When Kayla’s sister surprised her and their mom with tickets to see Phantom of the Opera for its final run on Broadway (RIP POTO), it meant one thing – GIRLS TRIP! They spent a long wintry weekend in New York City in January and had a fab time. In this post, we’re sharing all the details of their mother-daughter weekend trip to NYC and tips to make your wintry visit to The Big Apple a success!
This is definitely a low key guide. Kayla had her daughter with her on this trip, who was 1 year old at the time – so it was a 3 generation girls trip! They weren’t looking to party it up with late nights on the town. They just wanted a chill girls weekend spent making memories together. That means that apart from the Broadway show, most things listed in this post can be done with small children in tow!
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What to Pack for a January Trip to NYC
New York City is cold in January. You need to make sure you’re prepared so you don’t freeze your neeps and tatties off. We recommend bringing the following essentials to stay warm and cozy:
- Fleece lined leggings or pants
- A heavy water resistant hooded coat – This one is also heated!
- Isotoner Gloves with touchscreen ability
- Ultra soft scarf
- Beanie
- Hand warmers and foot warmers
- A stroller cover if traveling with little ones to block the rain and wind
Check out our 15 Favorite Items for Travel and Must Haves for Traveling with Children Under 3 for more packing ideas!
Where to Stay
We wanted to stay close enough to Broadway that we could easily walk there the night of the show, without staying in Times Square. Some people love staying in Times Square, but it is essentially a giant tourist trap and we wanted a quieter less tourist filled area. We opted to stay at The Draper in the Garment District and it was the BEST decision.
The Draper is a boutique hotel right off 5th Avenue. It is within walking distance to tons of brand name shops and fantastic food options. Times Square, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and the gorgeous JP Morgan Library and Museum are less than a mile away. It’s also steps away from a CVS which is great for loading up on any groceries you want to keep in the room. Ubers and Doordashers had no problems finding us. Long story short – The Draper is in a great location!
The rooms are stylishly decorated with thoughtfully designed storage spaces. We highly recommend getting one of the balcony rooms if possible. It was super spacious and had absolutely fabulous views. The Draper will definitely be our hotel of choice for all future trips to NYC!
Flying in and out of JFK? You should definitely spend a night at the TWA Hotel or at least spend a few hours visiting! This hotel is a time capsule of the 1960s filled with fun photo ops, a cocktail bar in an old plane, a display of flight attendant uniforms throughout the years, and more!
Itinerary For A Mother-Daughter Weekend Trip To NYC
Afternoon Tea At The Plaza
For over 115 years, The Palm Court at The Plaza Hotel has been serving up what many consider to be the best afternoon tea in the city. This iconic landmark exudes elegance and charm, making you feel like you’ve stepped into a scene from The Great Gatsby. The beautiful domed stained glass ceiling, floor to ceiling arched mirrored windows, and lush greenery throughout make for a lovely setting for some mother-daughter bonding time.
If your mother-daughter trip is with a younger child, they will enjoy this experience too as The Plaza Hotel is the setting for the beloved book series Eloise. The hotel has done an excellent job of sprinkling nods to Eloise throughout. At afternoon tea, kids can enjoy an Eloise themed kid-friendly menu. They have a large portrait outside The Palm Court of Eloise holding her pet turtle, Skipperdee. There is also a gift shop dedicated to all things Eloise! Kayla’s mini adventurer was thrilled to leave with a plush Skipperdee! The gift shop also has a section dedicated to Home Alone since the Plaza Hotel is where Kevin McCallister stays the night in Home Alone 2, living it up like the legend he is.
The Plaza is right next to Central Park! If you fancy some peaceful outdoor time with fewer people, you may enjoy strolling through this massive greenery space. There is a ton of activities to do there. Beatles fans will enjoy seeing the Imagine Mosaic memorial dedicated to John Lennon. Little ones will enjoy playing on the playground, and literary lovers will like seeing the Hans Christian Andersen statue. Check out all the fun activities Central Park has to offer HERE.
