Ella at the Plaza: The After Party

After we had tea, we walked downstairs to the Eloise Store. Sometimes they close sections off for private parties, but on a random Wednesday from 6-7pm, it was empty! It was as if I had rented out the entire place for the girls!  I absolutely recommend going down and playing with all of the display toys. It's amazing. Here's what they did:

They played pink Schoenhut's baby grand piano on the stage. They adored opening and shutting the bright pink curtains between each performance.

They baked a cake in Eloise's tea room.

And then watched TV and enjoyed "park views" in Eloise's reading room. There is also a powder room with four mini vanities that I forgot to take a pictures of. We sampled the lotion of course.

For a store with such crazy prices (hats for $200, sweaters for $150), there was a few surprisingly affordable gifts. A fancy umbrella sold for $12 and the chef hats for $8. No matter what your budget, you'll find a cute keepsake from the store. Go! 

Ella at the Plaza

I am Ella. I am six. I am a city child. I have my birthday parties at the Plaza.

Ella decided to invite one lucky friend (Henrietta) to have tea at the Plaza Hotel for her sixth birthday party.  It was an afternoon away from the boys filled with cookies, pink lemonade, fancy dresses and Upper East Side chic.

Pinkies Up!

Before we moved here, I checked out books from the library with NYC themes. One the books was Eloise.  Ella and I fell in love with the feisty six-year-old girl named Eloise who lives at the tippy top floor of the Plaza Hotel.  Ella believes Eloise really lives at the hotel and was looking for her the whole time. I think it's great that the Plaza's very sophisticated Palm Court restaurant uses the Eloise books as inspiration for their children's menu.  I have to say, the cold cold pink lemonade was absolutely divine.

Henrietta gave Ella super cool gifts like a homemade necklace and homemade belts (tutorial coming soon). But that's not all! Thanks to a brilliant marketing campaign, Henrietta also gave her a Pillow Pet.  It's a pillow! It's a pet! It's a pillow pet! Ella's been asking for one for months. Henrietta, thank you, she loves it. And Cousin Afton--you're next. Have you been pressured into getting your kids a pillow pet yet? Oh geez.

I adored the party. I didn't have to do any planning besides make reservations. But mainly, it's just what Ella wanted. Besides a pillow pet of course.

Afternoon Tea at the Palm Court works at any age--six year olds pretending to be Eloise, 15-year-olds pretending to be Gossip Girls, and 29-year-olds pretending to be a members of the Upper East Side elite. I highly recommend it!

That's it for this week. Hope you have a good weekend. Pictures of the after party on Monday! It got pretty wild. You won't want to miss it.

Weekend Approved Project: A Block of Ice!

This block of ice was the hit of the Forth of July party. Without exaggeration, the kids had hours of fun with it. All the melting stages led to new games. When it started to break, they made ice daggers. City kids! Always developing their street smart skills. Thanks Emily for making an ice block!

Only thing is, Emily refused to give me her recipe. She told me it was going with her to her grave. Rude.

POST EDIT: Just kidding of course. All she did was pour some water in a plastic tupperware container and put it in her freezer for a few days.  Then she let it defrost for a while so it popped right out.

Coney Island

 I loved our visit Coney Island so much. My pictures are good albeit a bit diluted. If you can imagine, in real life it was even more colorful and magical. Here's some pictures of us taking a ride in the famous Wonder Wheel. Bonus: The red and blue carts swing just enough to scream with fear! It was such a thrill. Dan Zanes introduced us to this ride in his song Wonder Wheel a few years ago. What happened to his sweet stop motion music video of the song? I've looked for it online and it's disappeared. We used to watch it on the Disney Channel.

 While I can tell parts of Coney Island have been cleaned up and even some new sections have been added, it still has enough of the old kitchy stuff to make me feel all nostalgic.  Remember Zoltar Speaks from Big? It's looks too new, but still cool. 

For a summer that I wrote off going to the beach, I was surprised to find a beach that is so accessible. My favorite was when Ella said, "Am I the only one with blond hair at the beach?" haha We're not in California anymore!

