We had a wonderful 14th birthday celebration for the middle kiddo this past weekend… even though she ended up with a bad cold that had her down and out all day on Sunday. But I think it was well worth it because we had such a fabulous time at all of her favorite NYC hot spots on Friday and Saturday!

To celebrate the queen of jazz in our house, daddy got tickets to a spectacular show at Birdland (our favorite jazz club and also my parents used to go there back in the 50s!) to see The Anderson Brothers performing hits by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Two of my kiddo’s all time top musicians, she was in her glory watching Will and Peter and their ensemble perform such fabulous hits as “Marie” and “I’ll Never Smile Again.” In fact, we were all bebopping in our seats as we enjoyed our cheese and fruit platters while the performance was on.

Before we headed to the show, we had to, of course, eat dinner at our top-pick Italian restaurant of all time: Becco NYC. That Lidia Bastianich… I’m telling you… she’s a goddamn genius. The food at Becco is by far the most delicious and tantilizing pasta I have ever eaten. The garlic… oh man… sooooo good! Every time we go, we all order up the Sinfonia de Pasta, which is 3 different pastas served daily in all you can eat portions tableside. It just keeps coming. Our selections this time included linguine and clams, mushroom ravioli and a bowtie pasta in a red pepper sauce. Oh my hell was it delectable. I can’t stop thinking about it!

While we walked around our 8th Avenue neighborhood, we also were able to enjoy treats from Carlo’s Bakery as well as a delightful cup of hot cocoa at Amorino’s. The kids opted for the most gorgeous gelatos shaped as roses complete with macaron on top to finish off the evening. Juniors, of course, was our naughty touristy treat for breakfast on Saturday. Even though it’s in the heart of Times Square and it’s filled with all sorts of tourists from every place imaginable, we really just love their array of breakfast choices and the friendly and sweet staff that work there. Even the guys trying to sell tickets to bus tours don’t drive us crazy!

All in all, a special weekend for a special girl on her special day.

We’re already planning our return trip. Is it crazy to think we’ve been to NYC 5 times in the last 6 months?! Some people love the beach, some love cruises, we happen to love NYC!