Shop Til You Drop
5th Ave is ranked every year as one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. World renowned storefronts and flagships line this street, making it the place to go for high-end shopping. Even if you don’t want to spend a ton of money shopping, it’s still fun to window shop! Kayla’s fam enjoyed browsing around the Tiffany’s flagship store, looking though the windows at Cartier, buying new Vans for Kayla’s mini adventurer, shopping at the Coach store, and checking out the creative window displays.
The younger travelers in your party may enjoy the American Girl Store and the Nintendo World Store, which is one of only 2 in the world! There is also a very popular Lego store that usually has an incredibly long line out front.
See the Iconic Landmarks on 5th Ave
5th Ave is more than just shopping! On this street you can also find some of New York City’s iconic landmarks. Rockefeller Center sits right across from St Paul’s Cathedral. You won’t want to miss the Rockefeller Center’s enormous Christmas tree if you are there anytime from December to mid-January. They also have a seasonal ice rink, and going to The Top of The Rock for panoramic views of the city is a crowd favorite. St Paul’s Cathedral is worth visiting inside to escape the cold in January and see how beautiful the inside is. You can light a candle for a lost loved one while you’re there and sit in reflective peace and quiet which is a nice break from the crowds outside.
Further south on 5th Ave is the New York Public Library where you can see the original stuffed animals that inspired Winnie The Pooh. Right behind the library is Bryant Park which has lush green lawns most of the year and an ice rink and seasonal market in December. The Byant Park ice rink also has a place where you can do ICE BUMPER CARS which people of all ages will enjoy!
Six blocks south of Bryant Park on 5th Ave is the Empire State Building which was voted the #1 U.S. Attraction for both 2022 and 2023 on Trip Advisor. You should book your tickets in advance to visit the observation deck for panoramic views of the city. Further down in the building you can also see the history of this iconic landmark and there’s a cool photo op where you can “stand in King Kong’s clutches” as he looms outside a window with his enormous hands busted though the glass panes. When you’re done at the Empire State Building, head across the street to the Lindt store for some delicious chocolates.
Eat Your Way Through Little Italy and Chinatown
Little Italy and Chinatown are part of a Historic District where waves of immigrants from all over the world settled between the 1800s-1950s. Toward the latter end of this time period, the Italian population began moving to other areas and there was an increase in the Chinese immigrant population. This resulted in Little Italy shrinking in size as Chinatown expanded its borders.
These areas are right next to each other so are best visited on the same day in our opinion. They both give off old school New York vibes and are filled with good food and cute shops. This area and the surrounding ones also have great street art!
The hub of Little Italy is situated around Mulberry Street. If you’re interested in mafia history or The Godfather movies, there are several sites you can visit today where infamous crimes took place. Kayla’s family was there to snack and shop though! Their favorite places to visit in this area are:
- The Meadow (on Mulberry Street near St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral) – Chocolate shop with a delicious and unusual selection of high quality chocolate, salts, bitters, and flowers. We particularly loved a white chocolate bar we bought that was infused with lemon and lemon sea salt.
- Little Moony (a few stores down from The Meadow) – Upscale children’s boutique store with beautiful clothing made by the shop’s owner and whimsical toys that look like they jumped straight out of a fairytale.
- Caffe Roma – Cozy cafe on Mulberry Street filled with Italian charm. It’s a great spot to warm up, sip on a coffee, and eat traditional Italian pastries.
- Emma & Angie’s Cannoli Shack – Cannoli shack on corner of Mulberry Street and Canal Street that has delicious red velvet cannolis (pictured below).
The main streets in Chinatown that you won’t want to miss are Canal Street, Mott Street, and Doyers Street. Canal Street is the main road that stretches across Chinatown with Mott Street branching off of it, and Doyers stretching off of Mott. So you can naturally progress to each street as you walk through without too much zig-zagging.
You will be transported to China temporarily as you wander around. Signs are in Chinese, food roasts on spits in windows or swim in tanks waiting to be chosen for a later meal, and lanterns bob above your head as you explore.
