West Point

In early January, we went to West Point to watch a basketball game and visit the West Point Museum.  This is a great wintery day activity and it is a quick drive from Northern NJ/NYC.  The tickets are only $10 each, are almost always available (even at the last minute) and the kids love the atmosphere of a college game.  There is one game left in the season this weekend but if basketball isn't your thing, there are still a few hockey games on the schedule and in the spring, baseball starts up. 

We were lucky to get tickets to the Army-Navy game, which was almost completely sold out.  It was great as all the cadets were there to cheer on their team as well as quite a few midshipmen and it made the game that much more exciting.  One tip if you go, allow plenty of time to get through the security checkpoint at the entrance of the Academy as we did not and missed the first half!

After the game, we went over to the Museum located next to the Visitor's Center.  Admission is free and it takes about 2-3 hours to go through it.  This was our second visit but there is so much to see we found things we had missed on our previous trip.  There are fantastically detailed dioramas detailing famous battles throughout history (Jack's favorite part), a kid's scavenger hunt you can pick up in the gift shop, and uniforms from every era of the American military from the Revolution to the present. 

On the way home we stopped for an early dinner at The Burger Loft in New City.  The restaurant grinds its own beef daily so not surprisingly the burgers were delicious as were the fish tacos, fries and shakes.  In fact, everything was so good we all agreed we would willingly drive the 1 hour round-trip from our house just to eat here again.

Quick Overnight in Philly (sans kids)

We were in Philadelphia visiting family for the holiday weekend and took advantage to sneak away for a night without the kids.  We were gone for less than 24 hours but it was just the right time to have two great meals, sleep in and head home refreshed.

I've mentioned how great the Kimpton chain of hotels are before and Hotel Monaco was no exception.  The decor is hip and funky but we saw lots of families checking in and many guests with their dogs.  There is complimentary wine served every evening in the lobby and on this extremely cold night they were also offering the choice of a hot toddy or warm apple cider. 

Photo courtesy of Kimpton Hotel

We didn't do any sightseeing but the hotel is in a great location right down the street from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  There are complimentary bicycles available and a cardio boxing class is even offered every Wednesday evening in the fitness center. 

Just a short walk from the hotel we went for breakfast at High Street on Market, chosen by Bon Appetit as one of the best new restaurants of 2014.  The menu is based around the amazing breads that are baked fresh daily and coincidentally, one of their pastries , the Red Eye Danish, is on the cover of Saveur magazine this month.  Alan's sandwich looked just like the picture below and on our way out we grabbed a loaf of ancient grain to take home, which I have been enjoying for breakfast this week. 

Photo courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine

California Dreaming: Los Angeles

There are so many things to do in Los Angeles that it was almost too overwhelming to choose what to do on our last day.  After spending the previous day at Disneyland, we wanted something a little more relaxing and the Getty Museum was at the top of the list.  Everything about the museum was perfect:  the setting, the kids' activities, the architecture.  In fact, this is the most kid-friendly art museum we have ever visited. There is a huge area of one wing dedicated to five activity coves that allow kids to make masks, lay on a bed that is exactly like that found in a painting in the museum, or draw on the walls to help illustrate a medieval manuscript.  

We had picked up a series of "Art Detective" cards when we arrived and did a scavenger hunt through some of the galleries.  These types of games really help to keep the kids engaged as we walk though and look at the art and sometimes they actually learn something new.

The guards were incredibly nice throughout the museum and were always suggesting something to help the kids enjoy the experience more.  One of them mentioned that we should take them to the sketching gallery, where real works of art are on display for artists to sketch.  The kids were given a clipboard, paper and a charcoal pencil and invited to choose a piece of art to study.  This was one of the highlights of the museum for them and they really took it seriously.  Once they were done, the docent had them sign their work and rolled it up and tied it with a string to take home.

We had a fantastic lunch on the terrace overlooking the museum's beautiful sculpture gardens and then walked through the gardens to see everything up close.  

We made a quick stop at the La Brea Tar Pits to see some of LA's ancient history.  The kids really  enjoyed walking through the museum and then walking down to the tar pits, which still bubble and smell of tar.  

Our trip was unfortunately coming to an end and we headed back to pack up and get ready for our flight home the next morning.  On the way, we stopped for dinner at Rubio's, a local Mexican food chain specializing in fish tacos, that was near our apartment.  As almost every meal we had on this trip was, the food was fantastic.  The fish tacos were delicious and they had an expansive kids menu that included a grilled veggie burrito, chicken tortilla soup and nachos.  An appropriately great ending to a great trip!

California Dreaming: Disneyland

There are so many blogs and books out there to guide you on your trip to Disneyland, I won't try to provide much advice.  I will recommend the book that we have used for both Disney World and Disneyland:  The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland.  It gives a breakdown of everything in each park from character dining to rides to where to stand to get the best view of the parades.  The most useful things for us have been the suggested itineraries in the back of the book.  There are several for each park and each plan is geared to who you are traveling with (kids in strollers, teenagers, two adults only).  The Itineraries provide a plan of attack, letting you know everything from what order to tackle the park to what ride to Fast Pass to when to grab lunch, without pushing everyone to total exhaustion.  My only other advice is to get an early start.  We were there in the middle of the week in February and it was still very crowded.  

We had a good lunch at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland.  Serving Mexican food, the food was pretty tasty and the portions are huge.  The kids had a choice of a bean and cheese burrito or a chicken taco and fish tacos were on the menu for the non-meat eater in our group.  

Photo courtesy of Disneyland

On our way out of the park, we ate at La Brea Bakery in Downtown Disney.  Delicious sandwiches, salads and artisan pizzas are all excellent choices after a long day of walking around.  We watched the fireworks show from the parking lot before heading home.  Ava was asleep before we hit the highway with Jack following quickly after and as any parent knows, that is truly the sign of a great day.

California Dreaming: Santa Monica

Once we arrived in LA we had a little time to kill before we could check into the apartment we had rented in Venice.  We were all hungry and when I saw we were staying not far from Huckleberry Cafe, I knew that's where we had to go for lunch.  I had read a lot about Huckleberry on blogs and travel articles so I was excited to check it out and we weren't disappointed.  

After lunch we wanted to drop off our bags and check out our apartment.  We have rented several houses/apartments over the years and this was one of the best places we have ever stayed in.  There was plenty of room to spread out, everyone got their own bedrooms, and best yet, there were lots of toys and games for the kids to play with.  Once we got there and they saw all the kiddie stuff, we just hung out for a few hours so they could play and unwind.

Once everyone was sufficiently relaxed, we drove back over to Santa Monica to play on the beach and have dinner.  We walked along the Santa Monica Pier and then Alan and the kids headed down to play in the sand and watch the sunset while I did a little shopping nearby.  

Right along the beach is a group of restaurants owned by the Blue Plate Restaurant Group.  We were all in the mood for seafood so we chose to eat at Blue Plate Oysterette.  The food was delicious and the decor was classic New England meets Southern California cool.  

Photo courtesy of Blue Plate Oysterette

Photo courtesy of Blue Plate Oysterette