Just for Girls in NYC

November 13, 2014 by Deonne Swanson

Over the summer Jack was away for the weekend so we decided to treat Ava to a day out in New York, hitting up all the sights her brother would have rolled his eyes at in boyish disgust. At the top of her list was the American Girl store in Midtown. We got an early start with her doll Saige in tow and a long list of what she wanted to see and do at the store. If you've never visited an American Girl store, you are in for quite a treat. You can do everything from have a meal with your doll (make reservations very far in advance for this) to getting a picture taken in their professional studio.

Ava chose to have Saige's hair done in the doll hair salon. There are several different hair styles to choose from and once you have made your decision, you are given an appointment time (usually a 30-60 minute wait). Upon your return, the doll is put into her chair and the stylists work their magic.

After selecting a few new outfits and a pair of glasses for Saige, we walked over to the Plaza. If you are celebrating a special occasion, I would make a reservation to have afternoon tea in the Palm Court. We opted to head downstairs and eat at the Food Hall (after a quick photo op with Eloise).

In the Food Hall, you can find everything from Luke's Lobster to No. 7 Sub to Todd English. On this day we chose Tartinery. Their menu is mostly soups, salads and tartines, which are basically open-faced sandwiches made with an array of toppings. Their tartines are big enough to easily feed two kids and there are enough choices that they should be able to find one they can agree on.

For dessert you can grab a cupcake at Billy's Bakery, a piece of chocolate from La Maison du Chocolat or (our personal favorite) a macaron at Francois Payard. Then it is over to the Eloise store located on the side of the food hall.

The store is great with a mix of Eloise-themed toys and books along with clothing from Olive Juice, rain slickers from Hatley, and backpacks and lunchboxes from Beatrix New York. You can also have a meal here in the adjacent party room.

If you are still up for more, you could head across the street to Central Park or over to FAO Schwarz for some more shopping. As for us, we were done and headed home with a very happy little girl in the backseat who was already planning what we would do the next time Jack was away.

A Day Out in Philadelphia

November 12, 2014 by Deonne Swanson

We are lucky to have family outside of Philadelphia so we headed down there when the kids had a couple of days off from school last week. We spent one day of the break exploring Philadelphia which we always enjoy.

We started off at the U.S. Mint and took the very informative self-guided tour (unfortunately I don't have any pictures of this as photography is prohibited). The whole experience only takes about 45 minutes and includes seeing the factory floor where the metal is cut into different coin shapes, washed and dried and then sent over to the other side where it is then stamped with the coin faces and reverses. The kids were amazed that we were seeing actual money being made and packaged for transport.

Next we headed over to the Reading Terminal Market to grab lunch. The building has been the site of a food market since 1892 but it's current emergence began in the 1990's. You can find any type of food you are craving here and there are lots of great shops to purchase something to take home. We wanted cheesesteaks so we went straight to Spataro's. You can get a cheesesteak in multiple variations (with or without cheese, onions, or mushrooms), and for those who want something else (Ava), they also have standard deli sandwiches such as ham or turkey.

On our way out we stopped by Metropolitan Bakery for dessert. In addition to amazing cookies and cakes, they also sell fresh breads, granola and dog treats! We tried the chocolate pound cake and two different chocolate chip cookies (one with walnuts, the other with macadamias) and each one was better than the last.

If I hadn't had my hands full with cookies and kids, I would have stopped next door at Old City Coffee and grabbed a latte and some beans to take home.

Finally, we checked out the Franklin Institute. We had visited years before but the kids really enjoyed our time here. This place is fantastic with so much to do and see although I think it is really best for those kids ages 5 and up. We didn't come close to seeing everything on offer here including the special exhibits such as Body Worlds: Animals Inside Out or any of the IMAX shows. The exhibit on the brain was fascinating and had lots of hands-on experiments to demonstrate the complexity of the brain. The space section had a great demonstration of gravity by having kids pick up the same lunch box on each planet and see how heavy or light it felt. I also loved these travel posters for planetary travel...

Day trip from NYC: Stone Barns Center

November 04, 2014 by Deonne Swanson

Located in Pocantico Hills, New York, about an hour north of NYC, Stone Barns Center is the perfect place to spend a day. We visit as often as we can to have lunch, visit the farm animals and stroll the trails that wind throughout the property.

The center also offers various tours such as a family tour of the farm or a trip out to collect the eggs. If you plan to do a tour, reserve in advance on their website as they do fill up quickly. We have collected eggs and I am hoping to do the family tour of the farm over Thanksgiving break.

After you've had your fill of fresh air and farm animals be sure to head over to the Blue Hill Cafe for lunch or at least for a snack. They have an ever-changing menu depending on what is in season but whatever they have is always delicious and while you are in the cafe, be sure to pick up a jar or two of the Blue Hill honey to take home. There is seating outdoors at picnic tables or you can do as we often do and have an impromptu picnic in the courtyard.

Don't leave without checking out the gift shop which has a fantastic collection of cookbooks, kids toys and things for the kitchen and garden. Also, look in the fridge for fresh eggs which are worth the trip alone. If you are there on Sunday, hit up the farmers market (from 10-4) for fresh vegetables, delicious baked goods and chicken and pork products.

Finally, if you are in need of a special adults-only night out, I would definitely recommend a meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. We had the good fortune to enjoy dinner here last summer and it was unforgettable.

Woodstock, Vermont

October 23, 2014 by Deonne Swanson

We have travelled to Woodstock many times with and without kids. We first fell in love with the town as newly transplanted Brooklynites and made the trip up every Columbus Day weekend to see the beauty of the changing leaves. We have visited in every season but this year we decided to go up Memorial Day weekend as a chance to get away without having to deal with all the beach bound traffic.

