Happy Monday! The sun is shining and the temperature is supposed to reach a mild 70 degrees today in Brooklyn. Our plan for the day is to stay local, exploring and doing some shopping before relaxing this evening with leftovers and Manchester By the Sea.

I thought it’d be fun to share a few of the things we did with my parents over the past few days during their visit. As you guys know, my parents visit us in New York at least 2 to 3 times per year so we tend to relax together and just enjoy versus trying to hit museums and tourist spots that they’ve seen multiple times. Since it was my dad’s birthday weekend, we chose a few restaurants that we knew he’d love so he could enjoy his favorite cuisine.

1. Birthday dinner at Joe’s Shanghai in Chinatown for their famous soup dumplings. If you’re local or visiting and love Chinese food, Joe’s Shanghai’s Chinatown location is a great option for authentic, reasonably priced Chinese food. Unlike many places in Chinatown, they offer an English menu so you aren’t clueless. We loved that the restaurant was filled with locals versus a line of tourists. 
2. A long, cold walk through Gramercy, Union Square, West Village, NoHo, SoHo and Tribeca. Even though the sun was shining and the sky was blue, the weather in NYC yesterday was deceptively frigid due to the strong wind gusts. We bundled up and enjoyed a long walk through some areas my parents are less familiar with while perusing shops and enjoying the sights, such as Washington Square Park. 
3. Delicious Italian dinner at Gran Morsi in Tribeca. Our friends Mike and Liz introduced us to Gran Morsi earlier this year and since then I’ve been dreaming about their delicious meatballs and the cast iron Eggplant Parmesan.  My parents loved the relaxed yet chic atmosphere and the service and food were just as good as we remembered.  
4. A very successful shopping experience at Seraphine Maternity. As you guys know, I haven’t purchased many maternity items thus far, instead relying on a few hand me downs and a few key items. Now that Spring is coming and I’ve also popped quite significantly over the past two weeks, my mom and I agreed that it was time to go shopping. The experience shopping in the Seraphine SoHo location was incredible. The staff was very friendly and helpful while their seasonal sale allowed me to walk out with seven pieces, 3 dresses, 3 tops, 1 sweater and one pair of panty hose, without breaking the bank. I couldn’t believe that two of my favorite items were under $60! I was able to find two dresses (this one and this one) which will be perfect for my Savannah and NYC showers. 
5. Two nights of delicious cooking and baking with Mom and Bo. After two nights of eating out we decided to spend Saturday and Sunday nights cooking in and relaxing together. We were all craving meat so we opted for a traditional steakhouse dinner on Saturday night followed by a slow-cooked pot roast on Sunday night. Since my mom and I enjoy baking together so much, we spent both nights baking delicious treats including this delicious German Chocolate cake.  Even though my dad doesn’t cook, it was still fun to have everyone in the kitchen relaxing together.