New York {Part 1}

I am still dreaming of going back to New York City. I want to live in Brooklyn, the only place I actually saw other children. Happy to get that off my chest. We were suppose to stay in New York only three days, but after hearing of the winter storm that was to come and further reflection of all we wanted to do and see we extended it to a total of 5 days. Best decision ever! The first two night we stayed at The Manhattan on Times Square. I do not recommend it. Also believe that was where my really good purse was jacked. Thankfully my wallet was not in it. It was fun though to watch how the all the snow trucks and shovelers work tirelessly to keep the streets and sidewalks clear of snow all night. We had a blast watching from our window and named the tiny sidewalk snow plower Luigi. We had no set plans for this leg of the trip. We knew we wanted to eat well and simply explore.

I think the amount of snow was a little gift from God to me. I so desperately wanted Ellie and KJ to have a snow experience that I had growing up in Massachusetts. Although this is not our snow man, ours you may have seen on my Instagram, was rather cute. We made snow angels, had snow ball fights and I thought the kiddos would have crick in their necks by how much they stared up looking at all the snow and tall buildings.

We were advised to buy a weekly subway pass from so many people and so glad we did. Although expensive up front it saved us tons a money in the end for how much we used it. Also on the recommendation of a metro staff member she advised us not to buy KJ a card because he could get under the bars without going on his knees. Ellie needed one though. I believe they were $31.00 a piece. This is also where Ellie accepted her fear of heights and no longer went into hysterics. She gripped my hand tight, but did not balk any longer. This was HUGE for her.

Grand Central Station was a favorite for us. Molly reminded me of the whispering walls, right outside the Oyster House, they really work! You stand diagonal from each other and can talk into the walls and hear the other person as if they are standing right next to you. So much fun we went back here twice. This is also where we ate at the Manhattan Chili Co. It had all sorts of chili and they were marked whether they were gluten free or not. I had the Ginger Chicken twice, it was that good. Wish I had a bowl now.

I loved how NYC had a park every you went. Bryant Park was on the way to the New York Public Library which I will share tomorrow. It had Holiday shops set up and Ellie found these most fabulous ear muffs.

The Highline Park was AMAZING! So happy we went even though the wind made it extra frigid. We got to also see in many of the design house corporations and I got a peek into Armani where they were doing a shoot. I was in awe over the sleek style of the staff mostly dressed in some form of black and white which I am most fond of. The Mr had us shed our winter gear for a family pic and low and behold while editing images we realized Ellie never took off her ear muffs. Ha.

Ellie's main Christmas present was to buy an American Doll in NY. Her and I went and had a blast. She went with Isabelle the 2014 girl of the year. It was floor after floor of American Girl goods. Such a treat for a little lady. Oh and the lines were awful on the first floor, but the higher the floor the less long the lines were. KJ and the Mr made their way over to the Lego store and it was much like the one in Disney they say. KJ was sure to fill me in on every last detail that I missed. We also went to FAO Schwarz. The kiddos were amazed to say the least. Dylans Candy Shop was a must for little one's too. It's pretty much every child's dream come to life!

Below the Rockefeller there was a pizza shop called Harry's. The Mr claimed it to be the best pizza ever. He ate there twice. Not too many options for a Gluten Free gal like myself though, but no hard feelings. Ha.

This is the view from our second hotel of Manhattan. We stayed at the Hyatt in Jersey on the hudson river. It was fabulous! It was a fraction of the cost and the PATH train was right next door that brings you into the city. The staff was amazing as was room service plus it was clean. It has a pool which is great for the kiddos too. I recommend it a thousand times over.

FAVORITE PLACES TO EAT:

Eataly in Chelsea {a must, plus has GF pasta!}

Moo Burger in Brooklyn {actually had fries and a GF bun to go with}

Taco's at Chelsea Market {tasted like real Mexico}

Can't recall the name, but there is a donut shop that the rest of the fam claims to be amazing in Chelsea Market.

Manhattan Chili Co. in Central Station

Rice to Riches in SOHO {dessert that I could eat}

I highly recommend eating at recommended places only. We made that mistake our first night. So many places look really cute and are so well designed, but can be really gross and NY eating is rather pricey. My friend Cana was super helpful here since her old roomate was GF. If it wasn't for Instagram and blogs I am not sure if our trip would have gone as smoothly. So THANK YOU for all you input peeps.

