NYC Family Time

Spring Break 2025. The time that the Gills went to New York City as a family. Jon and I love to visit cities to walk the streets and learn the rhythm of that place. This was the first time that we ventured to take this kind of trip with all three children. The weather was beautiful, chilly during the day and unseasonably cold at night. We thought we were prepared until we realized that our coldest child decided not to bring a coat (what?!) so the first order of business was to find a winter coat hidden among the spring and summer collections in the retail stores of the city. The story ends well, we found a super cheap super warm coat that leaves Alex room to grow and a way to stay happy during this chilly trip. By the end of the long weekend, he was so sick of hearing "Do you have your coat??" that I'm certain he will never forget a coat again. 

Thank goodness Macy's came through with the last coat of the season, as a big part of our trip was seeing the musical Six on Broadway. We went to the theater just as the theater doors were due to open, but still waited outside in a windy 27 degree night for nearly a half hour. We were outside shivering and taking turns using the exhaust of the pizzeria next door to help stay warm until we were finally allowed inside. The show was incredible; fun, beautiful, upbeat and short - the last being the most helpful in keeping our youngest entertained after a full day of walking AND a show that started at 8pm. 

The Black Tap

As you would expect in NYC, we found great food around every corner and every palette was appeased. The day we landed our first stop was The Black Tap, a burger joint known for the borderline absurd milkshakes they serve. Some with entire slices of multilayer cake sitting on top of the glass, brownie slices stuck through by straws, sprinkles, syrups, fruit and booze all layered into different options. 

We had a pretty rocky landing into JFK and an additional rocky stomach moment in the car arriving at our hotel, so we opted to skip the milkshakes and go straight for a tummy-filling meal of hamburgers and fries. Back to the hotel, rest up for a full day of touristing bright and early the next morning. 

We stayed in Midtown Manhattan and wanted to show the kids many of the traditional NYC attractions; Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the city skyline. To save the long walks to and from the hotel, we were able to show them another NYC staple - the Subway! Easy, cheap, efficient, it was fun to take our suburban kids on public transportation for the first time in recent history. 

Me and my chilly littles, keeping warm

We booked a boat tour through Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise which allowed us to cruise around to see Lady Liberty and Ellis Island but not stop anywhere - which was the perfect mix for our crew. There was also an indoor area on the boat, which was highly appreciated by our warm blooded Texans. 

We spent a moment outside to take a picture with our nation's welcoming committee

As an extra bonus, our best friends took the train from Jersey and joined us for an overnight hangout in the city.

The adults left the teens in charge for a night out at The Rag Trader. It was loads of fun, even if the live guitarist was not interested in letting me sing with the band.

Lots of silliness at the Museum of Illusions. It was a bit crowded, and a bit small, but with just enough space to take some fun photos. 

The crowing jewel for the kids was the shopping. M&M store, Nintendo store and all kinds of anime/tourist/junk shops for them to peruse and poke around while finding treasures. 

All 5 of us have different favorite moments coming off of this long weekend. We walked and toured and admired many of the great (and some not so great) parts of the city. It was a perfect amount of time to see the sights, watch a show with time to spare for shopping and fun with friends. I foresee more city visits in our future.