Mother-Daughter Trip To NYC (With My Teenager)

When my teenager asked me to do a mother-daughter trip with her, NYC came to mind immediately. With so much fashion, food, and creativity there, it was the perfect place to bond and have fun! Here’s what we did in 3.5 days…

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Day 1/2: Hotel, A Quick Bite & Baking Class

The Kimpton Eventi, Chelsea

3:00 pm | We arrived on Saturday afternoon and checked into The Kimpton Eventi in Chelsea. I’d stayed there before and found the hotel to be reasonably priced, clean, and spacious for an NYC hotel. We also got a lovely view of the Empire State Building.

Au Bon Pain, Bryant Park Neighborhood

Then, we headed uptown to find a place to eat, settling on a quick bite at Au Bon Pain, which is our go-to chain for sandwiches and salads. Whole Foods was right next door, so we grabbed some water, breakfast foods, and snacks. Despite the abundance of restaurants in NYC, I keep snacks and water on hand, as it’s easy to lose track of time and forget meals!

Atelier Sucré, East Village

6:00 pm | We signed up for a three-hour croissant-making class at Atelier Sucré, a tiny workshop located in the East Village. Chef Jen taught us to make plain, cheese, and chocolate croissants. We each left with 4 delicious croissants and the recipe to make more at home.

At Atelier Sucré, you can also learn to make bagels, chocolate mousse, gluten-free macarons, eclairs, and other French pastries.

Crepe Master, East Village

7:45 pm | While we waited for our croissants to bake, we went across the street to Crepe Master, to try one of the Japanese-style crepes (it’s also a dedicated gluten-free restaurant). We shared the Mango and Mochi crepe. The photo is just the display models, but it gives you an idea of how cute and creative the crepes are!

Day 1: Shopping, Central Park Walk, & Korean Dinner

9:30 am – On Sunday morning, after a hotel-room breakfast (Superseed Trio “cereal” for me and croissants for her), we walked over to Fifth Avenue.

Teen Fashion Favorites

We stopped at the landmark NYC Public Library for a few photos before heading uptown to H&M, Uniqlo, and Aritzia, three of my daughter’s favorite places to shop.

I usually don’t shop the same brands that she does, but I did buy a 3D Merino Knit Sweater at Uniqlo. Their fitting room lines were long, but the self-checkout was a breeze (just drop your purchases into a bin that scans all the tags at once).

Mom Fashion Try-Ons

I did a huge try-on at & Other Stories, but I seemed to be between sizes in everything I tried.

All four stores had gorgeous fall merchandise. Here’s what we saw:

Grand Central Station

11:30 am – After a quick photo stop at the clock at Grand Central Station, we took the subway to the Upper East Side to meet friends for lunch. In case you haven’t been to NYC in a while, you no longer need a subway card, just your credit card or Apple Pay. So easy!

Le Pain Quotidien, Upper East Side

We arrived early (at Lexington/86th Street), so we could grab drinks to cool down. We found Noglu on Madison Avenue, a dedicated gluten-free bakery. I only had the iced coffee, but I was very tempted to try the desserts and baked goods!

12:45 pm – We met our friends at Le Pain Quotidien, another chain restaurant that serves delicious, healthy, light meals. I had the Quinoa Avocado Bowl, while my daughter enjoyed the Avocado Toast. If you love fresh bread, you’ll love eating here!

Central Park, Upper West Side

1:45 pm – We headed to Central Park to walk around the reservoir, see Belvedere Castle, and peek at Delacorte Theatre, where they perform Shakespeare in the Park. We were only there for an hour or so, but you could spend all day there, and eat at Le Pain Quotidien or the Tavern On The Green. (Note that the cafes and restaurants are all on the south end of the park.)

2:45 pm | It was a pretty hot day, so we walked over to the Upper West Side and popped into boutiques, thrift shops, gift shops, chocolate and beverage stops. If you love fancy chocolate, try Venchi on Columbus Avenue / 69th Street, though let me warn you, a handful of chocolates costs about $17!

