Few weeks ago me and my friend decided to take our little ones to the city. I am so glad, we are only 40 minutes away from NY, and it lets us travel there pretty often.
Our plan was to take the girls to High Line Park. Let them run around and play for a little bit.
Before walking into the park, we decided to stop at Chelsea market for lunch. This expansive retail space is home to a couple dozen vendors, most of which do food of some kind. You will find any kind of food there: from regular sandwiches to whole steamed lobsters.
I let Sophia had pizza. When we go to the city, she always needs to have a special treat, and her favorite one is pizza, so this time she had Margarita one from Amy’s Bread.
I was super excited about my lunch because there is a vegan sushi place at Chelsea market: Beyond Sushi. The Green Roll.
This was my first time eating completely vegan green rolls. These rolls look like piece of art. Their choices are unbelievable.
Each fruit and vegetable sushi gem is wrapped in either black forbidden rice or a customized six-grain rice blend. Black Rice is a gluten free grain that contains 18 amino acids and has a natural black hue. Beyond Sushi’s iron-filled six-grain rice is a medley of rye berries, hulless barley, pearl barley, brown, red, and black rice. Both rice options paired with the seasonal fruit and vegetable fillings, create for exhilarating textures as well as flavor profiles.
I picked Combo 2: 2 rolls and 2 individual pieces. ( you pick your own rolls). My choice was Spicy Mang( black rice, avocado, mango, english cucumber, spicy veggies), Green Machine( six grain rice, english cucumber, asparagus, basil marinated veggies).
They tasted really good and I wish we had this place in our area too.
The prices surprised me too: 13.50$ for 2 rolls and 2 individual pieces.
Now, back to High Line Park.
The family friendly elevated park, the High Line, opened in 2009. Running from the meatpacking district to 20th Street, the park doubled in length in 2011 and extended to 30th Street.
Though not a traditional park–ball playing is not allowed and no walking on the rails is forbidden–the High Line is still fun for kids. At one spot you walk through a building; at other places you can watch the street life unfold below through large glass viewing areas. Plus there are special events for kids, like art projects and movement classes.
A water feature lets kids (and the young at heart) splash, and a small grassy area in the new section tempts emerging walkers.
This is the place where the girls played the most. It was warm enough and they really had fun in the water.
The High Line is open from 7am-8pm daily, with the last entrance at 7:45pm. In April through summer, the park is open until 10pm. Park workers are serious about getting you out on time.
The area around the northern end of The High Line is possibly the most unattractive in Manhattan, so double back and end your walk at another place.
The park has nine access points: Gansevoort Street, 14th and 16th steets (both with elevator access), 18th Street, 20th Street, 23rd Street (elevator access coming, 26th Street. 28th Street and 30th Street (elevator access).
Tips: If you are bringing a stroller, be sure to use the access points with elevators.
You can bring food to the park and sit at one of the cafe tables or on a bench. The popular lounges are at a premium, so you may have to wait for one.
They sell my favorite Blue Bottle Coffee there now, and although I don’t drink coffee for a few months already, I couldn’t say “no” to this one.
On our way back home, we let our girls have the local fruit ice pops that taste really good. Strawberry and basil is the perfect combination for ice pops, and Sophia enjoyed hers not even letting me have a lick.
There is only one bathroom, near the 16th Street entrance and lines can get long; don’t wait until your newly trained toddler HAS to go:)
It was a great trip and if you want to take your kids to NY and explore something else besides Times Square and Central Park, you should definitely try Chelsea Market and High Line Park.
Healthy Living, Healthy Us 