A Crazy Thanksgiving Weekend in NYC

One of my great dreams had always been to once see the famous Macy‘s Thanksgiving Parade in New York. While I’m actually not that fond of parades I‘m a total sucker for all kinds of Christmas or even pre-Christmas events. And this year would be perfect to finally do it. We were relatively close by and could get there without having to fly half around the planet, we had two kids with us who would surely appreciate a cool parade with humungous balloons and also, Thanksgiving was this year one day before my birthday so we’d combine it with a birthday and Christmas-shopping weekend in New York. My head started spinning at this thought and a magical fantasy started forming itself and did go maybe a little overboard. It would be so romantic, we would watch the parade, have lunch at a nice little New York restaurant, we‘d go window shopping along 5th avenue, take a walk through Central Park, have cozy dinners and fancy champagne breakfasts on my birthday, while thick snowflakes danced in the air and a hint of cinnamon tickled my nose. And all of this was of course accompanied by Bing Crosby singing „I‘m dreaming of a white Christmas“ in the background… *sigh*

Ok, now reality check. This is how it really went down: We took a taxi in the late afternoon the day before U.S. Thanksgiving to go to the airport in Montreal. Not even five minutes later Kenzie threw up all over hubby. He tried to clean the worst while the Taxi driver was cursing under his breath and I tried hard to concentrate and look outside – I really cannot bear the smell of vomit. At the airport I jumped out of the car with a crying Liya who, to the brink of bursting, tried to hold in her pee and under my other arm I clutched Kenzie’s vomit-smeared jacket so I could try to clean it at least a little while hubby went for check-in. The flight was thankfully rather uneventful and we took a taxi from La Guardia Airport to go to Manhattan. My heart started dancing at the sight of the Manhattan Skyline shining in the darkness. I just love this city and from now on it would be good, it had to!
 Wrong again…!

 The moment we stepped out of the Taxi it was Liya’s turn to vomit the content of her stomach out onto the kerb right in front of the Hotel. Once up in the room, Kenzie followed suit and vomited all over the floor as well. Neither had so much as a temperature and since we were used to motion sick girls we attributed it to the traveling.

Unfortunately we had some more of these incidents the following day when we went to the (reportedly coldest ever) Thanksgiving Parade. During a Taxi ride, Kenzie got sick again. Hubby was grumpy, the kids tired and I started to see my fantasy melting away. We didn’t expect and hadn’t packed for such cold weather so we only saw a fraction of the parade before we had to leave and find warm shelter. What we saw, however, was breathtaking and admittedly impressive. Finding places to eat turned out to become a challenge as well, this being Thanksgiving weekend and most places being closed for the holiday. Eventually we ate at the next best place that was open, the kids fell asleep halfway through the meal and we ended up fighting I don‘t know anymore why. So we went back to the Hotel angry, annoyed and totally fed up with the whole trip and ended up hanging in the room watching a stupid dog show on tv. I was devastated, the dogs were too much! Now I sat here in my beloved Manhattan watching a fat little boy with gelled hair running in a circle along side a poodle while people in the audience cheered frenetically! I felt like crying but at least the girls were content again! 

In the evening we went for dinner in a really scruffy Chinese noodle shop with the dirtiest toilet I‘ve seen in a long time. Kenzie seemed to take this as an invitation to vomit again all over the floor in the middle of the shop. This was followed by yet another fight about wether or not we should still have our dinner or take the food back to the hotel. 

The day after got better and even though it was not the weekend I had dreamt of, we still made the best of it. My tip for families traveling with small children to Manhattan: go in spring/summer. There are a number of nice playgrounds and several cool outdoor activities throughout the city which we could not enjoy because of the biting wind and the cold weather. 

here are our recommendations
(for winter or anytime):

where we stayed

We stayed at Hotel 50 Bowery in Chinatown right at the foot of Manhattan Bridge. For a stay in Manhattan in Winter I found this not such a good location since walking far was no option because of the low temperatures as well as the wind. Moreover the nearest Metrostation Bowery did not have an elevated and we had to carry strollers up and down (not wanting to take our chances with Taxis anymore after Kenzie had spilled out her stomach content so frequently in the past hours). Originally we were planning on staying at the Ace Hotel, a trendy and hip place which we know from having stayed at in London, Los Angeles and New Orleans. Unfortunatly this one was all booked out for the weekend. On another occasion we had stayed at the NYC Citizen M Hotel (they also have one in Amsterdam) which was good but the rooms are capsules – way too small for two baby cribs. 

getting around

• walking: The very best, cheapest and most interesting way to get around. Of course this is easier when you visit the big apple in summer. When we went it was too cold to walk big distances.