Our beverage stop was Maman, an adorable French cafe chain. I had Martha’s Red Iced Tea (inspired by Martha Stewart), a raspberry-infused hibiscus iced tea, with blueberries and mint. They also serve salads, sandwiches, pastries, coffee, and more.

Rockefeller Center & FAO Schwartz

4:00 pm | Life with a teenager is never predictable; one minute, we were debating whether to spend $79 on a jacket for a body that’s still growing, the next, we were snuggling a cow plushie at FAO Schwartz.

FAO Swartz is home to the Jellycat Diner, where kids of any age can order a Jellycat food plushie and watch a “server” pack it up in a to-go bag. Reservations are required, and long lines are inevitable.

5:00 pm | Since we had a dinner reservation to get to, we only stopped at a couple of fashion stores that we didn’t see elsewhere. We browsed the affordable 14K gold jewelry at Catbird, known for their Forever Bracelets (micro-welded, clasp-free permanent jewelry). And we both loved Kate Spade, especially the gorgeous handbags and delightful bag charms.

6.45 pm – Our dinner reservation was at Hojokban where we had Korean-style short rib steak, Honey KFC Chicken, Wok-tossed Bibimbap, Octopus Tteokbokki, and Cucumber Salad – all delicious! We didn’t have room for dessert, but the Tangerine Tiramisu, Frozen Korean rice wine topped with puffed rice, cinnamon ice cream looked intriguing!

Our step count this day was 26,000+ steps!

Day 2: The Museum Of Ice Cream, Shopping & More Dessert

Warning: this part of the blog post is packed full of sugary temptations!

Museum Of Ice Cream

9:30 am | We started the day at the Museum of Ice Cream, an interactive museum where you can take photos, eat ice cream, and be a little silly. They offer plenty of flavors, including gluten-free and vegan options, and you can eat as much as you want! We spent an hour there, but if you’re with younger kids, plan to stay a bit longer. (Note that the cost of admission varies by day and time)

Shopping In Soho

10:45 pm | After a decadent breakfast of ice cream, we explored the rest of Soho, which has everything from fast fashion for teens to the most exclusive designer boutiques. My daughter loved the stores on Broadway, including Garage, Edikted, Princess Polly, Lululemon, and Pacsun. She would have liked to have looked at Brandy Melville, but there was a line to get in (yes, that happens in NYC.)

Italian Charm Bracelet Making

12:00 pm | My daughter made an appointment at Cut and Cropped, where she made a custom Italian charm bracelet (rectangular charms that link together like a watch band, in case you’re clueless like I was). It was a tiny crowded shop, packed with moms, teens, and young adults, but it was fun to watch the girls choose charms that reflected their personalities.

12:45 pm | We’d had our share of ice cream, but couldn’t resist Mochidoki. In case you haven’t tried Mochi, it’s a Japanese rice dough that they wrap around a little bit of ice cream. They also have vegan ice cream.

Window Shopping

1:00 pm | I wanted to browse the designer brands that I don’t usually see in the suburbs, Polène (handbags), Anine Bing (women’s fashion) and rag & bone (men and women’s fashion).

I don’t usually shop at vintage stores, but we also spent some time in What Goes Around Comes Around to admire the stunning Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel handbags. Everything we saw looked brand new, and the staff was very gracious.

Mediterranean Lunch

2:00 pm | Remember what I said about carrying snacks? I thought I wouldn’t need any because of our ice cream breakfast, but suddenly it was 2:00 pm, and we were starving. Lesson of the day: plan ahead, as it’s very easy to get distracted in Soho! We grabbed lunch at Taïm, a casual Mediterranean eatery that was decent, but I wish we’d taken the time to find something more unique.

2:45 pm | If you have a teenager who loves makeup, you’ll probably want to stop at the Glossier flagship store at 72 Spring St. Their motto is “Skin First. Makeup Second™” appealing to minimalists of all ages. My teen loved their floral fragrances and bought herself a travel-sized one (mostly because we only had carry-on bags, but also because they’re expensive!)

You’ll also find Glossier products at Sephora, too!

3:45 pm | One of my favorite things about Soho is the number of European brands that have stores there. If you haven’t checked out Me+Em, Reiss, and Varley, they have well-made, updated classics.

