For Mother’s Day this year, my mom and sister came up from Louisiana to DC, and we decided to spend the weekend in NYC! We’ve been to New York numerous times together, but always around Christmas. And we usually always stay in midtown/uptown, in the thick of everything, near Times Square.
This time we did things a bit differently. In today’s #CobaltChroniclesTravels post, I thought it would be fun to share our itinerary this go around in case you have a trip to the big apple on the horizon! New York is the perfect place for a mother daughter weekend!
Mother Daughter Trip to NYC // What to Do in NYC
How to Get There //
If you’re located along the northeast coast, definitely look into training to New York! We took the Amtrak train from DC (Union Station) to NYC (Penn Station) early Friday morning. It’s about a 3.5 hour ride from DC. Of course, flying is always an option (JFK, La Guardia, and Newark).
Once you’re there, I recommend taking advantage of the subway system. It’s easy to navigate (hello Google Maps!) and so much cheaper (and faster) than Uber-ing around the city.
Where to Stay //
If you’ve never been to New York, you’re probably going to be tempted to stay right near Times Square, which is perfectly fine! However, I highly recommend checking out hotels further downtown. I love staying in SoHo and Tribeca. It’s a lot calmer and more neighborhoody in those areas.
We stayed at the Sheraton Tribeca on Canal Street. The location is great! It’s right by a subway station and walking distance to SoHo, the West Village, the East Village, and the Financial District. And it’s an easy subway ride to Times Square and all of the main attractions in Midtown and Uptown.
What to Do //
What can I say, we like to eat and shop! And New York is the perfect place for both! I’ll get to where to eat below, but let’s talk shopping for a minute. If you and your mom like to shop or just pop in shops, there are several areas that I’d recommend. SoHo is my favorite area to shop. There’s a nice mix of big box stores plus smaller shops like Everlane‘s brick and mortar shop, Deciem (we all picked up new products by The Ordinary), Glossier, and The Vintage Twin. Next up, there’s the Flatiron District, and last but not least, the iconic 5th Avenue shops. 5th Avenue is a fun area to shop because all of the stores are super elaborate. Saks is gigantic, Bergdorf’s window displays are always out of this world, and even the lululemon on 5th Ave. is breathtaking!
Outside of shopping, I always enjoy walking the High Line or strolling through Central Park. If you’re wanting to get a spectacular view of the city, I highly recommend the Top of the Rock.
We didn’t make it to the Oculus on this trip, but if you catch New York on a bad weather day, the Oculus and the 9/11 memorial (they’re right next to one another) are great places to spend the day.
For a fun night on the town, a Broadway show is always my go-to. My mom loves musicals so this is a no-brainer. This go around we saw Kinky Boots and it was amazing! I suggest catching an early dinner before the show (8 pm showtime) and wandering through Times Square after the show (since you’ll likely be close by if you’re seeing a Broadway show).
Where to Eat //
There are so many good spots to eat in NYC! I’m just going to give you the lowdown on where we ate throughout the weekend, which were all fun spots with great food, perfect for mom!
Coffee Shops //
There are a million coffee shops in the city. Since we were staying in Tribeca, we hit up Maman and Ground Support. Maman (ironically meaning “mother” in french) is the perfect mother/daughter spot! Every detail in the shop is beautifully curated and their coffee and pastries are exactly what you’d expect from a French bakery. Ground Support is a hip spot with ample seating. It has a cool vibe. The coffee was great and the pumpkin, banana, walnut muffin was out of this world!
Lunch Spots //
Two perfect spots for a mother daughter trip to NYC … Jack’s Wife Frieda and The Butcher’s Daughter. We all enjoyed both! Both spots happened to be relatively easy to get into on both Friday and Saturday, and the food and atmosphere didn’t disappoint!
Dinner //
We went to a new-to-me restaurant that was recommended by friends in the city, Emmett’s, which is a small pizza joint in the West Village. It’s tiny so be prepared to wait. We ended up snagging seats at the bar, which worked out perfectly. The wine was on point and the pizza was worth the wait! If you’re looking for a chill atmosphere with a neighborhood feel, this is your spot!
We also went to our absolute favorite Italian spot in the city, Trattoria Spaghetto. It’s a hidden gem (although it’s not really that hidden). The owners and the staff here are always so incredibly friendly, the pasta is delicious, the bread is abundant, and did I mention they have $30 bottles of wine?!
We had such a fun weekend in the city! If you’re looking to plan a trip with your mom to NYC soon, let me know if you have any questions! It’s the perfect spot for a fun mother daughter weekend trip!
