Adventures at American Girl Place

Chelsea and I have been looking forward to going to New York City together - just the two of us - since the day she was born. On Thursday, May 18, 2006, we finally did it. We had been planning this trip to American Girl Place for quite some time. This was her ten year old birthday present from Daddy and I. To top it off, her Uncle Wombat had given her a $100 gift certificate there, as well as $20 for cutting her hair for Locks of Love. So, she had $120 from Uncle Wombat to spend, as well as a promise of $120 from us to spend. Believe me, she had been spending quite a bit of time figuring out what she could spend that money on. And really, I'm quite proud of her for taking the time to really figure out exactly what she wanted and why. She didn't do any splurge buying. It was all well thought out.

Chelsea and I got up at 5am that morning. We left home before 7am to drive to New Haven to get the train to NYC. There was construction, so we ended up taking the 8:50 train. The train was pretty full due to the fact that the Yankees were playing that day. It felt good just knowing the Yankees were in town playing. A nod to Dad in Heaven.

We arrived at Grand Central Station. I always love going there. There's so much history there. The ceilings are gorgeous with their celestial artistry. We left GCS and walked up to the American Girl Place, a brisk 10 minute walk. Suddenly we were there! Actually, we had been there a few weeks before when we were in NYC with my Mum visiting my brother. Rob had taken us over to AGP to see where it was and to do a little preshopping. Mum got to see it then and really enjoyed it. I was glad she was able to visualize where we were.

As soon as we got to AGP, we headed for the ladies room and then to the photo studio. Chelsea had brought her Kit doll with her (they have matching haircuts) and had her picture taken with her. The photographer was very good. She took about 7 pictures of Chelsea and Kit. We got to choose the pose we liked best and then the picture was digitalized onto an American Girl magazine cover. Very cool for a ten year old girl! We got a framed 8 x 10, a 5 x 7 and 12 wallets for her to share with family and friends.

Then we started our shopping! We decided to wait to purchase anything until just before the show at 5:30 so that we wouldn't have to carry all the bags around the store with us. As it ends up, AGP has a complimentary coat and bag check area, so we could have just left our stuff there, but it worked out fine in the end anyway.

Our first stop, after the photo studio, was Bitty Baby Place! Chelsea wanted to buy the Bitty Baby twins. She's wanted them for three years. I had told her no in previous years because I just wasn't ready to see twins in the house. The pain of losing Zoe never leaves me and seeing twins always leaves a stabbing pain in my heart. Even twin dolls. This year, though, I decided it was time. The Bitty Baby twins are boy/girl twins. Chelsea wanted a son really badly. She decided that she would give Chloe the girl twin. The only decision to make was whether to get the blond twins or the brunette twins. After seeing them in person and holding them, we both decided that the blond twins were best. Chelsea had been struggling with what to name her son. She had talked about it for weeks, listing names, asking our opinions. She had thought she would name him either Samuel or Hunter, but on the train ride down to NYC she suddenly decided on Charlie. And you know what, it suits him perfectly! So, now I have a grandson named Charlie. I love him as much as she does! We looked at the outfits for the bitty babies. Chelsea had already decided to buy the set of three onsies for them. This proved to be a smart choice as not only did she have a onsie for each twin, but also for her bitty baby Shelby who was left at home. The fall outfit that she likes is on sale on the website, so we decided to wait to get that online. We found the princess outfit that Chloe wanted for her baby along with the matching gown in her size. How beautiful!!! There was also a fairy dress that is very, very cute. I decided I would get that for her for Easter next year. Thankfully those clothes will fit her for a while still.

We took the escalator down to the land of the historical dolls next. We had to check out Josephina, the other doll that Chelsea had decided to buy. She has an American Girl Today doll and also Kit, from the 1930s. She had just read the Josephina book and decided that she'd really like that doll. It's different looking from her other dolls. I told her the story of Gabby, Stephen's daughter, getting it the year she lived with us. It looked just like her. Chelsea loved knowing that Gabby had the doll too. She decided to name her Josephina doll Gabriella, one of her favorite names, for Gabby. I hope that Gabby appreciates that when she visits in July! So, the twins were selected, Josephina was decided on, and now it was time for lunch!

Lunch at American Girl Place is wonderful! The decor is all pink and black. If you bring your doll with you, she gets to sit at the table with you to have lunch. Very cute. The meal begins with warm cinnamon buns and a note card that tells the story of a young girl who visited the city with her mother, saw a special show at the theater and had lunch in a fancy restaurant that served warm cinnamon buns. Those were the memories of Pleasant T. Rowland, the founder of the American Girl Company. Because of that memorable and special trip to the city, she dreamed of one day opening American Girl Place for young girls to share special memories with their mothers. Anyway, next came pretzel bread with honey mustard, fresh fruit, cheese triangles, vegetable crudités, and Boursin-cheese-filled Red Bliss potatoes. Then, the entrees of choice were served. Chelsea and I each ordered a different salad entree. Finally, we had dessert which consisted of a sugar cookie, a heart shaped cake and a flower pot filled with chocolate pudding with a flower sticking out of it. Very cute. Also on the table was a box filled with questions to ask each other. They were called Conversation Starters. We ended up buying a box to take home. We had a nice time talking with a mother and daughter at the table next to us. They were visiting from Atlanta and were going to begin homeschooling in the fall. We were able to share information with them and had a great visit.

After lunch, Chelsea and I decided to leave American Girl Place and take a couple of hours to tour Rockefeller Center. We walked through shops, saw where the Today Show is filmed, and spent some time at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Afterwards we had frozen yogurt in a small shop and then went back to AGP. When we returned to AGP, the fun of trying on clothes began. Chelsea tried on a whole bunch of clothes and finally ended up with a couple of shirts and a pair of pajamas, along with a bottle of American Girl Perfume. We did the rest of our doll shopping then - picking up what we had already decided on - and then dropped off our packages at the coat check as it was now time for the American Girl Theater.

"The American Girl Review" was the name of the show we saw at the theater. It was really very well done. Our only complaint was the sound was not good in the theater. All of the young girls in the show were very good. The adults were great, especially one male actor who played multiple rolls. My favorite part was the story of Addy, the runaway slave. Her story always makes me cry and this time was no exception.

When the play was finished, we took our shopping bags and headed back to Grand Central Station. We had enough time to have dinner downstairs and pick up some yummy Junior's Cheesecake to take home (and some to eat on the train). We had a fun trip back on the train looking at the dolls, eating cheesecake and people watching. We made it back to New Haven and then back home around 11pm.

I'm looking forward to many more trips down to American Girl Place with my girls over the years. I don't think it's a place you ever outgrow if you love dolls and books. (We saw a couple of older mother-daughter pairs at AGP totally enjoying themselves.)

God has blessed us so much.