Both times Kayla has visited Chinatown, she made the mistake of eating a big lunch and snacking too much in Little Italy, leaving no room for dim sum deliciousness! She did stop for Boba tea though, and it was the perfect refreshment after all the walking from the day!
Tenement Museum
If you want to learn more about the immigrant experience in NYC between the 1860s and 1980s, we highly recommend the Tenement Museum. Located in the Lower East Side, the museum houses the recreated homes of immigrant, migrant, and refugee families. Different tours cover different experiences, so you could easily visit more than once and learn something new each time. The employees are all very passionate and really bring the families’ stories to life in vivid detail.
While you’re on the East Side, you should stop for lunch at Crif Dogs. In this unassuming small eatery, you eat on tabletop classic arcade games. The music is on point and the hot dogs are top notch. We especially love the bacon wrapped dog and the Everything Dog (an ode to everything bagels with cream cheese spread).
If you really want a unique experience, go to the payphone booth inside Crif Dogs and pick up the phone to be let in to what many consider to be the best speakeasy in the city – Please Don’t Tell.
Times Square
Times Square is worth visiting at least once, and if you are going to a Broadway show, you’ll pass right through it. Aside from looking at the numerous lighted billboards, there are some fun shops in the area. There are mid-range clothing shops if you need a new wardrobe. A little more exciting is the M&M’s store where you can make your own customized M&Ms. Chocolate lovers will also enjoy going to Hershey’s Chocolate World to buy the world’s largest Hershey’s bar, make your own Reese’s Cup stuffed with toppings of your choosing, or create your own candy bar! Disney fans of all ages will enjoy visiting the two story Disney store that is filled to the brim with all sorts of magical merch, clothing, and toys.
Big Disney World fans? You may enjoy reading our posts on the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort
See A Broadway Show
Perhaps one of the most obvious (but also best) things to do during your mother-daughter weekend trip to NYC is see a show! There is something for everyone both on Broadway and off Broadway. We recommend researching the shows in advance in case there is something you definitely want to see. If you’re okay with leaving it up to fate what show you will see and want to save some money, visit the TKTS booth in Times Square or at the Lincoln Center. They are the best reliable source for getting last minute Broadway tickets for up to 50% off!
Visit Lady Liberty and Ellis Island
One of the first images that pop into people’s heads when they think of New York is the Statue of Liberty. You can see her up close during your visit to NYC! The statue stands proudly on Liberty Island which is reached by ferry. There are a few different ticket options, but the base fare includes round trip ferry service, access to the Statue of Liberty Museum and grounds, access to Ellis Island and its National Museum of Immigration, and an audio guide for Liberty Island and Ellis Island.
You certainly don’t have to do both islands, but it’s included in the price of your ticket, so why not? Kayla did both in 2016 and loved being able to see the iconic Lady Liberty up close and learned SO MUCH about America’s immigration history from all the way back to the 1500s to today. It’s also a great opportunity to see Manhattan’s skyline from a distance, and the ferry ride is a lovely added bonus!
You may not be able to fit all of these items into your mother-daughter weekend trip to NYC, but if you’re able to do at least a few of these things, you are guaranteed to have a great time! It is a place that you can visit time and time again and still find something new and exciting with each visit. Whatever you decide to do during your visit, New York City is an excellent option for a mother-daughter trip!
Let us know in the comments below your favorite things to do in New York City so we can add them to our list!
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I never thought NYC could be such a child friendly place!
This looks cool! I hadn’t heard if the tenement museum before so thanks for sharing.
Great advice! We travel to NYC frequently and I agree with ltos of your recs.. tea at The Plaza is so special!
Wow, you really did a lot for a weekend with a baby!! I lived for a long time in NYC so really enjoyed your post and pictures for going down memory lane!! Mother and daughter trips are the best!! When I was young ( and why I first moved to NYC) I flew with TWA so I def want to check that TWA hotel next time I go!!
I would love to do afternoon tea at the plaza with my mom. Sounds like fun!