Celebrating 10 years with our baseball boy
When our daughter turned nine, I took her on a special trip to Paris to mark the milestone. It was such a meaningful experience that we decided to make these kinds of adventures a family tradition for big birthdays. This year, it was finally our oldest son’s turn — one year late, thanks to life with a newborn! He loves baseball, and one of our family goals has been visiting iconic stadiums together. Yankee Stadium was next on the list, so New York became the destination for his 10th birthday trip.
We based ourselves at Public Hotel, which worked perfectly for our crew. We had a suite with two rooms — one for the kids and one for us — and by New York standards, it felt incredibly spacious. The location downtown made it easy to explore on foot and quickly get around the city.
Our first night set the tone for the weekend. After landing at Newark and checking into the hotel, we went straight to Prince Street Pizza for slices to hold us over until dinner. Later that evening, we headed to La Mercerie, a spot that has become a favorite in my New York repertoire. It’s chic but still welcoming — the kind of place I find myself returning to time and time again.
The next morning, we started with brunch at Dante West Village before wandering through the neighborhood’s charming streets and heading toward the High Line. Walking along the elevated park is such a fun way to see the city, and it naturally led us to Chelsea Market, where we explored and grabbed an early lunch. In the afternoon, we visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, which was moving and meaningful to experience as a family. At home, we had read This Very Tree (a children’s book about resilience and regrowth at the memorial site), which gave us a thoughtful way to talk about it with the kids before visiting in person. From there, we continued down to Battery Park, where the kids loved spotting the Statue of Liberty and riding the whimsical Seaglass Carousel. After a quick reset back at the hotel, we hopped on the subway uptown for the highlight of the trip: a Yankees game. Watching our son’s face light up as he took in the stadium and the game was exactly what we had hoped for.
On day three, we made our way uptown again for brunch at Sarabeth’s on the Upper West Side. From there, we spent the morning at the American Museum of Natural History, though the Met would have been just as wonderful. Central Park was next on our list, with a stop at the zoo and a treat at Ralph’s Coffee, which the kids thought was such fun. We strolled along Fifth Avenue before heading back to the hotel, and later that evening, enjoyed dinner at ABC Kitchen. The seasonal menu and cozy atmosphere made it a lovely spot to end the day.
Our final morning was slower, with a late breakfast at The Little Owl, a charming neighborhood gem in the West Village. After one last wander through the cobblestone streets, it was time to pack up and head to the airport for our flight home.
Looking back, this trip was less about checking off everything on a New York City bucket list and more about making memories together. Between pizza slices, subway rides, walks through Central Park, and cheering at Yankee Stadium, it was the perfect way to celebrate ten wonderful years with our baseball-loving boy.
My NYC Looks