On the way up we stopped for a quick hike in Manchester on the Ice Beds Trail. This is a 1.5-mile round trip that offers a great chance for everyone to stretch their legs and enjoy a little nature. There are some beautiful overlooks but the best part of the hike comes at the turnaround point. The ice beds referred to in the trail's name are buried under the rocks here. During the winter ice forms in the rocks and slowly melts during the summer and as you approach the temperature drops quickly and you soon feel like you are standing in a freezer. We had never experienced anything like it and the kids were amazed.

After our brief detour, we headed on to Woodstock and our hotel. We chose to stay at the Shire Riverview. This is a very nice family-run place which is in a great location to explore the town by foot. It is located on the Ottauquechee River and our room had access to a balcony where we had lunch and enjoyed the view while the kids were sleeping at night. A small grocery store is right across the street making it easy to grab snacks and drinks.

The hotel provided a list of recommended places to eat and we decided to try Melaza Bistro, a tapas style restaurant, that was fantastic. The menu is great for families as while there is a kids menu, the kids can choose to order off the small plate menu as well. That is what our kids did and they enjoyed empanadas, rice and beans and sweet plantains. We loved everything we ordered and the waitstaff couldn't have been nicer.

Our favorite meal of the trip was breakfast at Mon Vert Cafe. They have one of those menus where you spend minutes deciding what to order and immediately begin thinking about what you will order tomorrow morning.

The 2-egg frittata sandwich is cooked to order and so good. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced and organic including the coffee. There is a wide selection of pastries and Ava had a fruit bowl that was overflowing with fresh berries. We ate here for breakfast both days but unfortunately didn't get a chance to try the lunch menu.

Well fortified form our breakfast at Mon Vert, we headed over to King Arthur Flour's headquarters in nearby Norwich. They had greatly expanded since the last time we visited, with a new kitchen and cafe. This is a great place to stock up on all of King Arthur's products, sample some baked goods, and take a class if you have time. The classes tend to fill up well in advance so if that is something you want to do be sure to plan ahead.

And of course get the obligatory king and queen shot...

King Arthur is located in a bucolic setting with picnic tables for the adults to relax on and plenty of space for the kids to run around and burn off that sugar high from sampling all of the delicious baked goods in the cafe. The cafe serves breakfast and lunch every day, hearth-baked pizza on Fridays from 4-6, and the menu is updated seasonally.

From Norwich, it is a short drive over to Hanover, NH, home to Dartmouth College. Hanover is a great college town with a lively downtown filled with a mix of chain shops, specialty stores and great restaurants.

We always stop in and check out the Dartmouth Bookstore. Although it is run by Barnes and Noble it has a huge and very diverse selection of kids books carrying many titles that I usually have seen only in independent bookstores.

The campus is traditionally beautiful in the way all New England campuses are: lots of brick, Greek columns, classic architecture.

We wanted to have lunch at the Woodstock Farmer's Market, a great local market with a fantastic selection of cheeses, specialty grocery items and prepared foods. Their sandwiches are delicious and a great option for a picnic on the green (or lunch on the balcony at your hotel).

After lunch we decided to go for a walk and check out some of the shops. If you're not familiar with Woodstock, it is consistently voted one of the best small towns in America. The town had the good fortune of having one of the Rockefellers marry into a local family and he became so enamored with the town that he donated money to preserve it's 19th-century architecture and rural feel.

Gillingham's General Store is one of our favorite stops whenever we are in the area. Coincidentally my husband is distantly related to the owners. This store has a little bit of everything from specialty beers and wines to maple syrup to a great selection of kids toys. If you are looking for a gift for someone, you should definitely be able to find something here.

There is also a great bookstore, the Yankee Bookshop, which is Vermont's oldest independent bookstore, and once you step inside you realize why. They have a fantastic kids section and also seemed to have every book (new and old) that I have been meaning to read. Red Wagon Toy Company has beautiful baby and young kids clothing as well as plenty of toys to keep everyone occupied while you shop!

We planned ahead and made reservations at Simon Pearce in nearby Quechee for dinner. Simon Pearce produces beautiful handblown glass pieces and the restaurant is in the same building as the glass blowing studio and a gorgeous shop. We arrived a little early so we would have time to look around as the shop sells glass, pottery, and some woven goods. If you get there during the day, you can watch the glassblowers at work downstairs. The restaurant space is lovely and if you're lucky and get a seat by the window the kids can enjoy the view of the waterfall.

They have a kids menu for lunch and dinner and while it has the usual standbys such as buttered noodles and macaroni and cheese to please the pickier eaters (Ava), there is enough of a selection that a more adventurous eater (Jack) will not be disappointed. Meanwhile, the food for the adults is fantastic. As with a lot of the restaurants in the area, there is a commitment to serving sustainable and local food whenever possible and it definitely comes through.

The highlight of our meal though was looking out the window and seeing this come floating down the river...

The kids were sure they were going over the falls but they took off just before!

We ended the weekend by driving the long way home through the Berkshires and stopping for lunch in Lenox at Haven Cafe and Bakery. We arrived after the lunch crowd had departed and had the place almost to ourselves (which is very unusual). The food here is consistently delicious and there is something on the menu for all tastes. I had an arugula and farro salad with marinated tomatoes that I am still trying to recreate at home.

I wanted to stop at Baldwin's Extracts in West Stockbridge but unfortunately they were closed so I guess that just gives us an excuse to go back!

Wanderlust Friday

October 18, 2014 by Deonne Swanson

Afternoon in Havana