols, fans, a toy accordion, incense, a tea strainer and Asian candy (more candy!).

Walking deeper into SoHo, we stopped by Gourmet Garage for lunch and grabbed sushi, fruit and pasta to eat right there on the corner. Refreshed, we continued shopping at Stussy where The Boy bought another stylish hat. Sidebar/cool fact: When I met my husband I was wearing a Stussy hat. By this time Girly had noticed that her brother had many things and she had nothing, so we ducked into Lucky Kid and bought her a shirt for the fall.

What’s the one phrase a mom doesn’t want to hear walking around Manhattan?—“I have to pee!”The Stussy guys tipped us that the Mac store on Prince had a public restroom and it was the cleanest one in the neighborhood. They were right, so that is something to remember while walking around SoHo.

By now we needed another break after browsing the shops on West Broadway. My absolute favorite place for afternoon tea was nearby, so we headed that way….and got hopelessly lost in the West Village. By the time we made it there the kids were cranky, hot and tired. (If you ever go, just take the subway to 8th Ave. and 14th St. and it is right there.) And do go; it is wonderful. Tea & Sympathy is an authentic British restaurant with all the traditional British dishes that I have never tried, but I go for the afternoon tea. It is a tiny place, but it is warm and cozy and they have perfect tea and the best scones.

Dessert at Serendipity 3 was an absolute must, so we met Husband and a friend for dinner (eating dinner is the only way to get reservations; showing up for just dessert guarantees at least an hour wait). The food was good, but we were there for dessert. The Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is the signature dessert and it is soooooo good. We had that of course, but a woman seated nearby turned us on to another must-order, the Forbidden Broadway Sundae.  Ooooh—that was delicious! The desserts are not cheap ($13.50 for the sundae), but they are easily shared by 2 or more people.

Friday was our last full day to enjoy the city and Manhattan didn’t disappoint; we had an incredible day. First we walked to one of our favorite sections in Central Park down the Mall, listened to a young guitarist sing/play Beatles songs at the Fountain, on to the Boathouse, listened to a very good jazz band at the Alice in Wonderland statue and finally to Conservatory Water, or Sailboat Pond as we call it.

What happened next is now a legend in our household and one of my previous posts.

Leaving Central Park we walked the Upper Westside until we got hungry and stopped at Alice’s Tea Cup for some afternoon tea. Yes, this the 3rd time that we have had afternoon tea; we do like our tea-time! We loved Alice’s; the scones were huge and delicious, the sandwiches were hearty and the tea menu was extensive. The décor is funky with an Alice in Wonderland theme. It is very kid-friendly (our waitress wore fairy wings), but all of the customers were adults except for my kids.

Shopping on the Upper Westside was plentiful and relaxing. The Boy bought a watch at the Swatch store and we browsed in Z’Baby and tons of other shops on Columbus Avenue. Our favorite store was Therapie, a sort of upscale drugstore that sold beauty products, purses, hair accessories, stationary and pretty much anything you can think of. I absolutely love these kinds of stores! The kids loved it because downstairs was a HUGE toy store. We stayed in Therapie a long time, but finally left in search of S’Mac, a macaroni & cheese restaurant. Girly and I were still full from Alice’s, but The Boy ordered a nosh portion of the Cajun macaroni & cheese and it was delicious.

Unfortunately it was time to meet the husband back at the hotel and get ready for our flight back to Atlanta. Although we had experienced a full week, we weren’t ready to leave; there was so much that we didn’t do, or see or eat! We must go back soon for more fun because