Growing up, my dad had a tradition: when one of us kids turned seven, he would take us on a trip to New York City, just the two of us.
That gift had a profound impact on me, even though I was so young at the time.
We saw Phantom of the Opera and Cats on Broadway, which ignited my love for musical theater.
We took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and peered out from her crown — my dad’s 6’4” frame forcing him to bend the whole climb up. We also went to the top of the Empire State Building and peered out of the tower viewer from the top, scanning Manhattan and her boroughs, marveling at the sheer size of the city below us.
He let me run amok in FAO Schwartz, where I was dumbstruck by the giant moving Kinex wheels and life size piano straight out of Big. And he bought me black fuzzy earmuffs in a streetside stall, which I wore the entire frigid trip.
One of my favorite memories, though, was grabbing our nightly hot dogs from the corner bodega in front of our hotel. The man at the bodega called me “Mary Christmas” and knew my order by heart by the end of our stay.
Finally, I became obsessed with counting the number of limos I saw. I like to think I got to nearly 200, insisting on adding to the count from my window seat on the plane home.
I have been back to New York City many times since—twice more as a kid, once in college, and countless times while living on the East Coast. It has become a mainstay in our travels, namely for the people we love who still call New York home.
But I will always cherish that first trip most of all.
The Christmas Surprise
Once Lilia turned six, I began pondering if a trip to New York might be possible the following year. I sincerely wanted to continue my dad’s tradition, given how much it meant to me.
I pitched it to Jason several times over just as many months, only to talk myself out of it due to funds or feasibility. Finally, in a moment of pre-holiday exasperation, I finally admitted to both Jason (and myself) that a trip to New York was all I really wanted to share with Lilia for Christmas. I was desperate to carry on the tradition and didn’t want to live in regret for missing our big chance simply out of fear.
So, we made it happen. In a single week in November, I booked the flights, agonized over hotels, fought tooth and nail for show tickets, and made plans with my closest friends in the city.
The best part, though? Lilia had no idea we were going. I wanted it to be a surprise.
On Monday, December 9th, we finally let her and Arleigh “open” their early Christmas presents: two personalized envelopes telling them they were each going on a trip that upcoming weekend, Arleigh to the mountains with Jason and Lilia somewhere further with Mom. All we told her was to pack for:
- An airplane ride
- Three nights in a hotel
- Cold weather
- Lots of walking
She spent the whole week trying to guess the destination but also reveling in the surprise. We made it all the way to Friday—our departure day—until it accidentally slipped out, causing huge squeals of delight. She was so excited to go to New York City!
Friday – First Night in New York
On Friday, we arrived in New York in the early evening and made our way to our lovely hotel in Murray Hill via train and taxi. (Lilia was immediately smitten with taxis.)
While I had originally had grand plans to go explore that evening, we decided we were too tired from the travel day and wanted nothing more than to stay in the neighborhood and have a mommy-daughter hotel night together.
That night, Lilia caught her first glimpse of the Empire State Building from 5th Avenue, ordered her first (of many) street vendor hot dogs and churros, enjoyed “dinner and a movie” on the floor of our hotel room, soaked in the bigger-than-our-tub-at-home bath, did an animal face mask with me, pushed our twin beds together for a slumber party, and fell asleep on my stomach.
We had barely seen the city, and the trip already held so much bonding time we didn’t even realize we needed.
Saturday – “The Best Day Ever”
We woke up on Saturday feeling ready to take on the city. She wasn’t aware of everything I had in store for her, but she did know we were going to meet up with some very special people.
First up, her Uncle Matt. Lilia had never met her Uncle Matt and Uncle Theo before, and I had a hard time containing my anticipation at their inevitable meet-cute. Sure enough, Matt—my oldest and dearest friend from college—picked us up at our hotel and led the way north. Traveling the streets together felt like a full-circle moment, as Matt and I wandered the same streets together 20 years prior during the winter break of our freshman year of college.
We spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon exploring with Matt. We ate breakfast at a delightful nearby café, popped into the New York Public Library for a glimpse of the Harry Potter library, scoured the Bryant Park holiday market and street corner stalls for the perfect pair of earmuffs (she wore them the entire trip, just like I wore my black fuzzy ones when I was seven), ran through every revolving door Lilia came across, and met up with Uncle Theo for a quintessential classic New York City lunch and cheesecake slice at Juniors on Broadway.
After saying goodbye to Matt and Theo at Juniors, we then made our way to Central Park for the next part of our Saturday adventure. It was here where we met up with my good friend, Cailin, who I met while studying abroad in London. Our friendship was subsequently solidified over last-minute red-eye bus trips to Edinburgh, theater outings in Denver, and Manhattans in New York. A fellow Scorpio who shares a birthday week with Lilia, it is absolutely no surprise that Lilia took to her immediately.
We had a blast ice skating at Central Park (despite all the piggyback rides and accidental line cutting it took to get there), riding the Central Park carousel, and resting our feet during dinner at Joe Allen’s, which featured a whole plate of face-plant worthy French fries, Shirley Temples, an epic hot fudge pudding cake dessert, and lovely adult conversation with Cailin—a rarity with children around.
