Christmas Cheer

We did our annual trip to Rockefeller Center last week, and I think I've figured out the best way to do it. Always go on a weekday (way less crowded), go early-ish, know where you're going to dinner, and make it close and/or easy. The dinner nearby is probably the biggest challenge, since every Midtown place that you might want to go to is packed with theater goers at the hour you'd need to go. Or they're too expensive. Or both. You can do a couple of things--hop on the train and take it two stops down on the 6th Ave line, to 34th St. Walk two blocks to Koreatown, which is filled with fantastic Korean restaurants..my favorites are Kum Gang San at 49 W. 32nd, or Kang Suh. Just a block further, between 5th and Madison, on 32nd, is Hangawi . It's vegetarian Korean, and we love it for it's traditional approach--you take off your shoes when you come in. It's definitely more expensive and less raucous of an atmosphere as the others, so if your kids are wound up from too many Christmas cookies, don't come here.  For a more traditional Christmas vibe, there's the pub room at Keen's (on 36th St and 6th Ave), one of my all-time favorites. If you don't want to hop on a train, you could walk up to Menchenko-Tei, on 55th St, for some great Japanese noodles. (See my post on it here .) We were lucky enough to have Clara's grandma with us, and they went to Rockettes--so we took a break at Sardi's and had a drink upstairs. I love the bar up there--they have crocks of cheese and Ritz crackers that go perfectly with their delicious martinis. 

A Very Cool Swing Set

Just across the road from the Great Wolf Lodge is a little roadside ice cream stand/drive-thru, called Eats and Sweets. The guy who owns it is apparently a former pilot, and a friend of his gave him an old shell of a helicopter, which he promptly turned into a swingset. You can also sit inside the helicopter in the wooden seats he installed. After we played, we got an ice cream, and when I went inside to use the bathroom, I spotted his very cool collection of matchbooks from around the world. He has them all displayed inside the tables, under glass. According to the girl who was working there, the owner wants to retire in 2012. Someone needs to buy this place and keep it exactly as it is. 

Guilty Pleasure: Rutt's Hut, NJ

I have a theory (I'm sure most moms have this same idea), that if you try to feed your family super healthy and organic as much as possible, then, you get to have crap every once in a while, and not feel bad about it. This place, Rutt's Hut , in New Jersey, is the kind of place where you have to suspend all judgement, and just live in the moment. It's such a cool place, and has been around for over 65 years. They're known for the "ripper", a hot dog that is put into the deep fryer, until the skin is ripped a bit. Delicious. And no, I don't let her have soda.

Road Trip Switzerland Part 1

For a completely charming winter wonderland, that will please skiers and non-skiers alike, check out the Waldhaus Sils Maria.  Sils Maria is a small little town that is probably 15 minutes drive from St. Moritz, but the people who go there, most likely never go there.  The Waldhaus is a grand old family hotel, that's been in the same family for 100 years, and gets the same families there for generations.  When we went there, we saw babies with parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  It's totally family oriented--when we checked in, they were having an early evening party for the kids, with the largest red balloons I have ever seen, floating around the lobby.  There's a lovely indoor pool, and a ski school.  But our favorite part was the horse and carriage ride.  You get picked up right in front of the hotel, and are seated in a carriage that is covered with sheepskins, and then you are covered with huge sheepskin blankets, and whisked away up into the mountains, to a sweet little village, where you sit down for a lovely tea or hot chocolate, or lunch.  We had the most perfect "rosti", which is basically like a perfectly formed circle of hash browns, with an egg on top.  Afterwards, we walked back down the hills, to the hotel, working off lunch. From here I will send you towards Thermalbad Vals, one of the sexiest, yet family friendly, mineral spring hotels.  More later.

Cracker Barrel Rocks

I always turned my nose up to chain restaurants when we were on road trips.  I figured that with enough research (roadfood.com; chowhound.com; reading "apple's america") i could come up with something healthy, or honest, or both.  then we drove from new york to west virginia, and i realized i was wrong.  unless we wanted to take three days to get there, so i could find the most perfect spot to stop, i was going to have to cave.  that's how i ended up at cracker barrel...and let me tell you--you can actually have a great bowl of beans, cornbread, and mac and cheese.   everything else seemed pretty uninteresting, but those were delicious.  they even have a cool (yes, i mean that) gift shop, with lots of dvds (we bought mr. ed) that you wouldn't normally think about--old school movies...and lots of candy with old school packaging.