• Metro:
  Everyone knows that the Metro is a perfect way to get around in New York. When you travel with children who still require a stroller, it suddenly looks different. We ended up carrying our strollers and the two girls down several flights of stairs into the subway and then up again while cursing the New York public transportation system because not every station has on every entrance and every street an elevator. If your kid is not too big and heavy yet, I recommend a baby carrier!

• Taxi easy and good way of transportation provided your kid does not suffer from motion sickness. 

• Ferry: Do it, it’s fun. Especially with children!

breakfast & coffee

• Swallow Cafe: A very nice coffee shop in a charming corner of Brooklyn with old, beautiful townhouses. We had a delicious breakfast there, everything fresh from the downstairs kitchen. Staff was very friendly and helpful and we found a place on a bench for there were no highchairs.
  

• Martha’s Country Bakery: They offer a vast variety of cakes, cupcakes and other deserts. Liya had a short meltdown in there because of the lacking candles on my cake (we went there on my birthday) but otherwise it was very cozy. 

eating & drinking

• Cafe Colette: We had made early reservations in this very small but trendy dining place, which proofed to be a good idea. We were alone for quite some time and didn’t have to stress out about the kid’s being noisy and we had the (very friendly staff all to ourselves). They make delicious Mock- and Cocktails as well as kick-ass food!

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• Mermaid Oyster Bar: While this small restaurant was packed with people trying to profit from Happy Hour when we arrived and therefore already at a high noise level, our children decided to prove that they could out-scream even the loudest and most drunken person in the room. But, they got something to draw (no highchair) and the dinner (mainly seafood which you might have guessed when reading the name) was absolutely tasty!

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• The Dutch: Also on another occasion (BK= before kids) we went here, me and my Dutchman to eat oysters. It was easy to get a table (just a short wait to be seated) and the oysters were yumm! 

• Apotheke: Obviously, there was no opportunity this time to go out and hit the bars of Manhattan. But on a previous visit with a friend we went to this dark but inviting bar which is styled to simulate an old apothecary (this word makes me think of friends…hahahaha). Worth going and taking a big eye full of this special place.

where to go, what to do

• Thanksgiving Parade: of course! We stood across Radio City Hall which turned out to be a perfect spot. We’d see everything well and it was easy to get away again once we had enough. Make sure to bring enough warm clothes, though. Better too many than not enough, seriously!

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• The day after Thanksgiving is, as we probably all know by now, Black Friday. Okay, here’s the thing. I do love shopping, but Black Friday is off the charts. Last year, not knowing at the time we arrived, we spent the day in Singapore and the kids almost psyched out! I expected Manhattan no less crazy about sale (I mentally hear the woohoo girls), so we decided to turn tail and flee across Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn. When we left our Hotel we were delighted to realize that it was considerably warmer than the day before, the wind had stopped and the sun was out. We therefore decided to walk across the bridge and enjoy a houseful of fresh urban air while the metro noisily clattered alongside us over the bridge.

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• Brooklyn Bridge Park: we walked along the water and enjoyed the superb view on Manhattan and even the Statue of liberty. We made our way all along Brooklyn Bridge Park Greenway to Dumbo, where we went for a ride on Jane’s Carousel. Guys, I have hardly ever seen something as fantastic as this. This old Carousel (built in 1922!) is placed in a glass cube with direct view onto east river. We were a bit scared (thinking about all the vomiting of the past days) but luckily we all go to enjoy a fantastic ride in front of the magnificent backdrop of the Manhattan Skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

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• We took the Ferry from Dumbo to Williamsburg. Unfortunately the Windows of the Ferry were so unbelievably dirty that we hardly saw anything of Manhattan (bring window cleaner!) but the trip itself was fun especially for the kids (again no vomiting, yeah).

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• I heard about Domino Park in Summer on a Monocle 24 Podcast called The Urbanist and made a mental note to go there. It is a newly opened recreational area built on the grounds of a former sugar refinery. It is a place to unwind for adults, children, dogs, you name it! We of course checked out the playground (daddy almost had more fun than the two girls together). There is furthermore a little kiosk and very formidable public toilets! An absolute must!

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• When it slowly got dark we sauntered down Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg. There was a homey feeling about this street with its small shops and the festively decorated windows. Next time I would plan in more time to also be able peeking into the various side streets.

• The Highline is an old Train track going right through Chelsea. this is a great place to wander above ground with a view on hidden River and over to New Jersey.

