I recently returned from a fabulous mother-daughter weekend in New York City. My daughter leads a very busy life and lives 400 miles away from me so it isn’t often we have time for just the two of us to be together. We talked and laughed, walked and rode subways and taxis, did everything on our bucket list and more, and ate our way through several different parts of the city. The best part of the weekend for me was spending this special time with my wonderful daughter.
We arrived Friday evening after a several hour weather related flight delay. The first thing on our agenda was a walk to Kesté Pizzeria in the West Village for possibly the best pizza I’ve ever eaten.
On Saturday we started off with an early morning walk to Katz’s Delicatessen for breakfast. It was bagel with lox and cream cheese for me and blueberry blintzes for my daughter. I even ordered a salami to be sent home (it’s delicious).
We took our time admiring the amazing art at the Modern Museum of Art. My daughter knows a lot more about art than I do and pointed out some of the most famous artists and paintings.
We both loved the fabulous afternoon tea in the elegant Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel. It was our big splurge of the trip and my Mother’s Day gift from my daughter. We chose the New Yorker tea with so much delicious food that although we tried, we couldn’t eat all of the desserts.
We hopped on the subway to Central Park West to visit the John Lennon Memorial in Strawberry Fields. On our way to the memorial we stopped to admire the view of the city from The Lake.
After our full day we returned to the hotel for a short rest before wandering around SoHo and stopping for drinks and a snack at the SoHo Room. Before turning in for the night we browsed in a couple of book shops in Greenwich Village where my daughter found a book she hasn’t been able to find anywhere else.
Sunday morning started with an early morning ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Going early has it’s perks. We arrived at the Statue of Liberty early enough to beat the crowds.
Once we were back in Manhattan we walked to the 9/11 Memorial and spent a while in silence and reflection gazing at the two pools where the twin towers once stood. From the pools we looked up at the One World Trade Center building, also known as the Freedom Tower.
It was cold and windy as we walked around lower Manhattan and it had been a long time since breakfast. We hopped on the subway to Little Italy for lunch, coffee and pastries. As we strolled along we browsed in a few shops and wound up in Chinatown (and had people trying to sell us watches and purses) before returning to the hotel for an afternoon nap. Late in the afternoon we headed to Times Square and the Empire State Building.
Our weekend was filled with so much more than just sightseeing. One of my favorite things was just strolling through different parts of the city admiring the beautiful architecture of the buildings. I loved passing by community gardens and parks. It was fun stopping in a pastry shop on our way home one night and trying to decide which of the treats to take back for a late night dessert. Several times we had total strangers offer to help us find what we were looking for. A kind subway station attendant helped get us where we needed to go when we accidentally entered the wrong gate. One night we stopped to look at a FDNY Fire Station and had a nice conversation with one of the young Firefighters.
Monday morning we had time to walk to a coffee shop for breakfast before taking a wild taxi ride to La Guardia, We said goodbye to New York City with a fabulous aerial view of the city.
Wandering Dawgs 
What a wonderful and special weekend! We spent a glorious long weekend in NYC, soon after 9/11. Mayor Rudy G said if we really want to help the city to recover, come visit. And did we! We had a blast but we had or time of reflection as we visited the tragic site from the destruction of 9/11. We must return! I see a mother-daughter weekend there in our future. This sure wetted my appetite!
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I hope you and your daughter are able to make the trip one day!
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This is so exciting. We are happy for you and thank you for sharing such an important moment.
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Not one mother/daughter photo!! I wanted to see your happy smiles:) My daughter and I did a special trip to the city for her 30th birthday. NYC is great place to make lasting memories. Glad you two had such a wonderful weekend:)
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The only mother/daughter photos are goofy selfies!
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Great photos – only lacking the taste of the food & smells in the air.!
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There isn’t enough money in a bank to pay for the joy you enjoyed on that special mother-daughter weekend. I applaud your daughter for taking the time from her busy schedule to show you how much she appreciates you.:-) I haven’t been to NYC in a few years so thank you for taking us along.
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Thanks Judy. You are so right about the joy we experienced that weekend.
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Beth, what a lovely trip you had with your daughter. Experiences and memories you will hold in your heart forever. 💜
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Sheila, thank you. It was a weekend I will always remember.
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NYC is so much fun! What a special time to be able to spend with your daughter, Beth. Always love that LaGuardia view on the way out of town. Always best to sit on the left side of the plane both coming in and leaving. 🙂
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That view from the plane was amazing. So glad it was a sunny day.
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Gorgeous! Nothing like NYC!
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Thanks Pam!
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I can’t think of a better way to celebrate “Mother’s Day”. My daughter and I just returned from a 5 day road trip which included Zion NP. It was a trip filled with epic moments but I think you and I agree that it’s the time with our daughters that is the best and the sightseeing comes in second. Looks like you enjoyed a fabulous trip 😊
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Ingrid, mother-daughter time is the best! Glad you were able to enjoy a road trip with your daughter.
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This reminded me so much of our visit with my daughter and her husband when we visited the USA in 2002… so many places that our kids took us to came flooding back reading this post… luved it…
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Beth, that is so great! What a treat for both you and Andrea.
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Looks like y’all had a wonderful trip, Beth! Some of our most memorable vacations have been in New York. There’s always something new to see and do no matter how many times you’re there. And enjoying it with Andrea just made it that much better, I’m sure!
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Priceless. What a wonderful idea to meet your daughter in NYC for some one-on-one time wandering about and exploring. It sounds perfect.
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Brenda, it was a perfect weekend. When I think about it I can’t believe how much we did is such a short time!
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What a wonderful weekend with your daughter in one of my favorite places! We used to live in Hoboken, across from the Empire State Building, and Manhattan was our playground before we had kids. The sights and sounds of New York never cease to amaze me.
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Thanks Holly. I had forgotten that you used to live near NYC. A sound I will always associate with the city is the honking of the horns everywhere we went!
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Hahaha. Yes, people in the northeast do know how to use a car horn. And, garbage trucks in the wee hours. I love going to the city and just watch all the people. A favorite season is near Christmas, when it’s wonderful to stroll down 5th Ave and see all the moving store window displays.
You and your daughter had such a wonderful time getting to know the city. ❤️
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