I’m coming off of a fantastic mother-daughter weekend in New York that struck an ideal balance of tourist and (fake) local. Having invested a fair bit of time developing our itinerary, nothing would make me happier than saving you and the next mother-daughter duo a little effort. So the next time you have a long weekend and an open calendar, here’s a classic guide to exploring Manhattan with your tween. We heart NYC! XO, L

SATURDAY

10 am Arrive in NYC. Drop bags at hotel and freshen up.

11 am Grab an eclair and rose latte for her and herbal tea for you from Laduree.

12 pm Surprise her with a blowout at The DryBar or the spa on the 9th Floor of Bergdorf’s, followed by a spot of shopping.

3 pm Skip lunch and enjoy a classic NYC pretzel from one of the zillion corner stands and people watch.

4 pm Bike around Central Park. Bypass CitiBikes and go to Bike Rent NYC for helmets, bikes with multiple gears, better fit and more options like scooters (we went with classic cruisers).

5 pm Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner.

6 pm Dinner at The Polo Bar for upscale American cuisine or Elio’s for lively, uptown Italian.

8 pm Crawl into bed, watch a rom-com, order cookies and milk from room service back at the hotel… and don’t forget to jump on the bed!

SUNDAY

8 am Stroll through Central Park. Take in an impromptu jazz or other street artist performance, while cuddled up on a park bench.

9 am Dash over to The Edge at Hudson Yard and take the first elevator to the 100th floor or the Empire State Building for old-times sake.

*Our plan diverged here because we didn’t expect was a rainy, “zero visibility” day. So instead of visiting our downtown destinations like the Hyline, Little Island, lunch at Grand Banks, MOMA and cocktails at Casa Cipriani, we enjoyed the greatest thing about New York - not having a schedule and seeing what adventures come our way.

11 am Pedis at Sunday Nail Studio.

12 pm Spontaneously met up at EverAfter on Madison with old friends from ATX, also on a mother-daughter excursion.

1 pm Teach the girls to hail a cab.

2 pm Head to Saks for shopping and a little sustenance from Honeycomb.

3.30 pm Don’t miss high tea at The Palm Court at The Plaza Hotel! (Our girls barely made the age cut off for the Eloise tea service, which was precious!)

5 pm Horse and carriage ride around Central Park is a must.

6 pm Quick stop at the Club Room at The Lowell for a quick ladies’ toast to amazing friends and happy twists of fate.

7 pm Catch a Broadway play. (*We saw Wicked. It was fantastic with a relevant plot line for tween girls.)

9.30 pm Skip the taxi and take a pedi cab back to the hotel - a detour through Times Square with Empire State of Mind blaring is an electric experience!

10.30 pm Light out!

MONDAY

6 am Take it slow. Savor a warm cup of tea, flip through a good coffee table book or do a little yoga, while your little lady sleeps in and you listen to the City slowly wake.

8 am Enjoy a classic American breakfast at the hotel. (When my mother traveled, she used to bring home those little jams and mini ketchups for my brother and me. They are so simple, but they always bring back fond memories… and now I get to make new memories around them too!)

9 am Walk or jog around the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

11 am Visit the Neue Galerie (avoid the brutal lines at The Met) and expose her to Gustav Klimt, after a requisite second stop at Laduree to pick up macaroons “for her siblings”.

12.30 pm Get in a little tennis at The Vanderbilt Tennis Club - a single, historic tennis court located above Grand Central Station, before heading home.

2 pm Hail one last taxi to the airport…