Mother-Daughter Weekend in NYC

If you’re following me on Instagram, you probably saw that my mom was in town this past weekend! Her birthday was on Saturday and we planned a last-minute mother/daughter weekend in the city. So much fun! A mini vacation for her and a stay-cation for me. Win, win! I hadn’t seen my mom since Christmas so it was unbelievably nice to spend some quality time together.

*PS: There’s a chance for you to win a trip to NYC at the end of this post! If you skim over the details of my weekend, be sure to still check out the sweepstakes. All you have to do is send a tweet! And hurry, today is the last day to enter!

I was with my mom the first time I ever visited NYC in 2010 (really embarrassing photos here) and it was so crazy to think about how much has changed in those four years. Time seriously flies by, doesn’t it?! I recently read a quote about how all the days seem the same, but when you look back, everything seems so different. Okay, I need to stop with this before I start getting emotional. Back to my weekend with my mom…

Outfit: Express Top & Jeans, J.Crew Sandals (40% off!)

She got in on Friday afternoon and we shopped a little bit near my office and then kept it casual for dinner. And by casual, I mean we ordered in. If you truly want to get the ‘New York Experience,’ you’ve got to order Seamless. 😉 I got up early for SoulCycle on Saturday morning and we met back up for a pool day afterwards. Mother Nature had a different plan for us, however. After spending $150 on pool passes, the clouds rolled in and it started lightly raining. After waiting it out (aka: sitting in the rain for 30 minutes pretending it wasn’t that bad), we headed back to my apartment and ended up sitting out in the sun in my backyard for a little bit in the afternoon after the weather cleared up. I guess a little bit of Vitamin D is better than nothing!

Post lawn-chair-sitting, we grabbed a late lunch at Clinton St Bakery before heading to Brooklyn. We may or may not have ordered three milkshakes between the two of us… Whoopsies! Highly recommend the Salted Caramel one… And that may or may not be because it has a little bit of bourbon in it. 😉

We checked into the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge for our little two-night stay-cation. My mom had never been to Brooklyn and I don’t spend nearly enough time there. It was so nice to have a little change of pace! The hotel is right on the border between Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights, and it’s within walking distance to the bridges and DUMBO. Remember when I attended the store opening for a Nordstrom Rack in Brooklyn? Well, it just so happened that the store was right down the street from the Marriott! So naturally, we did a little more shopping as we were exploring the area. (And both found a ton of cute stuff for awesome prices!) We grabbed Shake Shack for a late dinner and then just relaxed and watched The Other Woman in our hotel room. So funny, definitely recommend it for a good laugh!

Lo & Sons Catalina Weekender

Favorite Mags + Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Polish (it’s finally in stores!!)

On Sunday, we had room-service breakfast in bed and finally made it out of the hotel around noon. Nothing better than a lazy Sunday morning, am I right? We headed up to the Upper East Side to do a little bit more shopping and to do some exploring in Central Park. With our NYC Explorer pass, we rented bikes and rode all throughout the park. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m really trying to take advantage of the park this summer and my mom had never been. The bikes were the perfect way to cover a lot of ground without getting too worn out!

Lilly Pulitzer Store on Madison Ave

Kate Spade Sandals

Matching Jack Rogers for my niece and a new pair for me!

Once we got back to Brooklyn, we ordered a few decadent treats (i.e. champagne, a cheese platter, and Key Lime Pie.. YOLO.) to indulge and unwind before dinner. We walked along the East River along the Brooklyn Bridge Park and then Hallie joined us for dinner at a quaint little Italian spot in Brooklyn Heights called River Deli.

My mom’s outfit: Sail to Sable Tunic / NYDJ White Jeans / Jack Rogers Wedges

As a little birthday gift, I bought my mom this Sail to Sable tunic! I saw it back at this event and couldn’t be happier with the purchase… 100% of proceeds go to The Scarlett Fund at Memorial Sloan Kettering Center to benefit pediatric cancer research. It comes in all sizes for women, as well as in a Little Ladies version, too! Cute tunic, great cause. Win, win!

And now for the exciting part… Today is the last day to enter Marriott’s #WIN3NYC summer sweeps for a chance to win the Best of NYC hotel package and a trip to New York City! Details to enter here! Disclaimer: It’s insanely easy to enter.. You only have to send a single tweet! Hurry, sweepstakes ends today!

Fine print: Marriott so graciously provided me with a complimentary Best of NYC Hotel Package for a stay-cation with my mom. All opinions are truly my own. My mom and I couldn’t have been happier with the hotel staff, the comfortable beds, hotel location, and room view!