We snuck away to New York this past weekend and it always leaves us feeling rested, recharged and so, so grateful for home. During our 7 years in Virginia we took full advantage of being a 2 hour train ride from the city. We’d drive to the train station in D.C, park our car and hop on the express as often as we could. Even though this weekend was one of our quickest NYC trips yet, here’s everything we squeezed into our stay.

We love the 7am flight so we slept at my parents to be able to let the kids sleep and left for the airport right at 5. After an easy flight we made the trek to Soho and settled into 11 Howard.

We typically stay in the Upper East Side or Brooklyn and make our way to Soho for one day of our trip but every time we come I want to spend more time here and at devastated with it’s time to leave. I’m so glad we finally decided to stay here because the location couldn’t be more perfect! We were able to walk to nearly everything we wanted to see and were happy to take a Lyft or, in O’s case, jog to anywhere else we needed to go. The rooms are on the smaller side but the design is fantastic, the staff is somehow even better than the design and it has every thing we could possibly need for a quick trip sans kids. We decided to get out of our travel clothes, freshen up to hide our three hours of sleep and walk to lunch.

headband: Anthropologie. peplum sweater: Madewell. (on sale today!) jeans: Mother. Coat: H&M (Less than $70 and I’m raving about it to everyone)

Can I also just say how proud I am that I fit everything into my carry on? As we all know, I have big feet. Fitting sneakers, dress shoes, an extra coat and three outfits in one half of a carry on feels like a great accomplishment and I owe it all to my mom’s packing technique: lay all the long things flat on the bottom, pad the sides with shoes and roll everything else on top. Once everything is in, fold the ends of the longest items over on top and you’ll fit more than ever. Try it!

The hotel is just a couple short blocks from pretty much every store you can think of and we made the walk to our favorite restaurants multiple times. I ate at By.Chloe for 3 meals and got the same thing each time (the vegan kale ceased salad and air baked fries with their famous beet ketchup) which made me grateful it was only a 5 minute walk away.

We spent most of the remainder of the afternoon walking and resting and when it came time for dinner, I ordered my favorite salad (look at that mushroom ‘bacon’ you guys. It’s just so good.) We ate dinner in bed in pajamas–our very favorite first day.

hat:Free People.coat: old Zara (similar here) tee: Rag & Bone. pants: The Great. shoes: Veja. purse: old Fendi.

On Saturday we woke up earlier than intended which always seems to happen despite my very best efforts. It worked out well because we ended up beating the insane brunch crowd at both our our favorite spots. I had breakfast at Jack’s Wife Freda and I’ve gotta say, I can’t believe it took me 29 years to eat steak and eggs but so can assure you nothing will hold me back now. The pickled onions. The roasted tomatoes. The fingerling potatoes. Friends, if you come to this restaurant, get this.

On a side note, this hat was quite the hit. I’m so proud of myself for sidestepping the white and cream version to go for the neon version-something I never, ever do. It adds such a fun punch of color, especially if you tend to only wear neutrals like I do. If you can’t quite make the commitment to neon pink, you can also find the white and cream one here.

O ate at the cinnamon snail and had the pancakes he’s been dreaming of for nearly two years as well as some of his favorite vegan doughnuts (of course.) We did some walking and wandering and rested before headed to Jersey to attend our friend’s son’s Bar Mitzvah. Having spent two years living in Baltimore for middle school, I’m no stranger to bar and bat mitzvahs but it’s always so special to be a part of it.

On Sunday morning we shocked ourselves with how long we were able to sleep in, did three cheers and got ready to brave the rainiest day I’ve seen in a very, very long time. This wasn’t just rain you guys, it was a straight up monsoon. Inside out umbrellas, puddles filling every street and sidewalk in minutes, the works. For whatever reason, these days always end up being my favorite on a trip so we bundled up and bravely headed out in search of breakfast. I had been dreaming of eating breakfast at Hu Kitchen since the moment it opened and it didn’t disappoint.

I always get a little bit emotional when I can freely order anything on the menu without asking any questions. I cannot overstate this, you guys, IT WAS SO GOOD. I must have said it to O ten times during my meal. I got the paleo bacon and egg sandwich and ended up getting one to go as well because it was that good. I stocked up on my favorite cashew butter chocolate bars and got some goodies for the kids and off we went to another favorite- the Butcher’s Daughter- for O’s breakfast.

 

After a quick stop into our favorite bookstore, McNally Jackson, we got out of the cold, dried off and warmed up and lounged for the rest of the day until it was finally time to take a late night stroll for vegan ice cream at Van Leeuwen. We get this ice cream delivered a couple times a year and it’s still the best we’ve ever had. It’s such a treat to be able to walk over and get a few scoops and it was the perfect way to end our weekend in New York.

Please take note of the vegan chocolate sauce drizzle. If you’re dairy free like us, run- don’t walk – to Van Leeuwen. I avoid refined sugar 99% of the time so when we travel I love to indulge in the treats I don’t have otherwise as long as they’re completely gluten and dairy free.

We’re headed back to see our littles as you’re reading this and I’m so excited for the snuggles and laughs to come. Traveling with O is one of my favorite things in the world and the best end to every trip is the high-pitched squeals and koala cling hugs that meet us when we get home. Next time we’re in the city the littles will be with us and we can’t wait to share the magic of New York with them.