After arriving late Thursday night, RentedLifestyle with family in tow popped into the serene, backyard-like restaurent UVA at 1486 Second Ave on the Upper East Side. Even though we arrived late, we were pleased to find out that they offered a delicious late-night menu, including thin crust pizza, veal meatball sliders & cavatelli until 2am, Monday through Saturday.

On Friday morning, we awoke to very rainy and cold weather but that didn’t stop us from taking full advantage of what the city has to offer. We headed around the corner to Sant Ambroeus on Madison Avenue, where we sampled white truffles that happen to be currently in season. Finally, I found an Italian red wine that I actually like!

After we dined, it was time to get moving. We wandered around beautiful Central Park where it seems like the leaves are changing every hour.  You can’t go to Central Park with kids without a little Pokemon hunting entailed and soon enough, it was time for a sugary snack to spike our energy.

What better way to indulge in New York’s favorite desserts than a cupcake tour around Greenwich Village? Don’t know who enjoyed it more — the adults or the kids! My favorite was Molly’s Cupcakes, where we got to choose our own cake flavor and frosting. A must — the chocolate with brown butter frosting!

 

There’s so much to see in New York City, but how about seeing it from above? Purchase tickets online before heading to The Freedom Tower One World Explorer Observatory , this will save you plenty of time in lineups! Once up the super fast elevator, rent the interactive iPad while you take a tour the amazing views. You use this iPad to give yourself and family a self-directed skyline tour and learn about the surrounding buildings. Rent them for $15 for the entire time that you’re on the observatory deck.

One of the highlights of the trip for the kids was dining at Ninja — a great adventure for families! Ninjas are not only your servers, but were also the entertainment — sneaking around, trying to scare you. We were able to purchase swords for the kids so they could “fight” back. There was also a magician by the name of Magic Guo XXL who also provided more entertainment table side. This is one unique restaurant you won’t forget!

SATURDAY

One of the many benefits of staying at the Mark Hotel is being to go downstairs for Saturday morning brunch at the Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges. We were off and running with a quick stop in Times Square before a matinee showing of School of Rock on Broadway. My professional review? 5/5 stars! A perfect show for kids and adults alike.

To get from the Mark Hotel to Times Square, we used Juno for the first time. This new car service, similar to Uber and Lyft, is trying to attract the best drivers out there with a much better commission split. The drivers are able to take home more of the fare than its’ competitors, at the same cost as a ride with Uber. A win-win for customer and driver.

After the show, we headed back to the Upper East side, but not without a stop at Apple Store on 5th Avenue to tried out the new wireless Beats headphones. Kids loved seeing this iconic store.

After a whirlwind day, it was time to relax and have a quiet dinner at Vaucluse on the Upper East Side. While this restaurant might not be kid-friendly (and I assure you it’s not!), Chef Michael White has created delicious

On our last day, we were off bright and early to squeeze as much in as we could before departing Sunday evening. As a lover of all things rentable, I decided to pay a quick visit to Rent The Runway’s Style Studio on the Lower West Side. I fell completely in love with the space, stylists and pieces I found! More to come…

As our last hurrah, we went to Ellis Island and Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty. After a blustery boat ride on Statue Cruises, the only way to get over to Lady Liberty, we learned that just 20% of people who visit the Statue of Liberty are allowed onto the pedestal. Only 2% are allowed up into the crown and tickets for the crown have to be reserved at least four months in advance. Luckily, we were part of the 20% to be allowed up into the pedestal. After our tour of the Statue ended, we hopped back on the boat and over to Ellis Island. We spent an hour wandering around the island learning about the history of immigration in the United States. Thanks to Nicole at Top Dog Tours NYC, this was a beautiful way to end our weekend in NYC!

   

Until next time!