New York City at Christmas is truly as magical as they say it is. The twinkling lights, the Santas on every corner. Everything seems to scream Santa’s Workshop. Three year old’s are finally understanding the idea of Christmas. The magic is clicking and the season is exciting. It was the perfect age for his first trip to the Big Apple. Be sure to check out my instagram highlight reel here for a photo dive into our trip.
Off to the airport..
The night before our flight, my mom got a stomach bug. She was miserable! I had to pack her bag for her while she laid in bed. The morning of the flight, she almost didn’t make it. I vividly remember telling her, “Mom, I’m not going to lie to you. No part of this flight is going to be fun, but in 24 hours when you’ve recovered, you’ll be glad you came.” Nana masked up, took some zofran, and shuffled through the airport. We still laugh about how miserable it was to this day, but I was right and by the next day, she was good as new and glad she didn’t miss out.
Dump Truck to the Rescue..
Man, toddlers are SO cute with those little legs but those little legs don’t move quickly or for very long. NYC is great because of the subway system and they have Uber Car Seat, so we didn’t have to lug his heavy car seat up to the counter and then wait for it at bag check, but we still had two backpacks and two carry-ons. That’s still quite a bit of things to keep track of on top of keeping your baby safe in the airport. That’s where the dump truck enters the chat.. This suitcase is a game changer! It is his carry on suitcase and his ride through the airport. It has an extendable handle for when we want to pull it like a suitcase, but mostly he sits on the top wearing his backpack and I pull him through the airport. It’s a HIT with the other kids in the airport too! I have so much peace of mind knowing he’s right with me and I can move seamlessly through the airport at a quicker speed than if he was walking.
Staying in NYC..
We touched down at LaGuardia midmorning and took Uber Car Seat to our hotel. We stayed at the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s name says it all. It’s right across the river at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. I have been to NYC numerous times, but this was my first time to stay in Brooklyn. The hotel was more affordable than it’s Manhattan counterparts and we really enjoyed it! Brooklyn has amazing food and we were right next to a subway stop making it really easy to get around. The bagel cart owner outside of the hotel even gave B the cutest handmade Christmas hat!
Getting around NYC..
I’m big on the subway! Traffic is horrible and taxi’s are expensive. The subway cards are easy, unlimited, and no car seat needed. Our first outing was, unfortunately, without Nana. She stayed back at the hotel after the worst flight of her life to recover, so B and I headed off with iPhone GPS and tickets to an Encanto experience. Our first subway experience together makes me laugh looking back now. I had ridden the subway more times than I could count without a baby, but suddenly I was on extreme high alert. Full tourist mode. Now don’t get me wrong, you should be cautious when traveling or just living life with your child in public, but that first ride anxiety was PEAK. We were pros by the end of the trip, but he mostly stayed in the toddler sling, loosened so he could sit comfortably in my lap. This toddler sling is truly the best thing for traveling with a two or three year old! He was tall enough to see everything at my eye level and we didn’t have to fumble with a stroller in the city streets and stairs. The over the shoulder is my favorite but one of my friends prefers the hip hugger style. Both are great!
Don’t be afraid of living life under the city. It is a wild world down there, but definitely the most efficient way to get through the city.
Disney Experience in the Back of Toy Store Camp..
We made it through B’s first subway ride with only a couple gray hairs and made the walk over to 5th Avenue to the toy store Camp. It’s not your average toy store. The bookshelf opens into an immersive Disney experience. It was Encanto when we visited! You can check out my reel from inside here. It was such a fun experience! We were given our own candle, which also doubled as our timed entry. When it flickered, our time was running out. They had all of the Encanto family member rooms. You could climb through the foam pit hallway to Bruno, spin around in roses in Isabella’s, slide through the jungle in Antonio’s. Performers dressed as the characters walked around to sing songs and chat with the kids. It really was so cute! Customer service was also great and refunded Nana’s ticket since she couldn’t make it.
Loved our matching outfits too. You can get them here!
Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center..
Our next activity was ice skating at Rockefeller Center. It was SO magical! Nana was feeling better but not up to ice skating so she watched through the glass so she could be warm inside. B was only three and wore a size 7 toddler shoe. Our first set of skates were a huge fail. They were the kind that went over his shoes but they kept coming off and one even fell apart. We had to go back and wait but we ended up with some skates that were a tad big, but they were actual figure skates. They have the cutest skate assisters shaped like penguins for those who don’t know how to skate. They even have names on them. B’s was buttercup and funny enough, that’s one of the memories that has stuck with him! They cleaned the ice while we were there and B loved watching the zamboni drive by. Santa and his elf were out skating too! We went to take a picture with them and Santa even took B for a spin around the ice! (With permission from mom!) The whole morning of skating in the middle of NYC with Santa has stayed as a core memory for B. Get your tickets to skate at Rockefeller here.
