A Perfect Day in NYC

A few weeks back Grandpa asked Lil' Man if he wanted to go visit the USS Intrepid.  Being the military enthusiast that he is, he answered with an enthusiastic yes without skipping a beat.  Grandpa then turned to Lil' Miss and asked if she'd like to come along.  "Oh Grandpa" she said.  "I'm sorry, but I visited the USS New Jersey with my school for our class trip and that was enough visiting air craft carriers for me."

Lil' Miss not only looks like me, but she thinks and acts like me too.  She is my carbon copy, improved.  So it is suffice to say that she is a "girly Girl".   Not wanting to miss an opportunity to ride into NYC, I decided to plan a whole Girly Girl Day in the city.

We had a whole six and a half hours to do whatever we liked and I had the day planned.

Lil' Miss and I were dropped off in front of the steps of the MET (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).  We always plan a pilgrimage here every summer.  But this year there were two exhibits in particular I wanted her to see.  She had just been learning about the renowned painter, Pablo Picasso, in school this year.  The Met was featuring an exhibit where their entire collection of his drawings, paintings, sculptures, and ceramics were being displayed in their entirety for the very first time.  We were in awe by the museums extensive collection and by Picasso's vivid imagination.

The second exhibit we visited was most definitely after a budding fashionista's heart. American Woman: Fashioning A National Identity was amazing. It displayed how women's fashion from the 1890's to the 1940's helped shape the way women are seen today.  We were both quickly drawn to the beautiful intricate details of the gowns on display from "The Heiress" era of the 1890's and "The Screen Siren" period of the 1940's.  She made the immediate correlation on her own to the reason why woman dressed the way they did during the fight for civil rights. It was an amazing exhibit.  Afterwards, we spent thirty minutes perusing the books for sale in the gift shop.  Which did she decide to purchase?

A beautiful coffee table book.  A perfect purchase.

We checked the time and realized that it was quickly approaching lunchtime.  We took the bus to 42nd Street and walked up to Eighth Avenue.

We arrived a little early to our lunch date at Dallas BBQ's.  We were meeting up, for the first time, with an online friend of mine, the author of Tres Chic En Ville.  She is just as sweet and amazing to talk to in person as she is online.  It proved to me yet again the great advantages of the Internet.  Via the wonders of blogs and online chats, we are able to forge friendships with fascinating individuals who share our same interests which we may have never been able to meet due to distance.  I am so thankful for the brains behind the Internet and blogs and social networking sites.  I have met some pretty amazing people I am glad to call my friends.

We passed on dessert at Dallas BBQ's because I had a special stop planned for Lil' Miss.  We made a quick stop at a kiosk in the Port Authority before heading into the subway to take  the shuttle train and then the number 5 train uptown express one stop to 59th Street.  I couldn't wait to take her to the last place to visit on my agenda.

During my University years I would spend plenty of evenings in the city with my friends.  If we weren't going out to a club, we were scouring the novelty shops in the Village or Soho, or checking out a comedy club, art gallery, or finding the nearest coffee shop or restaurant.  It was during one of these aimless walks in the city that we discovered a tiny little place with a throng of people just waiting to get in.  My 3 friends and I looked at each other and thought, this unassuming place must be good if people have committed to waiting the 90 minutes to get in. And so we placed our name on the list and waited our turn to get inside.  It quickly became one of our favorite "go to" places for out of this world dessert.

Serendipity 3 is located in a tiny little venue on 60th Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenue.  Decorated with an array of little tchotchkes, hanging Tiffany lamps, and elaborate chandeliers decorated with pearls and flowers, it is every girly girls dream of a sweet shop.  I have been dying to take Lil' Miss here for her first visit, but each time we have planned it either something came up, the wait was too long, or we were with a party that was too large to be accommodated without reservations and in such short notice.  Since this time we were only going for dessert I knew we would not be able to make reservations.  We just have to keep our fingers crossed and pray we would be able to get in.  I felt good about it; Today would be the day.  All our wishing and hoping worked! After waiting 35 minutes, we were led to our table upstairs.  Lil' Miss was about to experience a treat so delightful, there are no words to describe it!

At the end of the day, Lil' Man told me he had a great day with grandpa, and I had yet another day to explore the city that runs deep in my veins with the most important young lady in my life.  I truly enjoy showing her the wonders NYC has to offer along with the precious time spent bonding.  It truly was a perfect day!

photos: Flicker, Met.org, google