Date Night/City Day
& the kids day
Over the kids’ spring break, my mom and sister offered to have a sleepover party with them—so of course I took full advantage! I’d been wanting to try Din Tai Fung in the city, so we figured it was the perfect time. My husband and I booked a hotel and had two city days to ourselves. We never get to do stuff like this, so it felt like such a treat.
Here’s everything we did:
We started off in the Village and wandered through a bunch of fun, quirky shops—there are so many hidden gems there! One of our favorites was a place called Big Night. It was full of unique and stylish cooking and hosting goodies—such a cool spot!
We visited the most charming little card shop—Greenwich Letterpress! I love that it’s sister-owned and based right in NYC. They had such a fun and unique selection of cards and gifts—definitely one of those places where you want to browse.
We stopped by Three Lives & Co. bookstore, and I really loved it. It’s such a cool little spot. It’s super cozy and just a nice place to wander around for a bit.
We walked up from the Village to Chelsea Market to grab some lunch. The Chelsea Market is this cool old factory turned into a food hall with tons of great spots to eat and browse around.
We wandered through Chelsea Market, checking out the shops and food stalls, then headed up to the RH Rooftop Restaurant for lunch with a view.
The restaurant itself was beautiful with gorgeous views. Unfortunately, the food didn’t quite live up to the ambiance—it was pretty average, and we felt a bit rushed during our meal. To be honest, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to go back.
We checked into our hotel and grabbed a drink because our dinner reservation was later in the night.
Our reservation was so late so we stopped at Haswell Greens. It was my first time there but I will definitely be going back because the live music was great and the ambience was amazing. The music was so good if I hadn’t been wanting to try Din Tai Fung for ages I might have skipped out on dinner.
DIN TAI FUNG
All of these influencers I follow on TikTok and Instagram are always posting about their meals at Din Tai Fung. I have always been jealous of all the meals, so when I found out one was opening in New York City I had it on my mind.
The soup dumplings were definitely the highlight for me. Honestly though, Din Tai Fung felt like just average Asian food. I’m glad we tried it, but I probably won’t be back. It was also pretty funny seeing everyone at the tables around us taking pics and videos for social media because of how trendy it’s become.
Before ending the night, we went back to Haswell Greens because the live music was still going on.
My kids had the best day! I grew up in a family of seven, so they have two aunts and four uncles on my side, and most of them live nearby. They absolutely love hanging out with them. They stayed with my mom and my four younger siblings (27, 24, 21, and 18). When they got home from school, my mom had a snack tray ready for them (she teased me about using a muffin tin for snacks).
They hung out, and my mom made chicken parm for dinner, which they were so excited about.
My sister, who’s really into crafts, brought over felting supplies for my older girls. While they worked on that, my three youngest watched Frozen with Grandma.
After the felting, it was movie night. The kids pulled all the mattresses from the bedrooms into the sunroom, grabbed all the blankets and pillows, and made the coziest spot. They’d been looking forward to this for weeks! They watched Angels in the Outfield, and when the younger kids went to sleep, the older ones watched a scary movie.
The next morning, Kevin went on a coffee date with my sister, while my mom made French toast for everyone.
The next day we woke up and walked to SaraBeth’s for breakfast. This place is really cute and right by Central Park. We shopped around the city a little more before heading home to the kids!
Talk soon,
Mary
Sounds perfect for all of you❤️