KRISTY EVERYDAY: NEW YORK CITY

We flew to New York last month for a family wedding and, of course, we had to squeeze in all the adventures that we could!

M's younger sister got married in Long Island and the kids and I were in the wedding. We decided to fly into New York a few days before the wedding and stay a few days after so we could have more time with his family.

We always try to spend at least one full day in Manhattan. M's family lives in the Bronx so we split our time between there, our hotel (we stayed in New Jersey and Long Island this time around) and Manhattan. Usually we just explore Central Park or check out a museum but this year we decided to go total tourist. We ended up planning out a few days in Manhattan.

Central Park, we love you so. It's a classic for us. We took the train in, met up with M's brother, and let the kids run around the park. A big favorite of ours in the park is the Conservatory Water. We rented boats from the boathouse and let the kids do a little sailing a la Stuart Little. Ice cream afterwards is a must! There's a cute little ice cream stand by the boathouse and there's always tons of ice cream carts around the park. We usually wander around until we find one and then hang out in a shady, grassy area for a bit.

It was so hot in Manhattan but the kids couldn't pass up a trip to the Lego Store and the American Girl store. It was Lia's first time at the AG store and she was over-the-moon excited about it! Even Nico loved running around and seeing all the dolls and setups.

But, our big outing was the Statue of Liberty. Lia has been reading about the statue (she loved this book) so we made it a family affair and set out for the day. Pretzels on the ferry ride, gorgeous views, and tons of history on Ellis Island.

I couldn't resist buying a couple of these foam crowns for the kids. I still vividly remember the day my parents took me and bought my crown!

The kids really love exploring the grounds of the island and climbing the stairs into the statue. Nothing beats the views (and the breeze!) up there.

And, if you're ever in Manhattan, you need to eat here. M's uncle owns the restaurant and has put so much heart and time into this place. M used to work there when he was a teenager and now we go as often as we can. This visit was actually Nico's first and as soon as he walked in, his eyes got huge and all we heard was "Coco!". The Mexican paper garland and the string lights and candle-lit tables must have made him think that we were in the movie. It was the sweetest.