Finally, it was time for the culminating event of the day: The Lion King!
I first saw The Lion King in High School and knew it would be the perfect first Broadway experience for Lilia. Sure enough, as soon as Rafiki started singing and the massive elephants, rhinos, and birds walked the aisle next to us, Lilia’s mouth would not stay shut. She was enraptured, in awe that these were real people singing and creating this beautiful performance. The entire second half, we just held each other, reveling in Nala’s solo “Shadowland” and Simba’s triumphant words: “He lives in you; he lives in me.”
I knew we had created a core memory that night. Theater has that unique ability to move us more than we realize, decades later.
Exhausted and fighting the crowds, we splurged on a (highly negotiated) pedicab back to our hotel, our kind driver Rashid blasting Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey holiday favorites. As we sang along in our illuminated pedicab, Lilia officially declared, “This is the best day ever!”
I could not have agreed more.
Sunday – “The Funnest Day Ever”
We delighted in sleeping in on Sunday, our feet still sore from the day before. When we finally ventured out, we agreed to take full advantage of the Subway system to get us where we wanted to go.
Fueled by a breakfast of smoothies and pastries from Grand Central, we took the train down to Battery Park. We had so much fun doing the SeaGlass carousel and playing on the playground. Uncle Matt joined us, and I will never forget the two of them plummeting down the slides together, hand in hand.
It was here where Lilia also caught her first sight of the Statue of Liberty. She may have been just a small image in the distance, but that did not stop Lilia from buying all of the Statue of Liberty accessories in celebration.
Finally, we made it up to Rockefeller Center, where we introduced Lilia to the wonder that is FAO Schwartz, the only dedicated toy store she had ever entered. I have no idea how we survived the massive line to get in, but it was worth it for the color-changing markers, boomerang planes, and shoe wheelies she walked away with.
Next, we grabbed an early deep-dish pizza dinner and watched the ice skaters launch out both timidly and confidently onto the ice of Rockefeller Center, the glow of the massive tree overhead.
Finally, it was time for the main event of the day: The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular!
We marveled at:l the dangling snowflake chandelier in the shape of a crystal tree at Radio City Music Hall, the multiplying Santas, the stunning manger scene—complete with flying angel, two live camels, and several live sheep—and meeting up with Whitney Cooper, one of the incredible dancers, after the show. Thank you again, Whitney, for helping make that dream come true!
We said a teary goodbye to Uncle Matt after the show, grateful for all the time we had with him but devastated that our weekend romp through the city together had come to a close.
The night ended at our hotel bar, of all places, the bartender Phil serving Lilia her umpteenth plate of fries and entertaining her with his electric candle lighting tricks.
As she fell asleep that night, she declared that if yesterday was the best day ever, today, was “the funnest day ever.”
A carousel, a playground, the Statue of Liberty, lots of Subway rides, Rockefeller Center, FAO Shwartz, pizza, and the Radio City Rockettes? Heck yes, it was the funnest day yet.
Monday – Butterbeer, Levain Cookies, and Departures
Lilia and I had thoroughly exhausted our energy supplies by Monday. However, our afternoon flight home meant we had one last chance to soak in the city.
So, we rode the Subway to the Flatiron District for a visit to the Harry Potter Store. We had a blast wandering its nooks and crannies and came away with a Hedwig backpack and a delicious butterbeer drink.
Determined to grab some final essentials, we ran to Levain a couple blocks away for an assortment of the best cookies in the city to take home to Jason and Arleigh (and to snack on at the airport).
Torch, Passed
The race back to our hotel and onward to the airport was a bit more stressful than either of us was prepared for, but the joy of our New York City weekend far outweighed the exhausting or expensive tantrums.
I loved sharing Broadway and New York City with Lilia and passing on the torch of the Big Apple to her. (Arleigh will also get his turn when he turns seven.) She has since declared that she wants to live in New York when she is older, and you know what—I have no doubt that she could (and will!) someday.
I also cherished the moments when she accepted and embraced my people, my chosen family. If anything, this trip made me realize they are no longer just my people; they are now part of our entire family, adopted by the queen, Lilia herself.
Finally, I will always value being able to show her a different side of me she doesn’t get to see very often. It’s the closest she’s ever been to having a “yes” mom. A non-productive mom. A “whatever” mom. A mom who was just as much of a kid exploring the streets as she was—the child inside of me, grateful for the chance to retrace her steps and to once again see the city through youthful eyes.
The result? We cuddled more, smiled more, said YES more, ate more sugar (and fries!), and spent more money than I ever remember spending.
It was worth every single penny.
Butterbeer
This is not a kid-friendly butterbeer recipe like the one we had in New York City, but it is the closest adult version to the real thing we have made. It was born out of a recent attempt to go to a Harry Potter pop-up bar, only to be turned away. A few stores later, we gathered the ingredients for our own pop-up bar at home. [Credit: FunMoneyMom.com]
Ingredients
- 1 part vanilla vodka
- 1 part butterscotch schnapps
- 6 parts cream soda
- Whipped cream, to taste
Instructions
- Pour into vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps, and cream soda into a mug or chalice.
- Stir together until mixed.
- Add whipped cream topping.
fun with the frels 
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