Cupcakes, Nolita

5:00 pm | I promised my daughter more baked goodies, so we popped into the Little Cupcake Bakeshop to share a gluten-free chocolate cupcake (delicious) and take a Hostess cupcake and mini Key Lime Pie to go. They have all the American classic desserts, as well as coffee and tea.

Clever Alice, Nolita

5:15 pm | We made one last stop before dinner, at Clever Alice, a boutique that carries some unique French brands, as well as samples from other European brands. I bought a couple of items from Clevel Alice in May, and found a few more things on this trip – I’ll share them in a post soon!

Momoya Japanese Restaurant

6:15 pm | We hadn’t made any plans for dinner, so we walked into Momoya, and wow, did we have a nice meal! We shared the Tempura Appetizer, Avocado Crispy Rice, Spicy Salmon & Mango roll, and the Miso Black Cod. And then ended this dessert-filled day with the Haru Urara Parfait: 16 different mini desserts, including strawberry guava sorbet, a green tea cake pop, and cheesecake foam!

Day 3: Credo Beauty, Sunday Spa & Balthazaar Dinner

10:00 am | We were pretty tired by Day 3 (at least I was), so we lounged at the hotel before going to Salswee (at 5th Avenue/23rd Street), which blends French and Asian pastry-making techniques into unique treats. I only had a bite but it was enough fruity goodness to last me all morning. My sugar-loving daughter enjoyed an entire mango treat.

Don’t worry, we burned all those calories with a walk up to 57th Street, where my daughter (and F1 fan) wanted to peek into the Aston Martin and Ferrari showrooms. The staff inside rolled their eyes (with a smile) when we took photos outside! After a quick stop at SaksOff5th (a great store for past-season fashion from designer brands), we took the subway down to Eataly for lunch.

Eataly, Flatiron

12:15 pm | If you love Italian food, pastries, chocolate, and other gourmet treats, you’ll love Eataly. We sat down at one of the restaurants, but there were plenty of sandwiches, pizza, and other to-go lunches available. Eataly is also a great place for gifts, including tabletop items, cute kitchen tools, and bath products.

Ana Luisa, Soho

2:00 pm | After lunch and a quick stop at the hotel, we headed back to Soho for a little more shopping (there are so many stores that we couldn’t see them all!) We stopped at Ana Luisa, a minimalist jewelry brand that makes high-quality fashion jewelry. where my daughter bought herself the sweetest little bracelet.

Credo, Soho

2:45 pm | 3 days of walking outside in the sun gave me quite the tan, making my foundation look rather ghostly on me! So it was a good excuse to explore Credo, a non-toxic beauty store that I had only admired online. We were in a bit of a hurry, so I forgot to ask the name of the woman who helped me, but she was amazing at figuring out my color needs. I walked away with foundation, blush, and lipstick that I’ll share in an upcoming beauty post.

If you’re looking for clean beauty, take a look at Credo online, as their standards for clean beauty are higher than most beauty stores.

Sundays. Soho

3:45 | We took a break at Sundays, a non-toxic nail salon where we both enjoyed French manicures. The manicures are quite affordable, starting at $38 (at the time of writing), but if you want to buy polish, each bottle is $20.

Balthazar, Soho

5:30 pm | We had early dinner reservations at the Balthazar, the well-known casual French restaurant that attracts tourists and celebrities. We did dress up a little, but there were plenty of families there in shorts and tees. I had the Atlantic Halibut, and my daughter had the NY Strip Steak, both really good but not outstanding. We skipped dessert in favor of another bakery trip…

Levian Bakery, Soho

7:00 pm | Our last stop was at Levian Bakery, which serves the most decadent cookies I have ever seen (they look like muffin tops!) We bought 4 cookies to bring home to the guys, and had the Vegan & GF Chocolate Chip Walnut one for dessert. What a delicious way to end our food and fashion tour of NYC!

We actually shopped at so many more stores, but these were some of the highlights. I’ll show you what I bought in upcoming posts, but in the meantime, tell me, what would you do in 3.5 days in NYC?

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