D.C.

On our second leg of our trip we drove to Washington DC. We stayed for 4 days and for us that was plenty. It may be due to the fact we were yet to be used to the cold, the kiddos were a tad sick, KJ's croup was acting up and I didn't bring his medicine, or just the sheer mass of people. Don't get me wrong we loved seeing the sites, but it was less on the relaxing side of it all. It could have been due to the fact it was New Years.

Of course our main goal for DC was to visit all the museums. The Natural History Museum was amazing. Again the crowds I could have done without. The kiddos were in awe over all the animals and Alabama actually had a piece of a meteor that fell on display. For me the gems were rather amazing and the building itself.

We went to the Art museum twice actually. The kiddos enjoyed it more than I thought they would. KJ about died every time we passed a partial nude. Ha. I wish I remembered the painting, but there is a work of art with a violin that is placed on a table. If you walk a semi circle in front of the painting the violin always faces you no matter where you stand. AMAZING to say the least. The saturation of color in so many of the pieces was astounding and I was moved by so many pieces.

Next we went to the Air and Space Museum. Did you know there were two? We didn't till right before our trip. This one is right off the lawn with all the other museums and the second is by the airport. The crowds were even more insane here. Oh, and did I mention Ellie has a knee buckling melt down inducing fear of heights? This was not the place for her. The buildings are high and the railings are glass and put her with that many people and well my main job was to her calm. Never the less KJ was head over heels for it.

The Museum of American History was one of favorites! For some reason no one was there and we really got to explore. I may have teared up seeing Julia Child's kitchen. Why? Who knows! It really was amazing. Seeing the doll houses and all the first lady's inaugural ball dresses was quite captivating for both Ellie and I. The boys were drawn more to the swords, guns, and locomotives. If was fun seeing how much history the kiddos knew and telling them things they never heard. I can not tell you how much we loved this museum. May be an all time favorite even.

The kiddos had one request for the DC leg of our trip and that was to see Honest Abe. Seeing this site with them was like me seeing it for the first time all over again. We sat and stared and talked about what a great man he was. It was memorable moment for our little fam.

We happened across the National Cathedral and decided to take a gander. If was breathtaking. Still under construction, but inspiring none the less. They had gardens that I am sure would be amazing in the warmer months too.

The second Air and Space Museum was another favorite and so worth going out to. We loved it more than the first plus it WAY less crowded. Even Ellie enjoyed it thoroughly. I was inspired by all the textures, colors, and the fact that God actually instilled such a spirit that led to people wanting to invent a piece of equipment to fly in the sky. I still think the idea of a plane is rather wild, but the original ones? They really thought that was a good idea to try them out? Wild, just wild. This is also where the Discovery is. I made it a point to be watching KJ's face when he first saw the shuttle, but in the end I am not sure if the Mr or he was more jaw dropping excited. It really is incredible.

We ate at the Shake Shake and it was delicious. More delicious for the rest of the family since due to my gluten free-ness I got a patty. Ha. Still enjoyed it though! We ate mostly at the museums various food courts. The first night we did eat at Ruth's Chris since it was walking distance from the hotel and after driving from Charleston we were in no hurry to get back in the car. I was happy to see the etiquette classes paid off too. I am sure we will be going back to DC once the kiddos are older, but it's not on our immediate return schedule.

Charleston {South of Market}

King Street is THE street for good shopping. It beats a typical mall any day. Apparently I was not the only one who thought so since it was actually more crowded than the streets of New York. Ha. I was happy when Lauren from Amen Inspired Design and Le Lapin Bebe mentioned South of Market via Instagram. Can I tell you how much I love Instagram??? Anyhow, the shop was brilliant. Kay Douglass is by far one of my favorite designers and I believe she was one of the first designers who made Belgium design so popular here in the states. Do you remember this home from House Beautiful? Still an all time favorite and even though it was published years ago it still looks current, now that's good design. It was a treat to stop in and see goods that I have seen in countless magazines in person that she has used in her rooms. The styling, mixing, and sheer beauty of it all was mesmerizing. I think Birmingham could use a South of Market. Charleston and Atlanta is just not close enough.