OY! KRISTEN

It's been a weekend staple for us - riding around our little town on the golf cart (there is more golf cart road mileage here than actual street mileage), and finding parks to picnic in. With Stevie switching job positions last month, he is gone a lot more these days, so the weekends have become even more precious to us. These boys love time with their Daddy, and I am struck by just how important he is to them. To all of us!

We have an ongoing joke, me and Stevie. We've had several occasions in our life together where we are walking down a pier, walking down a beach, or in this case, having a family picnic... and random people just invite Stevie onto their boat. It's happened more times than I can count. On this particular day, we decided to picnic near the local lake and someone was getting ready to load a boat onto their truck. Stevie said to me, "I'm not sure he can do this by himself, I'm gonna go see if he needs some help." Well what to you know, of course the guy invited Stevie for a ride on his ski boat. So what did we do? Loaded up our humans and went on a quick lap around the lake! I know what you're thinking - why would you go out on a boat with a stranger?? It's a super safe area and we know people who live in the neighborhood (plus there were other people in close proximity out on their boats), so we felt good about it. Our boys loved it! It was all of 10 minutes and then we were back in the grass, eating cherries and pickle potato chips and watching the birds flock over the water.

I love when spontaneous things like this happen - it's one of the reasons I loved living in NYC. There was always something unexpected happening, always impromptu musicians on the corner or people waiting in a long line for a hot treat or some amazing exhibit showing at one of the zillion museums. I remember riding on the subway and realizing that the gal sitting in front of me was a famous actress. I just love that crazy city. I miss it terribly, although I am glad I'm not raising my kids there. Luckypalmtree sent us a few goodies from the new NYC collection and I thought, "This is my chance to match my boys while they still think it's cool." I know that the time is coming when Everett will realize this is a very dorky thing, to match Mommy, so I'm gonna milk it while I still can. He shares my love for New York, and begs to read books about the city all the time. Our favorites are A Walk in New York and In New York, he especially loves all the buses and tall buildings. He wants to ice skate at Rockefeller Center, because that is a page from one of the books :) Anyway, all this NYC talk has me itching to take another trip before summer ends - school starts in a month for this little boy and I want to soak up all the summer fun before routine strikes again! Although I admit, a little routine will be nice. If only I can get Daxton to agree to one, AKA not waking me up 3x a night.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! xx

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One thing that I love about New York City is how there is always a new "latest and greatest" thing to try, do, see or eat. Always. It's the city of change, and there is a constant, bubbling rotation of trends in every industry. You certainly don't get bored, no matter how many times you've visited or how long you've lived there. There is always more to explore.

The recent visit my family took was no exception, and we made it our mission to try all the latest eats (that were relatively kid-friendly, because c'mon, I'm not going to take Everett to Mercer Kitchen and let him terrorize the pristine-ness). But we found some great spots and were introduced to a few new ones by our best buds from the Upper West Side (who we keep trying to convince to move to Atlanta - it never works but I'm taking the it's-a-marathon approach and hoping that eventually I can convince them). They are legit foodies and always steer us in the right direction. They took us on this East Village food tour last time, and obviously, it lives on in my memory as one of theeeeee most righteous nights in NYC.

Annnnnyways, we ate and ate and ate and ATE. And Everett truly shocked us with his endurance. That boy can hold his own! I fear for my future grocery bills. They are rising, people.

Stumptown Coffee (hairbender is my favorite blend) and a Black Seed Multi-Everything Salmon Bagel. BEST BREAKFAST EVER. And that was just the start of the day :)

Oh the fame. We just want a tiny piece of it. In the form of a croissant perhaps.

Really glad my kid slept through the ice cream part of this field trip, or else he would have demanded some of his own. And I wasn't about to share this delicacy.

Look at who's re-opened since I moved away! One of my first New York memories is from eating in this restaurant with my dad and Aunt like a million years ago. And now it's back and better than ever!

We made friends sitting at the communal tables and sharing brew. And watching Everett flirt with all the girls. And stuff his face with sauerkraut.

Hudson Eats! It's like a food court except way more awesome, with some of the most famous/delicious restaurants in NYC represented.

Eating outside at Brookfield Place, so you can watch the sun go down over the water and dream of owning one of those phat yachts. Yes, I said phat. PHAT.

BFFLS. FTW. Who cares if the photo is blurry. The friendship endures.

A few spots (where we devoured) that are worth trying:

Black Seed Bagels - Get anything. Just flippin' anything.

Dominique Ansel Kitchen - Try the Sumac Chicken Salad Toast with Parsley Tabbouleh! Oh, and of course the crazy famous Burrata Ice Cream. Dear God, that ice cream.

Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel - Always a fave. Great place to buy coffee as a gift, too.

Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place - We devoured burnt ends at Mighty Quinn's Barbeque, catfish from Num Pang Sandwich Shop, shopped at bit at Le District, and reveled in the glorious crepes from Financier Patisserie.

Landmarc - I actually ate here twice with friends. It's fancy, but a good option for kiddos because it's stroller-friendly and extremely spacious. Plus, you get a view of the Upper West Side!

Burger and Lobster - Oh my goodness, why didn't I know about this when I lived there?! LOBSTER ROLL FOR THE WIN. And sangria :)

The Beer Garden at Tavern on the Green - German style pretzels (totally made me remember this little jaunt over to Munich), awesome beer, and Everett eating more bratwurst and sauerkraut than me.

Let me know if you visit one of these places on a trip to NYC! I would love to hear about what you tried/loved/hated!

*Other posts about NYC eats and food tours: munching through Alphabet City, tasting through East Village, Cruising through West Village, testing the CRONUT, enjoying high tea at the Plaza and high tea at Alice's Tea Cup, first time at Black Seed Bagels, feasting on outdoor eats in Soho, barbeque in Harlem, pizza in Brooklyn, and a fancy meal option on the Upper West Side, just to name a few :)