Artechhouse in Chelsea Market..
Originally, we were supposed to do a walking tour of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. but the weather was so bad that it was canceled and we were left with a free evening three days before Christmas. We ended up finding the Artechhouse in the Chelsea Market. We honestly had no idea what we were getting into but the Christmas show as truly so amazing! The entire inside of the room is an immersive experience. The walls, ceiling, floor, everything. It changed from a Christmas village to flying over the snow, to inside of a Christmas tree, to Nutcrackers marching about. We sat and watching, we pretended to be airplanes around the room, we danced, we laughed. It was not on our original itinerary, but I’m so glad we went here. We never did get a chance to see the Dyker Heights lights but it was well worth the trade for this event. Get your tickets here!
The Chelsea Market itself was fun to see. The Christmas decorations were up everywhere and the food was great, like all New York food is! We ended up eating at Miznon. I had a fish ‘n chips pita wrap because where else would you find that? It was delicious!
Brooklyn Bridge..
The following day, we took it pretty easy. We explored more of Brooklyn. We ate at Clark’s for brunch and then walked over to the Brooklyn Bridge. Now we’re pretty outdoorsy and part of the 1000 Hours Outside fan club (not everything promoted by them, but we love the get outside premise!), so when it started to rain on us, it wasn’t too big of a deal. We waited out the worst of the wind by the brick towers with a few other tourists. After, we snapped some low quality photos in the rain and headed back to the hotel to warm up and take a nap. We ventured back out to hit up Noodle Village for some soup dumplings. There is nothing in this world like Chinatown in NYC. MY tastebuds are constantly calling me there.
Santa Boat Cruise..
When I tell you, I cannot think of a better way for a three year old to spend Christmas Eve than sailing around NYC on a boat with Santa, it is the truth. While the company we used has some hiccups they need to work out like heaters for people waiting in line for over half in hour next to the water in a negative windchill and their dock crew’s customer service was lacking, the onboard crew was amazing! Once B warmed up on the heated boat, he had the time of his life. Parents were greeted with a glass of champagne and kids a hot coco. B painted a cute little canvas while he waited her turn to talk to Santa. You could stay cozy on either story of the boat or walk out on the back section into the very chilly open air. The DJ was mixing Christmas classics with dance music and Santa was the star of a kid’s dance party! The elves helped put on games for the kids and we all got a beautiful view of the city and Statue of Liberty. The cruise ran late into the evening for little ones and B was fast asleep before we even made it to the subway.
*Sidenote, some parents from up north where they are used to the cold had their little ones dressed in snowsuits and then their cute boat cruise clothes underneath. They just hung their snowsuits on the backs of their chairs and put them back on when they were leaving. If I were to do this again, I would definitely be doing this! The wait outside to get on the boat was dangerously cold.
Christmas Day..
After a busy week of ice skating in Rockefeller Center and boat cruises with dance parties, Santa made his way to our hotel room right on time. We celebrated Christmas morning in our hotel room with just a few gifts we had hidden away in our luggage and spent the day playing and watching Christmas movies. We had a reservation for dinner at Paesano’s on Mulberry Street and had the best tiramisu of my life. The restaurant was very busy with lots of people trying to get walk in seating, so I’m really glad we had a reservation. It was a slow day, but an intensional day with the two people I love most in this world. It was truly perfect.
After dinner we popped over to Times Square for a little tourist action and because in all the times my mom went for work in the 80s, she never saw it. We got smushed pennies at the M&M factor to add to our collection before taking the subway back to the hotel. As far as Christmases go, this one tops the charts.
American Museum of Natural History..
Our last day in New York we spent it at the Natural History Museum. This place is amazing. It is massive! If you have a dino loving kid, this place is made for them! B got a Jr. Explorer vest from the gift shop, which we now use to iron on patches from our adventures! We spent the whole day exploring the museum and then popped over the central park for a little climbing and coffee carts.
B fell asleep on the subway as we rode to dinner at Buona Notte. We closed out Christmas in New York with more Little Italy and more pasta.
If you’ve been thinking about traveling instead of buying more toys at Christmas, I cannot recommend it more! We still talk about this trip often, even long after his stuffed animal bat that Santa brought him has been placed on the back of the toy shelf.
Thinking about getting away from the city? Check out our trip to Costa Rica!