I LOVE NYC

I <3 NYC

View from Statue of Liberty

Since this is our year of travel, a trip to New York City was top on our list of destinations.  Traveling with food allergies presented its challenges, but the effort was worth the reward.  We used the tools in our toolbox and planned ahead for a fun vacation for the whole family.

My family had an offer to visit New York City by my sister's brother-in-law and sister-in-law.  They graciously offered for us to stay in their apartment as they knew having a kitchen would be extremely helpful for our family.  They also did some grocery shopping ahead of time so we would have some of my sons' food handy. 

 

We traveled by train from Virginia to Penn Station in New York City.  This was a 7 1/2 hour train ride and so we needed to plan for 1-2 meals on the train.  Amtrak does offer food, but it's limited and they do run out of food.  We chose to pack our meals for each direction of the trip. 

Rockefeller Center

 

We started out exploring the city by visiting Rockefeller Center and a Lego Store.  Madness!  We visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and had lunch in their great café.  We packed a lunch for our son and managed to find food for our daughter who is allergic to egg.

Fun in Central Park

 

Central Park was next on our journey through the city.  The kids played at playgrounds, climbed on rocks, strolled the park, and had a ride on the carousal.  Since it was about 35 degrees, we headed for a hot chocolate break.  Unfortunately, our son experienced an allergic reaction.  It was either to the aromas in the coffee beans, the peppermint tea, or by how the drink was prepared.  Standing on a street corner in New York with an allergy reaction was not in the plan, but after 2 doses of Benadryl, relaxing in the apartment, and calming down, all was well.  Our son did not make it to the American Museum of Natural History, but the rest of the group carried on and had a great time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next day of adventure included a trip to the Statue of Liberty, Tribeca, SoHo, and Little Italy.  Our hosts encouraged me to pack food for the whole day for our son, as this was going to be an all day affair. 

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was a great tour with the kids and humbling reflection of the past.  Walking through the halls of Ellis Island, I thought of my family members who walked these same halls 100 years ago.  I also wondered if anyone had food allergies 100 years ago and made the journey to a new land.  I am not sure, but it does make me wonder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ferrara's

With the thoughts of my Italian family members on my mind, we headed for Little Italy.  By this time in the day, our stomachs were grumbling and everyone was hungry.  We had a meal packed for our son, but we did need to find a restaurant that would have something for our daughter.  We focused on finding a place that would have pizza, as we thought the homemade pasta would be made with eggs.  After dinner, we walked down the street to the well known Ferrara's Bakery and Café.  An Italian café is not an allergy friendly destination, but my daughter was able to have sorbetto gelato.  I pray that someday my children will be able to delight in all of the food of Little Italy, because it was delicious!

 

 

The last day of our trip included a trip to the top of the Empire State Building.  The view from the top was enjoyable as we were able to view the city we had spent the previous two days exploring.  We grabbed some souvenirs and lunch at the Chipotle.  We headed to the train station by walking on 34th street, past Macy's and Madison Square Garden. 

Much thanks and appreciation to our hosts who guided us up and down streets and through subways.  They took us uptown, midtown, downtown, lower, and upper Manhattan. They pointed out great buildings across the skyline, the states in view of the Statue of Liberty, and the boroughs of New York City. 

We managed to enjoy the city that never sleeps, in spite of the limitations of food allergies.  Until next time...