The train ride wasn't so bad. Take the Q at 42nd and you'll be there in about 45 minutes. PS We didn't want to wait inline for a famous Nathan's hotdog. Instead we got grilled corn on the cob, hot dogs, and drinks from a local vender. Delicious, quick, and cheap!

Hip Hip Hooray for Coney Island!! Are there some other beaches I should be visiting? Is there a family who would like to invite us to their place in the Hamptons? Chauffeur included?

More pictures of our day here.

Small Town parade in a Big City

 Every year, a few locals organize a Fourth of July Parade. Kids come with decorated bikes or scooters and make their way down a few blocks while being excorted by a police car and firetruck. Some people serve up lemonade, watermelon, and pretzels. At the end of the parade, the firetruck sprays out water from it's truck. It was a very low key tradition that completely exceeded all my expectations. I love when I can feel a sense of community even when I'm in a huge city.

The details: July 4th, 10am, Morningside Dr. and 115 St. Hope to see you next year!

My First Guest Post: Uncle Brian

(Brian 10 years ago)

I first met Brian ten years ago in college. He was in a band with my husband and they rocked out Johnny Cash cover songs. My first visit to Brain's apartment was for a memorial service he held for Joey Ramone. A group of us watched Rock 'n' Roll High School, lit candles, had a moment of silence, then heard from those who had seen the Ramones live.   Brian now lives in Harlem with his wife and his daughter. We lovingly refer to him and his family as the "Cousins in Harlem".

In fear that I'm taking myself too seriously, Brian has generously poked fun at my blog in his guest post. He also included a list of ideas to make the most out of life in NYC. Let's welcome Uncle Brian.

**************

(Brian Today.)

I also plan on taking the summer of 2011 seriously. I’m going to wake up every morning at 6:45
sharp, do some crisp, energizing calisthenics, and be sitting at my computer by 6:59 to read
Sharon’s 7:00 a.m. daily posts.

NYC Taught Me illustrates how much our fair city has given Sharon and her family. They’ve
remembered pencils (those novel trinkets from yesteryear), learned to decorate a hallway,
discovered diverse types of chairs, created tips for dressing kids so they don’t look like kids, and
explored the world of paper hats that are more like opera glasses than real hats. The fantasies
presented here are real. This family is living THE DREAM.

While their lives are a contemporary manual on “keeping up with the Joneses,” just a few things
are missing. I offer some suggestions. This is my list of The Top 5 Things NYC Taught Me
Should Teach You Soon:

The Top 5 Things NYC Taught Me Should Teach You Soon

5. Experience New York in a Car (taxis not included)
There are so many ways to see The City and a car is one of the best! Driving here is not as scary
as anyone says it is and parking can be easy. If you don’t have a car borrow one or get a Zip Car.

4. Bitch and Moan!
New Yorkers love to whine and complain and be rude to each other. I do not encourage infusing
your life with negativity, but sometimes it feels great to let it all out. Also, if someone is pissing
you off let them hear it—this is part of being a New Yorker.

3. Grow Something
The climate in New York is great for growing things and finding a space is easy too. Start with
your windowsill, contact your neighborhood association and plant something around the trees on
the sidewalk, work with a neighborhood school or hijack a little space in a park (no one will stop
you). I swear it’s possible, I’ve done all of these things in the last two weeks.

2. Get a Toy Camera
New York City looks great in pictures. Toy cameras offer a variety of quirky effects to your
pictures. Start with The Lomography Store and then explore from there. There are tons of awesome cameras and film types to play around with.

1. Listen to WNYC, 93.9 fm
WNYC is imperative. This American Life is only one of many many amazing programs. You
should be listening to Radiolab, The Brian Lehrer Show, The Leonard Lopate Show, Fresh Air
with Teri Gross, On the Media, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, The Sound of Young America and the
list goes on and on and on. Listen on a real radio too, give your computer a break!


Thanks Brian! Readers: Have a toy camera? Growing something? Bitch and Moan? I like that some of the things on his list can be enjoyed anywhere. The idea that anyone can have a slice of NYC in their hometown makes me happy.

~HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY~

Happy Fourth of July! Here's some red white and blue pics from out trip to Coney Island on Saturday. Loved it. More on that later. Today we've got big plans. Hope the weather is good. I love living here! Happy Fourth!