• Canal Street Market is a mixture of Local start-up labels and food stalls, so basically shopping and eating. There is also one coffee bar and a flower stall. Fun to have a look if you need/want nothing in particular.

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• We had a look at Wollman Ice Rink in Central Park. Of course our kids are still a bit too small to hit the Ice but it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon with older children.

• We were hardly able to pass by Central Park Zoo. The girls were pulling and tugging in the direction of the Zoo’s entrance and once I mentioned that this was the Zoo portrayed in the Movie Madagascar, also Hubby was tempted to go in but unfortunately there was not enough time. It looked like a neat little zoo though, so this went right back onto our To Do list for our next visit (once in summer).

• On another cold and gloomy day, we decided to visit the Museum of natural History (for Movie-lovers, also known from the movie „Night at the Museum“). It is an interesting and child friendly bad weather option but do not go around holidays. I guess half of the united States were in there with us, everyone dragging tired cranky kids through way to full corridors. The exhibitions are appealing and interesting but I’m sure it must be much nice once you actually see the exhibit.

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• A friend of mine, who had visited the city in summer with a small child recommended to take the ferry to governors Island where it must be nice for the small ones to play. We unfortunately didn’t get around to do it and I think it is also rather something you do in summer.

playgrounds

• Billy Johnson Playground
• Playground at Domino Park
• Vesuvio Playground: combine it with some shopping and Brunch in SOHO.
• Playground at Union Square Park

shops

• Salter House
• Package Free Shop
• Cuyana
• Everlane
• Rag & Bone
• Anine Bing
• Naadam West Village
• Regular Visitors Brooklyn

places that looked worth a visit but there was no time (or space)

This is a long list of places we would have liked to go but for one reason or another didn’t make it.

• Lively Brooklyn (It’s a bit far out but looks intriguing)
• The Butcher’s Daughter (first closed then full)
• Cafe Gitane (recommended by a friend for brunch)
• Love Adorned (a shoe I really would have liked to have a peak but somehow missed out on it.)
• Egg Shop (It was unfortunately closed the first time we tried and full the second time)
• Cafe Select and Rintintin were recommended to me by a friend. The owner is a Swiss DJ, whom she knows. Apparently the two places are commendable but maybe a tat too trendy (we Swiss say z’szenig)
• Jack’s Wife Freda (We tried, several times, it was always full with what looked like the next generation of influencers)
• Reastaurant Balthazar
• Restaurant Banter NYC
• Restaurant Buvette
• Restaurant Joseph Leonard
• Restaurant Le Coq Rico
• Little Collins (It was too little for the four of us!)
• Café Bluestone Lane
• Café Summers SoHo (try to make reservations or prepare to queue)
• Café The Grey Dog (for brunch) was recommended by a friend.
• Shake Shack was recommended to me as a place where it is easy to eat with kids. Since we unfortunately somehow always tend to go for complicated rather than easy, we did not try it. I think it is also more of a summer’s option.
• Brooklyn Roasting Company
• Restaurant Meadowsweet 
• Restaurant St. Mazie Bar & Supper Club
• Café Toby’s Estate Coffee
• Restaurant Greenpoint Fish & Lobster (recommendation of a friend) supposedly has the best oysters in town. Still sad I did not get to verify that!
• Restaurant Rider
• Cafe Mogador Williamsburg
• C.Lo Café Williamsburg
• La Esquina: Ok there is a story to this one. I was in Manhattan with my good friend D in 2013 and she had been told the La Esquina was the place to go. So the moment we arrived, we told our concierge to make reservations there. Every time we saw him he told us that he was put on hold, waiting for someone to answer his call. We of course tried online reservations but it was hopeless. The first availability was half a year later. Eventually we gave up but the concierge is probably still holding the line.

Maybe some of you once manage to tick off one or the other of these places. I’d be glad to hear about it and getting a yay or nay on keeping them on my TO DO list for next time.

New York, I will always love you but I won’t be back in winter with small children again – I swear! But like so often, it might seem like an obviously stupid idea to do this but hubby and me promised ourselves to not sit at home and pause our lives because we had children, like we had seen many of our acquaintances do the moment they had become parents. We thought – and still think – it is always worth a try (better oops than what if!) and it is beneficial for the kids, their horizon and perspective of the world, all our flexibility to be taken along when mommy and daddy explore the world. Sometimes it works out better and sometimes less, but no pain, no gain, right? And all these trials (and errors) still are memories we make together – good ones and bad ones but they will stay with us as a family for all our lives.